JP3430108B2 - Sorting method - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for sorting articles, and more particularly to a method for sorting ordered products at a shipping center or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ordered product delivered to each store such as a supermarket or a convenience store is delivered by a truck or the like from a delivery center which is a product collection and delivery base. The products to be delivered are the vendors (sellers) of each product.
After being collectively delivered to the delivery center by the above method, the delivery center sorts a large number of different types according to the order of each store, and sorts each of the delivery destination stores.

[0003] The sorted products are usually kept in a carton (paper box) packed with a predetermined amount, or the necessary number is packed in a plastic foldable container, and a cart or a cart with casters or the like is used. It is loaded on a transportation means such as a dolly or carry, and delivered to a delivery destination by a delivery truck loaded with these.

[0006] The delivered products are arranged directly on the display shelves or temporarily stored in a storage room (back room) in the back at the store to which the products are delivered. In order to reduce It is required to be delivered.

On the other hand, under the present circumstances, even if goods are sorted and packed according to categories and delivered, if there are a large number of cartons or containers in one category, the sorting work is performed in a plurality of categories or display units at a time. Since this is done for merchandise, there is no choice but to sort goods in a plurality of categories or display units on the shipping sorting line.

Therefore, in the distribution center, the products sorted according to various conditions such as stores, categories, in-store aisles, and display shelves are naturally placed in carts or carts in the sorted order. After being loaded, it is sent to the shipping line, loaded on a truck, and shipped to each store.

[0007]

However, the commodities sorted based on the above-mentioned conditions and shipped from the distribution center are characterized by the characteristics of each commodity, the packing form, the loading state, the display case order or the display order in the same category. It was loaded on carts and carts without considering the above. That is, there is a plastic container on a carton made of cardboard, a heavy object is located above it, something that is lined up in a display shelf and one that is stored in a storage box are combined, Products with different display positions were mixed.

In such a case, a carton made of corrugated cardboard or an object located under a heavy object is crushed, or the display shelf and the storage or different display places have to be moved many times. Therefore, at the store to which the products have been delivered, it is necessary to temporarily remove each of these products from the cart and re-sort according to the characteristics of each product, the packing form, the display position, and the like.

Therefore, it takes time for the delivered products to be stored in a predetermined destination such as a display shelf, a frozen product display place, or a storage, and during that time, refrigerated and frozen preserved products requiring freshness are required. It will also be left uncontrolled without temperature control.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sorting method which can be loaded at the time of shipping in accordance with the characteristics of each commodity, the packing form, etc. so that the goods are not sorted again at the delivery destination store. .

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a sorting method according to the present invention provides a sorting method according to an order of each delivery destination from a plurality of types of transported articles placed on a transport line in a receiving area. When transporting many different types of transported items sorted by the required amount from the receiving area to the shipping area via the transport line, the attributes related to the transported items, attributes according to the transport mode, attributes related to the delivery destination, etc. Sorting is performed according to sorting requirements based on random selection of various attributes and ranking.
If it does not meet the sorting requirements, upstream of the transfer line
To return to circulation, or sorting requirements were set at any time
Circulating on the transfer line,
If the transported items meet the sorting requirements,
Sorting that combines the decision to send downstream
Multi-stage sorting is further performed to sort the conveyed goods.
A ring is attached to or contains the object to be conveyed.
Scanning results of identification data installed in incoming containers
Receipt induction in which the conveyed product is introduced by the result
From the line through the labeling line to attach the shipping label.
Primary sorting performed according to requirements and sorting of the conveyed items according to requirements
Delivery truck via buffering line
The above-mentioned transportation is performed in the shipping standby area that waits before loading
Items are sorted and each shoot line with multiple stages is
Between shipment sorting that sends the transported goods according to sorting requirements
Then, as secondary sorting, send to the shoot line
The presence of the delivered article is detected by the detection means.
The display means displays the start of transport sorting, work instructions, or
Display of work prohibition line, shipping destination and sorting requirement, quantity and balance
Display of quantity and end, cart full loading and cart label
Display that informs output instructions, total amount of goods transported by requirement and takeout
Displayed detection results such as display of the total quantity of delivered goods
Meet the sorting requirements when sorting the goods
Sorting based on the ratio of the amount of materials in the batch and sorting results
The feature is that automatic allocation control is performed to automatically allocate the number of lines .

By having the above-mentioned structure, from among a plurality of types of transported objects placed on the transportation line in the receiving area,
When transporting many different types of transported items sorted by the required amount according to the order of each delivery destination through the transport line from the receiving area to the shipping area, it depends on the attributes and the transport mode regarding the transported items. Items on the transfer line are sorted according to the sorting requirements based on the attributes and the attributes related to the delivery destination that are arbitrarily selected and ranked.
If it does not meet the sorting requirements, return it upstream of the transport line.
Transport lines that are circulated or have sorting requirements set at any time
And the items on the transfer line are sorted.
If it meets the requirements of
Further sorting at the sorting destination that combines the judgments of things
Multi-stage sorting is performed, and the circulation of the conveyed goods is attached to the conveyed goods.
Or the identity of the incoming container that stores the goods
According to the scanning result of the separate data, the transported object is introduced.
Attach a shipping label from the receipt induction line
Primary sorting and conveyed goods carried out through the labeling line
Through a buffering line that sorts and stores
, Waiting for shipment before loading on the delivery truck.
Chute line that sorts transported items in the rear and has multiple stages
Sorting shipments according to requirements for each item
And as a secondary sort, the shoot line
The presence of the conveyed goods is detected by the detection means.
The display means displays the start of transport sorting, work instructions, or
Display of work prohibition line, shipping destination and sorting requirement, quantity and balance
Display of quantity and end, cart full loading and cart label
Display that informs output instructions, total amount of goods transported by requirement and takeout
Displayed detection results such as display of the total quantity of delivered goods
When sorting the transported items,
H The number of sorting lines based on the ratio of the amount of materials in sorting and the sorting results
Is automatically allocated, and automatic allocation control is performed . This makes it possible to select and sort the conveyed items that meet the set condition requirements, and at the time of shipment, in order to avoid re-sorting at the delivery destination store, the characteristics and packing form of each product, etc. Can be loaded together.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a transfer line of a distribution center equipped with a secondary sorter according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the secondary sorting (sorting system) 10 is provided in one section of the delivery (physical distribution) center 11, and is incorporated in a part of a transportation line that extends all over the delivery center 11. Has been.

The delivery center 11 is a base for collecting ordered products (conveyed goods) to be delivered to each store which is an ordering source in response to an order from each store such as a supermarket or a convenience store. Vendors (sellers) collectively deliver them to the delivery center 11. Delivery center 1
The products received in 1 are transported on the transport line, and a large number of different types are sorted according to the order of each store, and the products are sorted by each store of the delivery destination. It is delivered to each store by flight.

In the delivery center 11, in addition to the secondary sortation 10, the areas of the receipt induction line 12, the labeling line 13, the primary sortation 14, the buffering line 15, and the shipping sortation 16 are used for transportation. It is installed along a conveyor line composed of a conveyor.

2A and 2B show a schematic structure of the stock induction of FIG. 1, in which FIG. 2A is a perspective view and FIG. 2B is a schematic view.
As shown in FIG. 2, the receipt induction line 12 is
It is an introduction section for products brought in by each vendor, and each product is placed on the transport line from the arrival truck 17 of each vendor (see (a)). The transfer line is, for example, a to
15 lines of o are provided, and ae, fj, ko
Are grouped into 3 groups of 5 lines each. The lines of k to o provided in a plurality of rows can correspond to the case where a large amount of products are received. After each line is connected for each group, it is further connected and merged ((b)).
reference).

Transported goods (commodities) placed on the transport line
Is a bar code, a two-dimensional code, or an IC (integrated circuit) that is printed on a label attached to a conveyed product or installed in a receiving container that stores the conveyed product.
it) Checked by scanning identification data such as chips. If there is no identification data as a result of the check, the identification data is sent to the labeling line 13.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of the labeling line of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, in the labeling line 13, the worker W sends a shipping label (shipping container or cart) to the conveyed product P sent from the receiving induction line 12.
on marking label (SCM label) or the like is attached. The conveyed product P to which the shipping label or the like is attached is placed on the conveyance line and sent to the primary sortation 14.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic structure of the primary sortation of FIG. 1, (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a schematic view.
As shown in FIG. 4, in the primary sorting 14, sorting (primary sorting) of the conveyed products sent from the incoming induction line 12 and the labeling line 13 in the first stage is performed. The transported goods that have flowed into the primary sortation 14 via the inflow line 14a are buffered in the primary storage line 18 connected to the inflow line 14a in order to perform sorting according to sorting requirements ((a),
(See (b)).

A plurality of inflow lines 14a are set for the purpose of improving sorting ability and fail-safe against system trouble, and the primary storage line 18 may also divide the area accordingly.

The primary storage line 18 can be either a free roller by inclination or a drive type conveyor. The primary storage line 18 is connected to the discharge line 14b via a feed device (not shown), and the feed device controls the delivery of the conveyed object stored in the primary storage line 18 and the discharge line 14b of the discharge line 14b. Join the stream.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic structure of the secondary sortation shown in FIG. 1, where (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a schematic view.
As shown in FIG. 5, in the secondary sorting 10, the first
By the same identification method as the sorting in the stage, the sorting (second sorting) of the conveyed products sent from the primary sortation 14 is performed in the second stage. The sorting in the second stage is performed subsequent to the sorting in the first stage in the primary sorting 14, and the provision of the secondary sorting 10 allows the sorting to be further performed in the sorting destination. Sorting is done. Further, in the sorting in the second stage, a buffering operation associated with the sorting is also performed.

Discharge line 14 of primary sorting 14
The conveyed product P that has flowed into the inflow line 10a from b is buffered in the secondary storage line 19 of the secondary sorting 10 that is connected to the inflow line 10a ((a)).
reference). The secondary storage line 19 is composed of, for example, a drive type conveyor, is bent about 180 degrees twice so that the inlet side and the outlet side are in opposite directions, and the first line 19a and the second line are sequentially arranged from the inflow side to the discharge side. Line 19b and third line 1
Three rows of 9c are juxtaposed to form one unit (see (b)).

The conveyed product P flowing from the inflow line 10a into the first line 19a is conveyed in the second line 19b in the direction opposite to the conveying direction of the first line 19a, and is the third end portion of the second line 19b. At the turning portion to the line 19c, return to the first line 19a or the third line 1
Whether to proceed to 9c is selected (see (b)).

That is, if the conveyed product P conveyed on the second line 19b meets the preset condition (setting condition), it is sent to the third line 19c as it is, and the third line 19c is sent. 19c is conveyed in the direction opposite to the conveying direction of the second line 19b, and if it does not meet the set conditions, it is returned to the first line 19a and conveyed again on the first line 19a.

Therefore, when the conveyed product P satisfies the sorting requirement order which is the setting condition here, it is cut out to the shipping chute and the buffering line (in FIG. 5, an arrow,
,,,)), if the sorting requirement order is not satisfied, it circulates in one unit (in FIG. 5, arrow ,,
, See).

The secondary storage line 19 is connected to the discharge line 10b via a feed device (not shown), and the conveyed product P sent to the third line 19c.
The feed is controlled by the feed device to join the flow of the discharge line 10b (see (a) and (b)).

As described above, in the secondary sortation 10, the conveyed goods that meet the first condition are buffered and stopped, and the necessary things that meet the next condition are selected from the buffered objects. Sorting is done by turning to next. This secondary sorting 1
The sorting at 0 is performed in three stages, for example. That is,
First, the conveyed goods are divided into categories according to temperature zones, and it is judged whether the container is a container or a carton, and the carton is selected. Then, it is judged whether the carton is heavy or light, and either one is selected. These judgments and selections are repeated for each condition to perform the necessary sorting.

As an example, if there is a conveyed product having a different shape depending on the condition, the conveyed product is returned again without being sent out. The returned conveyed product circulates in one unit, and only those whose shape conforms to the conditions are selected and buffered during the circulation. In other words, it has a circulation line through which the conveyed items circulate and a delivery line that sends out the conveyed items to the next, and by selecting any of the conveying paths for the conveyed items, only those that meet the set conditions are sent out to the next. ing.

As a specific example of the secondary sortation 10,
For example, the number of such units of the secondary storage line 19 is arbitrarily set according to the volume of the requirement, but in the case of FIG. 1, 28 units are arranged and a three-layer structure in which three units are provided is provided. I have. The setting conditions can be arbitrarily changed for each of the 28 units, and when the amount of selection targets due to sorting of the setting conditions increases, the number of units according to the setting conditions is increased. That is, when the condition A increases, the number of units satisfying the condition A is increased, and when the condition B increases, the number of units satisfying the condition B is increased.

The sorting requirements as the above-mentioned setting conditions include attributes relating to the conveyed goods, attributes according to the conveying mode of the conveyed goods, attributes related to the delivery destination store to which the conveyed goods are delivered, and there are, for example, the following.

[0033] Delivery by delivery, delivery vehicle order, delivery route, delivery center, delivery store, in-store category (temporary storage in the back room or immediately displayed at the store), category, display aisle, display shelf , Display order, raw material and product category, product storage / storage temperature zone (for example, 0 ℃ and 8 ℃), simultaneous delivery processing category in multiple temperature zones during delivery, vertical position category by product weight , Packing shape (cardboard carton or plastic container or stackable container with the same bottom size), etc. These various requirements can be freely selected in the secondary sortation 10.

After passing through the secondary sortation 10, the conveyed product is sent out to the buffering line 15 and is sent through the buffering line 15 to the shipping sortation 16 for sorting the shipment. Hereinafter, an example of buffering control in the buffering line 15 (see FIG. 1) will be shown.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual explanatory view showing an example of buffering control. This shows an example in which a picking product of a container and a carton is provided with a two-step buffering unit of a first and a second when processing two systems of a container control system and a carton control system.
Therefore, container first line 20, carton first line 21, container secondary line 22,
A total of four carton secondary lines 23 are installed.

The first lines 20 and 21 are connected to the loop storage line 24a and a loop storage line 24a which can circulate and store containers and cartons (containers, etc.), and a plurality of rows are arranged to store containers and the like. The straight storage line 24b is provided. The straight storage line 24b is divided into two groups, and in the steps in the first lines 20 and 21, containers and the like are stored by weight (A, B) and category units. When the amount is large, it is also stored in the loop storage line 24a.

Similarly for the secondary lines 22 and 23,
The loop storage line 25a and the straight storage line 25b
The straight storage line 24b outlet ends of the first lines 20 and 21 are connected to a. In the steps of the secondary lines 22 and 23, containers and the like are stored by weight (A, B), by store, by category, and by stacking order. The straight storage line 25b is provided with a return line for returning the loop storage line 25a to the other straight storage line 25b when the line is full, for example. The containers and the like stored in each straight storage line are sent to the shipping sortation 16 via the shipping sortation buffering line 16a.

The first lines 20 and 21 and the secondary lines 22 and 23 need only be set in one system if there are no stacking requirements such as weight classification and display order, and the buffering system may be used and controlled again. Also, the number of loop lines and the number of systems may be arbitrary as required.

In addition to using one loop line that also serves as buffering for satisfying the sorting requirements to sort the conveyed items into the shipping sortation 16, a plurality of loop lines can be combined and operated simultaneously. It meets complex sorting, stacking and stacking requirements and can process at high speeds. Therefore, as a system variation, it is possible to further simplify according to the level of the processed material amount, sorting, loading, and stacking requirements.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual explanatory view showing a loop system which is another example of the buffering control. This is a case where the shipping sortation 16 and the loop storage line 26 are combined to have a composite loop function, and when the shipping sorting conveyance has a margin, the loop storage line 26 is provided on the shipping sorter and looped. For example, the shipping sortation line itself may be looped and combined.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual explanatory view showing a main loop / subloop system which is another example of the buffering control. This is a case where a sub loop line is installed in the loop line of FIG.
Two sub-loop lines 28 are connected to 7 to provide six sub-loop areas 29. When the required level is higher, the required level can be sequentially satisfied for each area.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual explanatory view showing a multi-stage system which is another example of the buffering control. This does not mean that each sub-loop line 28 functions as an area in the main loop line 27 as in the main-loop / sub-loop method of FIG.
8 are multi-layered and combined and installed to form a plurality of stages. In this case, the upper empty space inside the building can be effectively used.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of the shipping sortation shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, in the shipping sortation 16, the final stage sorting of the conveyed products sent from the secondary sortation 10 via the buffering line 15 is performed. The conveyed product P that has flowed into the shipping sortation 16 from the buffering line 15 via the carrying line is processed by the shipping sortation 16
In the above, according to the stacking work of the worker W according to the inflow of the conveyed product P, the product is sequentially loaded from the shipping chute line 30 to the basket car 31 or the like, or the line of the shipping sortation 16 is extended and the product is directly loaded onto the delivery car. .

A plurality of rows of shipping chute lines 30 having a multi-stage structure are installed side by side in the shipping sortation 16 (only two steps and one row are shown).
Various types of information processing of the conveyed object P and the accompanying display are performed at the tip of the.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the tip portion of the shipping chute line of FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the tip of the shipping chute line 30 is provided with an on-board sensor (detection means) 32 installed on the line and a display section (display means) 33 attached to the tip surface. .

The on-board sensor 32 detects that there is a conveyed product P on the shipping chute line 30 for which the work is instructed, that is, on-board. As a result, the presence check for managing the quantity of the conveyed articles P to be taken out and a warning for preventing a work error due to taking out the goods on the work prohibited line are performed.

The display section 33 has a work instruction lamp 33a, a digital display 33b, a work confirmation button 33c, a re-display instruction button 33d, an alarm buzzer 33e, etc., and a display based on the detection result of the in-vehicle sensor 32. I do. The work instruction lamp 33a displays a start of transportation sorting, a work instruction, a work prohibited line, and the like, and the digital display 33b displays a shipping destination and sorting requirements, a quantity and remaining amount, and end. The operation confirmation button 33c is operated to notify the completion of cart loading, a cart label output instruction, etc., and the redisplay instruction button 33d is operated to display the total amount of conveyed goods by requirement and the total amount of taken out conveyed goods, and the alarm buzzer 33e. Emits a warning sound (alarm sound) in conjunction with the presence sensor 32.

By combining these display and check functions with the requirement-ranked sort function,
The worker W simply loads the cart P 31 or the like adjacent to the shipping chute line 30 according to the instruction in the order in which the worker W is positioned at the tip of the shipping chute line 30 and is transported.
Can meet the sorting requirements of. Further, the transfer and loading of the conveyed product P can be performed only by moving the shipping chute line 30 and the basket car 31 or the like by a short distance, and the work productivity is dramatically improved.

That is, by dividing the shipping chute line 30 having the multi-stage and plural-row configuration according to the sorting requirements, as in the case of the conventional sorting, a plurality of requirements for sorting (commodities, etc.) are mixed in one chute line. Since it is not transported as a result, it does not require re-sorting for stacking on a vehicle or cart.

As a result, the stacking work can be speeded up, the work speed can be increased by improving the productivity, and the man-hour cost can be reduced. Also, when sorting
Stacking for improving the loading accuracy by using the requirement-based sorting system (circulation method sorting) that does not require re-sorting work by the secondary sortation 10 and not requiring stacking collation work by a conventional scanner. Improved workability speeds up work and reduces man-hour costs.

When the conveyed products P are sequentially loaded from the shipping chute line 30 to the carts 31 and the like, and the carts 31 and the like reach a predetermined amount and are put into the shipping state sorted by each store of the delivery destination, the carts 31 are delivered. Is each delivery truck 34 for each delivery route
(See Figure 1). Car basket 31 loaded
Etc. are carried by the delivery truck 34 to the delivery destination store and are unloaded, and the conveyed product P is delivered to the delivery destination store for each basket car 31.

In the distribution center 11, when sorting the categories from picking into batches and loading the products in category units on the cart 31 or the like, that is, when the picking work is divided into groups of shipping stores and specific categories , It is necessary to divide into several work batches in consideration of work productivity and efficiency.

As an example, the number of shipping destination stores is 5 per day.
If 0, the sorter has 10 shoots, and the sorting category is 15, it is necessary to realistically limit the number of categories in one batch to about 3 in order to avoid confusion in shipping and loading.

At the time of sorting the conveyed products P, automatic allocation control is performed in which the number of sorting lines is automatically allocated based on the physical quantity ratio in the batch and the sorting result that meet the sorting requirements.

As described above, the secondary sorting 10
With the provision of, it is possible to carry out multi-stage sorting in which the articles transported on the transport line are further sorted at the sorting destination. In other words, when sorting the transported items on the transport line based on the set conditions, the transported items that do not comply with the set conditions are returned to the upstream of the transport line and circulated, or a transport line for which sorting requirements are set in real time at any time. Can be circulated over. Then, this circulation is combined with the determination that the conveyed product adapted to the set conditions is to be delivered to the downstream of the conveyance line, and either circulation or delivery is selected during the conveyance of the conveyed product.

Therefore, when the products randomly received at the distribution center are shipped to each store, for example, the selection according to the temperature of the products is given the highest priority for each store of the delivery destination.
It is possible to perform sorting according to various arbitrarily selected setting conditions, load the cart, etc., and deliver it to each store.

There are an enormous number of combinations of sorting under such various setting conditions, but the secondary sorting 1
0 and buffering line 15 with sorting function according to requirement
By providing a large amount of distribution goods (products) can be sorted at high speed and efficiently, it is possible to speed up sorting and reduce costs according to various setting conditions for each delivery destination store in the delivery center. Become.

A material handling device (material) in the primary and secondary sortations 14 and 10 is used.
The functions and information management provided in the al handling equipment) are as follows. Material handling equipment requires multi-level sorting requirement-specific functions, buffering functions, requirement ranking-based feeding functions, and circulation functions. Corresponding to these functions, multi-step sorting requirement-based sorting control, area-based Information management such as line-based inventory management, line-based feeding control, and circulation management is required.

Under the various functions and information management of such a material handling apparatus, for example, the primary storage line 18 of the primary sortation 14 (see FIG. 4B) has a total of 60 lines of 20 lines × 3 layers. A line can be installed and the secondary storage line 19 of the secondary sortation 10 (see FIG. 5B).
2) of 3 line 1 unit circulation
A total of 84 lines can be installed due to the 8-unit 3-layer structure.
As a result, in the primary sorting 14, about 1200-1
Storage capacity for 800 packages, secondary sorting 1
0 has a storage capacity of about 4500 to 6700 packages.

The sorting in the secondary sortation 10 can be realized by controlling the hardware resources such as a computer using the recording medium recording the sorting program as described above.

As described above, according to the present invention, the articles conveyed on the conveyance line are sorted based on the set conditions, and when the set conditions are not met, the conveyed articles are returned to the upstream of the conveyance line for circulation, or at any time. By circulating on the transport line where sorting requirements are set in real time, it is possible to perform multi-stage sorting in which sorting is further performed at the sorting destination.When sorting, judgment / selection based on preset conditions is performed for each condition. Is repeated.

That is, since the secondary sortation 10 has a line that circulates on the spot and a sending line that sends out to the next, only those that meet the set conditions are sent out to the next store. In order to prevent re-sorting, the sorting of sorting display items and items stored in storage boxes, temperature zone classification, display showcase location classification, stacking (stacking) classification by container, weight classification, etc. To meet the requirements,
It can be loaded according to the characteristics and packing form of each product.

Therefore, there is a plastic container on a cardboard carton, a heavy object is located above, or a display rack and a storage cabinet are combined. Further, it is possible to prevent the frozen stored product and the refrigerated stored product or the products having different display positions from being mixed.

As a result, at the store to which the products have been delivered, there is no need to re-sort each of these products in accordance with the characteristics and packing form of each product, and the delivered products can be re-sorted. It takes time to fit in a predetermined destination such as a display shelf or frozen product display place or storage, and during that time, refrigerated and frozen preserved products requiring freshness are left without the necessary temperature control. There is no such thing.

In the above-described embodiment, as a specific example of the secondary sortation 10, a secondary storage line 19 formed by arranging 28 units of the secondary storage line 19 in three stages and having a three-layer structure is shown. However, the number is not limited to this, and the number of units and the number of stages are arbitrary.

The various requirements for sorting in the secondary sortation 10 are not limited to those listed above, but may be varied according to various conditions such as the products to be sorted and the delivery destination store, requests, etc. You can decide freely.

[0067]

As described above, according to the present invention, the required amount is sorted according to the order of each delivery destination from a plurality of types of transported items placed on the transport line in the receiving area. When transporting many types of transported items from the receiving area to the shipping area via the transport line, various attributes such as attributes related to the transported items, attributes according to the transport mode, attributes related to the delivery destination, etc. are arbitrarily selected. Ranked
Sorted according to the sorting requirements based on the thing , the transportation line
If the above items do not meet the sorting requirements, the line
Return to upstream and circulate, or set sorting requirements at any time
On the transport line
Below the conveyor line if the goods in the warehouse meet the sorting requirements.
Sorting destinations that combine the decision to send to the stream
Multi-stage sorting is performed to further circulate conveyed goods.
Is a receiving container that is attached to or stores the transported items.
Depending on the scanning result of the identification data equipped on the
Ships from the receipt induction line where the goods are introduced
Primary performed through the labeling line for attaching labels
Sorting and buffer that sorts and stores transported items according to requirements
Wait through the ring line before loading on delivery trucks
Transported goods are sorted into multiple shipment standby areas and configured in multiple stages
Conveyed goods are sorted by each chute line and sorted according to requirements.
It is carried out as a secondary sort between the shipping sort and the shipping sort.
The conveyed goods sent to the chute line are detected by the detection means.
Presence is detected, and the display means starts transfer sorting and
Display of work instructions or work prohibited lines, sorting with shipping destination
Requirements, quantity and remaining amount, display of end, cart full loading and
Display for instructing to output the label for the cart, transported by requirement
Detection results such as the display of the total amount and the amount of items taken out
A message will be displayed and the sorting requirements will be
Based on the relevant quantity ratio in the batch and sorting results
Automatic allocation control that automatically allocates the number of sorting lines
Because is carried out, it becomes possible to sort and select the transported material that meets the conditions requirements that have been set, for example, an article in custody of the division to display goods and storage boxes, sections of the temperature zone, location classification of the display showcase In order to meet sorting requirements such as stacking (stacking) classification by container, weight classification, etc., it is possible to stack according to the characteristics and packing form of each product at the time of shipping.

As a result, it is not necessary to sort these products again at the store to which the products have been delivered, and refrigerated and frozen products requiring freshness are left uncontrolled without the necessary temperature control. There is no.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a delivery line of a distribution center equipped with a secondary sorter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the arrival induction of FIG.
(A) is a perspective view and (b) is a schematic diagram.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the labeling line of FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration of the primary sorting of FIG.
(A) is a perspective view and (b) is a schematic diagram.

5 shows a schematic configuration of the secondary sorting of FIG.
(A) is a perspective view and (b) is a schematic diagram.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual explanatory diagram showing an example of buffering control.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual explanatory diagram showing a loop method which is another example of buffering control.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual explanatory diagram showing a main loop / sub loop method which is another example of buffering control.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual explanatory diagram showing a multi-stage system that is another example of buffering control.

10 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the shipping sortation of FIG. 1. FIG.

11 is a perspective view of the tip portion of the shipping chute line of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols] 10 Second Sortation 10a Inflow line 10b discharge line 11 delivery centers 12 Arrivals Induction 13 Labeling line 14 First Sortation 14a Inflow line 14b discharge line 15 Buffering line 16 Shipping Sortation 16a Shipping Sorting Buffering Line 17 Arrival Truck 18 Primary storage line 19 Secondary storage line 19a 1st line 19b Second line 19c Third line 20 container first line 21 carton first line 22 Container secondary line 23 carton secondary line 24a, 25a, 26 loop storage line 24b, 25b Straight storage line 27 Main loop line 28 Sub loop line 29 Sub loop area 30 Shipping chute line 31 basket car 32 In-vehicle sensor 33 Display 33a Work instruction lamp 33b Digital display 33c Work confirmation button 33d Redisplay instruction button 33e Alarm buzzer 34 Delivery Truck P Transported goods W worker

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-5-208705 (JP, A) JP-A-6-179511 (JP, A) JP-A-8-301412 (JP, A) JP-A-7- 144720 (JP, A) JP 63-195304 (JP, A) JP 61-2612 (JP, A) JP 63-295304 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65G 1/137 B65G 47/46

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A large number of different types of transported items, which are sorted according to the order of each delivery destination, by a required amount from a plurality of types of transported items placed on a transport line in the receiving area. When transporting from the product to the shipping area via the transport line, various attributes such as attributes related to the transported goods, attributes according to the transportation form, attributes related to the delivery destination, etc. are arbitrarily selected and ordered.
Sort according to sorting requirements based on the ranking
The goods on the conveyor line do not meet the sorting requirements.
If it is not, return it to the upstream of the transfer line and circulate it, or
Circulates on the transport line where sorting requirements are set at any time.
And that the goods on the transfer line meet the sorting requirements.
If it responds, it can be sent to the downstream of the transfer line.
Multi-stage sorting with a combination of judgments and further sorting
Sorts and circulates the conveyed items by attaching them to the conveyed items or carrying the conveyed items.
Of the identification data installed in the receiving container that stores the shipment
Receipt in which the conveyed product is introduced according to the scanning result
Laveri attaching shipping labels from the induction line
Primary sorting carried out through the
Via a buffering line that sorts and stores according to requirements
, Waiting for shipment before loading on the delivery truck.
In the rear, the above-mentioned conveyed items are sorted and a multi-stage shooter is arranged.
Sending out the goods for each inn according to sorting requirements
It is carried out as a secondary sorting between the sorting and the sorting, and the conveyed product sent to the chute line is detected.
Presence is detected by the means, and the transportation sorting is performed by the display means.
Start of work, display of work instruction or work prohibited line, shipping destination
And sorting requirements, quantity and remaining amount, and end display, cart loading
Display and requirements to notify the completion of loading and cart label output instructions
Displaying the total amount of transported items and the total amount of items that have been taken out, etc.
The detection result is displayed and the sorting requirements are met when sorting the conveyed items.
Sorting based on the ratio of the amount of materials in the batch and sorting results
A sorting method characterized by automatically allocating the number of lines and performing automatic allocation control . 2. The sorting method according to claim 1 , wherein the sorting requirements relating to the temperature of the conveyed products are given the highest priority.