JP3625150B2 - Automatic warehouse system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Field of the Invention]
The present invention relates to an automatic warehouse system, and more particularly to work setting.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The automatic warehouse transports articles between a shelf and a loading / unloading station by a transport device such as a crane. In the automatic warehouse system, such an automatic warehouse is used as a unit, and one or a plurality of units are combined and controlled by a control means such as a warehouse computer. The automatic warehouse system is installed in a factory or a distribution center.
[0003]
In the conventional automatic warehouse system, when setting up work such as warehousing and delivery, the system status is not displayed, open another screen to check the system operating status, then return to the original work setting screen and set It was necessary to do. However, it is difficult to set up work according to the system status, and the system operation status confirmation screen is not opened and the work is set up suddenly. As a result, work is concentrated on one unit or abnormal This could cause work to be assigned to a unit that was stopped at. Moreover, it is troublesome to open the system operation status confirmation screen and check the status before setting work.
[0004]
[Problems of the Invention]
A basic problem of the present invention is to support work setting according to the situation of an automatic warehouse system so that the automatic warehouse system can be operated more easily (claims 1 to 3).
An additional problem in the invention of claim 2 is to prevent unreasonable warehousing settings and warehousing settings, and to reduce the burden on unwell units.
An additional object of the invention of claim 3 is to be able to efficiently distribute the work to each unit.
[0005]
[Structure of the invention]
The present invention provides an automatic warehouse unit provided with a plurality of automatic warehouse units each having a shelf, a transfer device, and a station, and provided with a control means for control, and sets the loading / unloading operation of each unit from the terminal of the control means. In the warehouse system, the arrangement of the plurality of units is displayed together with the number of shelves for each unit and the number of reserved shelves on the warehousing setting screen or the leaving setting screen of the terminal. It can be said that such a display is obtained by combining and displaying the operation status of each unit from the viewpoint of the number of shelves and the number of reserved reserved shelves in the system layout in units. It is preferable to store the system layout as a fixed frame, display it three-dimensionally, and superimpose the operation status on this.
[0006]
Preferably, from the terminal, the upper limit of the number of shelves and the upper limit of the number of reserved shelves for each unit can be freely set, and in addition to the number of shelves and the number of reserved reserved shelves, the unit setting screen has a unit the upper limit of the resident shelf number for each, the goods issue setting screen the upper limit of the unloading book shelf number for each unit, is displayed on the terminal.
[0007]
Preferably, a means for setting a distribution rate for distributing work to each unit of the system is provided, and the work is distributed to each unit according to the distribution rate. More preferably, the work can be distributed by selecting an assignment by designating a unit and a distribution according to a distribution rate.
[0008]
[Operation and effect of the invention]
In this invention, since the operating status of the system is displayed on the entry setting or delivery setting screen, the work can be set while grasping the current state of the system. For this reason, an automatic warehouse system can be operated efficiently (claims 1 to 3). In particular, since the number of shelves in each unit and the number of reserved shelves are displayed, it becomes obvious at a glance which unit is efficient to allocate the warehousing work and which unit is efficient to allocate the warehousing work.
[0009]
In the invention of claim 2, by making it possible to freely set the upper limit of the number of shelves and the number of reserved shelves, it is possible to prevent unreasonable warehousing settings and warehousing settings, and lower the upper limit of badly conditioned units, Can be adapted to
In the invention of claim 3, since the distribution rate is set according to the state of the system and the work is distributed to each unit based on this, the automatic warehouse system can be operated efficiently.
[0010]
【Example】
1 to 6 show an embodiment and its modifications. Fig. 1 shows the configuration of an automatic warehouse system. 2 is a warehouse computer as an example of a control means, 4 is a warehousing setting processing section, and each subsystem of the automatic warehouse system is represented by a crane number. A machine designation unit 5 that designates and assigns entry work to a designated unit, and a warehousing / distribution rate processing unit 6 that causes the operator to set a distribution rate and distributes the warehousing work to each unit according to the set distribution rate. is there. 8 is a delivery setting processing unit. In the subsystem, the unit designation unit 9 assigns the delivery operation to the unit designated by the unit designation, the first-in first-out principle in accordance with the principle of first-in first-out. There are a first-in first-out processing unit 10 that assigns a delivery operation to each unit and a delivery rate distribution processing unit 11 that assigns a distribution rate to an operator and distributes the delivery operation to each unit according to the distribution rate.
[0011]
A graphic processing unit 12 stores the layout of the automatic warehouse system as a fixed frame image and synthesizes an image indicating the current state of each part of the system with this image. The layout image was a three-dimensional image or a three-dimensional image, and in the example, a three-dimensional image using a bird's-eye view that was easy to process. Further, the graphic processing unit 12 searches and reproduces the past system status screen by frame advance or the like. Then, the graphic processing unit 12 further superimposes the warehousing setting screen and the warehousing setting screen on the image obtained by superimposing the operation status on the system layout, and outputs it to the terminal.
[0012]
The warehouse computer 2 has a large number of files. The main files are an inventory file 15 that stores stock items for each product number, and a shelf file that stores presence / absence of stock items and the product number for each shelf number of the automatic warehouse system. 16 and a recording file 17 storing a bird's-eye view regarding the situation of the past automatic warehouse system. In the embodiment, the recorded file 17 is an image of a past system, which is selected and stored in any of three types, every 2 seconds, every 4 seconds, or every 6 seconds. Use a disc or the like.
[0013]
Reference numeral 18 denotes a system history file that stores the past history of the automatic warehouse system, and particularly stores the history of conveyance, the cause and timing of occurrence of the abnormality, and the presence / absence of restoration of the abnormality. Reference numeral 19 denotes a current state file which stores data to be displayed via the graphic processing unit 12 in the current state of the automatic warehouse system. That is, the current file 19 stores the main data among the data such as the inventory file 15 and the shelf file 16, and the content of the shelf is the number of shelves per unit (the number of shelves of the automatic warehouse unit). The upper limit of the storage ratio and the maximum number of reserved shelves to be issued (conversion of reserved issues for each unit converted to the number of shelf numbers, etc.) and the maximum number of issues Reservation limit. In addition to this, regarding the crane status of each unit (during warehousing, during warehousing, standby, normal / data abnormality / equipment abnormality, normal / abnormal distinction), and other stations such as warehousing station and warehousing station (Normal / abnormal distinction between normal / data abnormality / equipment abnormality). In the embodiment, an automatic warehouse unit of 3 units is provided, and an electric cart that connects these units and a warehousing port and a warehousing port are provided. , Standby, normal / data abnormality / device abnormality) data is stored. In addition, the distribution ratio of the warehousing work and the warehousing work for each unit is stored for each warehousing and leaving. The other file 20 stores other data necessary for the operation of the automatic warehouse system.
[0014]
One or more setting terminals 22 may be provided in the automatic warehouse system, and the warehouse computer 2 may be called from the host computer 23 so as to be able to set entry and exit. A crane control unit 24 controls the stacker crane 25 and the like, and here controls three cranes of crane No. 1 to No. 3. A station control unit 26 controls the stations 27 to 29 and the like, and here controls a total of six stations (incoming × 3 + outgoing × 3) in a three-unit automatic warehouse. Reference numeral 30 denotes an electric cart control unit which controls the electric cart 31 and controls the entrance / exit ports 32 and 33 connected to the electric cart 31.
[0015]
FIG. 2 shows a warehousing setting screen on the setting terminal 22. Corresponding to the system configuration described above, shelves for three units, three stacker cranes of Units 1 to 3, a left entry station, and a right exit station are displayed. In addition, the track of the tracked carriage and the tracked cart that is transporting the incoming goods are displayed in front of the screen, and it is shown that two of the three entrances and exits are working and one is in the standby state. ing. The distinction between incoming goods and outgoing goods is not clear in FIG. 2, but can be clearly displayed by color coding or the like in an actual setting terminal. The normal / abnormal distinction can also be easily displayed by color coding, and the abnormality is displayed in different colors by distinguishing between a local device abnormality (hardware of each device) and a conveyance data abnormality (abnormality in conveyance data).
[0016]
In the state of FIG. 2, the entry station of No. 2 has a local device abnormality, and the exit station of No. 3 has an abnormality in conveyance data. The stacker crane displays the mast fixedly and displays the position of the lifting platform movably. The elevator unit is not displayed in the No. 3 machine, which indicates that the No. 3 crane is in a waiting state.
[0017]
For each unit, the number of shelves (the number of inventory items in each knit in the shelf address) is displayed with the upward arrow on the left side of the unit, and the number of reserved reserved shelves with the downward arrow on the right side ( (How many shelves are stored in the shelf address). The upper limit of the storage rate is shown at the top of the number of shelves. For example, in the case of Unit 1, the number of shelves is 400 shelves x 75%, about 300 shelves, and the upper limit of the shelves is 400 shelves x 91%, 364 shelves. If you click the rate icon and move it up or down, the storage rate setting value will change. The distribution ratio of warehousing is displayed in the lower left of the figure, which is 30% for Unit 1, 30% for Unit 2, and 40% for Unit 3. If the arrow indicating the distribution rate is clicked and moved to the left or right, the distribution rate can be changed.
[0018]
From the warehousing setting screen of FIG. 2, if any one of 1, 2 and 3 is entered in the leftmost square frame, the warehousing setting designated by the number machine is entered, and if A is entered, the warehousing setting according to the distribution rate is obtained. The product number, product name, and quantity received are also displayed. In the case of FIG. 2, the storage station of Unit 2 is abnormal, and the shelf of Unit 3 has reached the storage rate upper limit. Therefore, if the warehousing setting is performed based on the distribution rate as it is, an error occurs because Unit 3 has reached the storage rate upper limit, and that fact and the reason are displayed. On the other hand, if the upper limit of the storage rate of Unit 3 is increased, warehousing by distribution rate can be set. However, since the warehousing work is also assigned to the second machine that is suspending the warehousing, the warehousing work at the second machine may be delayed. In the warehousing setting screen of Fig. 2, it is efficient to set the warehousing by specifying the No. 1 unit or setting the warehousing by the distribution rate after increasing the storage rate upper limit of the No. 3 unit and reducing the distribution rate of the No. 2 unit Is.
[0019]
In the state shown in Fig. 2, if the storage station of Unit 2 is not abnormal, assign storage to Unit 2 with a small number of shelves and a large number of reserved reservations, or increase the storage rate limit for Unit 3 and increase the storage rate limit for Unit 2. It is efficient to increase the distribution ratio to and assign it by specifying the distribution ratio. It can be judged if the degree of abnormality of Unit 2 is known whether it is efficient to designate Unit 2 or to set the distribution rate by predicting that Unit 2 will be restored soon. In the embodiment, since the status of the automatic warehouse system is visually displayed on the warehousing setting screen, efficient warehousing setting is facilitated. In the distribution rate designation, it is assumed that a plurality of cranes are used, so that the warehousing operation can be performed in a shorter time than the designation of the number machine. In addition, by changing the distribution rate, it is possible to distribute the work rationally between the crane and the number of empty shelves and those that do not. Setting and displaying the upper limit of the storage rate is effective in preventing unreasonable warehousing settings. By making this variable, it is possible to flexibly cope with the operation situation. For example, if the storage rate upper limit is lowered for a poorly operated machine, the burden on the crane can be reduced.
[0020]
FIG. 3 shows a delivery setting screen. It should be noted that the warehousing setting and the warehousing setting are similar operations, and the description relating to the warehousing setting also applies to the warehousing setting except for the point that is particularly pointed out. The horizontal arrow shown on the right shelf of each unit is the set value for the upper limit of the outgoing reservation, and outgoing reservations exceeding this value cannot be reserved. This value can be changed by clicking on the icon for the upper limit of delivery reservation and moving up and down. By setting and displaying the delivery reservation upper limit, unreasonable delivery setting can be prevented. In addition, if the upper limit of the delivery reservation is made small for the unwell machine, the delivery work can be distributed according to the condition of each crane. The distribution ratio of the delivery is displayed below the center of the figure, and in principle, this can be set separately from the distribution ratio of the receipt and can be changed separately. By correcting the distribution rate according to the state of the shelf or the crane, etc., it is possible to enter and exit using all the units and according to the condition of each unit.
[0021]
From the state shown in FIG. 3, any one of the delivery setting designated by the machine, the delivery setting according to the distribution ratio, and the delivery setting by first-in first-out can be performed. However, the designation of Unit No. is generally time-consuming, and the setting based on the distribution rate has a problem when the recovery of the Unit 3 exit station is delayed. In addition, it is difficult for the operator to understand how the delivery work is assigned in the first-in first-out delivery. As described above, each setting mode has advantages and disadvantages, and which one is better is clarified by displaying the operating status of the system as shown in FIG.
[0022]
The meaning of the distribution rate may be changed as shown in FIGS. For example, in the modified example of FIG. 4, the correction rate when there is little room from the upper limit of the reservation for delivery and the upper limit of the storage rate with respect to the set distribution rate of delivery and delivery, and the correction rate when there is an abnormality in the transport device. A value that is stored in advance and corrected by multiplying the set distribution ratio by multiplying these correction ratios is used for distribution of warehousing and unloading operations. In this way, it is possible to reduce the possibility that an outgoing reservation upper limit error, a storage rate upper limit error, etc. will occur, reduce the distribution ratio to units waiting for recovery, and shorten the time until the end of work.
[0023]
In the modification of FIG. 5, the sum of the number of shelves reserved for warehousing and delivery and the number of shelves set this time is made to approach the distribution ratio among the units. For example, in the case of FIG. 3, the current delivery is assigned so that the first machine with the least reservation for delivery is given the highest priority and the assignment to the second machine is minimized. In this way, when a machine with a small number of reservations is generated, it is assigned with priority, so that work can be performed in the shortest time.
[0024]
At the bottom of the screen in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, an icon indicating whether the screen display and recording interval is every 2 seconds, every 4 seconds, or every 6 seconds is displayed, and a display icon of details of data abnormality or equipment abnormality is displayed. is there. When the abnormality details display is clicked when the cause of the abnormality is not known, for example, the explanation screen of FIG. 6 is popped up and displayed. This display may be superimposed on the display of FIGS. 2 and 3 or may be the display of FIG. 6 alone. From the display in FIG. 6, it is an overload abnormality of the sub-conveyor at the warehousing station, and after stopping the conveyor, it is checked whether the pallet is caught. It turns out that service is necessary. Therefore, even an unfamiliar operator can immediately know the cause of the abnormality.
[0025]
In the embodiment, since the setting of warehousing and unloading is made possible while displaying the layout of the automatic warehouse system and these conditions, it is possible to immediately determine to which unit allocation of warehousing and unloading is efficient. The display is three-dimensional and clear, and the presence / absence of abnormality, the number of shelves in stock, the number of reserved reserved shelves, etc. are displayed, so that the current state of the system can be easily understood. Furthermore, since entry and exit can be set according to the distribution rate set by the operator, entry and exit can be allocated efficiently and flexibly to each unit. In addition, depending on the situation, it is possible to assign the work by selecting the unit designation or the distribution rate designation. Each unit can be operated flexibly by setting and displaying the upper limit of delivery reservation and the upper limit of storage rate.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an automatic warehouse system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a warehousing setting screen in the automatic warehouse system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a delivery setting screen in the automatic warehouse system according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a distribution algorithm when setting a delivery in a modified example. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a distribution algorithm when setting a delivery in a modified example. FIG. 6 is a pop-up of an abnormality cause in the embodiment. Figure showing the display screen [Explanation of symbols]
2 warehouse computer 4 warehousing setting processing unit 5 unit designation unit 6 warehousing distribution rate processing unit 8 warehousing setting processing unit 9 unit designation unit 10 first-in first-out processing unit 11 warehousing distribution rate processing unit 12 graphic processing unit 15 inventory file 16 shelf file 17 recording file 18 System history file 19 Current file 20 Other file 22 Setting terminal 24 Crane control unit 26 Station control unit 30 Electric cart control unit

Claims (3)

In an automatic warehouse system that provides a plurality of automatic warehouse units provided with shelves, transfer devices and stations, and provides control means for control, and sets the loading and unloading work of each unit from the terminal of the control means,
An automatic warehouse system, wherein the arrangement of the plurality of units is displayed on a storage setting screen or a shipping setting screen of the terminal together with the number of shelves and the number of reserved shipping shelves for each unit. From the terminal, making it possible to set the upper limit of the number of shelves and the upper limit of the number of reserved reserved shelves for each unit,
The upper limit of the resident shelf number for each unit in the warehousing setting screen, the goods issue setting screen the upper limit of the unloading book shelf number for each unit, characterized in that so as to display to the terminal, according to claim 1 Automatic warehouse system. 3. The automatic warehouse system according to claim 1, wherein means for setting a distribution rate for distributing work to each unit of the system is provided to distribute the work to each unit.

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