JP4606098B2 - Picking system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention reads information from an antenna provided on a cart from a tag provided at a predetermined location in a warehouse, a distribution center, etc., identifies a predetermined article storage shelf based on this information, and performs efficient picking. It relates to a picking system for performing.

  In the conventional picking system, a non-contact type radio tag (hereinafter referred to as an RFID tag) is provided at a predetermined position of a plurality of article storage shelves, and a RFID tag is connected to a non-contact type read antenna (hereinafter referred to as an RFID antenna) provided on the carriage side. By reading the information, the current position of the vehicle is recognized, and the layout of the article storage shelf is displayed on the display unit provided in advance in the carriage in accordance with the traveling direction of the carriage. The product can be picked according to the display on the display unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, in order to ascertain the current position of the carriage with certainty, a large number of RFID tags with installation location data stored on the floor on which the carriage moves are embedded over a wide area, and the installation location data is collected with the RFID antenna of the carriage. A technique is also known in which the current position of the carriage is always grasped by reading (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP-A-6-40527 (paragraphs 0014-0019, FIGS. 1-4) JP 2001-287809 (paragraph 0024-0027, FIG. 1-2)

  However, in Patent Document 1, information on an RFID tag provided at a predetermined position of an article storage shelf is used, for example, when the distance between the RFID antenna and the RFID tag is long, or when two carriages run in parallel. In some cases, the RFID antenna cannot read the information of the RFID tag, and when a plurality of RFID tags are embedded in the floor as in Patent Document 2, the installation location data is securely transferred to the carriage. It was necessary to spend a lot of cost and burial work.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such a problem. Even if many RFID tags are not embedded, the RFID tag installation location data is surely read by the RFID antenna of the carriage, and the installation location data is used. An object of the present invention is to provide a picking system that recognizes a work area of a carriage.

In order to solve the above problems, picking system according to claim 1 of the present invention, the truck is traveling on the path, it required a plurality of article storage shelves which are arranged continuously provided along both sides of the passage A picking system for picking up articles and placing them in a cart, wherein the passage is divided into a plurality of work areas with respect to the traveling direction of the cart, and an RFID tag storing installation location data for each boundary area of each work area Are arranged side by side in the width direction of the passage in the boundary region, and RFID antennas provided in front and rear for causing the carriage to read installation location data of the RFID tag, and a work area where the carriage stays are displayed. provided display means, the said display means is capable of displaying the picking layout diagram including an article storage rack, passages and working area, in the carriage, the carriage Travel direction detection means for detecting the row direction and instruction means for instructing which side of the passage the article to be picked is provided are provided, and the travel direction detection means is a boundary between the front and rear RFID antennas. It is characterized in that the traveling direction can be detected according to the detection order of RFID tags installed in each region .
According to this feature, when the carriage passes through the boundary area, the installation location data of the RFID tag provided in the boundary area is always read by the reading means of the carriage so that the traveling direction side adjacent to the boundary area is read. It is detected that the carriage has entered the work area, and the work area where the carriage currently stays is displayed on the display means provided on the carriage, so that the picking worker can easily find the current position of the carriage from the display means. Can grasp. Also, by reading the installation location data by means of the carriage reading means, the picker layout is displayed on the picking layout diagram in which the boundary area of the aisle, the work area, and the article storage shelf are displayed. By picking up the position, the efficiency of picking work can be improved. Even if the carriage moves forward or backward in the work area, it can be instructed on the storage shelf on the side of the aisle that the article to be picked is located, so that the worker can efficiently pick Work can be performed.

A picking system according to a second aspect of the present invention is the picking system according to the first aspect, wherein the RFID tag is formed in a substantially square shape, and one of the diagonal lines of the substantially square shape extends in the passage width direction. It is characterized by being arranged in parallel so as to face.
According to this feature, since the sides of the substantially square shape are arranged in parallel in the passage width direction, it can be arranged in the passage width direction in the boundary region with a small number of RFID tags. The cost can be reduced without reducing the reading accuracy.

The picking system according to claim 3 of the present invention is the picking system according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the article is provided with an RFID tag in which article data is stored, and the cart reads the article data. An article data reading means and a storage device for storing information on an article to be picked are provided.
According to this feature, the article data reading means reads the article data of the RFID tag attached to the article picked from the article storage shelf, whereby the article information stored in the storage device and the picked article information are obtained. Since they match or are compared, an article picking mistake can be prevented.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an entire image of a picking system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2A is a plan view showing an RFID tag installed on a floor, and FIG. FIG. 3A is a partially enlarged plan view of the boundary area where the RFID tag is installed and the vicinity of the work area, FIG. 3A is a side view of the carriage, and FIG. 3B is AA in FIG. 3 (c) is a block diagram showing data transmission / reception functions of various devices on the carriage, and FIG. 4 is provided on the carriage in the work area E01-01. FIG. 5 is an image displayed on the display unit of the personal computer. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2B. FIG. 6 shows the completion of picking work in the work area E01-01. FIG. 7 is an image showing the operation. FIG. 7 shows the operation in the work area E01-02. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the picking route and current position of the carriage, and FIG. 9 is an image showing the completion operation of the picking work in the work area E02-03. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing three patterns of routes in picking goods of a carriage.

  First, a layout applied to a warehouse, a distribution center, or the like to which the picking system of this embodiment is applied has a plurality of article storage shelves (hereinafter, shelves) 7 along both sides of the first passage as shown in FIG. Are arranged side by side in a symmetrical manner (in this embodiment, 01 and 02 shelves 01 to 03), and the carriage 10 can travel in the direction of the arrow along this first passage. Three work areas 6 (E01-01 to E01-03) are partitioned between a pair of left and right shelves 7 with respect to the traveling direction of the carriage 10, and four boundary regions 5 are provided for each boundary between the work areas 6. (P11 to P14) are provided. Similarly, the layout of the second passage is also divided into three work areas 6 (E02-01 to 03) between the pair of left and right shelves 7 (in this embodiment, the 01 and 03 shelves in the 03 and 04 rows), and the boundary area. Four (P21 to P24) 5 are provided.

  In each boundary region 5, a plurality of RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification, wireless identification) tags 1, which will be described later, are arranged in parallel in the width direction of the first passage and the second passage (three in this embodiment). . A carriage 10 which will be described in detail later in the first passage and the second passage configured as described above can run, and a front RFID antenna 11 serving as a reading unit is provided on the front lower surface of the carriage 10, and the rear A rear RFID antenna 12 that is also a reading unit is provided on the lower surface.

  The RFID tag 1 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 2A, an annular coil-shaped antenna unit 3 is connected to an IC chip 2 on which installation location data is recorded. It is a large and thin laminate type having a substantially square shape formed by covering the portion 3 with a protective film 4 of a laminate film. Similarly, the RFID antennas 11 and 12 have an annular coil antenna (not shown), and an electromagnetic induction method using magnetic flux generated by induction between the coils of the RFID tag 1 and the RFID antennas 11 and 12. To communicate with each other.

  The reading frequency of the RFID antennas 11 and 12 of this embodiment uses a frequency (125 kHz in this embodiment) of an electromagnetic induction long wave band (up to 135 kHz). The short wave band (13.56 MHz) of the system, the microwave band (2.45 GHz) of the radio wave system using the radio wave of the microwave band, etc. can also be used, and the shape and communication distance of the article placed on the shelf In accordance with the situation, an optimal method suitable for the environment may be used as appropriate.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the passage width of the first passage and the second passage is a vehicle width interval in which two carriages 10 can travel in parallel. For example, a plurality of carriages 10 are used for picking work. Even when the vehicle is used, the subsequent carriage 10 can easily overtake without being affected by the progress of the picking work of the carriage 10 located in front, so that the picking operator can perform a smooth picking work. It has become.

  The RFID tags 1 in the boundary region 5 are arranged side by side so that one of the substantially square diagonal lines faces in the passage width direction, rather than juxtaposing one side of the substantially square shape in the passage width direction. A small number of RFID tags 1 can be juxtaposed in the passage width direction in the boundary region 5, and the cost can be reduced. When the carriage 10 passes through the boundary region 5, the front RFID antenna 11 and the RFID antenna 12 pass above any one of the RFID tags 1 among the three in which the same installation location data is stored. The installation location data of the RFID tag 1 can be surely read.

  The shelves 7 arranged on the left and right sides of the first passage and the second passage described in FIG. 1 are formed in upper and lower multi-stages (four stages in this embodiment) as shown in FIG. 8 is stored. An article RFID tag 8a in which article data is stored is attached to these articles 8, and the article data of the article RFID tag 8a is read by a scanner 14 which is an article data reading means provided in a carriage 10 described in detail later. It is possible.

  Next, the cart 1 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3A, the upper stage mounting table 26 and the lower stage mounting table 27 are fixed to the frame 29 to form a two-stage system, and the lower surface of the lower stage mounting table 27. Four wheels are provided, a front RFID antenna 11 is provided at a central position between the front wheels, and a rear RFID antenna 12 is similarly provided between the rear wheels. On the upper surface of the upper stage mounting table 26 and the lower stage mounting table 27, a collection case 28 for storing the products picked from the shelf 7 is mounted.

  A conventionally known personal computer 13 composed of a storage device, a central control device, an input / output terminal, and the like is placed and fixed behind the upper stage mounting table 26, and passage data of the boundary area 5 and the work area 6 is stored in the storage device. Further, map data of the shelves 7, shelf storage data of picked items, product data of various items, and the like are recorded, and a storage box 18 is placed and fixed behind the lower stage table 27.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, lighting lamps 21 and 22 as instruction means are provided on the upper left and right sides of the frame 29, and the HUB 16 and the scanner 14 (in this embodiment, a hand) are provided on the left and right positions of the personal computer 13. A scanner is used). In the storage box 18, an acceleration detection device 17, a reader / writer 15, a digital input / output module 20, and a power supply unit 19 having a battery function are provided. The display unit 13a corresponding to the display means of the personal computer 13 is a tablet type that can be manually touched.

  Next, the data transmission / reception function of various devices on the carriage 10 will be briefly described. As shown in FIG. 3C, the personal computer 13 and the HUB 16 which is a relay and concentrator are connected by a communication cable 24. The scanner 14, the reader / writer 15, and the digital input / output module 20 are also connected by a communication cable 24. The acceleration detection device 17 is connected to a converter 23 by a signal cable 25 and is connected by a communication cable 24 via a converter 23 that converts an analog signal into a digital signal. Note that a USB cable (Universal Serial Bus Cable) capable of transmitting and receiving a large amount of data is used for the communication cable 24 of the present embodiment.

  The reader / writer 15 is connected to the front RFID antenna 11 and the rear antenna 12 via a signal cable 25, and the digital input / output module 20 is connected to lighting lamps 21 and 22 via a signal cable 25. Yes. Each device of the personal computer 13, the scanner 14, the reader / writer 15, the HUB 16, the acceleration detection device 17, the digital input / output module 20, the front RFID antenna 11, the rear RFID antenna 12, the lighting lamp 21, and the lighting lamp 22 is particularly a block diagram. Although not shown, the power supply unit 19 is connected to the power supply unit 19 via a power supply cable, and electricity of various voltages corresponding to each device is supplied from the power supply unit 19.

  In this way, by connecting each device with the communication cable 24 and the signal cable 25, various data can be transmitted and received. The installation location data read from the front and rear RFID antennas 11 is processed by the reader / writer 15 and transmitted to the personal computer 13, and the scanner 14 reads the article data of the article RFID tag 8a attached to the article 8 described later. Sent to the personal computer 13.

  In the acceleration detection device 17 that is a traveling direction detection means, the acceleration of the carriage 10 is detected, and this detection signal is converted into a digital signal by the converter 23 and transmitted to the personal computer 13. Centralized management and processing. The lighting control of the lighting lamps 21 and 22 is converted into an analog signal by the digital input / output module 20 based on control data from the personal computer 13, and switching between lighting and extinguishing is performed.

  Next, the image displayed on the display unit 13a of the personal computer 13 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, at the top of the image is a picking instruction unit 30 divided into left and right as instruction means, and at the center of the image. Is a product information section 31 that displays information on the product instructed by the picking instruction section 30, a layout section 32 that displays the entire layout diagram of the picking system on the lower left side of the image, and various types on the lower right side of the image. An operation unit 33 for performing an operation is displayed.

  Specifically, immediately before the carriage 10 enters the work area 6, the traveling direction of the carriage 10 is detected by the front and rear RFID antennas 11 and 12 when passing through the boundary region 5, and the installation location from the RFID tag 1 is detected. By reading the data, the installation location data is compared with each data recorded in the storage device of the personal computer 13, whereby the picking instruction data for the work area 6 is extracted.

  For example, when the picking instruction is issued for the article 8 placed on the left shelf 7 of the work area 6 where the carriage 10 stays, the storage location of the article 8 is displayed in the left area of the picking instruction unit 30. A triangle arrow indicating the left is highlighted, and the left lighting lamp 21 provided on the carriage 10 is also lit in conjunction with the inverted display of the arrow (see FIG. 5). When the picking instruction is issued to the article 8 placed on the right shelf 7, the storage location of the article 8 is displayed in the right area of the picking instruction unit 30, and the arrow indicating the right is highlighted. Since the lighting lamp 22 of the carriage 10 is also lit, it is possible to make the picking worker perform an efficient picking work.

  In the product information section 31, the product name, product image, number of picking instructions, JAN code number and its confirmation, and the item number of the product 8 and the item of delivery destination are displayed in the product information section 31. Indicates the JAN code unique to the article 8 instructed to pick, and the “confirmation” item displays the JAN code unique to the article 8 when the scanner 14 reads the article data stored in the article RFID tag 8a. (See FIG. 6).

  In the layout unit 32, information is processed by the personal computer 13 by detecting the traveling direction of the carriage 10 described later and reading the installation location data from the RFID tag 1, and each path and route are matched to the traveling direction of the carriage 10. A conceptual plan view, which is the layout of the entire shelf 7, is displayed, the work area 6 indicating the current position of the carriage 10 is highlighted and the picking instruction for each work area 6 is displayed. All the shelves 7 stored are highlighted, and the number of uncollected goods 8 is displayed at the lowest position.

  The operation unit 33 displays four items of “MAP position”, “result collection”, “order”, and “picking”. In the “MAP position” item, lower left and upper right buttons are displayed, and the position of the layout unit 32 can be selected and displayed. In this embodiment, the lower left button is selected. OFF and ON buttons are displayed in the “result collection” item. When the OFF button is selected, the JAN code displayed in the confirmation item by reading the JAN item of the product information section 31 and the article data of the scanner 14 If they match, it is recognized that the picking is completed, and if there is a next picking instruction in the same work area 6, a new picking instruction image is displayed.

  When the ON button is selected as in this embodiment, when the JAN item matches the confirmation item as shown in FIG. 6, a “pick” item display completion button and quantity correction button are displayed. Flashing notification (not shown) is given. Therefore, when the completion button is selected, blinking notification (not shown) of the completion button and the quantity correction button is stopped, and picking is completed with the quantity of the indicated number items in the product information section 31. If there is a picking instruction, a new picking instruction image is displayed.

  In this way, by reading the article data of the article RFID tag 8a attached to the article 8 picked from the shelf 7 with the scanner 14 which is the article data reading means, the information on the article stored in the storage device of the personal computer 13 and Since the information of the picked article 8 matches or is compared, the picking mistake of the article 8 is prevented.

  When the quantity correction button is selected, a quantity correction image (not shown) is displayed and the quantity of the indicated number item can be changed. After this quantity correction, by selecting the completion button displayed again in the “Picking” item, Picking is completed with the changed quantity in the indicated number field. In this way, when all the picking work in the work area 6 where the carriage 10 stays is completed, the display of the shelf 7 in which the articles 8 are stored is reversed, and the display indicating the picking completion state (in this embodiment) And the number of uncollected goods 8 displayed in the lowermost position is displayed in a subtracted manner.

  In addition, a button for reading and forcibly completing is displayed in the “order” item, and the button for reading and forcibly completing is not particularly used during normal picking work. When the next picking instruction image is not displayed due to an internal system error, the next picking instruction data is read again and a new image is displayed by selecting the read button. When all picking operations are canceled in the middle of the picking operation, the picking operation can be forcibly completed by selecting the forcible completion button.

  Next, even when the carriage 10 is moved to the adjacent work area 6 after the picking work in the work area 6 is completed, the traveling direction detection of the carriage 10 and the installation location data from the RFID tag 1 are detected in the same manner as described above. Is picked up immediately before, picking instruction data of the work area 6 that newly enters is extracted by internal processing of the personal computer 13, and based on this picking instruction data, as shown in FIG. Reflected in the product information part 31 and the layout part 32, a new picking instruction image is displayed.

  Next, the traveling direction detection and the current position detection method of the carriage 10 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 8, the carriage 10 passes through the boundary area 5 (P11) from the E00-01 area to the work area. 6 (E01-01), since the installation location data of the RFID tag 1 is detected in the order of the front RFID antenna 11 and the rear RFID antenna 12, the traveling direction of the carriage 10 is determined by the internal processing of the personal computer 13. Judged to move forward. When the rear RFID antenna 12 and the front RFID antenna 11 are detected in this order, the traveling direction of the carriage 10 is determined to be backward.

  Therefore, when the carriage 10 moves forward from the boundary area 5 (P11) of the first passage toward the boundary area 5 (P14), the current position of the carriage 10 is determined based on the passage detection history of the boundary area 5 (P11). Is staying in the work area 6 (E01-01), and a layout diagram is displayed on the layout section 32 along the forward traveling direction of the carriage 10 (see FIG. 4), and the boundary area 5 (P11) and the boundary area 5 are displayed. Based on the passage detection history of (P12), it is determined that the current position of the carriage 10 stays in the work area 6 (E01-02), and based on the passage detection history of the boundary region 5 (P12) and the boundary region 5 (P13). Thus, it is determined that the current position of the carriage 10 stays in the work area 6 (E01-03), and the current position of the carriage 10 is determined based on the passage detection history of the boundary area 5 (P13) and the boundary area 5 (P14). But it is determined to stay in the E00-02 area. Since the configuration is the same when the carriage 10 moves forward from the boundary area 5 (P21) of the second passage toward the boundary area 5 (P24), the description is omitted.

  Next, when the carriage 10 moves forward from the boundary area 5 (P24) of the second passage toward the boundary area 5 (P21), the current position of the carriage 10 is determined based on the passage detection history of the boundary area 5 (P24). 9 is staying in the work area 6 (E02-03), and the layout diagram is rotated 180 degrees and displayed on the layout unit 32 along the direction of forward movement of the carriage 10 as shown in FIG. Based on the passage detection history of the region 5 (P24) and the boundary region 5 (P23), it is determined that the current position of the carriage 10 stays in the work area 6 (E02-02), and the boundary region 5 (P23) and the boundary region 5 Based on the passage detection history of (P22), it is determined that the current position of the carriage 10 stays in the work area 6 (E02-01), and the passage detection history of the boundary region 5 (P22) and the boundary region 5 (P21) And Zui, the current position of the carriage 10 is determined to stay in the E00-01 area. Since the configuration is the same when the carriage 10 moves forward from the boundary area 5 (P14) of the first passage toward the boundary area 5 (P11), the description is omitted.

  Thus, since the work area 6 where the carriage 10 currently stays is determined based on the passage detection history of each boundary region 5 of the carriage 10, the current stay is maintained even when the carriage 10 is driven backward. The work area 6 is determined, and a layout diagram is displayed on the layout unit 32 along the backward traveling direction of the carriage 10.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, even when the carriage 10 travels forward or backward along the normal pattern of 1 to 3 patterns, the traveling direction of the carriage 10 is detected by the front and rear RFID antennas 11 and 12. Since the work area 6 where 10 stays is specified by the passage detection history of the boundary region 5 by reading the installation location data of the RFID tag 1 by the front and rear RFID antennas 11 and 12, the picking operator is displayed on the layout unit 32. It is possible to easily grasp the current staying position of the carriage 10 from the layout diagram.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and modifications and additions within the scope of the present invention are included in the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, it is preferable because the traveling direction of the carriage 10 can be reliably detected as forward or backward by the detection order of the RFID tag 1 by the front RFID antenna 11 and the rear RFID antenna 12 as the traveling direction detection means of the carriage 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 5, the carriage 10 may be provided with an acceleration detection device 17 to detect forward and backward movement of the carriage. In this case, the reading means for reading the installation location data of the RFID tag 1 can be a single RFID antenna.

  Moreover, although the present Example demonstrated by the example in which the shelf was installed in the both sides of the channel | path, it cannot be overemphasized that it is applicable also when a shelf has only one side of a channel | path. Further, the number of RFID tags 1 is not limited to three, and is set as appropriate in consideration of the passage width and the carriage width.

It is a top view which shows the whole image of the picking system in the Example of this invention. (A) is a top view which shows the RFID tag installed in a floor, (b) is the boundary area | region in which the RFID tag was installed, and the partial expanded plan view of work area vicinity. (A) is a side view of a cart, (b) is a front view shown by line AA in (a), and (c) shows a data transmission / reception function of various devices on the cart. It is a block diagram. It is the image displayed on the display part of the personal computer provided in the trolley | bogie in the work area of E01-01. It is sectional drawing shown by the BB line of FIG.2 (b). It is an image showing the completion operation of the picking work in the work area E01-01. It is an image displayed on the display unit of the personal computer in the work area E01-02. It is a top view which shows the picking route and current position of a trolley | bogie. It is an image showing the completion operation of the picking work in the work area E02-03. It is the top view which showed 3 patterns of the regular route in picking of the goods of a trolley | bogie.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 RFID tag 2 IC chip 3 Antenna part 4 Protective film 5 Boundary area 6 Work area 7 Shelf (goods storage shelf)
8 Article 8a Article RFID tag 10 Cart 11 Front RFID antenna (a part of reading means / traveling direction detection means)
12 Rear RFID antenna (a part of reading means / traveling direction detecting means)
13 Personal computer (storage device)
13a Display section (display means)
14 Scanner (article data reading means)
15 Reader / Writer 16 HUB
17 Acceleration detection device (traveling direction detection means)
18 Storage box 19 Power supply unit 20 Digital input / output modules 21 and 22 Lighting lamp (instruction means)
23 Converter 24 Communication cable 25 Signal cable 26 Upper stage mounting table 27 Lower stage mounting table 28 Pickup case 29 Frame 30 Picking instruction section (instruction means)
31 Product information section 32 Layout section 33 Operation section

Claims (3)

Bogie is traveling on the path, a picking system to pay the carriage by picking the desired articles from a plurality of article storage shelves which are arranged continuously provided along both sides of the passage, progression of the passage carriage The work area is divided into a plurality of work areas, and a plurality of RFID tags storing installation location data for each boundary area of each work area are arranged side by side in the passage width direction in the boundary area, and the RFID is attached to the carriage. RFID antennas provided in front and rear for reading tag installation location data and display means for displaying a work area where the cart stays are provided, and the display means includes an article storage shelf, a passage, and a work area. A picking layout diagram can be displayed, and the carriage has a traveling direction detection means for detecting the traveling direction of the carriage, and the article to be picked is either a passage. Of which indicating means is provided for indicating whether the storage shelves, the traveling direction detecting means, the traveling direction by the detection order of the RFID tags installed in each boundary region of the front and rear of the RFID antenna and can be detected Picking system characterized by that.   2. The picking system according to claim 1, wherein the RFID tags are configured in a substantially square shape, and a plurality of the RFID tags are arranged side by side so that one of the diagonal lines in the substantially square shape faces the passage width direction. Wherein the article is attached the RFID tag stores article data, and article data reading means for reading article data to the truck, picked the claims storage device is provided with the product information is stored one or 2. The picking system according to 2 .

Images