JP5382454B2 - Article processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention includes a transport unit capable of transporting an article replenished in a replenishment posture from the article replenishment port in one direction to an article take-out port, and a holding unit capable of holding the article downstream of the article take-out port. And a shelf portion for storing a plurality of articles of the same size in the shelf depth direction adjacent to each other in the replenishment posture on the transport path of the transport section from the article take-out port toward the article replenishment port side. A plurality of types of articles having different lengths in the depth direction of the shelf in the replenishment posture, and a shelf for conveying the articles to the article replenishing port of the work shelf. Further, the present invention relates to an article processing facility provided with an article replenishing device for replenishing in the replenishing posture.

  The article processing facility is used, for example, for a picking work in which an operator picks up picking objects such as parts housed in a plurality of sizes of containers as a plurality of kinds of articles from a container at a picking work location. The work shelves are arranged in a state in which the article take-out side of the transport unit in each shelf part faces the picking work place, and an article replenishing device such as a stacker crane is arranged on the article replenishment port side of the transport unit.

  A holding unit for holding the article is provided on the downstream side of the article take-out port of the conveyance unit of each shelf part, and a plurality of replenishment postures are replenished in the replenishment posture by the article replenishment device from the article replenishment port of the conveyance unit. The articles are conveyed to the article take-out side by the carrying section in the shelf portion, and one is held in the replenishment posture by the holding section, and the remaining articles are pre-packed to the article take-out position by the carrying section. It is held in a refill position. In this way, in each of the shelf portions, a plurality of articles having a size to be stored in the shelf portion are stored in each shelf portion in a state where a plurality of articles are arranged adjacent to each other in a replenishment posture.

  An initial replenishment for replenishing articles to each shelf part of the work shelf as a preparation before the start of picking work, and a replenishment apparatus each time replenishing articles to a shelf part that requires replenishment of articles due to the progress of the picking work, Is done. That is, when replenishment request information for requesting initial replenishment or each time replenishment is generated, the management control means executes an article replenishment process to control the operation of the article replenishment apparatus, and spare articles are stored by the article replenishment apparatus. The article to be replenished is taken out from the storage means such as a storage shelf, and the article is replenished to the article replenishing port of the shelf part to be replenished.

  Conventionally, presence / absence sensors have been provided at article detection locations located on the downstream side of the conveyance by a set distance from the article replenishment port side end of the conveyance section in each of the shelf portions. In the replenishment of the article to the part, the management control means fills the part from the end on the article take-out side to the article detection point in the conveyance path of the conveyance unit based on the detection information of the presence sensor. This is performed until a full state is detected. When the management control unit detects a full state based on the detection information of the presence / absence sensor, the replenishment of articles to the shelf portion is terminated. Then, when new replenishment request information is generated for the shelf part, articles are replenished to the shelf part (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 61-124406 A

  In the article processing facility, in order to handle a plurality of types of articles, the length in the depth direction in the replenishment posture of articles to be stored in each shelf part may differ depending on the shelf part. However, as described above, the presence / absence sensor is uniformly provided at an article detection position located on the downstream side of the conveyance by a certain set distance from the end of the conveyance section on the article replenishing port side for every shelf portion. The presence or absence of an article at the article detection location is detected by detecting the article at the article detection location.

  If the presence / absence sensor for each shelf part is installed according to the length in the depth direction in the replenishment posture of the articles to be stored, the installation position of the presence / absence sensor must be adjusted for each of the plurality of shelf parts. In other words, there is a problem that installation work takes time. In addition, the articles to be stored in each shelf part may be changed, and it is not realistic to change and adjust the attachment positions of the presence / absence sensors for a plurality of shelf parts each time the change is made. For this reason, the maximum number of items that can be detected by the presence / absence sensor in a range where the length of the article in the depth direction in the article replenishment posture does not protrude from the article replenishment port side end of the shelf to be stored In the full state stored in the pre-packed state in the transport unit, the presence / absence sensor is set to a position where the most upstream article in the transport unit of the shelf portion can be detected.

  For this reason, the management control unit determines that the shelf portion for storing the article having a small length in the depth direction in the article replenishment posture is full based on the detection information of the presence sensor. Thus, when the replenishment of the article to the shelf portion is completed, the length of the empty portion formed on the upstream side from the most upstream article stored in the transport unit of the shelf portion in the full state becomes longer.

  When the length of the empty part is longer than the length in the depth direction in the replenishment posture of the article to be stored, the shelf part can be replenished with at least one more article to be stored. In spite of being present, after the full state is reached, the replenishment of the article by the article replenishment process ends. Therefore, the article is not replenished until the next replenishment request information is generated due to the progress of picking work or the like, and a space formed at the end of the shelf part on the article replenishment port side in the transport part There is a risk that a part may be wasted and the storage capacity of the work shelf may not be fully utilized.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, The objective is to provide the article processing equipment which can utilize the storage capacity of a work shelf as much as possible.

In order to achieve this object, the first characteristic configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention includes: a conveyance unit that can convey an article replenished in a replenishment posture from an article replenishment port in one direction to an article take-out port; and A holding unit capable of holding an article on the conveyance downstream side of the article take-out port, and having a plurality of same sizes in the shelf depth direction from the article take-out port toward the article supply port side on the conveyance path of the conveyance unit. A shelf for storing a plurality of articles in a plurality of types of articles having different lengths in the shelf depth direction in the replenishing posture, and a shelf portion that stores the articles in a state of being adjacently arranged in the replenishing posture; An article replenishing device that conveys articles to the article replenishing port of the work shelf and replenishes the shelf portion in the replenishing posture, and is set from the end of the shelf portion on the article replenishing port side in each of the shelf portions Inspection of goods located on the downstream side of conveyance by the distance Replenishment sensor for detecting presence of an article by detecting an action on the article at the article detection point and replenishment request information for requesting replenishment of the article to the article replenishment port in the shelf portion. When the replenishment request information is generated in the replenishment request generation unit, the request generation unit manages which type of article is stored in each of the shelf parts, and the replenishment request information is based on the replenishment request information. The type of article to be replenished to the shelf part is determined, and the article detection is performed from the end on the article take-out side in the transport path of the transport unit based on detection information of the presence sensor in the shelf part to be replenished An article replenishment process that controls the operation of the article replenishing device to replenish the type of article until it is detected that the part up to the point of use is full. In article processing facilities provided with management control means for the execution,
The management control means manages the set distance information indicating the set distance for the article detection location and the length information for each article size indicating the length in the depth direction of the article in the replenishing posture, and replenishing the article In the processing, when a full state is detected based on the detection information of the presence / absence sensor with respect to the shelf portion to be replenished, the shelf portion is determined based on the set distance information and the length information according to the article size. If it is determined whether or not the replenishment target article can be additionally replenished, and it is determined that additional replenishment is possible, the replenishment posture is added to the article replenishment port of the shelf portion in order to replenish the type of the article. It is the point which is comprised so that the additional replenishment process which controls the action | operation of an article replenishment apparatus may be performed.

  According to this characteristic configuration, when replenishment request information for requesting replenishment of articles to the article replenishment port in the shelf portion is issued by the replenishment request generating means, the management control means executes an article replenishment process. The management control means manages what kind of articles are stored in each of the shelf parts, and executes the article replenishment process so that the articles to be replenished to the shelf parts to be replenished based on the replenishment request information Determine the type. Then, the management control means controls the operation of the article replenishing device to replenish the type of article to be replenished to the shelf portion to be replenished. In this article replenishment process, the article of this type is replenished until a full state is detected based on the detection information of the presence / absence sensor in the shelf portion to be replenished.

  Then, in the article replenishment process, when the full state is detected for the shelf portion to be replenished based on the detection information of the presence / absence sensor, the management control means determines whether or not the item to be replenished can be additionally replenished to the shelf portion. Determine.

  That is, when the management control means detects a full state based on the detection information of the presence / absence sensor, any part in the depth direction of the most upstream article is located at the article detection location, so that the most upstream article Of these, the length of the portion located upstream from the article detection location is shorter than the length in the depth direction of the article in the replenishment posture. Therefore, the management means sets the set distance information indicating the set distance, which is the distance from the end of the article replenishment port side of the conveyance section, for the article detection location where the presence sensor is provided, and the length in the depth direction in the article replenishment posture. Even if the position of the most upstream article with respect to the article detection location cannot be accurately grasped by managing the length information for each article size indicating the height, it is formed on the upstream side of the article located in the most upstream area. It is possible to grasp the estimated length as the length of the empty portion. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the replenishment target article can be additionally replenished with respect to the shelf portion.

  If it is determined that the item to be replenished can be additionally replenished to the shelf portion, the management control means executes an additional replenishment process. Thereby, the article of the type is additionally replenished to the article replenishment port of the shelf portion in a replenishment posture. Therefore, after it is detected that the full state is detected based on the detection information of the presence / absence sensor, the article of the type to be stored with respect to the empty part formed at the end part on the article replenishment port side in the transport part of the shelf part As a result, the number of articles stored in the shelf portion can be increased.

  Thus, the article processing equipment which can utilize the storage capacity of the work shelf as much as possible has been obtained.

  According to a second characteristic configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention, the management control unit manages route length information for each shelf portion indicating the length of each of the transport routes of the shelf portion, and the route for each shelf portion Based on the length information, the set distance information, and the length information for each article size, in the full state, upstream of the most upstream article stored in the shelf portion of the transport path in the shelf portion. A full state is detected based on detection information of the presence / absence sensor with respect to the shelf portion in which articles are replenished by executing the article replenishment process. When the length of the empty part is longer than the length indicated by the length information according to the article size of the article of the type, the article to be replenished with respect to the shelf part is determined. Can additional replenishment be possible? In that it is configured to determine.

  According to this characteristic configuration, the management control means manages the path length information for each shelf part indicating the length of each conveyance path of the shelf part, so that the article replenishment port side end part of the shelf part in the full state. The length of the empty part according to the type of article to be formed can be obtained. In other words, the length along the transport path from the downstream end of the transport section (the end of the product outlet side) to the article detection location where the presence / absence sensor is provided is a length that is shorter than the path length per shelf part by a set distance. The length along the transport path from the downstream end of the transport unit (the end of the product outlet side) to the upstream end of the most upstream product in the full state is the length according to the size of the product. Since it is an integral multiple, it is an integral multiple of the length by item size, and the downstream end of the transport unit is obtained by obtaining the smallest integer that is not less than the length shorter than the set path length by the shelf portion. It is possible to obtain the length along the conveyance path from the (article take-out side end) to the upstream end of the uppermost article in the full state. Therefore, the length of the empty part according to the kind of article | item formed in the article replenishment port side edge part of a shelf part in a full state can be calculated | required.

  The management control means determines the length of the empty part for the shelf part in the full state obtained in advance or when the shelf part to be replenished becomes full, and the type of article that the shelf part is to be stored. By comparing with the length indicated by the length information for each article size, it is determined whether or not the article to be stored can be additionally replenished to the shelf part. Can be determined. If the length of the empty portion formed in the full state is obtained in advance, it is stored in the storage means corresponding to each shelf portion, and the length information of the empty portion is taken out if necessary. Good.

  By the way, by obtaining the length of the empty part formed in the shelf part in the full state, the management control means, based on the length information according to the article size of the type of article that the shelf part is a storage target, The number of articles that can be additionally replenished with respect to the shelf portion can be obtained. Therefore, when the length of the empty part formed in the full state is longer than the length indicated by the size of the article of the type, the number of times corresponding to the number of articles that can be additionally replenished is added. It is also possible to replenish the replenishment process repeatedly and replenish as much as possible with the types of articles to be stored in the empty part formed in the full state, and store as many articles as possible on the shelf part. It is also possible to achieve the state.

  According to a third characteristic configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention, the set distance has a length in the shelf depth direction in the replenishment posture among a plurality of types of articles having different lengths in the shelf depth direction in the replenishment posture. This is that the distance is set to be longer than the length in the shelf depth direction in the replenishment posture of the largest article that is the largest.

  According to this characteristic configuration, the presence / absence sensor is configured so that the maximum article having the maximum length in the shelf depth direction in the replenishment posture from the end on the article replenishment port side of the conveyance unit in each of the shelf portions is in the replenishment posture. It is provided at a location located on the downstream side of the conveyance by a distance longer than the length in the shelf depth direction. Therefore, when it is detected that the shelf part for storing the maximum article is full based on the detection information of the presence / absence sensor, an empty part is always formed at the article replenishment port side end of the shelf part. The The empty space is formed when the shelf where the maximum item is to be stored is full. This means that other types of items that are shorter in the depth direction of the shelf in the replenishment posture than the maximum item are stored. As for the shelf portion to be defined, in the full state, an empty portion longer in the shelf depth direction than the empty portion for the maximum article is formed. As described above, it is possible to prevent a full state of articles of all sizes from being detected as being full when protruding from the end of the shelf at the article replenishing port side, so that the full state can be detected appropriately.

  A fourth characteristic configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention is a state in which the replenishment request generation unit does not detect an article located at the article detection location in the full state from a state in which the presence sensor detects the article. The change information is generated as the replenishment request information.

  According to this characteristic configuration, the presence / absence sensor for detecting an article stored in the article detection location can also be used as the replenishment request generating means, so that the configuration of the article processing facility can be simplified. In addition, since the replenishment request information is generated immediately when the full state is not reached, the article storage state in the shelf portion can be maintained as close as possible to the full state. Thereby, it can prevent as much as possible that a missing item generate | occur | produces in an article picking location.

  According to a fifth characteristic configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention, the replenishment request generation means is configured by an artificial operation tool provided for each of the holding portions in the shelf portion, and the management control means includes: The operation of the article replenishing device is controlled so as to replenish articles to the article replenishment port in the shelf portion corresponding to the artificial operation tool that has generated the replenishment request information.

  According to this feature configuration, since the replenishment request generating means is configured by an artificial operation tool provided in the holding portion in the shelf portion, an operator who takes out the picking target article from the article held in the holding portion, It is possible to generate replenishment request information by operating the manipulating operation tool while staying at the picking work location. Further, replenishment request generating means is provided for each of the holding portions in the shelf portion, and the management control means replenishes the article to the article replenishment port in the shelf portion corresponding to the artificial operation tool that has generated the replenishment request information. Therefore, since the operation of the article replenishing device is controlled, for the articles that need to be replenished by the operator's judgment, replenishment request information is separately issued by the human operation tool, so that the replenishment request information is issued to the shelf part that needs to be replenished. Thus, the article to be replenished can be appropriately replenished at a preferred timing.

  A sixth characteristic configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention is that there are a plurality of combinations of each of the shelf portions in the work shelf and the size of the article stored in each shelf portion.

According to this feature configuration, for example, even if the article to be stored in each shelf part of the work shelf needs to be replaced by changing the contents of the picking work due to a change in the production plan, etc. To be able to operate with different types of goods stored,
There is no need to prepare shelf parts for all picking target items, and the articles that each shelf part is to be stored can be replaced as necessary. Therefore, it becomes an article processing facility capable of processing articles of various types for the scale of the facility.

Front view of article processing equipment Partially enlarged plan view of article processing equipment Control block diagram of article processing equipment Table showing some of the items handled by the article processing facility Table showing transport path length of shelf part The figure which shows the storage state of the goods in each shelf part Initial replenishment process flowchart Flow chart of replenishment process each time Control block diagram in another embodiment

  An embodiment of an article processing facility according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a picking facility as an article processing facility is provided with a work shelf 1, a stacker crane 2 as an article replenishing device, and a storage shelf 3. In the picking facility, picking is performed. At the work location Z, the picking work for taking out the picking object stored in the article B by the worker X is performed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the stacker crane 2 is erected with a traveling cart 10 that travels along a traveling rail 9 laid on the floor, with a distance in the front-rear direction in the traveling direction of the traveling cart 10. A pair of front and rear elevating masts 11 whose upper end portions are connected by a connecting frame 13, and an elevating platform 12 that is guided by the pair of elevating masts 11 and moves up and down on the traveling carriage 10. The connecting frame 13 is provided with a plurality of guide rollers 15 that come into contact with the left and right side surfaces of the upper rail 14. The stacker crane 2 is guided by the traveling rail 9 on the lower side and guided by the upper rail 14 on the upper side. In this state, a moving passage formed between the work shelf 1 and the storage shelf 3 is configured to be reciprocally movable.

  The lifting platform 12 is provided with a side clamp type transfer device 16 provided with a pair of gripping portions 16a and 16b that can be moved toward and away from each other in the traveling direction of the stacker crane 2 so as to be able to move in and out of the left and right direction of the stacker crane 2. The storage operation of the carriage 10, the lifting / lowering operation of the lifting / lowering platform 12, and the transfer operation of the transfer device 16, the loading / unloading of the article B with respect to each storage unit in the storage shelf 3 and the work shelf 1. The article B can be replenished with respect to the article replenishment port Gin of each shelf portion T. The loading / unloading and replenishment of the article B are performed in a determined replenishment posture. That is, the stacker crane 2 transports the article B to the article replenishment port Gin of the work shelf 1 and replenishes the shelf portion T in a replenishment posture.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the storage shelf 3 includes a pair of support columns 17a and 17b arranged in the longitudinal direction of the shelf with an interval in the horizontal direction of the shelf. Are provided in multiple stages in the front-rear direction of the shelf, and the shelf plates 19 are provided in multiple stages across the front and rear horizontal frames 18 located on the same stage between the pair of support columns 17a and 17b. . Thus, the storage shelf 3 is configured to be able to store a plurality of articles B in a state where the articles B are placed and supported on the shelf board 19. In the picking facility of the present embodiment, a plurality of types of articles B1 to B6 (see FIG. 4) having different sizes are handled, and thus the storage shelf 3 stores a plurality of types of articles B1 to B6 having different sizes. The Articles B of the same size are stored on the same shelf board 19. A storage position for storing the article B is assigned to each shelf board 19, and the storage position information is managed by a management controller 8 a (see FIG. 3) that manages the operation of the stacker crane 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the work shelf 1 is disposed so as to be positioned between the movement path of the stacker crane 2 and the picking work location Z. The work shelf 1 is composed of a shelf plate 21 with rollers that is connected to and supported by four columns, two left and right locations on the article supply port Gin side and two left and right locations on the article outlet Gout side, and the shelf plate 21 with rollers. The extension portion 21ex connected to the end of the article take-out port Gout in a state of being bent downward is composed of a self-weighted flow shelf in which a plurality of extension portions 21ex are arranged vertically and horizontally.

  Each of the shelf plates 21 with rollers and the extended portion 21ex is divided into a plurality of partitions 22 in the left-right direction of the shelf, and a plurality of shelf portions T are formed corresponding to the type of the article B. Each shelf portion T stores an article B of a type set in advance as the article B to be stored. FIG. 1 shows a first shelf portion T1 to a fourth shelf portion T4 which are shelf portions T arranged vertically at a certain position in the shelf width direction. FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the uppermost shelf plate 21 with rollers and the extension portion 21ex including the first shelf portion T1.

  The portion constituted by the shelf 21 with the roller of the shelf portion T is a single item from the article replenishment port Gin to the article take-out port Gout by its own weight while supporting the article B replenished in a replenishment posture on the idler roller. It can be freely conveyed in the direction and functions as the conveyance unit 4. Further, the portion constituted by the extension portion 21ex of the shelf portion T functions as the holding portion 5 that can hold the article B on the downstream side of the article take-out port Gout. In this way, the work shelf 1 is configured by arranging a plurality of shelf parts T each including the transport unit 4 and the holding unit 5 for each of a plurality of types of articles B having different lengths L in the shelf depth direction in the replenishment posture. Has been.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, six types of articles B of a plurality of types of articles B1 to B6 having different sizes are handled. Of the six types of articles B1 to B6, the article B having the maximum length in the depth direction in the refill posture is an article B4 as shown in FIGS. Then, the management controller 8a (see FIG. 3) associates the article size length information (L1 to L6) and the article size width information (W1 to W6) shown in FIG. The information is stored in the storage means.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, the combination of each of the shelf portions T in the work shelf 1 and the type of the article B stored in each shelf portion T is set in advance. The combination information is stored in the storage means of the management controller 8a in correspondence with the shelf numbers T1 to T6 that distinguish the shelf portion T, and is managed by the management controller 8a. Thereby, as shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2, the articles | goods B of the same kind are stored on the same shelf part T. FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the first shelf portion T1 stores an article B1 having an article size length L1, and the second shelf part T2 has an article size by an article length L2. B2 is stored, the third shelf portion T3 stores an article B3 having an article size length L3, and the fourth shelf portion T4 stores an article B4 having an article size length L4. The

  The management controller 8a stores a plurality of combination information as combination information according to the picking work content. Thereby, even if the article B stored in each shelf portion T is changed by changing the picking work content, and the combination of each of the shelf portions T and the type of the article B stored in each shelf portion T is changed, Corresponding to the changed combination, the shelf portion T can be appropriately replenished with the article B of the type to be stored.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, in the state where the path length information for each shelf portion indicating the length of the transport path of the transport section 4 of each shelf portion T is associated with the shelf number information of the shelf portion T, the management controller 8 a It is stored in the storage means, and these shelf part-specific path length information is managed by the management controller 8a. The length of the transport path of the transport unit 4 of each shelf portion T is the same length if the shelf portion T is formed on the shelf plate 21 with rollers at the same stage, as shown in FIG. The first shelf portion T1 and the fifth shelf portion T5 to the ninth shelf portion T9 formed on the uppermost shelf plate 21 with rollers are the shortest P1. And as shown in FIG. 1, the length of the conveyance path | route of the conveyance part 4 is long as the shelf part T formed in the shelf board 21 with a roller located in the lower stage. That is, P1 <P2 <P3 <P4.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, an article detection point located on the downstream side of the conveyance by a set distance D from the end of the conveyance part 4 on the article replenishment port Gin side of each shelf portion T includes: A full switch S is provided as a presence / absence sensor that emits detection light to the article B located at the article detection location, detects the presence / absence of the article B based on the presence / absence of reflection, and outputs a detection signal. Therefore, in the full state where the part from the end on the article outlet Gin side to the article detection location in the conveyance path of the conveyance unit 4 is filled with the article B, it acts on the article B located on the most upstream side. Thus, the detection signal is output continuously. The detection signal of the full switch S is input to the management controller 8a as shown in FIG.

  The set distance D is preferably as close as possible to the end on the article replenishing port Gin side in order to store as many articles B as possible on the shelf when full. It is also necessary to set so as not to be caught from the end on the article supply port Gin side. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6 (a), the set distance D is set in the shelf depth direction in the replenishment posture among a plurality of types of articles B having different lengths in the shelf depth direction in the replenishment posture. The distance is set to be longer than the length L4 in the shelf depth direction in the replenishment posture of the maximum article B4 having the maximum length. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the article B from protruding from the end on the article supply port Gin side in any shelf portion T in the full state. The set distance information indicating the set distance D is stored in the storage means of the management controller 8a, and is managed by the management controller 8a, like the length information by article size and the route length information by shelf part. .

  The control configuration of the picking equipment is as shown in FIG. That is, the operation of the stacker crane 2 is controlled by the crane controller 8a, but the operation command for instructing the operation content of the stacker crane 2 is generated by the management controller 8a executing the article replenishment treatment, and is sent to the crane controller 8b. Are output.

  The management controller 8a constantly monitors the detection signals of the plurality of full switches S while distinguishing them from each other while grasping the correspondence relationship with the shelf portion T on which the full switches S are provided. When the detection signal is continuously input for a predetermined time or more, it is determined that the shelf portion T provided with the full switch S is full. The reason why the full state is not determined when the detection signal from the full switch S is less than the predetermined time is to prevent the product B from being erroneously detected as being full when the product B has passed through the product detection portion. .

  The replenishment of the article B to the article replenishment port Gin in the shelf portion T is performed when replenishment request information for requesting replenishment of the article B to the article replenishment port Gin in the shelf portion T is generated. That is, when the replenishment request information is generated, the management controller 8a executes the article replenishment process to determine the type of the article B to be replenished to the shelf portion T to be replenished based on the replenishment request information. Generating an operation command for instructing the operation of the stacker crane 2 necessary to take out the article B of the type from the storage section of the storage shelf 3 and replenish the article supply port Gin in the shelf portion T to be replenished; The operation command is commanded to the crane controller 8b that controls the operation of the stacker crane 2. As a result, the crane controller 8b controls the traveling operation of the traveling carriage 10, the lifting operation of the lifting platform 12, and the transfer operation of the transfer device 16, and the full switch S in the shelf portion T to be replenished is full. This type of article B is replenished until it is detected.

  In this way, the management controller 8a manages which type of article B is stored in each of the shelf portions T, and when replenishment request information is generated, the article replenishment process is executed and the crane controller 8b is operated. The crane controller 8b controls the operation of the stacker crane 2 based on the operation command from the management controller 8a. That is, the management controller 8 includes the management controller 8a and the crane controller 8b.

  The management controller 8a also functions as a replenishment request generation unit. In other words, the management controller 8a initially replenishes a plurality of types of articles B containing picking objects to each shelf portion T of the empty work shelf 1 at an appropriate time before the picking work is started. Generate replenishment request information. A plurality of shelf number information included in the initial replenishment request information designates the shelf portion T used in the picking operation, and all of the shelf portions T scheduled to be used become the shelf portion T to be replenished. Based on the initial replenishment request information, the management controller 8a is to replenish the article replenishment opening Gin of the shelf portion T with the type of article B that is to be stored by each shelf portion T for all the shelf portions T to be replenished. A plurality of operation commands for the stacker crane 2 are generated.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the full switch S also functions as a replenishment request generating means. That is, the full switch S generates replenishment request information whenever it changes from a state where the article B stored in the article detection location is detected to a state where it is not detected. Then, the management controller 8a determines that the replenishment request information has been generated whenever the detection signal from the full switch S that has been input until then is not input. When replenishment request information is issued each time from the full switch S in any shelf portion T, the management controller 8a replenishes by determining which of the plurality of full switches S is the replenishment request information. The shelf number of the target shelf portion T is specified. Then, for the shelf portion T provided with the full switch S, the stacker crane 2 of the stacker crane 2 is used to replenish the article replenishment opening Gin of the shelf portion T with the article B of the shelf portion T to be stored. Generate an operation command.

  Hereinafter, the control contents of the management controller 8a when the article B is replenished to the work shelf 1 based on the initial replenishment request information and the replenishment request information each time will be described.

  When the management controller 8a detects the full state of the shelf portion T to be replenished based on the detection information of the full switch S, the management controller 8a applies the shelf portion T to the shelf portion T based on the set distance information and the length information according to the article size. On the other hand, it is determined whether or not the replenishment target item B can be additionally replenished, and if it is determined that additional replenishment is possible, the replenishment posture is added to the item replenishment port Gin of the shelf portion T in the replenishment posture. Therefore, the additional replenishment process for controlling the operation of the stacker crane 2 is executed.

  Further, the management controller 8a manages shelf part-specific route length information indicating the length of each conveyance route 4 of the shelf part T, and the shelf part-specific route length information, the set distance information, and the article size length. Based on the information, the length Q of the empty portion formed on the upstream side of the most upstream article B stored in the shelf portion T in the transport path in the shelf portion T in the full state is determined. When the full state is detected based on the detection information of the full switch S for the shelf portion T in which the product B is replenished by executing the product replenishment process, the length Q of the empty portion is It is determined whether or not the replenishment target article B can be additionally replenished with respect to the shelf portion T by determining whether or not it is longer than the length L indicated by the length information for each type of the article B. It is configured.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), when the fourth shelf portion T4 for storing the item B4 is full, the length of the empty portion located upstream from the most upstream item B4. Since Q is shorter than the length L4 indicated by the length information according to the article size of the type of article B4, the additional replenishment process is not executed, and the article B4 is further replenished from the state shown in FIG. There is nothing. As shown in FIG. 6 (b), when the second shelf portion T2 for storing the article B2 is full, the length of the empty portion located upstream from the most upstream article B2 indicated by the solid line. Since the length Q is longer than the length L2 indicated by the length information according to the article size of the type of article B2, additional replenishment processing is executed, and further from the state shown by the solid line in FIG. The article B4 shown is replenished.

  In this embodiment, each time the full switch S detects a full state, the management controller 8a determines the length Q of the empty portion in the full state for the shelf portion T in which the full switch S is provided. The shelf portion T is configured to be obtained based on shelf portion-specific route length information, set distance information, and article size-specific length information.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), when the fourth shelf portion T4 for storing the item B4 is full, the length of the empty portion located upstream from the most upstream item B4. Q is the path length P4 by shelf part of the fourth shelf part T4, the set distance D that is the distance from the position where the full switch S is provided to the end of the article supply port Gin, and the article size of the article B4. It can be determined based on [Formula 1] from the length L4.

Q = P1-L4 × (INT ((P1-D) / L4) +1) [Equation 1]
“INT” is an integerizing function that returns a maximum integer that does not exceed the value of the argument.

  Furthermore, the management controller 8a determines the length Q of the empty part according to the type of the article B obtained based on the route length information by shelf part, the set distance information, and the length information by article size, and the article size. The shelf portion T that is configured to obtain the number N of articles B that can be additionally replenished based on the length information and that is replenished with the articles B by executing the article replenishment process is filled with the full switch S. When the state is detected, based on the number information N of the articles B that can be additionally replenished with respect to the shelf portion T, the length Q of the empty portion is the length information according to the article size of the article B of the type. It is configured to determine whether or not it is longer than the indicated length L, and is configured to execute the additional replenishment process as many times as the number N of articles that can be additionally replenished.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the fourth shelf portion T4 for storing the article B4 is full, the number N of additional articles B4 that can be additionally replenished is the fourth shelf in the full state. It can be obtained from [Equation 2] from the length Q of the empty portion of the portion T4 and the length information according to the article size of the article B4.

  N = INT (Q / L4) (Formula 2)

  When the fourth shelf portion T4 is full, N = 0 is obtained, so that the length Q of the empty portion is the length L4 indicated by the length information according to the size of the item B4 of the type. Since the number of times corresponding to the number N of articles that can be additionally replenished is zero, the additional replenishment process is not executed. The article B4 is not further replenished from the state shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, when the second shelf portion T2 for storing the article B2 is full, N = 1 is obtained from the above [Expression 1] and [Expression 2]. It is determined that the length Q of the empty portion located upstream of the most upstream article B2 indicated by the solid line is longer than the length L2 indicated by the article size length information of the article B2 of the type, and is added. Since the number corresponding to the number N of replenishable articles is one, the additional replenishment process is executed only once, and only one article B4 indicated by a virtual line is added from the state indicated by the solid line in FIG. 6B. To be replenished.

  As shown in FIG. 6C, when the first shelf portion T1 for storing the article B1 is full, N = 2 is obtained from [Expression 1] and [Expression 2]. It is determined that the length Q of the empty portion located upstream of the most upstream article B1 indicated by the solid line is longer than the length L1 indicated by the article size length information of the article B1 of the type, and is added. Since the number of times corresponding to the number N of replenishable articles is two, the additional replenishment process is executed twice, and two articles B4 indicated by virtual lines are additionally replenished from the state indicated by solid lines in FIG. The

  As preparation before the picking operation is started, an initial replenishment request is issued by the management controller 8a in order to replenish each shelf portion T with the article B containing the picking object. The initial replenishment process executed by the management controller 8a when an initial replenishment request is issued will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when an initial replenishment request is generated in # S1, an article replenishment process is executed in # S2 to # S4 based on each of a plurality of replenishment request information constituting the initial replenishment request information in # S2. Is done. In # S2, from the shelf number information included in the replenishment request information, the position of the article replenishment opening Gin of the shelf portion T to be replenished, the type of the article B to be replenished, and the article B of this type are stored. The position of the storage unit (any of a plurality of stocks) on the shelf 3 is determined. In # S3, the transfer device 16 of the stacker crane 2 is positioned with respect to the storage portion of the storage shelf 3 in which the article B of the type to be replenished is stored, and the article B is taken out. Thereafter, in a state where the article B is supported by the transfer device 16, the transfer device 16 of the stacker crane 2 is positioned with respect to the article supply port Gin of the shelf portion T to be supplied, and with respect to the article supply port Gin. Replenish article B to be replenished.

  In # S4, based on the detection information of the full switch S, it is determined whether or not the shelf T to be replenished is full, and if it is not full, it is assumed that the item B is still insufficient and the full state is reached. Therefore, the process of # S3 is repeated and the article B is replenished again.

  If it is determined that the full state is determined in # S4, the additional replenishable number N is calculated based on the above [Expression 1] and [Expression 2] in # S5. When the calculated additional replenishable number N is N = 0 (the state illustrated in FIG. 6A), the length Q of the empty portion for the shelf portion T to be replenished is the size of the article B to be replenished. It is determined that the length L is shorter than the length L indicated by the different length information, and accordingly, it is determined that the additional replenishment of the article B to be replenished with respect to the shelf portion T is impossible, and the replenishment target based on the initial replenishment request information is determined. The replenishment for the shelf portion T is finished.

  When the additional replenishable number N calculated in # S5 is 1 or more, the length Q of the empty portion for the shelf portion T to be replenished is the length indicated by the item size length information of the replenishment target item B. It is determined that it is longer than the length L, and it is determined that additional replenishment of the article B to be replenished is possible, and the additional replenishment process of # S7 is executed. In the additional replenishment process, by controlling the operation of the stacker crane 2, the replenishment target article B is taken out of the storage shelf 3 and replenished to the replenishment target shelf portion T of the replenishment shelf part T. By executing the additional replenishment process once, one replenishment target article B is additionally replenished to the replenishment target shelf portion T.

  After the additional replenishment process is executed, the additional replenishable number N is decremented in # S8, and the value is checked again in # S6. If the additional replenishable number N after decrement is N = 0 (the state in which the article B2 indicated by the phantom line in FIG. 6B is supplied, or two articles indicated by the phantom line in FIG. 6C) In a state in which B1 is replenished), it is determined that no additional replenishment is possible, and replenishment for the shelf portion T to be replenished based on the initial replenishment request information is terminated. If the additional replenishable number N after decrement is 1 or more (a state where one downstream article B1 indicated by the phantom line in FIG. 6C is replenished), the replenishment target shelf portion T Assuming that the additional replenishment of the article B to be replenished is possible, the additional replenishment process of # S7 is repeated and the article B is additionally replenished again.

  In this way, by replenishing the replenishment target article B as many times as possible with respect to the replenishment target shelf portion T, it is possible to obtain as many articles B as possible stored in the shelf portion. Can do.

  Of the plurality of articles B forming a full state due to the progress of the picking operation, the article B on the most downstream side in the transport unit 4 moves to the storage unit 5, so that the second article B from the most downstream and its upstream side All of the articles B on the side flow downstream in the transport unit 4 and the full switch S is switched from the on state to the off state, whereby a replenishment request is issued each time. The replenishment process that is executed by the management controller 8a whenever a replenishment request is issued will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when a replenishment request occurs every time at # T1, an article replenishment process is executed at # T2 and # T3 based on the replenishment request information every time at # T2. At # T2, the position of the article replenishment port Gin of the shelf portion T to be replenished, the type of the article B to be replenished, and the stock of this type of article B are stored from the shelf number information included in the replenishment request information each time. The position of the storage unit in the storage shelf 3 that is present (one is selected when there are a plurality of stocks) is determined. At # T3, the transfer device 16 of the stacker crane 2 is positioned with respect to the storage portion of the storage shelf 3 where the articles B of the type to be replenished are stored, and the articles B are taken out. Thereafter, in a state where the article B is supported by the transfer device 16, the transfer device 16 of the stacker crane 2 is positioned with respect to the article supply port Gin of the shelf portion T to be supplied, and with respect to the article supply port Gin. Replenish article B to be replenished.

  At # T4, based on the detection information of the full switch S, it is determined whether or not the shelf T to be replenished is full. Is executed. Each time the replenishment request information is generated by the full switch S being in the on state being switched to the off state by flowing the most upstream article B in the full state to the downstream side by the progress of the picking work, If it is normal, if only one article B to be replenished is replenished for each replenishment request, it should return to a full state. If not, it is judged as abnormal.

  If it is determined (confirmed) at # T4 that it is full, the additional replenishable number N is calculated based on [Expression 1] and [Expression 2] at # T5. When the calculated additional replenishable number N is N = 0 (the state illustrated in FIG. 6A), the length Q of the empty portion for the shelf portion T to be replenished is the size of the article B to be replenished. It is determined that it is shorter than the length L indicated by the separate length information, and accordingly, it is determined that additional replenishment of the article B to be replenished with respect to the shelf portion T is impossible, and each time the replenishment target based on the replenishment request information is determined. The replenishment for the shelf portion T is finished.

  When the additional replenishable number N calculated in # T5 is 1 or more, the length Q of the empty portion for the shelf portion T to be replenished is the length indicated by the item size length information of the item B to be replenished. It is determined that it is longer than the length L, and it is determined that additional replenishment of the article B to be replenished is possible, and the additional replenishment process of # T7 is executed. In the additional replenishment process, by controlling the operation of the stacker crane 2, the replenishment target article B is taken out of the storage shelf 3 and replenished to the replenishment target shelf portion T of the replenishment shelf part T. By executing the additional replenishment process once, one replenishment target article B is additionally replenished to the replenishment target shelf portion T.

  After the additional replenishment process is executed, the additional replenishable number N is decremented in # T8, and the value is checked again in # T6. If the additional replenishable number N after decrement is N = 0 (the state in which the article B2 indicated by the phantom line in FIG. 6B is supplied, or two articles indicated by the phantom line in FIG. 6C) In a state where B1 is replenished), it is determined that additional replenishment cannot be performed any more, and the replenishment for the shelf portion T to be replenished based on the replenishment request information is terminated each time. If the additional replenishable number N after decrement is 1 or more (a state where one downstream article B1 indicated by the phantom line in FIG. 6C is replenished), the replenishment target shelf portion T Assuming that the additional replenishment of the article B to be replenished is possible, the additional replenishment process of # T7 is repeated and the article B is additionally replenished again.

  In this way, by replenishing the replenishment target article B as many times as possible with respect to the replenishment target shelf portion T, it is possible to obtain as many articles B as possible stored in the shelf portion. Can do.

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above embodiment, the full switch S as the presence / absence sensor is exemplified by the photoelectric switch, but instead, the presence / absence sensor such as the full switch S is configured by a contact type limit switch. The specific configuration of can be changed as appropriate.

(2) In the above embodiment, the replenishment request generating means is exemplified by the management controller 8a that generates the initial replenishment request information and the full switch S that generates the replenishment request information each time. However, it may be configured by a plurality of replenishment buttons R as artificial operation tools provided at each of the end portions on the picking location Z side of the holding portion 5 in the shelf portion T. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, each of the output signals of the plurality of replenishment buttons R is input to the management controller 8a. When the replenishment button R in any one of the shelf portions T is pushed by the worker X and replenishment request information is issued, the management controller 8a determines which of the plurality of replenishment buttons R is the signal output. By specifying the shelf number of the shelf part T to be replenished, the article to be stored by the shelf part T with respect to the article replenishment port Gin in the shelf part T corresponding to the replenishment button R that has generated the replenishment request information In order to replenish B, the operation of the stacker crane 2 is controlled.

(3) In the above embodiment, when the management controller 8a replenishes the item B and the shelf portion T to be replenished becomes full, the length Q of the empty portion and the number of additional replenishments can be added each time. Although an example is shown that is configured to calculate N, it may be configured to be calculated in advance and stored in the storage means before the start of the picking operation or the like. In this case, when the shelf portion T to be replenished becomes full by replenishing the article B, the additional replenishable number N for the shelf portion T is read from the storage means.

(4) The configuration of the work shelf is not limited to that exemplified in the above embodiment, for example, the conveyance unit and the holding unit are continuous in the conveyance direction, the conveyance unit provided with a drive conveyor, The specific configuration of the work shelf can be changed as appropriate.

(5) In the above embodiment, the management controller 8 is configured to repeat the additional replenishment process as much as possible according to the length Q of the empty part in the full state. May be configured to be executed only once regardless of the length Q of the empty portion.

(6) In the above embodiment, the article replenishing apparatus is configured by a stacker crane, but the specific configuration of the article replenishing apparatus can be changed as appropriate.

(7) In the above embodiment, the plurality of shelves arranged in the vertical direction are illustrated with different lengths, but all or some of these shelves may have the same length. Good.

L1, L2, ... Lengths P1, P2, according to article size, ... Route length Gin according to shelf part Gout Article replenishment port Gout Article takeout port B Article T Shelf part Q Length of empty part R Artificial operation tool, replenishment request generation means S presence / absence sensor, replenishment request generation means D set distance 1 work shelf 2 article replenishment device 4 transport unit 5 holding unit 8 management control unit 8a replenishment request generation unit

Claims (6)

A transport unit capable of transporting an article replenished in a replenishment posture from the article replenishment port in one direction to the article take-out port, and a holding unit capable of holding the article on the downstream side of the product take-out port; Replenishing a shelf portion for storing a plurality of articles of the same size in the shelf depth direction adjacent to each other in the replenishment posture from the article take-out port toward the article replenishing port side on the conveyance path of the section A work shelf configured by juxtaposing a plurality of different types of articles with different lengths in the shelf depth direction in the posture;
An article replenishing device for conveying articles to the article replenishing port of the work shelf and replenishing the shelf portion in the replenishing posture;
Each of the shelf portions is provided at an article detection location located on the downstream side of the article by a set distance from the end of the conveyance section on the article replenishment port side. A presence / absence sensor that detects presence;
Replenishment request generating means for generating replenishment request information for requesting replenishment of articles to the article replenishment port in the shelf portion;
Which kind of articles are stored in each of the shelf portions, and when the replenishment request information is generated by the replenishment request generating means, the shelf portions to be replenished are replenished based on the replenishment request information. A part from the end on the article take-out side to the article detection position in the transport path of the transport unit based on detection information of the presence / absence sensor in the shelf part to be replenished is determined. An article provided with management control means for executing an article replenishment process for controlling the operation of the article replenishing device to replenish the type of article until it is detected that the article is full. A processing facility,
The management control means manages the set distance information indicating the set distance for the article detection location and the length information for each article size indicating the length in the depth direction of the article in the replenishing posture, and replenishing the article In the processing, when a full state is detected based on the detection information of the presence / absence sensor with respect to the shelf portion to be replenished, the shelf portion is determined based on the set distance information and the length information according to the article size. If it is determined whether or not the replenishment target article can be additionally replenished, and it is determined that additional replenishment is possible, the replenishment posture is added to the article replenishment port of the shelf portion in order to replenish the type of the article. An article processing facility configured to perform an additional replenishment process for controlling the operation of the article replenishment apparatus.   The management control means manages the route length information for each shelf portion indicating the length of each conveyance route of the shelf portion, the route length information for each shelf portion, the set distance information, and the item size Based on length information, configured to obtain the length of an empty portion formed upstream of the most upstream article stored in the shelf portion of the transport path in the shelf portion in the full state And when the full state is detected based on the detection information of the presence / absence sensor for the shelf portion in which the article has been replenished by executing the article replenishment process, the length of the empty portion is It is configured to determine whether or not the item to be replenished can be additionally replenished with respect to the shelf portion by determining whether or not the item is longer than the length indicated by the length information for each item size. Claim 1 Article processing facility.   The set depth is the depth direction of the shelf in the refilling posture of the largest item having the maximum length in the shelf depth direction of the refilling posture among a plurality of types of articles having different lengths in the shelf depth direction in the refilling posture. The article processing facility according to claim 1, wherein the article processing facility is set to a distance longer than the length of the item.   The replenishment request generating means generates, as the replenishment request information, change information from the state where the presence sensor detects the article located at the article detection location in the full state to a state where it does not detect the article. The article processing facility according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is configured. The replenishment request generating means is constituted by an artificial operation tool provided for each of the holding portions in the shelf portion,
The management control means is configured to control an operation of the article replenishing device to replenish articles to the article replenishment port in the shelf portion corresponding to the artificial operation tool that has generated the replenishment request information. The article processing facility according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The article processing facility according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein there are a plurality of combinations of each of the shelf portions in the work shelf and the size of an article stored in each shelf portion.

Images