JP5626706B2 - Picking system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a picking system suitable for work by a plurality of persons, and more particularly to a picking system in which an operator does not need to be aware of where to place picked articles.

  In a picking system in which picked articles are placed on a conveyor, a plurality of workers work along the conveyor. Therefore, the conveyor is inefficient because it conveys articles according to the worker who is most delayed in work. Further, the operator does not have to place the picked article anywhere on the conveyor, but needs to place the picked article so as to be separated for each delivery destination, for example. As a system different from such a picking system, a container with ID is transported by a conveyor, the container is placed on a cart, and when an operator goes to the shelf, the shelf ID reader reads the container ID and picks each container. Some display the type and number of articles to be used (Patent Document 1: JP 2010-23967 A). In this way, an instruction relating to picking is given from the display of the shelf, and picking can be completed by making a round of the shelf while picking along the instruction. However, this system has a long flow of workers.

JP2010-23967

  An object of the present invention is to enable picking without being conscious of where the picked article is placed by an operator.

The present invention is a picking system in which a worker picks an item on a shelf according to an instruction from a controller for each delivery destination by distinguishing a plurality of delivery destinations.
The controller is configured to divide an item to be picked for one delivery destination into one to a plurality of groups and to output an instruction regarding picking in units of groups,
Furthermore, a container for storing an article picked from a shelf can be transported from the upstream side to the downstream side, a plurality of transported containers can be placed side by side , and a plurality of workers can work side by side. further to any container in the container in one group, and picking conveyor operator is configured to be able to place the articles picked,
An indicator for displaying an article to be picked based on an output from the controller without limiting the container;
A loading conveyor that can carry the containers from the picking conveyor and store the containers downstream is provided.
Every time picking for one group is completed, all the containers in the group that have been picked are transferred from the picking conveyor to the loading conveyor, and the next group of containers is placed on the picking conveyor, and the next group is sent to the worker. The display unit is configured to display an instruction related to picking.

Further, the present invention is a picking system in which an operator picks an item on a shelf according to an instruction from a controller for each delivery destination by distinguishing a plurality of delivery destinations.
The controller is configured to divide an item to be picked for one delivery destination into one to a plurality of groups and to output an instruction regarding picking in units of groups,
Furthermore, a picking conveyor capable of placing an article picked from a shelf at an arbitrary position ;
Based on the output from the controller, an indicator for displaying an article to be picked without limiting the position where the article is placed on the picking conveyor;
An input conveyor for storing picked articles on the downstream side can be provided, and picked articles can be carried in from the picking conveyor.
Each time picking for one group is completed, all the articles in the group that have been picked are transferred from the picking conveyor to the loading conveyor, and instructions regarding picking of the next group are displayed to the operator by the display. It is characterized by being.

  In the present invention, since only one group of articles is input to the picking conveyor, the picked articles may be placed in any container on the picking conveyor or any position on the picking conveyor. In addition, when a plurality of workers work on one picking conveyor, it is not necessary to distinguish which worker is picking which product number, and the workers can back up each other. Furthermore, since the input conveyor becomes a buffer between the input from the input conveyor to the cart or the like and picking, one is delayed and the other is less likely to be delayed.

  Preferably, the outlet side of the picking conveyor and the inlet side of the input conveyor are connected, and input means is provided for an operator to input that one group of picking is completed, and input to the input means Based on the above, the container for one group is transferred from the picking conveyor to the input conveyor, and the controller grasps that the picking for one group is completed. In this way, when inputting that the picking for one group is completed, the containers for one group are automatically sent to the input conveyor, and the controller can grasp that the picking of the next group is started.

Preferably, a tag indicating the delivery destination of one group of articles is provided, and the tag is set by an operator in the top container or the last container of one group of containers. This tag shows the group separator and delivery address.
Preferably, the controller is configured to display to the operator the number of containers placed on the picking conveyor for each group. In this way, an appropriate number of containers can be easily set on the picking conveyor, and the containers are not set excessively.

The top view which shows the layout of the picking system of an Example Block diagram of controller and various devices in the embodiment The flowchart which shows the picking procedure in an Example for 1 group

  In the following, an optimum embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be shown. The scope of the present invention should be determined according to the understanding of those skilled in the art based on the description of the scope of the claims, taking into account the description of the specification and well-known techniques in this field.

  1 to 3 show a picking system 2 according to an embodiment. A cart conveyor 4 conveys the cart 6 along the direction of the arrow in FIG. In addition, the cart conveyor 4 may not be provided, and the cart may be transported to the input area 12 by hand pressing or the like. The cart 6 can accommodate a plurality of containers 26 to be described later. For example, the allocation of the carts 6 is determined so that about 1 to 3 carts 6 are allocated to one delivery destination. In addition, articles to a plurality of delivery destinations are not mixedly loaded in one cart 6. In this specification, the delivery destination includes a shop, a factory, etc. outside the picking system 2 as well as a factory in the picking system 2 and a place in a shopping mall.

  A picking unit 8 includes a picking area 10 and an input area 12. The picking area 10 is provided with shelves such as a flow rack 16 and a flat shelf 18, and other items can be taken out from the back of the shelf. A rear automatic warehouse or the like may be used as a shelf. An empty container shelf 14 is provided in the picking area 10, and the operator 24 takes out an appropriate number of empty containers from the empty container shelf 14 and arranges them on the picking conveyor 20. That is, when an operator places the containers 26 on the picking conveyor 20 at appropriate time intervals, the picking conveyor 20 conveys the containers 26 and the containers 26 are arranged on the picking conveyor 20 at appropriate intervals.

  An input conveyor 22 is provided in the input area 12. For example, the picking conveyor 20 and the input conveyor 22 are connected by a connection conveyor 23. However, the input conveyor 23 may be arranged in parallel on the back side of the picking conveyor 20 so that the operator 24 pushes the container 26 from the picking conveyor 20 to the input conveyor 22. The container sensor S detects a container that enters the input conveyor 22, and is composed of, for example, a photoelectric sensor or an image sensor. The container sensor S is provided, for example, along the upstream end of the input conveyor 22 or along the connection conveyor 23, and is used to count the number of containers 26 for one group. Instead of counting the number of containers 26, an indicator 50 that displays the number of containers necessary for the next group may be provided on the empty container shelf 14 or the like.

  Reference numeral 30 denotes a controller of the picking system 2, which is composed of one computer here, but a plurality of computers may be arranged in a distributed manner. FIG. 2 shows the controller 30 and various devices connected to the controller 30. 32 to 34 are completion switches. The completion switch 32 is installed on a shelf such as the flow rack 16 or the flat shelf 18 and is displayed by pressing a button when an operator picks an article displayed on the display 36 or 37. This is a switch for inputting that the picking of the article has been completed. Reference numeral 33 denotes a completion switch provided on the picking conveyor 20, which is a switch for inputting that the picking of one group of articles has been completed. The completion switch 34 is a switch that is provided on the downstream side of the loading conveyor 22 and inputs that the loading of one group of containers into the cart has been completed. The completion switches 32 to 34 are configured by push buttons, a touch panel, or the like, but may be configured by a voice input device or the like.

  When the picking of the articles for one group is completed, all the picked containers 26 on the input conveyor 22 are carried into the connection conveyor 23. At this time, the container number counter 35 counts the signal from the container sensor S to obtain the number of containers in one group. The indicator 38 of the input conveyor 22 displays the number of carts to be input, the number of containers to be input, and the like when one group of containers is input to one cart. When the worker decides which cart to put, for example, only the number of containers to be put in is displayed. The display 39 displays other than the above. For example, when there is a picking unit 8 or areas 10 and 12 that are short of workers, a worker who is free to picking units 8 or areas 10 and 12 goes to support. To display. The indicators 36 to 39 are provided on a shelf, a conveyor, a passage, and the like, but the indicators 36 to 39 may be configured by an operator's portable terminal or the like.

  The controller 30 includes a host interface 40 and receives a list of product numbers and quantities of articles to be picked for each delivery destination from a host controller (not shown). Also reports the picking result to the host controller. The device interface 41 manages devices in the picking system 2, and the device interface 41 may be distributed near various devices. The picking management unit 42 edits the picking instruction for each delivery destination into a picking instruction for each group, and manages the progress of picking for each group. That is, the picking progress for each product number is input from the completion switch 32 provided on the shelf, and the completion of picking for one group is input from the completion switch 33 provided on the picking conveyor. It is managed that each group has been picked without a shortage, and to what group the picking has been completed. When displaying the number of containers necessary for the next group on the display 50, the picking management unit 42 obtains the necessary number of containers from the product number and the number of articles to be picked and displays them on the display 50.

  The loading management unit 43 manages the loading area 12 and displays how many containers are loaded in which cart by the display 38 and also manages to which group loading into the cart is completed from the signal of the completion switch 34. To do. The cart conveyor management unit 44 manages the cart conveyor, and the worker management unit 45 grasps the picking work progress in units of the picking unit 8 or in units of the areas 10 and 12, and the area 10 where the work is delayed. , 12 or the unit 8 is displayed on the display 39 so that the worker is directed to support from the unit 8 or the like where the work is progressing.

  FIG. 3 shows one group of picking procedures in the embodiment. The controller 30 divides the shipping work for each delivery destination into groups, and thereafter manages the picking work in groups (step 1). When starting picking for one group, the picking conveyor 20 is empty, and the operator arranges empty containers 26 on the picking conveyor 20 and puts a mark (not shown) such as a tag indicating a delivery destination on the top container or Set in the last container. This mark indicates a group delimiter and a delivery destination (step 2).

  The controller displays a picking instruction for one group on the shelf display (step 3), and the operator takes out the article from the shelf according to this instruction, puts it into the container of the picking conveyor 20, and displays the shelf every time the article is taken out. Is turned off by the completion switch 32 (step 4). When the picking for one group is completed, the operator inputs that fact from the completion switch 33, and the controller 30 operates the conveyors 20 to 23 to move all the picked containers to the loading conveyor 22 (step 5). . When the picked containers are moved to the input conveyor, the number of containers is counted by the container sensor, and the number of containers constituting one group is grasped. This number is stored in the loading management unit and displayed on the loading conveyor display 38 (step 6).

  In the input conveyor 22, each group is divided by a mark or the like set on the container, and the container is conveyed downstream of the input conveyor 22 (step 7). The input conveyor 22 is constituted by an accumulation conveyor, for example, and conveys the containers 26 downstream so as to leave a gap between the groups. Then, the containers are transferred to the cart in group units (step 8). At this time, the groups arranged on the loading conveyor 22 are in the order of the groups instructed by the controller 30. When the loading of one group is completed, the completion switch 34 inputs that information. Knows which group of containers to put in the cart next. The number of containers in the group varies, but the number of containers in each group is detected by a container sensor and grasped. Therefore, at the time of loading, the display 38 of the loading conveyor 22 displays which cart is to be loaded next and the number of containers.

  Marks such as bills are set in the first container or the last container of the group. A symbol representing a container to be placed or a delivery destination is displayed on the tag. For example, the bill is placed in a cart that matches the delivery destination or symbol displayed on the cart. Alternatively, a delivery destination or the like may be made clear by setting a mark such as a tag set in a container so that it can be put into an arbitrary empty cart so as to be transferred to the cart. In addition, when putting an article into the cart, the article may be put together with the container or only the article may be put. Further, the picked article may be put into an appropriate bucket or the like instead of the cart.

  When the cart conveyor 4 or the like is not provided, for example, an operator may set an already picked article in an empty cart in the input area, and other workers may push it to the shipping place. Further, instead of providing the connection conveyor 23 and the like, when picking for one group is completed, the operator 24 may push the container 26 by hand and move it from the picking conveyor 20 to the input conveyor 22 on the back surface. In this case, it is preferable to provide a photoelectric sensor or the like that detects an article passing through the boundary between the conveyors 20 and 22 and detect that one group of picking is completed by a signal of the photoelectric sensor. Further, when the article is picked in units of cases and no fraction is generated, the article may be directly conveyed by the conveyors 20, 22, and 23 without using the container 26 and put into the cart 6. In this case, the process is performed in the same manner as in the embodiment except that the container 26 is not used. Further, it is not always necessary to set 1 group = 1 cart. For example, picking for three carts of the same delivery destination may be set as one group.

In the embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Pick in groups. All containers of the picking conveyor 20 belong to the same group, and the delivery destination is the same. For this reason, the operator does not need to be aware of which container of the picking conveyor 20 contains the article.
(2) Even if there are workers who work late, they will not rest their hands. For example, in the case of FIG. 1, when one of the plurality of workers in the picking area 10 is late, another worker may back up and, for example, put the article into the same container.
(3) Goods are picked in groups and put into carts in groups. During this time, it does not mix with other groups of goods.
(4) Between the picking operation and the input operation, the input conveyor 22 serves as a buffer, and even if the operation of one of the areas 10 and 12 is delayed, the influence on other areas is small.
(5) If there are areas 10 and 12 where work is delayed, support can be sent from other areas.
(6) The amount of work can be adjusted by appropriately adjusting the number of picking units 8 that perform the work.

2 Picking system 4 Cart conveyor 6 Cart 8 Picking unit 10 Picking area 12 Input area 14 Empty container shelf 16 Flow rack 18 Flat rack 20 Picking conveyor 22 Input conveyor 23 Connection conveyor 24 Worker 26 Container 30 Controllers 32 to 34 Completion switch 36 -39 Display 40 Upper interface 41 Equipment interface 42 Picking management unit 43 Input management unit 44 Cart conveyor management unit 45 Worker management unit 50 Display

S Container sensor

Claims (5)

A picking system in which an operator picks an item on a shelf according to an instruction from a controller for each delivery destination by distinguishing a plurality of delivery destinations.
The controller is configured to divide an item to be picked for one delivery destination into one to a plurality of groups and to output an instruction regarding picking in units of groups,
Furthermore, a container for storing an article picked from a shelf can be transported from the upstream side to the downstream side, a plurality of transported containers can be placed side by side , and a plurality of workers can work side by side. further to any container in the container in one group, and picking conveyor operator is configured to be able to place the articles picked,
An indicator for displaying an article to be picked based on an output from the controller without limiting the container;
A loading conveyor that can carry the containers from the picking conveyor and store the containers downstream is provided.
Every time picking for one group is completed, all the containers in the group that have been picked are transferred from the picking conveyor to the loading conveyor, and the next group of containers is placed on the picking conveyor, and the next group is sent to the worker. The picking system is configured to display an instruction regarding picking of the display on the display.   The outlet side of the picking conveyor and the inlet side of the input conveyor are connected, and an input means is provided for an operator to input that one group of picking has been completed, based on the input to the input means 2. The picking system according to claim 1, wherein a group of containers is transferred from the picking conveyor to the input conveyor, and the controller is configured to grasp that the picking of one group is completed. .   A tag indicating a delivery destination of an article for one group is provided, and the tag is set by an operator in the first container or the last container of one group of containers. The picking system according to claim 1 or 2.   The picking system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to display to a worker the number of containers placed on the picking conveyor for each group. A picking system in which an operator picks an item on a shelf according to an instruction from a controller for each delivery destination by distinguishing a plurality of delivery destinations.
The controller is configured to divide an item to be picked for one delivery destination into one to a plurality of groups and to output an instruction regarding picking in units of groups,
Furthermore, a picking conveyor capable of placing an article picked from a shelf at an arbitrary position;
Based on the output from the controller, an indicator for displaying an article to be picked without limiting the position where the article is placed on the picking conveyor;
An input conveyor for storing picked articles on the downstream side can be provided, and picked articles can be carried in from the picking conveyor.
Each time picking for one group is completed, all the articles in the group that have been picked are transferred from the picking conveyor to the loading conveyor, and instructions regarding picking of the next group are displayed to the operator by the display. Picking system characterized by being made.

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