JP7140151B2 - Automated warehouse system and picking method - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an automated warehouse system and a picking method, and more particularly to a system in which a worker picks articles according to instructions displayed on a display device.

In a picking system, for example, at a work station where articles are conveyed by a conveyor, workers take out and transfer necessary articles (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In the picking system described in Patent Literature 1, a picking instruction is displayed on the display 161, and the operator picks while viewing the contents of the instruction.

JP-A-9-2623

Recently, a picking system has been developed that uses augmented reality (AR) technology (hereinafter referred to as AR technology) to present picking instruction information in addition to reality or virtual reality.
In order to use AR technology in a picking system, it is necessary for workers to be able to easily recognize articles on the picking instruction screen of AR technology. However, such technology has not been sufficiently developed in the past.

An object of the present invention is to facilitate recognition of articles in an automated warehouse system without reducing the number of articles stored in the automated warehouse.

A plurality of aspects will be described below as means for solving the problem. These aspects can be arbitrarily combined as needed.

An automated warehouse system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a pallet, a pair of racks, a stacker crane, a conveyor, a pallet placing section, an imaging device, a control device, and a display device.
A pallet has a rectangular shape with a first side longer than a second side, and is used to place articles in a row along the first side.
A pair of racks store pallets so that the direction of the first side is the depth direction of the rack.
A stacker crane transports pallets along a pair of racks.
The conveyor receives the pallet from the stacker crane and conveys the pallet parallel to the extending direction of the pair of racks.
The pallet placing section is connected to the conveyor, and the working area is arranged in a direction in which the first side faces the front.
The imaging device photographs the pallet placed on the pallet placement part in a direction in which the first side is the front side.
The control device performs an item recognition process for recognizing an item included in a captured image, a picking instruction image creation process for creating a picking instruction image by creating a mark according to the target item and adding the mark to the captured image, to run.
The display device is arranged near the pallet placing section and displays the picking instruction image.
In this system, when pallets are stored in the rack, rectangular pallets are stored along the depth direction of the rack. Therefore, the number of storage pallets in the automated warehouse can be increased.
In this system, when picking an item from a pallet, the imaging device captures an image of the rectangular pallet so that the front side is the first side, and the control device creates a mark according to the target item and adds it to the image. to create a picking instruction image. Therefore, by viewing the picking instruction image, the worker can recognize all the articles and perform quick picking.

The conveyor may have an outgoing conveyor and an incoming conveyor.
The outbound conveyor may be arranged at the end of the rack, receive the pallet from the stacker crane, and convey the pallet parallel to the extending direction of the rack.
The receiving conveyor may be arranged at the end of the rack, convey the pallet parallel to the rack extending direction, and deliver the pallet to the stacker crane.
The automated warehouse system may further comprise connecting conveyors.
The connecting conveyor may be connected in a direction perpendicular to the outgoing conveyor and the incoming conveyor to convey the pallet.
The pallet rest may be located at the end of the outgoing or incoming conveyor, or at the connecting conveyor.
In this system, the conveyor is arranged in a U shape, and the work area is defined as the position where the first side of the pallet in the middle of the conveyor is directed. Therefore, a space-saving and high-capacity picking system is realized.

The automated warehouse system comprises a first set including a pair of racks and a stacker crane, and a second set arranged adjacent to and parallel to the first set including a pair of racks and a stacker crane. may
Incoming conveyors may be provided in the first set and the second set.
Outgoing conveyors may be provided in the first set and the second set.
The incoming conveyor provided in the first set may be arranged adjacently inside the outgoing conveyor provided in the first set.
The incoming conveyor provided in the second set may be arranged adjacently inside the outgoing conveyor provided in the second set.
The pallet placing section may be arranged at the end of the incoming conveyor provided in the first set and the incoming conveyor provided in the second set.
In this system, two incoming conveyors are arranged adjacently inside the two outgoing conveyors, and a pallet rest is arranged at the end of both incoming conveyors, so that the two work areas are arranged adjacently. Therefore, alternating work by one operator can be easily performed.

The control device may repeatedly execute the article recognition process and the picking instruction image creation process at predetermined intervals.
In this system, AR picking display can be performed in real time.

A picking work assisting method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a rectangular pallet whose first side is longer than its second side, a pair of racks, a stacker crane for transporting the pallet along the pair of racks, and a pair of A conveyor is placed at the end of the rack, receives pallets from the stacker crane and transports the pallets parallel to the extension direction of the pair of racks, and is connected to the conveyor. It is executed in an automated warehouse system that includes an integrated pallet placement unit and an imaging device.
The picking work assistance method includes the following steps.
A step of placing the items in a line along the first side of the pallet.
◎ A step of storing the pallet in a pair of racks with the stacker crane so that the first side of the pallet is in the depth direction.
⊚ A step of photographing the pallet placed on the pallet placing portion with the imaging device in a direction in which the first side is the front.
A step of recognizing an article included in a photographed image, creating a mark corresponding to the target article, and adding the mark to the photographed image to create a picking instruction image.
◎ A step of displaying a picking instruction image.
A step of picking up the articles on the pallet placed on the pallet placing section.
In this method, when the pallet is stored in the rack, the rectangular pallet is stored along the depth direction of the rack. Therefore, the number of storage pallets can be increased in the automated warehouse.
In this system, when picking an item from a pallet, an imaging device captures an image of the rectangular pallet so that the front side is the first side, and a mark is created according to the target item and added to the image to give a picking instruction. An image is created. Therefore, by viewing the picking instruction image, the worker can recognize all the articles and perform quick picking.

In the automated warehouse system according to the present invention, the worker can easily recognize the article on the picking instruction screen without reducing the number of articles stored in the automated warehouse.

1 is a schematic plan view of the automated warehouse system of the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a picking station; FIG. Schematic side view of a picking station. A schematic plan view of the vicinity of the work area. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the picking station; 4 is a flow chart showing the control operation of the picking station; Front view of the label. The figure which shows the mark given on the label in the picking instruction|indication image. An example of a photographed image An example of a picking instruction image in which a mark is attached to a photographed image. An example of a picking instruction image in which a mark is attached to a photographed image. An example of a picking instruction image in which a mark is attached to a photographed image. An example of a picking instruction image in which a mark is attached to a photographed image. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing marks attached on labels in the picking instruction image in the second embodiment; An example of a picking instruction image in which a photographed image is marked in the third embodiment.

1. First Embodiment (1) Basic Configuration of Automated Warehouse System The basic configuration of an automated warehouse system 1 (an example of an automated warehouse system) will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the automated warehouse system of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a picking station. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a picking station; FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the vicinity of the work area. Note that the horizontal direction in FIG. 1 is defined as a first direction (arrow X), and the vertical direction in FIG. 1 is defined as a second direction (arrow Y).

The automated warehouse system 1 has a first automated warehouse 2A, a second automated warehouse 2B, a first picking station 4A, and a second picking station 4B.
The first automated warehouse 2A and the second automated warehouse 2B are arranged side by side in the first direction and extend in the second direction.
The first picking station 4A is arranged at the end in the second direction of the first automated warehouse 2A. The second picking station 4B is arranged at the second direction end of the second automated warehouse 2B. The first picking station 4A and the second picking station 4B are adjacent in the first direction.

(2) Automated Warehouse The first automated warehouse 2A has a pair of racks 81 (an example of a pair of racks) and a stacker crane 83 (an example of a stacker crane). The pair of racks 81 has a plurality of shelf portions 81a. A large number of shelf portions 81a are provided side by side in the second direction and in the vertical direction. Each shelf 81a has a rectangular shape whose depth direction (first direction) is longer than its width direction (second direction).
A stacker crane 83 conveys a rectangular pallet P along a pair of racks 81 . The stacker crane 83 is of known technology, and has a travel section, an elevating section, and a transfer section. The transfer section is a slide fork 83a, and performs transfer operations such as loading the pallet P onto the stacker crane 83 and unloading it from the stacker crane 83. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the pallet P has a rectangular shape with the first side P1 longer than the second side P2, and is used for placing the articles A in a line along the first side P1 (described later). It is. The stacker crane 83 stores the pallet P on the shelf 81a of the rack 81 so that the first side P1 is in the depth direction.

(3) Picking Station First, the first picking station 4A will be described.
The first picking station 4A is a facility that assists the worker W in picking articles. In particular, the first picking station 4A is a facility that supports picking from a pallet P on which articles A are mixed by AR technology. In this embodiment, picking refers to taking out a plurality of articles A (an example of articles) loaded on the pallet P and placing them on a shipping pallet (not shown).
Article A is, for example, a cardboard box. In the following description, general or overall description will be referred to as "item A", and individual items will be referred to as "items A1, A2, . . . ," for example. On the pallet P, only a plurality of articles of the same type may be placed, and a plurality of articles of a plurality of types may be placed on each pallet. In the example of FIG. 9, A1 and A2 are of the same type, two in total, and A3 and A4 are of different types, and one each is placed on the pallet. Cardboard boxes of the same size but with different contents are classified as different types.

The conveyor 6 is a device that conveys the pallet P discharged from the first automatic warehouse 2A to the vicinity of a work area 9 (described later), and from there conveys the pallet P to the first automatic warehouse 2A. The conveyor 6 comprises a supply conveyor 3 , a work conveyor 5 and a discharge conveyor 7 .

The supply conveyor 3 (an example of a delivery conveyor) is a conveyor for delivery from the first automated warehouse 2A in order to supply the pallet P on which a plurality of articles A are mounted to the work conveyor 5 . Specifically, the supply conveyor 3 is arranged at the end of the rack 81 . Specifically, the supply conveyor 3 extends in the second direction, receives the pallet P from the stacker crane 83 and conveys the pallet P parallel to the extending direction of the rack 81 . Specifically, the stacker crane 83 transfers the pallet P via a lifter (not shown) of the supply conveyor 3 . The supply conveyor 3 is a chain conveyor, but may be a roller conveyor or a belt conveyor.

The working conveyor 5 is arranged between the supply conveyor 3 and the unloading conveyor 7 (described later). The working conveyor 5 extends in a first direction and connects the supply conveyor 3 and the discharge conveyor 7 in a direction perpendicular thereto. In other words, the working conveyor 5 is connected to the downstream side of the supply conveyor 3 in the conveying direction, and arranged upstream of the unloading conveyor 7 in the conveying direction.
The work conveyor 5 has a picking point 5a (an example of a place (pallet placing portion) where the articles A and the pallet P are placed) at which picking is performed. The picking point 5 a is connected to the conveyor 6 , and more specifically, is provided at the end of the work conveyor 5 on the downstream side in the conveying direction and at a position continuous with the unloading conveyor 7 . By doing so, the pallets P waiting for picking can be accumulated on the working conveyor 5 and the supply conveyor 3.例文帳に追加In this embodiment, the work conveyor 5 is a combination of a changeover conveyor and a chain conveyor, but may be a free roller, a roller conveyor, or a belt conveyor.

The work area 9 is provided adjacent to the work conveyor 5 and is an area where the worker W performs the picking work. The work area 9 is arranged on one side of the work conveyor 5 in the second direction (specifically, the side opposite to the first automated warehouse 2A side). At the picking point 5a of the work conveyor 5, the first side P1 of the pallet P extends in the first direction and is on the front side of the worker W in the work area 9 (described later).
In addition, the pallet placing section may be arranged at the ends of the supply conveyor 3 and the unloading conveyor 7 .

The unloading conveyor 7 (an example of a warehousing conveyor) is a conveyor that unloads the pallet P on which a plurality of articles A are mounted from the work conveyor 5 and stores the pallet into the first automated warehouse 2A. Specifically, the discharge conveyor 7 extends in the second direction, ie parallel to the supply conveyor 3 . The carry-out conveyor 7 is arranged at the end of the rack 81 , conveys the pallet P parallel to the rack extension direction, and delivers the pallet P to the stacker crane 83 . Specifically, the stacker crane 83 transfers the pallet P via a lifter (not shown) of the unloading conveyor 7 . The carry-out conveyor 7 is arranged inside the supply conveyor 3 in the first direction (the side adjacent to the second picking station 4B).
As described above, the conveyors 6 are arranged in a U-shape. That is, the supply conveyor 3 and the unloading conveyor 7 extend from the working conveyor 5 to the back side in the second direction.
As described above, in the first picking station 4A, the conveyor 6 is arranged in a U-shape, and the front side of the position where the first side P1 of the pallet P in the middle of the conveyor 6 faces is used as the work area 9. As shown in FIG. Therefore, a space-saving and high-capacity picking system is realized.

When the goods A are to be stored in the first automated warehouse 2A, when the empty pallet P arrives at the picking point 5a, the worker W places the goods A in a line along the first side P1 of the pallet P. do. At this time, the worker W loads the article A onto the pallet P with the surface to which the label 41 is attached facing forward. As a result, all surfaces of the article A to which the labels 41 are attached face the same side.

The first picking station 4A has a camera 10. As shown in FIG. The camera 10 photographs the article A placed at the picking point 5a. The camera 10 is arranged on the side where the worker W performs the picking work, more specifically, the camera 10 is arranged further on the one side in the second direction than the work area 9 .
Specifically, camera 10 is mounted on frame 14 (FIG. 3). The camera 10 faces the back side in the second direction and can photograph the article A at the picking point 5 a of the work conveyor 5 . An image captured by the camera 10 is, for example, a moving image.
Since the camera 10 is positioned on the side opposite to the work area 9 of the work conveyor 5, it does not interfere with the worker W. The camera 10 is specifically arranged on the back side of the worker W. As shown in FIG.
The camera 10 is provided at a position higher than the height of the worker W and faces obliquely downward. Therefore, the camera 10 hardly interferes with the work. Specifically, it is less likely to interfere with the work of carrying out the article A from the picking point 5a.

A camera 10 photographs all the articles A located at the picking point 5a. Specifically, the camera 10 photographs the pallet P placed on the picking point 5a in a direction in which the first side P1 is in front. In other words, the camera 10 is installed at a position where the entirety of the pallet P can be photographed from end to end with the first side P1 in front. As shown in FIG. 4, at the picking point 5a, a label 41 is attached to the article A on the camera 10 side. As shown in FIG. 7, product information 43 and a QR code 45 (registered trademark) are printed on the label 41 . Note that FIG. 7 is a front view of the label.

The first picking station 4A has a display 13 (an example of a display device). The display 13 is a device that displays a picking instruction image 75 (described later). In this embodiment, the display 13 is arranged in the work area 9, ie in the vicinity of the picking point 5a. As described above, the worker W can pick the article A while looking at the display 13 .
Note that, for example, a head-mounted display may be used as the display device.

The second picking station 4B will be explained. Since the second picking station 4B has the same configuration as the first picking station 4A, detailed description thereof will be omitted.
The unloading conveyor 7 of the second picking station 4B is arranged inside the supply conveyor 3 in the first direction (the side adjacent to the first picking station 4A). That is, the two discharge conveyors 7 are arranged adjacently inside the two supply conveyors 3, respectively. That is, the unloading conveyor 7 of the first automated warehouse 2A is arranged closer to the second automated warehouse 2B, and the supply conveyor 3 of the first automated warehouse 2A is arranged farther than the second automatic warehouse 2B. , the unloading conveyor 7 of the second automatic warehouse 2B is arranged on the side closer to the first automatic warehouse 2A, and the supply conveyor 3 of the second automatic warehouse 2B is arranged on the side farther than the first automatic warehouse 2A. In addition to the above configuration, picking points 5a are arranged at the ends of both discharge conveyors 7, so that two work areas 9 can be arranged adjacently so that one worker W can operate the first picking station 4A and the second picking station 4A. The two picking stations 4B can work alternately.

(4) Control Configuration of Picking Station The control configuration of the first picking station 4A will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the picking station.
The first picking station 4A has a controller 51 (an example of a control device).
The controller 51 is a computer having a processor (eg, CPU), a storage device (eg, ROM, RAM, HDD, SSD, etc.), and various interfaces (eg, A/D converter, D/A converter, communication interface, etc.). System. The controller 51 performs various control operations by executing programs stored in a storage unit (corresponding to part or all of the storage area of the storage device).
The controller 51 may be composed of a single processor, or may be composed of a plurality of independent processors for each control.
A part or all of the function of each element of the controller 51 may be implemented as a program executable by the computer system that configures the controller 51 . In addition, part of the function of each element of the controller 51 may be configured by a custom IC.

The controller 51 has a QR code processing section 53 , an image processing section 55 and an image forming section 57 .
The QR code processing unit 53 recognizes the article A from the photographed image. Specifically, in this embodiment, article recognition reads the QR code 45 included in the captured image, inquires to a server (not shown), and obtains information on article A (whether it is a picking target, It is done by obtaining the type) in the case of picking target. Note that the article recognition may be performed based on external shape information, for example, characters written on the outer surface of the article A or the size of the article A. FIG. At this time, the position of the QR code within the image is also recognized.
Specifically, the image processing unit 55 creates a still image from the moving image being captured by the camera 10 as the captured image 71 (FIG. 9).

The image forming unit 57 creates a picking instruction image 75 ( FIG. 10 ) by adding a mark 73A as a type of picking instruction information to the captured image 71 . That is, the picking instruction image 75 is created based on the photographed image 71 in which all the articles A are shown.
The picking instruction image 75 includes picking instruction information such as the type and quantity of the goods A to be picked for the delivered pallet P, included in the mark 73A or in addition to the mark 73A.

The mark 73A visually teaches the article A to be picked. The mark 73A is, for example, a color superimposed on the label 41 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, the mark 73A is a translucent color applied to the entire label 41 and has a square portion 73A1 with the QR code 45 painted over. It should be noted that FIG. 8 is a diagram showing marks attached on the label in the picking instruction image.
The mark may be a color or a frame superimposed on part or all of the item A to be picked.
The mark may be an arrow or other symbol that indicates the cardboard box to be picked.
The mark may also include quantity and product name as picking instruction information.
The marking method is arbitrary, and the content of the picking instruction information is arbitrary.

Although not shown, the controller 51 is connected with sensors for detecting the size, shape and position of the pallet P and the articles A, sensors and switches for detecting the state of each device, and an information input device.
A display 13 is connected to the controller 51 .
An operation terminal 61 and a touch scanner 63 are connected to the controller 51 as shown in FIG. The operation terminal 61 is provided with a completion button (not shown) that is pushed when picking from one pallet P is completed.
Further, the controller 51 is connected to conveyor drive units (not shown) for driving the supply conveyor 3, the work conveyor 5, and the unloading conveyor 7, respectively.

(5) Control Operation of Picking Station The control operation of the first picking station 4A will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the control operation of the picking station.
The control flow chart described below is an example, and each step can be omitted or replaced as needed. Also, a plurality of steps may be executed simultaneously, or some or all of them may overlap.
Furthermore, each block in the control flow chart is not limited to a single control operation, and can be replaced with a plurality of control operations represented by a plurality of blocks.
The operation of each device is the result of commands from the controller 51 to each device, and these are expressed by each step of the software application.

In step S1, the arrival of the pallet P at the picking point 5a of the working conveyor 5 is waited. Specifically, the pallet P is taken out from the first automated warehouse 2A by the supply conveyor 3, and then conveyed to the picking point 5a by the work conveyor 5.
In step S2, the camera 10 photographs the front surfaces of a plurality of articles A placed on the pallet P. As shown in FIG. After that, the image processing unit 55 creates a captured image 71 as a still image from the moving image being captured. The photographed image 71 displays the front surfaces of a plurality of articles A placed on the pallet P, as shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is an example of a captured image. Note that the symbols and lead lines drawn in the captured image 71 are not included in the captured image 71 .

In step S3, article recognition based on the QR code 45 is performed. Specifically, the QR code processing unit 53 identifies each item A from the QR code 45 in the captured image, and then inquires to a server (not shown) to obtain information related to the item A (picking target). (or not, and if it is a picking target, the type) is obtained.
In step S4, when the article present in the previous captured image no longer exists in the current captured image, the determination time is recorded in the storage unit as the non-existence confirmation time. From this time, the controller 51 starts a timer.
In step S5, a picking instruction image 75 (FIG. 10) is created. Specifically, the image forming unit 57 creates the picking instruction image 75 by superimposing the mark 73A created in accordance with the target article A on the photographed image 71 . Note that the symbols and lead lines drawn in the picking instruction image 75 of FIG. 10 are not included in the picking instruction image 75 .

The mark 73A is the color given to the label 41, as shown in FIG. In FIG. 10, the mark 73A is attached to the article A1 and the article A2.
If the first predetermined time (for example, one to several seconds) has not elapsed since the non-existence confirmation time, a picking instruction image 75 including the mark 73A corresponding to the article A is created. That is, the mark corresponding to the item A is left on the picking instruction image 75 . Then, if the first predetermined time has passed since the non-existence confirmation time, a picking instruction image 75 that does not include the mark 73A corresponding to the article A is created. That is, the mark corresponding to the article A is deleted from the picking instruction image 75 .

In step S6, a picking instruction image 75 is displayed as shown in FIG. Specifically, the picking instruction image 75 is sent to the display 13 and displayed there.
Since the mark 73A is superimposed on the photographed image, even if the worker W hides the articles A1 and A2 from the camera 10 as shown in FIG. Marks 73A corresponding to A1 and article A2 are displayed (that is, these marks 73A are displayed overlapping the worker W's back).

In step S7, for example, it is determined whether or not a second predetermined time has passed since the picking instruction image 75 was displayed. If it has passed, the process returns to step S2, and if it has not passed, the process moves to step S8. Note that the repetition may be performed without judging whether or not the second predetermined time has elapsed.
In step S8, it is determined whether the QR code 45 of the case picked by the worker W has been scanned by the touch scanner 63 or not. Picking is considered to be completed when the worker W scans the QR code 45 . Worker W stacks article A on a shipping pallet (not shown) after scanning. If scanning is completed, the process moves to step S9.
As described above, if the scanning of the QR code 45 is not completed within the second predetermined time after the picking instruction image 75 is displayed, the picking instruction image 75 continues to be updated. Therefore, the worker W can refer to the picking instruction image 75 based on the latest packaging of the article A in real time.

In step S9, it is determined whether or not the picking has been completed. Specifically, the controller 51 determines whether or not all the articles A to be picked have been picked. If completed, the process proceeds to step S10, and completion is displayed on the display 13. FIG. If not completed, the process returns to step S2 and the operation of displaying the next picking instruction image 75 on the display 13 is executed.

As described above, the controller 51 repeatedly executes the article recognition process and the picking instruction image creation process at predetermined intervals. Therefore, the picking instruction image 75 is updated in real time.
Further, the controller 51 continues to display the picking instruction image 75 to which the mark 73A corresponding to the article A is added for the first predetermined time after the article A is no longer recognized. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, the mark 73A corresponding to the carried-out article A1 remains in the picking instruction image 75 like an afterimage immediately after the article A1 is carried out. Therefore, the worker W can grasp the position of the article A1 in the picking instruction image 75 even after removing the article A1. As a result, after picking the article A1, the worker W can confirm whether or not the picking work was correct.
When the first predetermined time elapses from the non-existence confirmation time, the mark 73A corresponding to the article A1 disappears from the picking instruction image 75 as shown in FIG.

In addition, if a mistake (when the picked item is different) is detected at the timing when the worker W scans the QR code 45 in step S7, the picking error is displayed on the display 13 or a sound is emitted. Alternatively, the worker W may be informed of the situation.

2. Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, one type of mark was used, but the type of mark may be changed according to the type of actual picking work.
2nd Embodiment is described as such an example using FIG.8 and FIG.14. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing marks attached on the label in the picking instruction image in the second embodiment.
In the picking instruction image creation process, the controller 51 distinguishes between the first item to be picked together with the outer box and the second item to be picked by the contents (a plurality of items stored in the outer box). and a second article with different marks added to the image.

FIG. 8 shows a mark 73A attached to the first article. As described above, the mark 73A is a translucent color applied to the entire label 41 and has a square portion 73A1 with the QR code 45 painted over.
FIG. 14 shows a mark 73B attached to the second article. Mark 73B is different from mark 73A. Specifically, the mark 73B is a color applied to the entire label 41 and has a frame triangle 73B1 superimposed on the QR code 45 from above.
In this embodiment, since different marks are added to the images for the first article and the second article, the worker W can immediately recognize the work to be done without reading the characters. Specifically, the worker W can determine that the outer box is the first article to be picked by looking at the square portion 73A1, and the contents (a plurality of articles stored in the outer box) can be determined by looking at the frame triangle 73B1. ) can be determined to be the second article to be picked.

Further, the mark 73B has a planned number of articles to be picked 73B2 as picking instruction information.
Furthermore, the mark 73B includes the remaining number of items A to be picked 73B3. That is, the controller 51 adds the remaining number 73B3 of the articles A remaining after picking to the vicinity of the mark 73 of the picking instruction image 75 in the picking instruction image creation process.
In this embodiment, the remaining number 73B3 of the items A remaining after picking is added near the mark 73 of the picking instruction image 75. Therefore, when the worker W sees the items remaining on the pallet P, the worker W is more likely to recognize picking mistakes (for example, picking less or picking more).
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, the remaining number of articles to be picked is not added to the mark 73A. That is, when the outer box is picked, the fact can be confirmed by the square portion 73A1 of the mark 73A. In this case, the display can be simplified and the worker W can quickly understand.

3. Third Embodiment In the first embodiment, the same type of mark is attached to each of a plurality of articles, but the mark may be different for each type of article.
Such an example will be described as the third embodiment with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is an example of a picking instruction image in which a photographed image is marked in the third embodiment.
The controller 51 determines the type of the article A by recognizing each article A in the article recognition process.

The controller 51 attaches different marks to different types of articles A in the picking instruction image creation process.
Specifically, the articles A1 and A2 of the same type are marked with a first mark 73A of a first color, and the article A4 of a different type is marked with a second mark 77 of a second color. .
In this embodiment, the worker W picks each type of article A and can easily arrange the same articles. Specifically, the worker W can efficiently place the article A1 and the article A2 in the same place by continuously picking the article A1 and the article A2.
It should be noted that the method of differentiating the marks is not particularly limited. For example, the shape of the colored mark itself may be changed, the pattern of the mark may be changed, or these may be combined as appropriate.

4. Features of Embodiments The above embodiments can also be described as follows.
The automated warehouse system 1 includes a pallet P, a pair of racks 81, a stacker crane 83, a conveyor 6, a picking point 5a, a camera 10, a controller 51, and a display 13.
A pallet P (an example of a pallet) has a rectangular shape with a first side P1 longer than a second side P2, and is used to place articles A in a line along the first side P1.
A pair of racks 81 (an example of a pair of racks) stores the pallet P so that the direction of the first side P1 is the depth direction of the pair of racks 81 .
A stacker crane 83 (an example of a stacker crane) transports the pallet P along the pair of racks 81 .
The conveyor 6 (an example of a conveyor) receives the pallet P from the stacker crane 83 and conveys the pallet P parallel to the extending direction of the pair of racks 81 .
A picking point 5a (an example of a pallet placing portion) is connected to a conveyor, and a work area 9 is arranged in a direction in which the first side P1 faces the front.
A camera 10 (an example of an imaging device) photographs the pallet P placed on the picking point 5a in a direction in which the first side P1 is in front.
The controller 51 (an example of a control device) performs an article recognition process for recognizing an article A included in a photographed image, and creates a mark 73 (an example of a mark) according to the target article and adds it to the image to issue a picking instruction. and a picking instruction image creation process for creating the image 75 .
A display 13 (an example of a display device) is arranged near the picking point 5a to display an image.
In this automated warehouse system 1, when pallets P are stored in a pair of racks 81, the number of storage pallets can be increased by storing rectangular pallets P along the depth direction of the pair of racks 81.例文帳に追加
In this automated warehouse system 1, when an article is picked from a pallet P, the camera 10 takes an image of the rectangular pallet P so that the front side is the first side P1. Create and add to an image. Therefore, the worker W can recognize all the articles A and pick them quickly.

5. Other Embodiments Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the invention. In particular, multiple embodiments and modifications described herein can be arbitrarily combined as needed.
(1) Modified Example of Picking Instruction Image The process of leaving the mark on the picking instruction image for the first predetermined time period after the article is no longer recognized may be omitted.

(2) Modifications of Marks As markings on an article to be picked, instead of a label, the entire article may be colored or illuminated.
The marks may be opaque or transparent.
In the first to third embodiments, the mark is erased after the first predetermined period of time is set by the timer, but the method of erasing the mark is not particularly limited. For example, if the picking instruction image has been updated a predetermined number of times, it may be deleted.

(3) Modification of Conveyor The layout of the conveyor does not have to be U-shaped.
The conveyor may have only a supply conveyor and an output conveyor. A platform for sliding the pallet may be arranged between the supply conveyor and the discharge conveyor.
Also, the supply conveyor and the discharge conveyor may be realized by one conveyor. In that case, the conveyor is used for both feeding and unloading, and the pallet rest is provided at the end of the conveyor.
A conveyor may be connected to the middle portion of the rack, and the supply conveyor and discharge conveyor may be arranged in parallel with the rack via a change conveyor.
The conveyor may be a combination of a conveyor such as a roller conveyor installed in the automated warehouse and a revolving conveyor on which a track-guided vehicle travels. In that case, the picking station is located near a portion of the revolving conveyor.

(4) Modification of Camera The camera may be arranged so that the position of the object to be photographed is close to the worker W's line of sight. In this case, by aligning the photographed image with the line of sight of the worker W, the worker can more intuitively grasp the article to be picked. This is because the angle between the photographed image and the scene seen by the worker approximately matches.
A captured image is not limited to a still image. For example, it may be a moving image or a frame-by-frame image consisting of a large number of still images.

(5) Modification of Information Source for Identifying Goods Information sources for identifying goods are not limited to QR codes. Other two-dimensional codes or barcodes may be used. Furthermore, the article may be specified based on the pattern or characters on the surface of the article.

(6) Modifications of Goods The kind of goods is not particularly limited. The articles may be various types of cases and boxes other than cardboard boxes.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be widely applied to automated warehouse systems and picking methods in which workers pick articles according to instructions displayed on a display device.

1: Automated Warehouse System 2A: First Automated Warehouse 2B: Second Automated Warehouse 3: Supply Conveyor 4A: First Picking Station 4B: Second Picking Station 5: Work Conveyor 5a: Picking Point 6: Conveyor 7: Unloading Conveyor 9: Work area 10 : Camera 13 : Display 14 : Frame 41 : Label 43 : Product information 45 : QR code 51 : Controller 53 : QR code processing unit 55 : Image processing unit 57 : Image forming unit 61 : Operation terminal 63 : Touch scanner 71 : Photographed image 73A : Mark 75 : Picking instruction image 81 : Rack 81a : Shelf 83 : Stacker crane P : Pallet P1 : First side P2 : Second side

Claims (4)

a pallet having a rectangular shape with a first side longer than a second side, for placing articles in a line along the first side;
a pair of racks for storing the pallet so that the direction of the first side is in the depth direction;
a stacker crane that transports the pallet along the pair of racks;
a conveyor that receives the pallet from the stacker crane and conveys the pallet in parallel with the extending direction of the pair of racks;
a pallet placement unit connected to the conveyor and having a work area arranged in a direction in which the first side faces the front;
an imaging device for photographing the pallet placed on the pallet placement part in a direction in which the first side is the front;
An item recognition process for recognizing an item included in a captured image, and a picking instruction image creation process for creating a picking instruction image by creating a mark corresponding to the target item and adding the mark to the captured image are executed. a controller for
a display device arranged in the vicinity of the pallet placing section for displaying the picking instruction image;
with
The conveyor has an outgoing conveyor and an incoming conveyor,
The unloading conveyor is arranged at the end of the rack, receives the pallet from the stacker crane, and conveys the pallet in parallel with the rack extending direction,
The receiving conveyor is arranged at an end of the rack, conveys the pallet in parallel with the rack extension direction, and delivers the pallet to the stacker crane;
further comprising a connecting conveyor that connects in a direction orthogonal to the outgoing conveyor and the incoming conveyor to convey the pallet;
The pallet placement part is arranged at the end of the outgoing conveyor or the incoming conveyor, or at the connection conveyor ,
The automated warehouse system , wherein the control device repeats photographing of the pallet, article recognition processing, and picking instruction image creation processing at predetermined intervals while the pallet is placed on the pallet placement unit . a first set including the pair of racks and the stacker crane; and a second set arranged parallel to and adjacent to the first set and including the pair of racks and the stacker crane,
The receiving conveyor is provided in the first set and the second set,
The delivery conveyor is provided in the first set and the second set,
The incoming conveyor provided in the first set is arranged inside the outgoing conveyor provided in the first set in the adjacent direction,
The incoming conveyor provided in the second set is arranged inside the outgoing conveyor provided in the second set in the adjacent direction,
2. The automated warehouse system according to claim 1 , wherein said pallet placement section is arranged at an end of said first group receiving conveyor and said second group receiving conveyor. 3. The automated warehouse system according to claim 1, wherein said control device repeatedly executes said article recognition processing and said picking instruction image creation processing at predetermined intervals. a rectangular pallet having a first side longer than a second side; a pair of racks; a stacker crane for transporting the pallet along the pair of racks; a conveyor that receives the pallet from the crane and conveys the pallet in parallel with the extending direction of the pair of racks; In an automated warehouse system comprising a placement unit and an imaging device,
placing articles in a row along the first side of the pallet;
a step of storing the pallet in the pair of racks by the stacker crane in a direction in which the first side is in the depth direction;
a step of photographing the pallet placed on the pallet placement part in a direction in which the first side is the front;
a step of recognizing an article included in a photographed image, creating a mark corresponding to the target article, and adding the mark to the photographed image to create a picking instruction image;
displaying the picking instruction image;
picking the article on the pallet placed on the pallet placing section;
with
1. A picking method, which repeats a step of photographing the pallet, a step of creating the picking instruction image, and a step of displaying the picking instruction image while one pallet is placed on the pallet placing part .

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