JP7147189B2 - Stowage planning device, stowage planning system, stowage planning method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a stowage planning device, a stowage planning method, and a program.

In the field of physical distribution, a stowage operation is performed in which packages sorted by delivery destination are arranged in designated places such as baskets, pallets, and truck beds. The stowage work is required to be carried out efficiently.

Patent Literature 1 describes a physical distribution system and the like that can prevent difficulty in efficiently loading articles to be delivered onto a delivery medium.

Further, Patent Literature 2 describes a physical distribution system including a physical distribution support device capable of efficiently automatically unloading from boxes.

JP 2017-165517 A JP 2017-019586 A

When the volume ratio of stowed cargo is low, i.e., when cargo is stowed with a small ratio of the volume of cargo to the space in the stowage area, leaving large spaces between cargoes. may reduce the number of packages delivered at one time.
That is, in this case, more deliveries are required to deliver the same amount of packages. This leads to increased transportation costs. Moreover, it is preferable that the work of loading cargo is performed in a small working space. In other words, there is a demand for a technique for improving the efficiency of stowage work in contrast to the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a stowage planning device or the like that makes the stowage of cargo more efficient.

A stowage planning device according to an aspect of the present invention comprises an acquisition means for acquiring cargo information related to the sorted cargo to be stowed and stowage location information related to an empty space in the stowage location where the cargo is to be stowed; In the event of an event that could affect the stowage of the cargo, stow the cargo at the stowage location based on the cargo information and the stowage location information in the event of an event that could affect the stowage of the cargo. It comprises planning means for determining a plan and output means for outputting information indicating a stowage plan.

In addition, a stowage planning method according to one aspect of the present invention acquires cargo information related to the sorted cargo to be stowed and stowage location information related to the empty space of the stowage location where the cargo is to be stowed. In the event of an event that may affect the stowage of the cargo, the cargo stowage plan at the stowage location based on the cargo information and the stowage location information in the event of an event that may affect the stowage of the cargo and output information that directs the stowage plan.

In addition, the program in one aspect of the present invention provides a computer with a process of acquiring cargo information related to the sorted cargo stowage and stowage location information related to the empty space of the stowage location where the cargo is stowed. , in the event of an event that may affect the stowage of the cargo, based on the cargo information and the stowage location information in the event of an event that may affect the stowage of the cargo, A process of determining a loading plan and a process of outputting information instructing the loading plan are executed.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the stowage planning apparatus etc. which make stowage work efficient can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the stowage planning apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the stowage planning system in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example at the time of applying the stowage planning system in embodiment of this invention to a sorting center. It is a flowchart which shows operation|movement of the stowage planning apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure showing an example of operation of a stowage planning device in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing an example of operation of a stowage planning device in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing an example of operation of a stowage planning device in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the modification of the stowage planning system in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows another modification of the stowage planning system in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows another modification of the stowage planning system in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the information processing apparatus which implement|achieves the stowage planning apparatus etc. in embodiment.

Each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Drawing 1 is a figure showing a stowage planning device in an embodiment of the present invention.

The stowage planning device 100 in the embodiment of the present invention includes an acquisition unit 110, a planning unit 120, and an output unit 130, as shown in FIG. The acquisition unit 110 acquires cargo information related to the sorted cargo to be stowed and stowage location information related to the empty space of the loading location where the cargo is to be stowed. The planning unit 120, when an event that may affect the loading of the cargo occurs, based on the cargo information and the loading location information at the time of occurrence of the event that may affect the loading of the cargo. Decide on a plan. The output part 130 outputs the information which instruct|indicates a stowage plan. Details of the package information and stowage location information will be described later.

The stowage planning device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is used as a stowage planning system 10 as shown in FIG. 2 as an example. The stowage planning system 10 has the above-described stowage planning device 100 , cargo sensors 11 , stowage location sensors 12 , and a display section 13 . The package sensor 11 obtains the package information described above. The stowage location sensor 12 determines the stowage location information described above. The display unit 13 displays information for instructing the stowage plan output from the output unit 130 of the stowage planning device 100 .

Moreover, in the stowage planning system 10 shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the stowage planning device 100 further includes a cargo database 140 and a stowage location database 150 in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. The package database 140 stores package information and the like transmitted from the package sensor 11 . The stowage location database 150 stores the stowage location information and the like transmitted from the stowage location sensor 12 .

The information stored in the baggage database 140 and the stowage location database 150 is appropriately changed according to various situations including the measurement and stowage of the baggage. In addition, each component of the cargo database 140, the stowage location database 150, and the stowage planning device 100 is appropriately connected.

The number of cargo sensors 11, loading location sensors 12, and display units 13 included in the loading planning system 10 shown in FIG. 2 is not particularly limited. The number of these elements may be appropriately determined according to conditions such as the size of the sorting center to be arranged and the number of destinations for sorting packages.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a sorting center in which the stowage planning system 10 is used. The sorting center 300 is a place where packages collected from various locations are sorted by delivery destination, and where packages are temporarily stored as necessary.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the sorting center 300 is provided with a belt conveyor 301 and stowage locations 302-1 to 302-5. In this example, a cargo sensor 11, a loading location sensor 12, and a display unit 13, which the loading planning system 10 has, are also provided. In the sorting center 300, the number of belt conveyors 301 and stowage locations 302 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 3, and may be provided as appropriate.

At the sorting center 300, the sorting destination of each package is determined. The sorting destination is determined according to the destination or the like. As shown in FIG. 3, in determining the sorting destination, the luggage sensor 11 may detect information required for sorting. Then, each of the packages for which sorting destinations have been determined is conveyed to each of stowage locations 302-1 to 302-5 by belt conveyors according to the determined sorting destinations. At each of the stowage locations 302-1 to 302-5, the transported cargo is stowed by workers, for example. The stowed cargo is appropriately delivered to the destination.

An outline of the stowage planning device 100 and the stowage planning system 10 will be described using the example of the sorting center shown in FIG.

In the stowage planning system 10, when cargo is delivered, the cargo sensor 11 detects the cargo information described above, as shown in (1) of FIG. Also, the stowage location sensor 12 detects the aforementioned stowage location information. The acquisition unit 110 of the stowage planning device 100 acquires the detected cargo information and stowage location information. Then, the planning unit 120 of the stowage planning device 100 determines a stowage plan for the cargo based on the cargo information and the stowage location information, as shown in (2) of FIG. 3 .

Then, as shown in (3) of FIG. 3, the output unit 130 of the stowage planning device 100 outputs information indicating the determined stowage plan of the cargo to the display unit 13 provided at the stowage location. do. At the loading place, workers load the cargo according to the instructions displayed on the display unit 13. - 特許庁

Then, each component of the stowage planning apparatus 100 and the stowage planning system 10 in this embodiment is demonstrated.

The package sensor 11 detects the above-described package information.

The parcel information is primarily information related to the sorted parcels being stowed. Information related to stowage of cargo mainly includes dimensions, shape and weight. In addition, information related to cargo stowage includes restrictions on cargo loading, such as restrictions on the orientation of cargo such as so-called top and bottom, and restrictions on the number of stacking levels when stacking. may An image of the appearance of the package may be included in the information related to the stowage of the package.

In addition, the information related to loading of cargoes is not limited to these, and any information necessary for determining the order of loading cargoes may be included in the information related to loading of cargoes.

The baggage sensor 11 is composed of, for example, a laser for measuring the size and shape of baggage, a camera or other reading device for reading baggage tags and other character information, and a weight scale for measuring weight. As the baggage sensor 11, a sensor having the above functions is appropriately used. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a camera, a reading device, a weighing scale, or the like used for sorting at the sorting center may be used as the luggage sensor 11 . The size, weight, and type of packages that can be detected by the package sensor 11 may be appropriately determined according to the packages handled at the sorting center where the package sensor 11 is arranged, and are not particularly limited.

The stowage location sensor 12 detects the aforementioned stowage location information.

In this embodiment, the stowage of a package refers to arranging the package on a site or member for delivering the package. Parts and members for delivering packages include, for example, baskets and pallets used when delivering packages. Also, when the cargo is directly loaded onto the truck, the truck bed may be treated as a part or member for delivering the cargo. That is, each of the stowage locations 302-1 to 302-5 in FIG. 3 is a part or member for delivering packages, for example. The stowage location of the cargo is prepared, for example, for each sorting destination of the cargo.

The stowage location information is information relating to the stowage location where the cargo is stowed. The stowage location information includes, for example, the size, shape, and the like of empty spaces in the stowage location where packages are not placed. In addition, the information on the stowage location other than this may be included in the stowage location information.

The stowage location information may also include the stowage status of packages that have already been placed at the stowage location. For example, the stowage location information may include the weight of the shipment placed at the stowage location to determine whether another shipment can be stacked on top of an already-placed shipment. When the packages arranged at the stowage location can be identified by image recognition or the like, each package is identified in order to determine whether or not the packages have been arranged according to the stowage plan determined by the planning unit 120. The stowage status may be included in the stowage location information.

In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the stowage location sensor 12 includes a measurement section 1201 and a recognition section 1202 .

The measurement unit 1201 measures the state of loading of cargo at the loading location. As the measurement unit 1201, for example, a general camera, a laser for detecting the state of space, or a combination thereof is used.

The recognition unit 1202 acquires information on the stowage location by recognizing the measurement result of the measurement unit 1201 . That is, the recognizing unit 1202 recognizes the presence or absence of an empty space included in the stowage location and the status of the empty space included in the stowage location information. In addition, the recognition unit 1202 may recognize and acquire information related to the other stowage locations described above.

The recognition unit 1202 acquires these pieces of information mainly using image recognition technology or the like, but the recognition unit 1202 may use a technology other than image recognition.

Note that the stowage location sensor 12 may be configured to include only the measurement unit 1201 . In this case, the stowage planning device 100 has a configuration corresponding to the recognition section 1202 .

In the example shown in FIG. 3, as the stowage location sensor 12, only a sensor for detecting the stowage location 302-1 is provided. However, a stowage location sensor 12 may be provided for each of the plurality of stowage locations 302 . One stowage location sensor 12 may detect stowage location information for a plurality of stowage locations.
The stow plan device 100 may determine a stow plan for packages at multiple stow locations.

The display unit 13 displays the information indicating the stowage plan output from the output unit 130 .

The information instructing the stowage plan includes, but is not limited to, the cargo to be stowed, the position at which the cargo is arranged, the order in which the cargo is arranged, and the like. Further, image data of the appearance of the cargo may be used to specify the cargo to be stowed.

As the display unit 13, a general tablet, signage, or the like that displays data is used. The size and type of the tablet or signage used as the display unit 13 are not particularly limited as long as the information indicating the stowage plan can be displayed. Other types of displays may also be used as the display unit 13 .

The acquisition unit 110 acquires package information and stowage location information. That is, the acquisition unit 110 acquires package information from the package sensor 11 . The acquisition unit 110 also acquires the loading location information from the loading location sensor 12 .

The acquisition unit 110 acquires package information and stowage information at necessary timing. For example, the acquisition unit 110 acquires package information transmitted from the package sensor 11 when the package sensor 11 detects new packages and sorts them. When the package sensor 11 detects a plurality of packages for a certain period of time, the package information about the plurality of packages may be acquired collectively. Further, the acquisition unit 110 may acquire, as package information, that the package sensor 11 has not detected any package.

In addition, when the cargo sensor 11 detects a new cargo, the acquiring unit 110 also acquires the current loading location information from the loading location sensor 12 . The acquisition unit 110 may acquire the stowage location information at that point in time after the stowage work for the cargo for which the stowage plan has been determined is completed. By doing so, it becomes possible for the planning unit 120 to check whether or not the packing has been carried out according to the decided packing plan.

Furthermore, the acquisition unit 110 may acquire the stowage location information, for example, at predetermined intervals.

The planning unit 120 determines a plan for loading packages at a loading location. In other words, the planning unit 120 determines where the packages are placed in the stowage area and the order in which the packages are placed.

In general, when packing cargo, the space between packages should be as small as possible. amount can be increased. In other words, if there is wasted space in the stowage of packages, such as when there are many gaps between the packages, in other words, when the floor area ratio of the packages is low, the number and volume of packages delivered at one time will be reduced. decreases. A decrease in the number and volume of packages delivered at one time leads to an increase in transportation costs.

In addition, by determining the loading procedure after all the cargo to be stowed has been sorted, it is possible to increase the floor area ratio of the cargo at the stowage location. However, in this case, a vast space may be required in the sorting center to temporarily store the sorted packages.

The planner 120 dynamically determines a package stow plan from time to time when an event occurs that may affect the package stow, such as a new package being sorted and brought to a stow location. The planning unit 120 dynamically determines the stowage plan at any time, thereby realizing stowage at a high floor area ratio while reducing the space for temporarily storing the sorted cargo.

In addition, the planning unit 120 determines a stowage plan for each stowage location, for example. In the example shown in FIG. 3, planner 120 determines a stowage plan for each of stowage locations 302-1 through 302-5 individually. That is, the planning unit 120 determines a stowage plan for each cargo sorting destination.

As described above, the planner 120 determines a package stow plan when an event occurs that may affect the stow of the package. Sorting and transporting a new shipment to a stowage location is a prime example of an event that can affect the stowage of a shipment. In other words, the planning section 120 determines a package stowage plan each time a new package is sorted into the stowage section.

Events that may affect the stow order of packages may also include changes in conditions at the stow location of the packages. In the event that the status of the cargo stowage location has changed, the cargo has been stowed in a procedure different from the determined procedure due to worker error, etc., or the cargo has been interrupted unexpectedly. is included. In such a case, the planning unit 120, for example, based on the cargo information of the wrongly loaded cargo or the cargo that cut in, and the loading location information representing the state of the loading location at that time, etc. Re-determine the cargo stowage plan.

The planner 120 calculates a stowage plan using, for example, known algorithms for solving the 3D bin-packing problem. Known algorithms for solving the 3D bin-packing problem include, but are not limited to, greedy, local search, and the like. The planning unit 120 may also obtain a stowage plan using other algorithms.

The planning unit 120 determines the stowage plan in consideration of the size, shape, and weight of the cargo to be stowed, the shape of the empty space at the stowage location, the status of the cargo that has been stowed up to the determination of the stowage plan, and the like. . For example, the planner 120 determines the stow plan so that the heavier loads are placed at the bottom and the lighter loads are placed at the bottom.

In addition, when there are restrictions on the loading of cargo, such as when there are restrictions on the direction of cargo such as so-called top and bottom, and when there are restrictions on the number of stacking stages, the planning unit 120 normally performs a loading plan. Consider these constraints in determining In other words, the planning unit 120 determines the cargo stowage plan so as to satisfy the above-described restrictions on cargo stowage.

In order to carry out stowage such that the above-mentioned constraints, etc., are satisfied, the planning department 120 arranges the stowage order so that the parcels are stowed in an order different from the order in which the parcels are sorted and transported to the stowage location. You can decide the order. In other words, the planning unit 120 may determine a stowage plan in which the cargo sorted to the stowage location first is stored in the temporary storage location, and the cargo sorted to the stowage location is preferentially stowed later. good.

In addition, if the cargo newly sorted to the stowage location is larger or heavier than the cargo that has been stowed up to that point or compared to some standard, etc., the planning unit 120 determines the order and position of the stowage. may be determined to change the stow plan from time to time. In other words, the planning unit 120 may determine the stowage plan so as to change the position of the loaded cargo or change the order of loading the cargo determined at that time.

In addition, if the sorted cargo is larger or heavier than a certain standard, the planning unit 120 is arranged so that it is preferentially stowed when an empty basket is newly prepared at the stowage location. A stow plan may be determined. Furthermore, when the planning unit 120 determines the stowage plan, the delivery time zone of the package and the time until the scheduled delivery time may be taken into consideration.

In this way, when an event that may affect the loading of cargo occurs, the planning unit 120 dynamically determines the loading plan at any time, so that appropriate It becomes possible to determine the stowage plan. In addition, the planning unit 120 dynamically determines the stowage plan at any time, thereby facilitating handling of cases such as when a problem occurs in the stowage work.

Note that when the planning unit 120 determines a stowage plan that changes the order of stowage, a space for temporarily storing some of the packages is required. However, less space is required for temporary storage compared to determining the stow plan after sorting all shipments.

The output unit 130 outputs information indicating the stowage plan determined by the planning unit 120 .

As in the example shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , when the stowage planning system 10 includes the display unit 13 , the output unit 130 outputs information displayed on the display unit 13 . That is, the output unit 130 sends to the display unit 13 various information related to instructions for a stowage plan, such as cargo to be stowed, the position and order in which the cargo is arranged, and image data of the appearance of the cargo. Output.

Moreover, the stowage planning system 10 may have a different element from the display part 13 like the modification mentioned later. In this case, the output unit 130 outputs information required for the operation of the element according to the type of the element.

Then, with reference to the flow chart shown in Drawing 4 and each figure of Drawing 5 to Drawing 7, an example of operation of loading planning device 100 in this embodiment and loading planning system 10 is further explained.
The flowchart shown in FIG. 4 assumes the operation of the loading planning device 100 when the cargo sensor 11 detects a new cargo and the cargo is sorted to the target loading location of the loading planning device 100 . That is, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that new cargo to be stowed is sorted as an event that may affect the loading of cargo.

In addition, in each of FIGS. 5 to 7 , the arrows show an example of data flow between each component, but the data flow is not limited to this.

First, the acquisition unit 110 acquires package information and stowage location information (step S101).

FIG. 5 shows an example in which the acquisition unit 110 acquires the loading location information from the loading location sensor 12 prior to the measurement of new cargo by the cargo sensor 11 . The stowage location information acquired by the acquisition unit 110 from the stowage location sensor 12 is stored in the stowage location database 150 . In the example shown in FIG. 5, the acquiring unit 110 acquires the size of the empty space of the stowage location corresponding to the sorting destination ID "A" as the stowage location information.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a case where the acquisition unit 110 acquires package information of packages newly measured by the package sensor 11 following the stowage location information. The stowage location information acquired by the acquisition unit 110 from the luggage sensor 11 is stored in the luggage database 140 .

In the example shown in FIG. 6, the acquisition unit 110 acquires, as parcel information, the dimensions and weight of parcels with a parcel ID of "1" sorted for a sorting destination ID of "A". The acquisition unit 110 also acquires image data of the appearance of the package. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the package database 140 manages file paths of image data.

In step S101, the planning unit 120 determines that an event that may affect the loading of the cargo has occurred when the acquisition unit 110 acquires the cargo information of the newly measured and sorted cargo from the cargo sensor 11. do. Then, the planning unit 120 determines a loading plan for the cargo at the loading location where the cargo has been sorted based on the cargo information and the stowage location information acquired in step S101 (step S102).

Next, the output unit 130 outputs to the display unit 13 information for instructing the worker on the cargo stowage plan determined in step S102 (step S103). At the stowage location, the cargo is stowed by workers according to the output procedure.

The stowage location sensor 12 may detect the stowage location and obtain the stowage location information after the cargo is stowed according to the information output in step S103. In addition, the acquisition unit 110 may acquire the requested stowage location information.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which the acquisition unit 110 acquires stowage location information after the cargo is stowed.

As shown in the stowage location database 150 of FIG. 7, the size of the vacant space at the stowage location indicated by the sorting destination ID "A" corresponds to the size measured by the stowage location sensor 12 after the cargo is stowed. Updated. Also, in the package database 140, the item "completed" indicating that the package has been stowed has been updated, indicating that the package with the package ID "1" has been stowed at the stowage location. ing.

In addition, the stowage information acquired in this case may be used when determining a stowage plan for the next sorted and stowed packages.

The processing from step S101 to step S103 is repeated, for example, every time the baggage sensor 11 measures a newly sorted baggage. In other words, the stowage planning device 100 and the stowage planning system 10 determine a stowage plan each time packages to be stowed are sorted. By doing so, a more appropriate stowage plan can be determined according to the situation of the stowage place at the time when the cargo is sorted. As a result, it is possible to improve the efficiency of loading cargo.

In addition, in embodiment mentioned above, each component of the stowage planning apparatus 100 has shown the block of a functional unit. A part or all of each component of the stowage planning device 100 is realized by an arbitrary combination of an information processing device 500 and a program as shown in FIG. 11, for example. The information processing apparatus 500 includes, as an example, the following configuration.

- CPU (Central Processing Unit) 501
・ROM (Read Only Memory) 502
・RAM (Random Access Memory) 503
・Program 504 loaded into RAM 503
- Storage device 505 for storing program 504
A drive device 507 that reads and writes the recording medium 506
- A communication interface 508 that connects with the communication network 509
- An input/output interface 510 for inputting/outputting data
- A bus 511 connecting each component
Each component of the stowage planning device 100 in the embodiment is realized by the CPU 501 acquiring and executing a program 504 that realizes these functions. A program 504 that implements the function of each component of the stowage planning device 100 is stored in advance in the storage device 505 or the RAM 503, for example, and read by the CPU 501 as necessary. The program 504 may be supplied to the CPU 501 via the communication network 509 or may be stored in the recording medium 506 in advance, and the drive device 507 may read the program and supply it to the CPU 501 .

There are various modifications of the implementation method of the stowage planning device 100 . For example, each device may be implemented by an arbitrary combination of the information processing device 500 and a program that are separate for each component. Also, a plurality of components included in each device may be realized by any combination of one information processing device 500 and a program.

Moreover, some or all of the constituent elements of the loading planning device 100 are implemented by general-purpose or dedicated circuits including processors or the like, or combinations thereof. These may be composed of a single chip, or may be composed of multiple chips connected via a bus. A part or all of each component of each device may be realized by a combination of the above-described circuits and the like and programs.

When some or all of the components of the stowage planning device 100 are realized by a plurality of information processing devices, circuits, etc., the plurality of information processing devices, circuits, etc. may be centrally arranged or distributed. may be placed.

In addition, the stowage planning device 100 may be arranged at the sorting center or at a place different from the sorting center and connected to the baggage sensor 11, the stowage place sensor 12 and the display unit 13 via a communication network. may That is, the stowage planning device 100 may be realized by a cloud computing system.

As described above, the stowage planning device 100 in the present embodiment determines a stowage plan for sorted packages for stowage locations. A package stow plan decision is made whenever an event occurs that may affect the package stow, such as when a new package is detected and sorted to a stow location.

As described above, if the stowage procedure is determined after sorting all the cargo to be stowed, the floor area ratio of the cargo can be increased, while the sorted cargo can be temporarily stored. may require a large amount of space. Further, when the sorted packages are stowed in order, no space is required for temporarily storing the sorted packages. However, when cargo is stowed in this way, there is a tendency for the gaps between the stacked cargo to become large. That is, the cargo volume ratio is reduced.

On the other hand, the stowage planning device 100, as described above, dynamically determines the stowage plan of the cargo whenever necessary. This reduces the space for temporarily storing the sorted parcels compared to the case where the stowage sequence is determined after all parcels have been sorted. In addition, compared to the case where the sorted cargo is stowed in order, it is possible to stow the cargo having a high floor area ratio at the stowage location.

Therefore, the stowage planning device 100 and the stowage planning system 10 can efficiently stow cargo.

Moreover, in the stowage planning system 10 , the determined stowage plan is displayed by the display unit 13 . A worker who loads the cargo is determined by the planning unit 120 and loads according to the procedure displayed on the display unit 13 . Therefore, the stowage work can be performed without depending on the intuition and experience of the workers. That is, variation in work quality in the stowage work is suppressed.

Therefore, by using the stowage planning system 10, it is possible to eliminate the dependence of the stowage work on the individual. In addition, as a result, even workers who are unfamiliar with stowage work can easily carry out the stowage work, so it is possible to reduce labor costs and training costs for workers.

(Modification)
Several modifications are conceivable for the stowage planning system described above.

Embodiment mentioned above demonstrated the example with which the stowage planning system 10 was equipped with the display part 13. FIG. And the output part 130 of the stowage planning apparatus 100 demonstrated the example which outputs the information which instruct|indicates a stowage plan with respect to the display part 13. FIG. However, the stowage planning system 10 may be a system having other configurations instead of the display unit 13 .

As an example, in the stowage planning system, projection mapping and augmented reality (AR) technology are used in place of the display unit 13 when displaying information instructing a worker on a stowage plan. good too.

8 and 9 show an example of a stowage planning system in this case. FIG. 8 shows an example of displaying information instructing a worker on a stowage plan by projection mapping. In the example shown in FIG. 8 , the stowage planning system 20 has a projector 23 instead of the display section 13 .

The projector 23 projects the information indicating the stowage plan output from the output unit 130 onto the wall surface, floor surface, or the like of the sorting center or the stowage area. The location where the projector 23 projects the information may be appropriately determined according to the visibility of the worker who loads the cargo and other conditions.

Further, the information projected by the projector 23 is the same type of information as the information displayed by the display unit 13, such as the target package and the stowage location. However, the display method such as the design of the information projected by the projector 23 may be appropriately changed according to the difference in display means. In addition, the projector 23 may more clearly show the cargo loading plan by, for example, projecting instructions onto the floor or wall surface of the loading area.

As another example, FIG. 9 shows an example in which information instructing a worker to make a stowage plan is displayed by AR. In the example shown in FIG. 9 , the stowage planning system 20 has an AR device 24 instead of the display section 13 . In this case, the AR device 24 is, for example, a head-mounted display, but any other device that implements AR may be used, regardless of the type.

In this case, the information displayed by the AR device 24 is the same type of information as the information displayed by the display unit 13, such as the target package and stowage location, as in the example shown in FIG. However, the display method such as the design of the information projected by the AR device 24 may be appropriately changed according to the difference in display means. Also, the AR device 24 may display the image of the stowage location and the stowage plan in a superimposed manner, thereby more clearly showing the stowage plan of the cargo.

With such a configuration, the stowage planning system 20 can improve the work efficiency of the workers who stow the cargo. In other words, the loading planning system 20 can further improve the efficiency of cargo loading compared to the loading planning system 10 and the like.

FIG. 10 shows another variant of the stowage planning system. In the example shown in FIG. 10 , the stowage planning system 30 has a robot arm 33 instead of the display section 13 . The robot arm 33 stacks the cargo according to the information output from the output unit 130 and instructing the loading plan. That is, in this modified example, the robot arm 33 performs the work of loading the cargo instead of the worker.

In this modified example, a robot arm 33 capable of transporting cargo is appropriately used according to the size, shape, weight, etc. of the cargo to be stowed. The output unit 130 outputs an instruction necessary for the robot arm 33 to place the cargo at the specified stowage location. The robot arm 33 then loads the cargo according to the instructions from the output unit 130 .

With such a configuration, in the stowage planning system 30, the occurrence of problems such as stowage of cargo in the wrong place due to work errors by workers is suppressed. That is, the stowage planning system 30 can further improve the efficiency of cargo stowage compared to the stowage planning system 10 and the like.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. Also, the configurations in each embodiment can be combined with each other without departing from the scope of the present invention.

10, 20, 30 stowage planning system 11 cargo sensor 12 stowage location sensor 13 display unit 1201 measurement unit 1202 recognition unit 23 projector 24 AR device 33 robot arm 100 stowage planning device 110 acquisition unit 120 planning unit 130 output unit 140 cargo Database 150 Stacking place database 300 Sorting center 301 Belt conveyor 302 Stacking place

Claims (9)

Acquisition means for acquiring cargo information related to cargo stowage and stowage location information related to a stowage location where the cargo is stowed;
A stowage plan for the cargo at the stowage location based on the cargo information and the stowage location information in the event that an event occurs that may affect the loading of the cargo. a planning means for determining
output means for outputting information indicating the stowage plan;
with
Events that may affect stowage of the shipment include when the shipment is sorted;
The planning means determines the stowage plan each time the cargo is newly sorted.
stowage planning equipment; The planning means determines the stowage plan on the assumption that an event that may affect the stowage of the goods has occurred when the acquisition means acquires the goods information.
A stowage planning device according to claim 1 . Events that may affect stowage of the cargo include changes in conditions at the stowage location.
The stowage planning device according to claim 1 or 2 . If conditions at the stowage location change, including if the cargo is stowed differently than the previously determined stowage plan,
A stowage planning device according to claim 3 . The stowage location information is one of the size of a vacant space where the cargo is not arranged in the stowage location, the shape of the vacant space, and information on the stowage of the loaded cargo. including
A stowage planning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . a baggage sensor that measures the baggage and obtains the baggage information;
a stowage location sensor that measures the stowage location and obtains the stowage location information;
A stowage planning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ;
display means for displaying the information output from the output means;
stowage planning system. a baggage sensor that measures the baggage and detects the baggage information;
a stowage location sensor that measures the stowage location and detects the stowage location information;
A stowage planning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ;
a robot arm that stacks the cargo according to the information output from the output means;
stowage planning system. obtaining shipment information related to stowage of a shipment and stowage location information related to the stowage location where the shipment is to be stowed;
When an event that may affect the loading of the cargo occurs, a plan for loading the cargo at the loading location is made based on the cargo information and the loading location information when the event occurs. decide and
outputting information indicating the stowage plan ;
Events that may affect stowage of the shipment include when the shipment is sorted;
Determining the stowage plan each time the cargo is newly sorted
The stowage planning method. to the computer,
A process of acquiring cargo information related to loading of cargo and stowage location information related to the location where the cargo is stowed;
When an event that may affect the loading of the cargo occurs, a plan for loading the cargo at the loading location is made based on the cargo information and the loading location information when the event occurs. a process of determining;
a process of outputting information indicating the stowage plan;
and
Events that may affect stowage of the shipment include when the shipment is sorted;
The process of determining the stowage plan is executed each time the cargo is newly sorted.
program.

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