JP7279699B2 - picking system - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a picking system for accommodating a plurality of types of articles in a delivery box from a plurality of article boxes accommodating articles of the same type, and a box conveying method in the picking system.

2. Description of the Related Art A picking operation is performed in a picking area by a worker to take out articles from article boxes in which articles of the same type are stored, and to put a plurality of types of articles in delivery boxes for respective delivery destinations. In order to allow workers to efficiently perform such picking work, we have previously disclosed the configuration and operation of a picking system that unloads goods boxes and delivery boxes from the automated warehouse and transports various boxes to the picking area using a transport device. (See Patent Document 1, for example).

JP 2007-76831 A

However, the conventional picking system is a system in which article boxes corresponding to a plurality of types of articles included in an order are successively conveyed to empty delivery boxes conveyed to the picking area by a conveyor. In such a picking system, a plurality of goods boxes are transported for one delivery box transported to one picking area. There is a problem that picking efficiency decreases, such as making the customer wait.

In addition, there is a need for transport equipment that connects the picking area and the automated warehouse, where all the boxes that can be picked into one delivery box, are required by conveyors, and the problem is that the conveyor equipment increases. .

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and relates to a picking system capable of realizing efficient picking, and a box conveying method in the picking system.

In order to achieve the above object, a picking system, which is one of the present invention, stores and automatically stores a plurality of article boxes each accommodating a plurality of articles of the same type, each of which is of a different type. A plurality of article box warehouses that can be loaded and unloaded, an article box conveying device that conveys the article boxes taken out from the article box warehouse, and a plurality of article boxes to which the article boxes conveyed by the article box conveying device are selectively carried A picking area, a delivery box warehouse that stores a tied delivery box containing at least one item out of a plurality of items included in an order and can be automatically put in and out, and a tied item that is selectively taken out from the delivery box warehouse. A tied delivery box conveying device for carrying the delivery box into the picking area, and a management device for managing the flow of the article boxes and the tied delivery boxes, wherein the management device controls the articles shipped from the article box warehouse. A goods box instruction output unit for outputting a goods box instruction to carry a box into one of the picking areas, and outputting a tied delivery box instruction to take out a tied delivery box from the delivery box warehouse and carry it into the same picking area. and a tied delivery box instruction output unit.

In order to achieve the above object, another aspect of the present invention is a box conveying method, which is an article box for accommodating a plurality of articles of the same type, wherein the plurality of articles each accommodates articles of different types. A plurality of goods box warehouses capable of storing boxes and automatically loading and unloading boxes, a goods box conveying device for conveying the goods boxes taken out from the goods box warehouses, and the goods boxes conveyed by the goods box conveying device are selectively selected. a delivery box warehouse capable of storing and automatically entering and exiting a delivery box containing at least one item out of a plurality of items included in an order; and the delivery box warehouse. A box transport method in a picking system comprising: a tied delivery box conveying device for carrying a tied delivery box that has been physically delivered to the picking area; and a management device for managing the flow of the goods box and the tied delivery box. Then, the goods box instruction output unit outputs a goods box instruction to carry the goods box discharged from the goods box warehouse into one of the picking areas, and the tied delivery box is discharged from the delivery box warehouse to carry out the same picking process. The tied delivery box instruction output unit outputs the tied delivery box instruction to carry in to the area.

According to the present invention, it is possible to flexibly transport the tied delivery box and the article box to the picking area even if the tied delivery box is tied to the order.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a picking system. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the picking system. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the picking system with part of the superstructure omitted. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the picking system with the third conveyor omitted. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing functional units of the management device.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a picking system and a box conveying method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments are examples for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. For example, the shapes, structures, materials, constituent elements, relative positional relationships, connection states, numerical values, formulas, contents of each step in the method, order of each step, etc. shown in the following embodiments are examples, and are described below. may include content not listed in In addition, geometric expressions such as parallel and orthogonal are sometimes used, but these expressions do not indicate mathematical rigor, and substantially allowable errors, deviations, and the like are included. Expressions such as "simultaneous" and "identical" also include substantially permissible ranges.

In addition, the drawings are schematic diagrams that have been appropriately emphasized, omitted, or adjusted in proportion in order to explain the present invention, and are different from the actual shape, positional relationship, and proportion.

Further, in some cases, a plurality of inventions will be collectively described as one embodiment below. Also, some of the contents described below are described as optional components related to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a picking system. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the picking system. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the picking system with part of the superstructure omitted. It should be noted that the drawing shows a part of the article box 210 and the delivery box 220 only on the negative side in the X-axis direction. As shown in the figure, the picking system 100 has a picking area 199 where a worker 230 takes out a predetermined number of items from an item box 210 and stores the items in a delivery box 220. The item box 210, the delivery box 220, and carry it out to a predetermined place, and includes an article box warehouse 110, an article box conveying device 120, a delivery box warehouse 130, and a delivery box conveying device 140. In the case of this embodiment, the picking system 100 has an empty delivery box transport device 160 .

The article box 210 is a container that accommodates a plurality of articles of the same type. A plurality of article boxes 210 are stored in the article box warehouse 110, and some of the plurality of article boxes 210 accommodate articles of different types. Also, some other article boxes 210 may contain articles of the same type. The items stored in the item box 210 are so-called inventory items. In FIG. 1, the article box 210 is marked with two oblique lines crossing the sides of the box. The size of the article box 210 is not particularly limited, and article boxes 210 of different sizes may be mixed in the picking system. The goods are not particularly limited, and examples thereof include goods intended to be sold to consumers, parts for assembling products, tools for assembling and processing, medicines, pharmaceuticals, and the like.

The delivery box 220 is a container into which the picking worker puts in an item taken out from the item box 210 based on an order, and is transported to a predetermined location when the picking operation is completed in the picking system 100 . An order is picking information indicating the type and number of articles to be contained in a predetermined delivery box 220, and is output from the host computer 240 (see FIG. 5), for example. In the case of the present embodiment, a delivery box 220 containing at least one of a plurality of items included in an order and linked to the order is referred to as a linked delivery box 221, and a delivery box not linked to the order is referred to as a linked delivery box 221. Box 220 is described as empty shipping box 222 . In FIG. 1, the stringed delivery box 221 has three horizontal lines attached to the side of the box, and the empty delivery box 222 has three vertical lines attached to the side of the box. The size of the delivery box 220 is not particularly limited, and delivery boxes 220 of different sizes may be mixed. Also, although the shipping box 220 and the goods box 210 are shown to have the same size in the drawing, this is not the only option.

The picking area 199 is an area where the worker 230 takes out a predetermined number of items from the item box 210 and stores the items in the delivery box 220 . For example, a reading device (not shown) such as a bar code reader that reads information on articles and orders tied to the tied delivery box 221, and a display device (not shown) that indicates the type and number of articles to be picked by the worker 230. ), an input device (not shown) indicating completion of the picking operation by the operator 230, a table (not shown) on which these are placed, and the like may be arranged in the picking area 199. FIG.

The goods box warehouse 110 stores a plurality of goods boxes 210 each containing different types of goods, and can automatically take out the goods boxes 210 based on an order and automatically receive the goods boxes 210. It is an automated warehouse that can The type of goods box warehouse 110 is not particularly limited, but in the case of this embodiment, the goods box warehouse 110 includes a first rack 111, a first conveyor 112, a first conveying device 113, a second a vertical conveyor 114;

The first rack 111 is a shelf for storing article boxes 210 . In the case of this embodiment, the first rack 111 has a shelf board that holds the article boxes 210 arranged in a horizontal first direction (the Y-axis direction in the drawing) and holding them vertically (the Z-axis direction in the drawing). has multiple stages. In addition, the goods box warehouse 110 has two first racks 111 arranged in parallel with a first conveying device 113 interposed in a second direction (the X-axis direction in the figure) perpendicular to the first direction in the horizontal plane. . Note that the length of the first rack 111 in the first direction is not particularly limited. In the drawing, a portion of the first rack 111 in the longitudinal direction is omitted to shorten the first rack 111 . Further, in the case of this embodiment, the picking system 100 includes a plurality of goods box warehouses 110 of the same type. The number of article box warehouses 110 provided in the picking system 100 is not limited. In addition, the type and size of the article box warehouse 110 (the number of article boxes 210 that can be stored) are not particularly limited, and the plural article box warehouses 110 may have different types and sizes. .

The first transfer device 113 is a device capable of transferring the article box 210 held on the first rack 111 and the first conveyor 112 to another location on the first rack 111 and the first conveyor 112 . The type of the first transport device 113 is not particularly limited, and a stacker crane or the like can be exemplified. In the case of this embodiment, the first transport device 113 includes rails laid at positions corresponding to the respective stages of the first rack 111, and article box carts arranged for each rail.

The rails are arranged to extend along the first rack 111 in the first direction up to the first conveyor 112 , and the article box carriage reciprocates along the rails while holding the article boxes 210 . The article box truck is equipped with a transfer device capable of transferring article boxes 210 between the first rack 111 and the first conveyor 112 and the article box truck. The transfer device can transfer the article box 210 between the first rack 111 adjacent to both sides of the first transport device 113 and the first conveyor 112 .

The first conveyors 112 are arranged at positions corresponding to the respective stages of the pair of first racks 111 . One first conveyor 112 conveys the article box 210 along the first direction, which is the extending direction of one first rack 111 , and transfers the article box 210 to the first vertical conveyor 114 . The other first conveyor 112 conveys the article box 210 along the first direction, which is the extending direction of the other first rack 111 , and the article box 210 received from the first vertical conveyor 114 is transferred to the first conveying device 113 . hand over to The type of the first conveyor 112 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include roller conveyors and belt conveyors.

The first vertical conveyor 114 has an elevator that moves vertically (in the Z-axis direction in the drawing), and conveys the article box 210 held by the elevator in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the goods box warehouse 110 comprises a pair of first vertical conveyors 114 corresponding to a pair of first conveyors 112 aligned in the second direction. One first vertical conveyor 114 conveys the article box 210 transferred from the first conveyor 112 in the vertical direction and carries it out to the article box conveying device 120 . The other first vertical conveyor 114 conveys the article box 210 transferred from the article box conveying device 120 in the vertical direction and carries it out to the first conveyor 112 of a predetermined stage.

The article box conveying device 120 is a device that conveys the article box 210 delivered from the article box warehouse 110 to the picking area 199 . The type of article box conveying device 120 is not particularly limited, and a combination of multiple types of devices may be used. In the case of this embodiment, the article box conveying device 120 includes a second conveyor 121, a third conveyor 122, a fourth conveyor 123 (see FIG. 3), a track guided vehicle 124, and a second vertical conveyor 125. ing.

The second conveyor 121 is a conveyor that connects the first vertical conveyor 114 of the goods box warehouse 110 and the track-guided carriage 124 . In the case of this embodiment, two second conveyors 121 are respectively connected to a pair of first vertical conveyors 114, one of which is the second conveyor 121 and the first vertical conveyor 114 is for unloading, and the other is for The second conveyor 121 and the first vertical conveyor 114 function for warehousing.

The track-guided carriage 124 is a facility that conveys the article boxes 210 by circulating on an annular track, and transfers the article boxes 210 between the second conveyor 121 and the third conveyor 122 connected thereto. The type of track-guided carriage 124 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a carriage that rotates at high speed by a linear motor, a so-called high-speed sorting conveyor. In the case of this embodiment, the track-guided vehicle 124 has a stator on the track, a mover on the vehicle, and travels by a linear motor that moves the vehicle by changing the magnetic force of the stator. Further, the transfer of the article box 210 is realized by the interaction between the transfer stator arranged on the track and the transfer mover provided on the carriage.

The third conveyor 122, the fourth conveyor 123, and the second vertical conveyor 125 convey the article boxes 210 received from the track guided vehicle 124 to the picking area 199, and convey the picked article boxes 210 to the track guided vehicle 124. do. In the case of this embodiment, the fourth conveyor 123 is positioned so that the goods box 210 can be conveyed within a horizontal plane at a height position where the worker 230 can work, and is arranged so that a part of it passes through the picking area 199. It is The third conveyor 122 is arranged above the fourth conveyor 123 and at a position where the article box 210 can be conveyed within a horizontal plane at a height position that does not interfere with the worker 230 . A second vertical conveyor 125 connects the third conveyor 122 and the fourth conveyor 123 and conveys both item boxes 210 toward the picking area 199 and item boxes 210 returning from the picking area 199 .

In this way, by arranging part of the fourth conveyor 123 in the picking area 199 and arranging the third conveyor 122, the track-guided vehicle 124, and the second conveyor 121 above the head of the operator 230, in the picking area 199 It is possible to secure a space for picking by the worker, a passageway for the worker 230 entering and exiting the picking area 199, and the like. In addition, the picking system 100 as a whole can be made compact by arranging the conveying devices in a three-dimensional manner.

The picking system 100 includes a number of third conveyors 122, fourth conveyors 123, and second vertical conveyors 125 corresponding to the number of picking areas 199 (three in this embodiment). The track guided vehicle 124 can selectively transfer the article boxes 210 to the plurality of third conveyors 122 . As a result, the article box conveying device 120 can selectively carry the article boxes 210 into the respective picking areas 199 . The picking system 100 also includes the second conveyors 121 in a number corresponding to the number of the article box warehouses 110 (7 in the present embodiment). The track guided vehicle 124 is connected to the plurality of second conveyors 121 and can transfer the article boxes 210 to and from the plurality of article box warehouses 110 . As described above, the article box transport device 120 can carry the article box 210 from the arbitrarily selected article box warehouse 110 to the arbitrarily selected picking area 199 .

The delivery box warehouse 130 is an automated warehouse that stores the tied delivery boxes 221 and can automatically put in and take out the tied delivery boxes 221 . The type of the delivery box warehouse 130 is not particularly limited, but in the case of the present embodiment, the delivery box warehouse 130 is a facility capable of selectively delivering tied delivery boxes 221 to a plurality of picking areas 199. , a second rack 131 and a second transport device 133 .

The second rack 131 is a shelf for storing the tied delivery box 221 . In the case of this embodiment, the second rack 131 arranges the string-attached delivery boxes 221 in the second direction (the X-axis direction in the figure) in the horizontal plane and holds the shelf board vertically (the Z-axis direction in the figure). ) are provided in multiple stages. In addition, the delivery box warehouse 130 includes two second racks 131 arranged in parallel in the first direction (the Y-axis direction in the figure) in the horizontal plane with the second conveying device 133 interposed therebetween. Although the length of the second rack 131 in the first direction is not particularly limited, it is preferable that the length corresponds to the arrangement of the plurality of picking areas 199 . The second rack 131 arranged on the picking area 199 side has a transfer section 135 capable of transferring the third vertical conveyor 141 and the delivery box 221 with string. The transfer section 135 is arranged on each stage of the second rack 131 along the third vertical conveyor 141 . In addition, the delivery box warehouse 130 has the number of transfer units 135 corresponding to the number of picking areas 199 (three in the present embodiment). The second transport device 133 can selectively transfer the tied delivery box 221 to a plurality of transfer units 135 . As a result, the shipping box warehouse 130 can selectively bring the tied shipping boxes 221 into the respective picking areas 199 .

The second transfer device 133 is a device capable of transferring the tied delivery box 221 held on the second rack 131 to another location on the first rack 111 and the transfer section 135 . The type of the second transport device 133 is not particularly limited, and a stacker crane or the like can be exemplified. In the case of this embodiment, the second conveying device 133 is the same as the first conveying device 113, and includes rails laid at positions corresponding to the respective stages of the second rack 131, and delivery rails arranged for each rail. It is equipped with a box truck. The delivery box truck is connected to each of the plurality of picking areas 199 via the transfer unit 135, and can selectively carry out the transported string-attached delivery box 221 to one of the picking areas 199. - 特許庁In addition, the second transport device 133 has two delivery box carts arranged in the extending direction of the second rack 131 on each stage of the second rack 131 . The two delivery box carts on each stage take charge of, for example, half of the area in the extending direction of the second rack 131 .

The number of delivery box warehouses 130 included in the picking system 100 is not limited, and may be one or more. Also, the type and size of the delivery box warehouse 130 (the number of storage boxes 221 with strings that can be stored) are not particularly limited. It doesn't matter if it's different.

The delivery box conveying device 140 is equipment for carrying into the picking area 199 the tied delivery boxes 221 selectively delivered from the delivery box warehouse 130 . The type of delivery box conveying device 140 is not particularly limited, and a combination of multiple types of devices may be used. In the case of this embodiment, the delivery box conveying device 140 includes a third vertical conveyor 141 and a fifth conveyor 142 .

The third vertical conveyor 141 includes an elevator that moves vertically (in the Z-axis direction in the drawing), and conveys the stringed delivery box 221 held by the elevator in the vertical direction. In the case of this embodiment, the delivery box conveying device 140 includes third vertical conveyors 141 in a number corresponding to the number of the transfer units 135 of the delivery box warehouse 130 in the second direction. Each third vertical conveyor 141 vertically conveys the string-attached delivery box 221 transferred from the transfer section 135 of each stage, and carries it out to the fifth conveyor 142 .

The fifth conveyor 142 conveys the tied delivery box 221 received from the third vertical conveyor 141 to the picking area 199 and carries out the tied delivery box 221 for which picking has been completed to the outside of the picking area 199 . In this embodiment, the fifth conveyor 142 is arranged parallel to part of the fourth conveyor 123 in the horizontal plane, and conveys the tied delivery box 221 to a position where the worker 230 can pick it up. The fifth conveyor 142 also conveys the string-attached delivery box 221 for which the picking operation in one picking area 199 has been completed to the lower side of the delivery box warehouse 130 . Note that the delivery box 220 passes under the delivery box warehouse 130 and is carried out of the picking system 100 . Note that the tied delivery box 221 in the middle of picking for which the picking operation has not been completed in one picking area 199 may be returned to the delivery box warehouse 130 .

The delivery box conveying device 140 includes third vertical conveyors 141 and fifth conveyors 142 in numbers corresponding to the number of picking areas 199 (three in the present embodiment). Since the delivery box warehouse 130 is equipped with a delivery box cart capable of transporting the tied delivery box 221 to any of the transfer units 135 in the second direction, the linked delivery box 221 can be selectively transported to the third vertical conveyor 141. can be transferred. As a result, the shipping box warehouse 130 can selectively bring the tied shipping boxes 221 into the respective picking areas 199 .

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the picking system with the third conveyor omitted. The empty delivery box conveying device 160 is equipment for conveying the empty delivery box 222 , which is a delivery box containing no articles, to the delivery box conveying device 140 . The type of the empty delivery box conveying device 160 is not particularly limited, but in the case of this embodiment, a conveyor is adopted. The empty delivery box conveying device 160 is arranged between the third conveyor 122 and the fourth conveyor 123 and connected to each of the plurality of third vertical conveyors 141 in a branched manner. As a result, the empty delivery box conveying device 160 can carry the empty delivery boxes 222 into a plurality of picking areas 199 via the delivery box conveying device 140 .

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing functional units of the management device. The management device 150 is a device that manages the flow of the article boxes 210, the linked delivery boxes 221, and the empty delivery boxes 222 in the picking system 100. The management device 150 is a processing unit realized by causing a processor to execute a program. It has an output unit 151 and a tied delivery box instruction output unit 152 . In the case of this embodiment, the management device 150 includes a progress grasping section 153 and an area specifying section 154 .

The article box instruction output unit 151 is a processing unit that outputs an article box instruction to carry the article box 210 delivered from the article box warehouse 110 to one of the picking areas 199 based on the order. The goods boxes 210 are delivered from the goods box warehouse 110 in principle according to the order in which the orders are output from the host computer 240 . The goods box instruction output unit 151 transfers the goods box 210 delivered based on a predetermined order, for example, the order linked to the tied delivery box 221, for example, the first goods box 210, to the goods box conveying device 120. Immediately before, immediately before being transferred to the track-guided vehicle 124, or while being transported by the track-guided vehicle 124, the picking area 199 into which the article box 210 corresponding to the order is carried is determined, and the article containing the information is determined. A box instruction is output to the article box conveying device 120 .

The linked delivery box instruction output unit 152 outputs a linked delivery box instruction to take out the linked delivery box 221 from the delivery box warehouse 130 and carry it into the same picking area 199 where the goods box 210 included in the same order is carried in. Department.

The progress grasping unit 153 is a processing unit that grasps the progress of each picking work in the picking area 199 . The method by which the progress grasping unit 153 grasps the progress is not particularly limited. Further, the progress grasping unit 153 grasps the progress of the picking work by grasping the number of the delivery boxes 220 carried into the picking area 199 and the number of the delivery boxes carried out per unit time by the delivery box conveying device 140. I don't mind. In the case of this embodiment, the progress grasping unit 153 grasps the progress based on the number of article boxes 210 accumulated on the conveyor in front of the picking operator.

The area specifying unit 154 specifies the picking area 199 into which the goods box 210 and the tied delivery box 221 are brought in based on the work progress in each picking area 199 grasped by the progress grasping unit 153 . Also, the timing at which the area identifying unit 154 identifies the picking area 199 is before the goods box 210 is transferred to the goods box conveying device 120 after the goods box 210 is taken out of the goods box warehouse 110 .

When the management device 150 includes the progress grasping unit 153 and the area specifying unit 154, the following processing is performed. When there are a plurality of picking areas 199 specified by the area specifying unit 154, the goods box instruction output unit 151 determines one picking area 199 from the plurality of picking areas 199, and carries the goods box 210 into the determined picking area 199. output the goods box instructions to be made. If the order includes multiple types of item boxes 210, the item box instruction may include multiple types of item boxes 210. FIG. In addition, the linked delivery box instruction output unit 152 outputs a linked delivery box instruction to bring the linked delivery box 221 into the picking area 199 determined by the goods box instruction output unit 151 .

In the picking system 100 according to the above embodiment, the item boxes 210 delivered from the item box warehouse 110 based on an order are transferred to the item box conveying device 120 after the item boxes 210 are taken out from the item box warehouse 110 . Before loading, it is carried into the picking area 199 specified by the area specifying unit 154 . The transportation of the article box 210 is executed based on the article box instruction output by the article box instruction output unit 151 . On the other hand, the tied shipping box 221 is taken out from the shipping box warehouse 130 and brought into the specified picking area 199 based on the tied shipping box instruction output by the tied shipping box instruction output unit 152 .

In the picking area 199 where the item boxes 210 related to the order and the linked delivery boxes 221 are arranged, the worker takes out a predetermined number of items from the item boxes 210 and puts them into the linked delivery boxes 221 . The article box 210 from which the predetermined number of articles have been taken out is returned to the article box 210 warehouse by the article box conveying device 120 . The tied delivery box 221 is discharged outside the picking area 199 when a predetermined number of items of a predetermined type have been loaded.

According to the picking system 100 according to the above embodiment, the goods box 210 delivered from any one of the goods box warehouses 110 is transported to an arbitrary picking area 199 using the goods box conveying device 120 based on the goods box instruction. can be brought in. In addition, from the delivery box warehouse 130 and the delivery box transport device 140, the tied delivery box 221 can be carried into an arbitrary picking area 199. FIG. Therefore, the tied delivery box 221 and the item box 210 can be brought into an arbitrary picking area 199 and the picking operation can be performed without being bound by the order of order generation. As a result, for example, the tied delivery box 221 and the article box 210 can be brought into the picking area 199 where the work is progressing in accordance with the progress of the picking work, and the picking efficiency can be improved. Specifically, for example, when there is an order for picking the delivery box 220 to be shipped the next day, if an urgent order for same-day shipment occurs, the picking process related to the urgent order is executed in accordance with the arrival of the shipping truck. It is possible to change the processing order of orders without being bound by the order in which orders are generated.

Also, the tied delivery box 221 can be transported to an arbitrary picking area 199, and the item boxes 210 included in the order linked to the tied delivery box 221 can be transported to the picking area 199 regardless of the order of the order. Therefore, it is possible to flexibly perform the picking operation for the tied delivery box 221 that has been picked by another picking system 100 and has not yet been picked. In addition, since such relay picking can be performed, there is no need to provide a conveyor or the like for transporting all types of article boxes 210 to one picking area 199, and an increase in conveyor equipment in the picking system 100 is suppressed. can.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, another embodiment realized by arbitrarily combining the constituent elements described in this specification or omitting some of the constituent elements may be an embodiment of the present invention. The present invention also includes modifications obtained by making various modifications to the above-described embodiment within the scope of the gist of the present invention, that is, the meaning of the words described in the claims, which a person skilled in the art can think of. be

For example, in the above-described embodiment, after the picking area 199 into which the item box 210 is to be carried is determined, the linked delivery box 221 is brought into the same picking area 199 accordingly. 152 determines the picking area 199 into which the tied delivery box 221 is to be brought in and outputs the tied delivery box instruction. can be output.

In addition, the article box conveying device 120 may have two circular tracks arranged in the vertical direction, and the track-guided carriage 124 may run on each track. In this case, one of the upper and lower parts is a track-guided carriage 124 that transports the goods boxes 210 taken out from the goods box warehouse 110, and the other is a track-guided carriage 124 that conveys the goods boxes 210 to be stored in the goods box warehouse 110. The functions are separated. I don't mind. Also in this case, a third conveyor 122 connected to the upper track guided vehicle 124 and a third conveyor 122 connected to the lower track guided vehicle 124 are provided, and the pair of third conveyors 122 is connected to one second conveyor. They may be connected to the vertical conveyor 125 at different heights.

Although the delivery box warehouse 130 has been described as an automated warehouse that stores the linked delivery boxes 221, the delivery box warehouse 130 may store empty boxes that have not yet been linked, empty boxes that have only been linked, and the like. .

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in a picking system that transports an article box and a delivery box within reach of a worker and picks articles.

100 Picking system 110 Article box warehouse 111 First rack 112 First conveyor 113 First transfer device 114 First vertical conveyor 120 Article box transfer device 121 Second conveyor 122 Third conveyor 123 Fourth conveyor 124 Track guided vehicle 125 Second vertical Conveyor 130 Delivery box warehouse 131 Second rack 133 Second transport device 135 Transfer unit 140 Delivery box transport device 141 Third vertical conveyor 142 Fifth conveyor 150 Management device 151 Goods box instruction output unit 152 Linked delivery box instruction output unit 153 Progress Grasping unit 154 Area specifying unit 160 Empty delivery box conveying device 199 Picking area 210 Goods box 220 Delivery box 221 Linked delivery box 222 Empty delivery box 230 Worker 240 Host computer

Claims (3)

a plurality of article box warehouses capable of storing and automatically entering and exiting article boxes each containing a plurality of articles of the same type and each containing articles of different types;
an article box conveying device for conveying the article boxes taken out from the article box warehouse;
a plurality of picking areas into which the article boxes conveyed by the article box conveying device are selectively carried;
a shipping box warehouse capable of storing and automatically loading and unloading a linked shipping box containing at least one of a plurality of items included in an order;
a tied delivery box conveying device for carrying into the picking area tied delivery boxes selectively taken out from the delivery box warehouse;
a management device for managing the flow of the goods box and the tied delivery box,
The management device
an item box instruction output unit that outputs an item box instruction to carry the item box taken out from the item box warehouse into one of the picking areas;
a tied shipping box instruction output unit that outputs a tied shipping box instruction to take out the tied shipping box from the shipping box warehouse and carry it into the same picking area ;
The delivery box warehouse is
A delivery box cart is provided which is connected to each of the plurality of picking areas and carries out the transported delivery box with string toward one of the picking areas.
picking system. The management device
a progress grasping unit that grasps the progress of each work in the picking area;
An area identifying unit that identifies the picking area into which the goods box and the tied delivery box are brought in based on the grasped work progress after the goods box is taken out from the goods box warehouse and before the goods box is transferred to the goods box conveying device. and
The goods box instruction output unit
determining one of the specified picking areas and outputting a goods box instruction to bring the goods box into the determined picking area;
The linked delivery box instruction output unit
2. The picking system according to claim 1, wherein the goods box instruction output unit outputs a tied delivery box instruction to bring the tied delivery box into the determined picking area. 3. The picking system according to claim 1, further comprising an empty delivery box conveying device that conveys an empty delivery box, which is a delivery box containing no articles, to the tied delivery box conveying device.

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