JPH03256902A - Article classifying equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform the on-line classification with a simple structure in an article classifying equipment with a moving vehicle by outputting the delivery information in order from a control means on the ground side correspondently to the order of shelves on the basis of the command request related to the article to be delivered from the moving vehicle, and corresponding with the moving vehicle. CONSTITUTION:When a command request switch on a command unit 7 provided in a moving vehicle A is operated manually to request the command of the information related to the article to be delivered, the information is inputted to a control computer 13 by a corresponding station C. On the basis of that request, the control computer 13 outputs the article delivery information in order with the order of operation previously stored, and the information is displayed in a display unit of the command means 7 of the moving vehicle A through the corresponding station C. An operator works with the command to operate a work completion switch. With this structure, classification can be performed on-line with the simple structure.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention provides a system in which a shelf for storing a plurality of types of articles is divided into a plurality of shelf portions along a travel route of a mobile vehicle equipped with an article storage section. The present invention relates to an article sorting facility in which the moving vehicle is provided with an instruction means for instructing information on taking out articles from the shelf portion.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, for example, before carrying out the article retrieval work, all of the article retrieval information necessary for the -time sorting operation is stored in the moving vehicle using communication, IC cards, etc. Instructions for information on how to retrieve items have been performed off-line.

When instructions for article retrieval information are given offline, there is an advantage in that information control can be distributed so that it is not concentrated on specific equipment, but it is not possible to check the progress status of each moving vehicle during the work. Therefore, for example, even if there is a missing item, the information regarding the missing item cannot be known until the work is completed and the information is received from the moving vehicle, making it difficult to quickly respond to replenishing the missing item. could not.

Therefore, for example, a mark or the like is attached to each shelf section where items are stored to identify which shelf section the goods are stored in, and a means for reading the mark is attached to the moving vehicle side, and the items are removed from the moving vehicle side. By communicating with the control unit that manages the information on taking out the items to be removed, the information on taking out the items from the shelf corresponding to the mark read on the moving vehicle is transferred online from the control unit on the ground side. A configuration in which the information is transmitted to the vehicle side has been proposed (Utility Model No. 63-307)
(See Publication No. 24).

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, if an identification mark is attached to the shelf and a means for reading the mark is provided on the moving vehicle side, there is a disadvantage that the equipment configuration becomes complicated and expensive. Furthermore, the process of reading the marks was troublesome.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to simplify the equipment configuration while also making it possible to easily specify information for picking up items online as work progresses. be.

[Means to solve the problem]

The article sorting equipment according to the present invention is provided with a shelf for storing a plurality of types of articles divided into a plurality of shelf parts along the travel route of a moving vehicle equipped with an article storage section, and , an instruction means for instructing information on taking out articles from the shelf portion is provided, and its characteristic configuration is as follows.

A first characteristic configuration is that the moving vehicle is provided with a manually operated instruction requesting means for requesting an instruction for the article retrieval information, and each time the instruction requesting means is operated, the moving vehicle moves. A management means is provided on the ground side for sequentially instructing information on articles to be taken out in accordance with the order of the shelf portions, and a communication means is provided for communicating between the management means, the instruction means, and the instruction requesting means. It is at the point where it is set up.

A second characteristic configuration and a third characteristic configuration specify the communication means in the first characteristic configuration, and the second characteristic configuration is that the communication means is configured in a wireless manner. The third characteristic configuration specifically specifies the wireless configuration, and the communication means is a feeder wireless type that uses an antenna wire laid along the travel route of the moving vehicle. The point is that it is structured as follows.

[For production]

When sorting goods, the moving vehicle is run along each shelf section from the upper side of the travel route to the lower side.
According to the work order, the items necessary for the work are taken out from each shelf in order and stored in the moving vehicle.

In other words, if the article retrieval information is instructed in order according to the order of the shelf portions on which the mobile vehicle travels, the work can be carried out smoothly.

However, the number and size of articles taken out from each shelf section may not be the same, and the distance to the next shelf section may be far. Therefore, it is desirable that the moving vehicle be able to request instructions for article removal information depending on the progress of the work.

Therefore, in the first characteristic configuration, the moving vehicle is provided with a manually operated instruction requesting means for requesting an instruction for article retrieval information, and each time the instruction requesting means is operated, the moving vehicle is Corresponding to the order of the shelf sections, information on the articles to be taken out is sequentially instructed online from the management means on the ground to the mobile vehicle via the communication means.

However, if the communication means is configured as a wired type, the movement range of the mobile vehicle will be restricted or the communication line will get in the way of driving, so in the second characteristic configuration, by configuring it as a wireless type,
This allows for online instructions for product retrieval information while ensuring that the movement of the vehicle is not restricted.

By the way, when configured wirelessly, there is a limit to the communication distance. In addition, in order to prevent radio wave interference, etc.
It is desirable to use as weak radio waves as possible.

On the other hand, when the moving vehicle is outside the travel route, there is little need to issue an instruction regarding article retrieval information.

Therefore, in the third characteristic configuration, by configuring the feeder wireless system using antenna wires laid along the traveling route of the moving vehicle, the vehicle can move even with low output while preventing radio waves from reaching unnecessary locations. This ensures that communication is possible within the route.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As a result, the instruction requesting means on the moving vehicle side is manually operated to issue instructions for the item retrieval information online, which is better than the conventional method of having users read which shelf part using marks, etc. , it becomes possible to instruct the article retrieval information with a simple operation, and the equipment configuration can be simplified.

As shown in the second characteristic configuration or the third characteristic configuration, if the first communication means is configured as a wireless type, the mobile vehicle can be guided along the traveling route while the communication means does not become an obstacle to the travel or work of the mobile vehicle. This is convenient because you can specify the article retrieval information anywhere on the screen.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, along the travel route of a moving vehicle (A) equipped with an article storage section (1), there are a plurality of shelves (B) for storing a plurality of kinds of articles separated into the same type. A shipping conveyor (2) is installed on the side of the shelves (B) to sort and ship the articles stored in the moving vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 2, the shelf (B) is connected to the mobile vehicle (A
) along the longitudinal direction, which is the running direction of the
3), and each shelf section (3) is divided into multiple types of articles (X
) is divided into multiple levels in the vertical direction. In each stage, a plurality of types of articles (X) are stored in a state in which they are sorted into the same type in the lateral direction. Although not described in detail, each of the locations where the articles (X) are stored is attached with a label (4) that displays a shelf number as information for identifying the storage location.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile vehicle (A) is configured as a so-called hand-held trolley, and the article storage section (1) is arranged in the vertical direction like the shelf section (3). It is divided into a plurality of stages, and each stage can store a plurality of containers (5) prepared in advance for each of the plurality of categories.

In addition, at the rear of the vehicle body, there is a handle (6) for pushing by hand.
An indicator (7) is provided as an instruction means for instructing information on taking out articles from the shelf portion (3).

To explain the indicator (7), as shown in FIG. 3, each of the moving vehicles (A) is given a truck number in advance to identify which moving vehicle (A) it is. Been,
The truck number is displayed on the indicator (7). Then, a display section (8) displays the shelf number indicating the position where the article (X) to be taken out is stored, the quantity to be taken out, and the store number corresponding to the sorted item (X) as the article taking out information.
), an instruction requesting switch (9) as a manually operated instruction requesting means, an out-of-stock switch (lO) for inputting the out-of-stock of an article, and inputting the completion of the article retrieval work for each shelf. and a work completion switch (11) for instructing a subsequent moving vehicle (A) to take over the work when the container (5) of the article storage section (1) is full of the retrieved articles. A full switch (12) is provided. In addition, each switch (9 to 12) is connected to the mobile vehicle (A
) will be manually operated by the operator who runs the vehicle. Further, although not described in detail, each container (5) of the article storage section (1) has a label or the like that displays the store number attached thereto. In other words, the item (X) taken out from the shelf (B)
) is to be stored in which container (5) of the mobile vehicle (A) is instructed by the store number.

However, the instruction request information for the article retrieval information by the instruction request switch (9) and the instruction for the article retrieval information based on the instruction request information are transmitted between the management computer (13) as a management means installed on the ground side and the mobile device. It communicates with the indicator (7) on the vehicle side using a wireless communication means (C).

In other words, as shown in FIG. 4, the management computer (13) sorts the goods (X) necessary for the work based on the information in the purchase order (14) issued by the customer. (15) is issued, and the goods are stored on the shelf (B) based on the arrival information of the goods received according to the order form (15) and the information from the indicator (7) on the moving vehicle side. (
While performing the inventory management of X), a list of information for taking out items necessary for sorting work is created for each work vehicle in accordance with the order of the shelf portions (3) on which the mobile vehicle (A) travels;
The configuration is such that the article retrieval information is instructed to the moving vehicle (A) in the order in which it is created each time the moving vehicle (A) requests the instruction. In the figure, (16) is a printer for outputting a list of articles for each sort used for inspection etc. after completion of work.

To further explain the communication means (C), as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the management computer (13
) is provided, and a feeder-type antenna wire (18) is laid from the station (17) along the travel route of the moving vehicle (A), and the antenna wire ( 18) enables wireless communication between the indicator (7) on the moving vehicle side and the management computer (13).

Although not described in detail, in case the sorting work is performed simultaneously by multiple vehicles (A), for example, information such as the trolley number attached to each of the vehicles (A) may be used. , the management computer (1) using polling control, etc.
3) makes it possible to identify which mobile vehicle (A) the communication vehicle (A) communicates with.

In other words, each time the management computer (13) receives a request for instructions on article retrieval information due to the operation of the instruction request switch (9) on the moving vehicle side, the management computer (13) performs the operations in accordance with the pre-stored work order. The article retrieval information is then sent to the moving vehicle. On the moving vehicle side, the received article removal information is displayed on the display section (8) of the indicator (7), and the operation of waiting until any switch is pressed next is repeated.

[Another example]

In the above embodiment, the communication means (C) is connected to the mobile vehicle (A).
Although the case of a feeder wireless configuration using antenna wires (18) laid along the traveling route has been illustrated, for example, it may be implemented with the antennas distributed in one place or several places, or A wired type may be provided by providing a terminal or the like on the moving vehicle that contacts the communication line laid along the route, and the specific configuration of the communication means (C) can be modified in various ways.

Further, in the above embodiment, the mobile vehicle (A) is configured as a hand-cart type, but it may be configured as a self-propelled type, for example, and the specific configuration of each part can be changed in various ways.

Incidentally, although reference numerals are written in the claims section for convenient comparison with the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the structure shown in the accompanying drawings.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the article sorting equipment according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the article sorting equipment, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of shelves and a moving vehicle, and FIG. 3 is an explanation of the instruction means. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the control configuration. (A)...Moving vehicle, (B)...Shelf, (
C)... Communication means, (1)... Goods storage section, (3)... Shelf section, (7)......
Instruction means, (9)...Instruction requesting means, (13)
...Management means, (18) ...Antenna wire.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The shelf (B) for storing a plurality of types of articles is arranged in an article storage section (
1) is provided so as to be partitioned into a plurality of shelf parts (3) along the traveling route of a mobile vehicle (A), and the mobile vehicle (A) is provided with a shelf part (3) that allows the mobile vehicle (A) to take out articles from the shelf part (3). The article sorting equipment is provided with an instruction means (7) for instructing information, and the mobile vehicle (A) is provided with a manually operated instruction requesting means (9) for requesting an instruction for the article retrieval information. management means (1) for sequentially instructing information on articles to be taken out corresponding to the order of the shelf portions (3) on which the mobile vehicle (A) travels each time the instruction requesting means (9) is operated;
3) is provided on the ground side, and a communication means (C) for communicating between the management means (13) and the instruction means (7) and the instruction requesting means (9) is provided. Sorting equipment. 2. The article sorting equipment according to claim 1, wherein the communication means (C) is configured in a wireless manner. 3. The article sorting equipment according to claim 2, wherein the communication means (C) is configured in a feeder wireless type using an antenna wire (18) laid along the travel route of the moving vehicle (A). Goods sorting equipment.