JPH0524605A - Empty rack retrieval method for automated warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an empty rack retrieval method capable of equalizing the time required for warehousing and delivering goods between plural warehousing and delivering doors and shelves in an automated warehouse. CONSTITUTION:This method is related to the retrieval of empty racks of an automated warehouse provided with plural warehousing and delivering doors. Empty racks in which no good is housed, are retrieved from near the central part C of a shelf 10, and the goods W are warehoused in order from near the central part C of the shelf 10.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for searching empty shelves in an automated warehouse having a plurality of loading / unloading ports. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for searching empty shelves in an automated warehouse, which enables uniform loading / unloading time of packages between a plurality of loading / unloading ports and shelves.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a conventional empty shelf search method for an automated warehouse. As shown in the figure, this automatic warehouse is provided with two loading and unloading ports A and B. Reference numeral 1 is a shelf of an automated warehouse, which has a plurality of racks. Reference numeral 2 is a crane that travels along the shelf 1 to load and unload luggage. Reference numeral 3 is a control unit that controls the loading / unloading operation of the crane, and 4 is a search unit that searches for empty racks on the shelves and sends the information to the control unit 3. The control unit 3 is configured to control the movement of the crane 2 based on the information of the empty rack from the search unit 4 when the luggage is loaded. The search for empty racks by the search unit 4 is performed in order from the rack closer to the loading / unloading port A. That is, in the figure, rack a
It will be searched for an empty rack in the order of 11 to a15 and racks a21 to a25.

[0003]

The above-mentioned conventional empty shelf searching method for an automatic warehouse has the following problems.

The search for an empty rack is carried out in order from the rack closest to the loading / unloading port A, regardless of whether the loading / unloading port is A or B, and the parcel is loaded. It was like this. Therefore, when the luggage is loaded from the loading / unloading port A, the traveling distance of the crane is short and the loading time is short, but when loading the luggage from the loading / unloading port B, the traveling distance of the crane is long. There was a problem that it takes time to store.

As a means for shortening the loading time of the luggage from the loading / unloading opening B, the luggage loaded from the loading / unloading opening A and the luggage loaded from the loading / unloading opening B are distinguished, and the one close to each loading / unloading opening It is also possible to search for empty racks and store the goods in order. However, when you leave your luggage, you may leave your luggage at the entrance / exit on the opposite side.
In such a case, the traveling distance of the crane ends up being long.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide a method for searching empty shelves of an automatic warehouse, which is capable of achieving uniform loading / unloading time of packages between a plurality of loading / unloading ports and shelves. To provide.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a method for searching empty shelves in an automatic warehouse according to the present invention is a method for searching empty shelves in an automatic warehouse having a plurality of loading / unloading ports, in which parcels are stored. It is configured to search for empty racks that are not open near the center of the shelves, and to load the luggage in order from near the center of the shelves.

[0008]

Since the present invention has the above-mentioned structure, the following operational effects are obtained.

That is, since empty racks in which luggage is not stored are sequentially searched from those closer to the central portion of the shelf, the parcels loaded from the loading / unloading port are sequentially moved to the racks closer to the central portion of the shelf. It will be stored.

Therefore, according to the empty shelf search method of the automatic warehouse of the present invention, loading and unloading of packages is performed sequentially from a place near the center of the shelf, and packages between a plurality of loading and unloading ports and shelves are loaded. There is an effect that the loading and unloading time can be made uniform.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an embodiment of an empty warehouse search method according to the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the automatic warehouse comprises a shelf 10 having a plurality of racks and a crane 20 for loading and unloading luggage between the shelves 10, and has two loading and unloading ports A and B. is doing. In this embodiment, the crane 20 is the shelf 2
It waits at the center C of 0 to prepare for loading and unloading of luggage.

Reference numeral 11 is a control unit for controlling the loading / unloading operation of the crane 20, and reference numeral 12 is a search unit which is connected to the control unit 11 and sends out information on empty racks to the control unit 11. Control unit 1
1 inputs the information of the empty rack from the search unit 12 at the time of loading the luggage, and controls the movement of the crane 20 based on this information. The search unit 12 accumulates information on a rack in which a package is loaded or unloaded every time a package is loaded or unloaded, and manages loading / unloading information of the entire shelf 10. The search unit 12 is configured to search for empty racks in order from the one closer to the central portion C of the shelf 10 based on the stored loading / unloading information.

Next, a method for searching for empty shelves in such an automated warehouse will be described by taking as an example the case where a package is stored in a shelf.

First, when a load W is conveyed to the loading / unloading port A by a transfer device (not shown), the crane 20 waiting in the central portion C of the shelf is controlled by the control unit 11 and the crane 20 is moved to the loading / unloading port A.
And the luggage is transferred onto the crane 20. Then, the search unit 12 searches for an empty rack from the side closer to the central portion C of the shelves based on the stored loading / unloading information. In this case, as shown in the figure, when the rack 15 and the rack 25 are empty near the central portion C, the rack 15 closest to the central portion C of the shelves is the rack that stores the current load. Will be searched as. If other packages are subsequently stored, the search unit 12
Means that the rack 25 is searched, and when another load is loaded after the load on the shelf has been loaded, the search unit 12 includes an empty space near the central portion C including the loaded rack. You will search for a rack.

After that, the search unit 12 sends the searched empty rack information to the control unit 11. The control unit 11 controls the movement of the crane 20 based on the information from the search unit 12. As a result, the luggage W is stored in the empty rack searched near the central portion C of the shelf.

Note that the parcel stored in the shelf 10 is delivered to the designated loading / unloading port by the crane 20 in response to a delivery instruction.

According to the empty shelf search method of the automatic warehouse of the present embodiment, loading and unloading of packages is performed sequentially from a position near the central portion C of the shelf, and packages between a plurality of loading and unloading ports and the shelf are loaded. It is possible to make uniform the loading and unloading time of.

The loading and unloading of the luggage W is carried out at the central portion C of the shelf 20.
Since it is carried out sequentially from a place close to, racks on both sides of the shelf are often empty, and it is easy for a worker to visually check an empty rack.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be appropriately made.

For example, the automatic warehouse has two storage entrances and exits A and B, but the same effect can be obtained even if it has three or four entrances. Further, the waiting place of the crane 20 is not limited to the central portion C of the shelf 10,
It may be used as an entrance / exit.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an embodiment of an empty shelf search method for an automated warehouse according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a conventional empty shelf search method for an automated warehouse.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 shelves 11 control unit 12 search unit 20 crane

Claims (1)

What is claimed is: 1. A method of searching for empty shelves in an automated warehouse comprising a plurality of loading / unloading ports, wherein an empty rack that does not store luggage is searched from near the center of the shelves and the empty racks are searched. A method of searching for empty shelves in an automated warehouse, characterized by loading goods in order from near the center.