JPWO2017187539A1 - Transport system, transport method and management system - Google Patents

Abstract

  An area information database that holds position information regarding a rack arrangement area where racks are arranged, a rack evacuation area which is an area for evacuating the racks, a passage position, and a position of the racks; When it is determined that the second shelf is disposed between the first shelf to be transported, in which the articles are stored, and an arbitrary passage, the second shelf is received when the position information is received. An instruction creating unit for creating a second instruction for retracting to a predetermined first position in the shelf retraction area; an instruction transmitting unit for transmitting the second instruction to a predetermined transport vehicle; and the second shelf The information processing apparatus is configured as an area setting unit that newly adds the second position to the shelf retraction area when the information in which the second shelf has been retracted from the second position that has been disposed is received. According to such a configuration, it is possible to provide a transport system or a transport method that makes it easier to improve shelf transport efficiency while improving shelf storage efficiency.

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer system, a transfer method, and a management system.

  In the warehouse or in the factory, in order to carry out sorting work to shipping destinations, processing work to the goods, etc., the picking work which is the work for the worker to collect the goods stored according to the order is performed. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, operation of a transport system that transports a shelf, a pallet, or the like in which articles are stored to a worker's location by an automatic transport vehicle and performs picking work is popular. In a conveyance system using an automatic conveyance vehicle, in order to improve storage efficiency for each area of articles, the shelf is brought into close contact without securing a traveling path according to the size of the shelf conveyed by the automatic conveyance vehicle. Transport systems are known which store articles by placement.

  As a technique relating to this, in Patent Document 1, when the first shelf not facing the aisle is transported from the storage area, the second aisle temporarily between the first shelf and the aisle is aisle. A technique is described for carrying the first shelf in a traffic path, and carrying the first shelf on the path.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, when transporting a first shelf surrounded by another shelf, the second shelf located between the first shelf and the passage is located away from the storage area. After temporarily moving to the buffer area specified in advance and securing the passage path of the first shelf, the first shelf is transported out of the storage area, and the second is temporarily moved to the buffer area. A technique for returning the shelf to the original area is described.

U.S. Patent No. 9067317 International Publication No. 2015/052830

  However, in Patent Document 1, after the transport vehicle temporarily transports the second shelf between the first shelf and the passage to the passage, the storage area of the second shelf is secured to secure the use of the passage. It is necessary to return to the Therefore, the number of times the transport vehicle transports the shelf increases, and it is difficult to improve the transport efficiency of the shelf.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, the second shelf is temporarily moved to the buffer area designated in advance, but there is a limit in securing a space for the buffer area in the warehouse. Therefore, when there are a plurality of second shelves to be moved, it may be difficult to secure a buffer area to be temporarily moved. Furthermore, if the buffer area is temporarily filled with the shelf, as in the case of Patent Document 1, an operation of returning the shelf to the original area is required, and the number of times of transporting the shelf increases.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the conveyance system or conveyance method which makes it easy to improve the conveyance efficiency of a shelf, improving the storage efficiency of articles | goods.

  A representative example of the means for solving the above problems is a transport system, which is a rack arrangement area in which a rack is arranged, a rack evacuation area which is an area for retracting the rack, and a position of a passage. And an area information database holding position information on the position of the shelf, work data on the article and the position information, and the first shelf between the transport target in which the article is stored and any passage An instruction creation unit that creates a second instruction for retracting the second shelf to a predetermined first position in the shelf retraction area when it is determined that the second shelf is arranged; An instruction transmitting unit for transmitting an instruction of the instruction to the predetermined transportation vehicle, and the second position when the second rack has been evacuated from the second position where the second Area setting unit for newly adding Transport system with. Can be mentioned.

  The transportation method further includes a shelf arrangement area in which the racks are arranged, a rack evacuation area which is an area for retreating the racks, a position of the passage, and positional information on the position of the racks, The position information is received, and a first instruction for transporting the first shelf to be transported which the article is stored is created, and based on the position information, between the first shelf and an arbitrary passage Creating a second instruction to retract the second shelf to a predetermined first position in the shelf retraction area when it is determined that the second shelf is arranged at the Is sent to a predetermined transport vehicle, and when the information that the second shelf has been retracted from the second position where the second shelf has been disposed is received, the second position is newly retracted. There is a transport method to be added to the area.

Furthermore, the management system is a warehouse management system that manages work data and article data in the warehouse, a transport system that receives the work data and the article data, and creates an instruction on a transport vehicle, and a shelf based on the instruction The conveyance system includes the conveyance vehicle, and the conveyance system includes:
A shelf arrangement area in which the racks are arranged, a shelf evacuation area which is an area for evacuating the racks, a position of a passage, and an area information database which holds positional information on the positions of the racks, work data on articles and the positional information When it is determined that a second shelf is disposed between the first shelf to be transported, in which the articles are stored, and an optional aisle, the second shelf is moved to the shelf retraction area An instruction creating unit for creating a second instruction for retracting to a predetermined first position, an instruction transmitting unit for transmitting the second instruction to a predetermined transport vehicle, and the second shelf A management system characterized by further comprising an area setting unit for newly adding the second position to the shelf withdrawal area when the second shelf has been evacuated from the second position. Be

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the conveyance system or conveyance method which makes easier improvement of the conveyance efficiency of a shelf can be provided, improving the storage efficiency of a shelf.

It is an example of the top view of the warehouse which applies a conveyance system. It is an example of the block diagram of a management system provided with a conveyance system. It is an example of the figure showing updating of a shelf arrangement field and a shelf withdrawal field. It is an example of the figure which showed the process of the conveyance system in the installation possible area | region which touched the wall surface. It is an example of the figure showing evacuation operation using evacuation priority. It is an example of the table | surface which showed the evacuation priority. It is an example of the figure showing evacuation operation by a plurality of carriers. It is an example of the table | surface which showed the conveyance priority and the operation | work judgment threshold value. It is an example of the hardware block diagram of a conveyance system. It is an example of the figure showing the screen which displays each field.

  In this embodiment, as an example of the transport system, according to the situation, setting of the shelf arrangement area, which is an area for arranging the shelves, and the shelf withdrawal area, which is an area for retracting a predetermined shelf to secure the movement path of the shelves. The example of the conveyance system to manage is demonstrated.

  FIG. 1 is used to explain an example of a warehouse in which shelves are closely arranged to improve the storage efficiency of articles. The warehouse 100 is provided with a shelf arrangement area 101 in which a shelf 103 storing articles is disposed in order to store the articles. The transport vehicle 104 communicates with the transport system 105 by radio or the like, and lifts and transports the shelf 103 according to an instruction of the transport system 105. For example, the transport vehicle 104 transports the rack 103 to the work station 106 in the warehouse 100 according to an instruction of the transport system 105. A worker at the work station 106 takes out an article from the shelf 103 and stores an article on the shelf 103.

  Here, the shelves are laid out and arranged in the shelf arrangement area. The environment in which the shelves are laid out represents that the distance between the shelves is close to the distance at which the shelves 103 or the transport vehicle 104 can not pass. It is also possible to express that the shelf located inside the shelf arrangement area does not face the aisle. As a result, the number of shelves that can be arranged in a given area is increased, as compared with the case where the distance between the shelves is extended and arranged so that the shelves and the carriage can pass, and the storage efficiency of the articles can be improved.

  FIG. 2 is an example of the block diagram of the management system containing the conveyance system of a present Example. The management system 201 includes a warehouse management system (WMS) 202, a transfer system 105, a work station 106, and a transfer vehicle 104. The WMS 202 manages article data on articles in the warehouse and operation data on operations. The item data includes, for example, identification information of the item and identification information and position of the storage shelf in which the item is stored. Further, the work data includes, for example, a delivery order in which the relationship between the delivery destination and the identification information of the item to be delivered to the delivery destination is registered.

  The delivery system 105 receives item data and work data from the WMS 202, and creates and manages work instructions to work at the work station 106. Further, based on the created work instruction, the transport instruction of the storage shelf and the movement instruction are sent to the transport vehicle 104, and the created work instruction is sent to the instruction device installed in the work station 106. For example, an instruction to pick ten items A for the delivery destination X can be considered as the work instruction, and the shelf 103A storing the item A is conveyed to the work station 106A as the conveyance instruction of the storage shelf. There is an instruction, etc. Further, as an example of the movement instruction, an instruction to move to the position Z where the shelf 103A is disposed can be considered.

  Here, the transport system 105 includes an instruction creating unit 203, an area information database 204, an instruction transmitting unit 205, and an area setting unit 206.

  The instruction creating unit receives article data and work data from the WMS 202, creates a work instruction to the work station 106, a transport instruction to the transport vehicle 104, and a movement instruction based on the received data, and transmits it to the instruction transmitting unit. . Further, data on the position of the storage shelf in the article data is registered in the area information database 204.

  Further, the instruction creating unit 203 refers to the position of the storage shelf and the position of the shelf arrangement area, the position of the shelf withdrawal area, and the position of the passage registered in advance in the area information database, Determine if another shelf is located between the location and any aisle. The state in which the other shelf is located between the position of the shelf to be transported and an arbitrary passage is, for example, when the shelf to be transported does not face the passage. If it is determined that another shelf is not located between the shelf to be transported and the passage, a transport instruction of the shelf to be transported is created and transmitted to the instruction transmission unit 205. On the other hand, if it is determined that another shelf is positioned between the shelf to be transported and the passage, the shelf to be transported can not be transported outside the shelf arrangement area as it is, so the transport of the shelf to be transported is Along with the instruction, an evacuation instruction for retracting another shelf located between the path and the shelf to the shelf evacuation area is also created and transmitted to the instruction transmission unit 205. Here, in the present embodiment, the shelf arrangement area, the shelf withdrawal area and the passage at a certain moment are clearly distinguished. The shelf arrangement area is an area indicating the position where the shelf is actually arranged, and the shelf withdrawal area secures a path for transporting the shelf arranged in the shelf arrangement area although the shelf is not currently arranged. Is an area showing a position at which another shelf is retracted. Further, the passage has a space through which the shelf and the transport vehicle can pass, and indicates an area that the transport vehicle actually uses for movement. For example, the difference between the shelf withdrawal area and the passage is whether or not the shelf can be arranged. With the management system 201 or the area setting unit 205 described later, the position and area size of the rack arrangement area, the rack evacuation area and the aisle can be flexibly changed according to the condition of the warehouse, and the area information database can be updated each time .

  When the instruction transmission unit 205 receives an evacuation instruction from the instruction generation unit, the instruction transmission unit 205 allocates the arbitrary conveyance vehicle 104 that is not currently in operation. Further, a predetermined position in the shelf evacuation area for retracting the storage rack is determined, and a route for the transport vehicle 104 to the storage shelf targeted for the evacuation instruction and a predetermined position in the shelf evacuation area from the storage rack A route is calculated, and an evacuation instruction including the calculated route is transmitted to the carrier vehicle 104. Further, when only the conveyance instruction is received from the instruction creating unit, or when the information on which the above-described evacuation operation is completed is received from the conveyance vehicle 104, the conveyance instruction is assigned to any conveyance vehicle 104 not currently in operation. Furthermore, as in the case of the evacuation instruction, the route to the storage shelf and the route from the storage shelf to the work station are calculated, and the transport instruction including the calculated route is transmitted to the transport vehicle 104. Here, the carrier vehicle that transmits the evacuation instruction and the carrier vehicle that transmits the conveyance instruction may be the same or different carriers. When transmitting to different vehicles, the evacuation operation and the transportation operation can be performed simultaneously, and the shelf transportation efficiency is improved.

  The conveyance vehicle 104 receives the conveyance instruction or the evacuation instruction transmitted from the instruction transmission unit, moves along the received route, and conveys or retracts the storage shelf. The transport vehicle 104 transmits status notification information including its own position and work status to the instruction transmission unit 205 of the transport system 201. The work state includes, for example, a state in which the storage shelf is being moved, a state in which the storage shelf is being transported to the work station, a state in which the storage shelf is being returned, and a state in which the transport operation is completed.

  When the area setting unit 206 receives, from the transport vehicle 104, a notification of a state in which the evacuation work has been completed, the position where the storage shelf related to the evacuation position received from the instruction transmission unit 205 is arranged and the shelf for retracting the storage shelf Information on the shelf arrangement area and the shelf withdrawal area is updated based on a predetermined position in the withdrawal area. Specifically, the position where the shelf to be evacuated is arranged is newly set as a shelf evacuation area, and the position where the shelf to be evacuated is evacuated is set as a shelf arrangement area. Also, based on the updated information, the data of the area information database is updated and registered. In this respect, unlike the temporary placement of shelves in the buffer area described in Patent Document 2, the management system uses the storage system as a shelf placement area to manage the position where the newly-saved shelf is newly placed. There is no need to carry out the movement of the rack, and it is not necessary to carry out the calculation processing of the placement position of the new shelf outside the buffer area and the movement processing of the actual rack, and the throughput can be reduced and the efficiency in the warehouse can be improved. Next, an example of the process of updating the settings of the shelf arrangement area and the shelf withdrawal area by the management system 201 will be described based on FIG.

  FIG. 3A is a top view of a part of the warehouse to which the management system of this embodiment is applied. An area 301 is an area indicating a shelf withdrawal area at a certain timing. When an operation for picking an article stored in the shelf S21 is generated based on the article data and the operation data, the instruction creating unit 203 creates the area S database 204 at the same time as creating the transport instruction of the shelf S21. Reading, it is determined whether another shelf is located between the shelf S21 and the aisle. In the case of FIG. 3A, since S22 is located between the path and the passage, the instruction creating unit 203 also creates a retraction instruction of the shelf S22. At this time, the predetermined position in the shelf withdrawal area is determined based on the shelf arrangement area, the shelf withdrawal area, and the passage position registered in the area information database. Subsequently, the evacuation instruction is transmitted to an arbitrary carrier 104 via the instruction transmission unit 205. Here, as a criterion for selecting the carrier 104, it is conceivable to select a carrier to which no operation is currently assigned. Furthermore, for example, a transport vehicle near the shelf S22 is selected. By selecting a nearby transport vehicle, it is possible to shorten the work time of the evacuation operation.

  When the transport vehicle 104 receives the retraction instruction of the shelf S22, the shelf S22 located between the shelf S21 and the passage is retracted to a predetermined position A21 of the shelf retraction area 301 (FIG. 3B). When the conveyance vehicle 104 completes the evacuation operation to the position A21, the conveyance vehicle 104 transmits, to the area setting unit 206, information indicating the completion of the evacuation operation. When the area setting unit 206 receives the information indicating the completion of the evacuation operation from the transport vehicle 104, the area setting unit 206 updates the information indicating the shelf evacuation area for the position A21 which is the evacuation position to information indicating the shelf arrangement area. Furthermore, the original position A24 of the shelf S22 retracted to the position A21 is additionally updated as a new shelf retraction area.

  As described above, by adding the position where the retracted rack was originally to the shelf retraction area, the space for retracting the shelf for each retraction operation is not reduced. This eliminates the need to convey an extra shelf when the evacuation space is filled with the shelf, unlike in the case of providing an area for temporarily retracting the shelf as in Patent Document 1, for example. Therefore, there is an effect that the transportation efficiency of the rack as a whole is improved. Further, the shelf arrangement area and the shelf withdrawal area are distinguished and managed in the database, and the position for retracting the shelf is selected from within the shelf withdrawal area. Therefore, unlike the configuration in which the shelf is temporarily retracted in the passage as in Patent Document 2, for example, it is possible to omit the process of determining in which position in the passage the shelf to be evacuated should be temporarily placed. Since it is not necessary to return the original to the original position, the whole warehouse can reduce the throughput and improve the shelf transport efficiency.

  As described above, the transport system according to the present embodiment includes the shelf arrangement area 101 in which the shelves are arranged, the shelf withdrawal area 301 which is an area for retracting the shelves, and an area that holds position information regarding the position of the passage and the position of the shelves. When it is determined that the second shelf is disposed between the first shelf to be transported, in which the article is stored, and an arbitrary passage, by receiving the information database 204, work data and position information regarding the article, and An instruction creating unit 203 for creating a second instruction for retracting the second shelf to a predetermined first position in the shelf evacuation area 301; and an instruction sending unit for transmitting the second instruction to the predetermined transport vehicle 104 An area setting unit 206 adds a second position to the shelf retraction area 301 when the second shelf 205 receives information from the second position where the second shelf has been placed and the second shelf has been retracted. Have.

  Such a feature makes it possible to facilitate the improvement of the shelf transfer efficiency while improving the shelf storage efficiency.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3C, a further updating process of the shelf withdrawal area will be described.

  After the work shown in FIG. 7B is completed, the carrying operation of the shelf S21 is performed. Here, the instruction transmission unit 205 transmits the conveyance instruction already generated by the instruction generation unit 203 to an arbitrary carrier 104. The timing of this transmission may be, for example, the timing at which the instruction transmission unit receives the information in which the shelf S22 is disposed at the retreat position A21, or the information that the shelf S22 has come out of the shelf arrangement area 101 is the carrier 104 You may receive from that and transmit at that timing. Here, although FIG. 3 illustrates the single conveyance vehicle 104, a plurality of conveyance vehicles 104 may be provided. When a plurality of transport vehicles exist in the vicinity of the shelf arrangement area, as described above, the shelves are placed on transport vehicles other than the transport vehicles which are performing the evacuation work at the timing when the shelf S22 goes out from the shelf layout area 101. It becomes possible to transmit the conveyance instruction of S21. As a result, the evacuation operation and the transportation operation can be performed simultaneously by the two transportation vehicles, so that it is possible to reduce the operation time for transporting the shelf inside the shelf arrangement area.

  In addition, when the area setting unit 206 receives a notification of a state in which the conveyance operation of the shelf S21 is completed from the conveyance vehicle 104, the position (A25) at which the storage shelf related to the conveyance operation received from the instruction transmission unit 205 is arranged. The information of the shelf arrangement area and the shelf withdrawal area is updated based on Specifically, the position (A25) at which the rack to be transported has been arranged is newly set as a rack evacuation area. Also, based on the updated information, the data of the area information database is updated and registered. As a result, when the next evacuation operation occurs, the evacuation position can be determined from the shelf evacuation area including the position of A25 at which the transported shelf was disposed, so a more appropriate evacuation position Can make decisions. Further, in order to improve the storage efficiency of articles, it is better for the shelf arrangement area to have shelves arranged without gaps. By newly setting the position of A25 in the shelf withdrawal area, the withdrawal position of the shelf can be determined as the back position when viewed from the aisle side, which leads to realization of the shelf arrangement without a gap.

  Next, a screen for displaying the shelf arrangement area and the shelf withdrawal area to the administrator will be described with reference to FIG. The screen 1001 is for confirming information of the area in the current warehouse, and may be displayed on a display screen (not shown) managed by the management system 201, for example. In the information display area 1002, information on the current shelf evacuation area is displayed for each location (for example, indicating an area of a shelf arrangement area of one section and a set of shelf evacuation areas). In the example of FIG. 10, the shelf arrangement area 101 is displayed in white, and the shelf withdrawal area 301 is displayed in black. Thus, the administrator can confirm the current situation of the shelf arrangement area and the like.

<Modification 1>
Below, the modification of the management system of this invention is demonstrated. The basic system configuration is the same as that of FIG. 2, but differs in the following points. FIG. 4 is a top view of the warehouse to which the management system is applied.

  In FIG. 4A, the installable area (101 + 301) on which the shelf including the shelf evacuation area 301 and the shelf arrangement area 101 can be installed is rectangular, and the left side and the upper side are in contact with the wall surface 401. By setting the installable area in contact with the wall surface, the space in the warehouse can be effectively utilized, and the storage efficiency of the articles is improved. Further, by setting the installable area as a rectangle, when the shelf is retracted or transported, the carrier vehicle 104 can move in a straight line, so that the shelf can be retracted or transported in the shortest path. Furthermore, in FIG. 4A, the shelf withdrawal area is in contact with the outer periphery of the shelf arrangement area 101. This makes it possible to shorten the moving distance of the transport vehicle relating to the work of evacuating the shelf, thereby improving the efficiency of the work of evacuation.

  In the area information database 204, an installable area (101 + 301) is registered as an initial state. In FIG. 4A, the shelf evacuation area 301 has two shelf evacuation positions A31 and A32, which are two less than three, which is the number of shelves that can be placed on the short side of the rectangular installable area (101 + 301). Prepare. When the instruction creation unit 203 creates a transport instruction of the shelf S31 based on the article data and the operation data, the shelf S33 between the shelf S31 and the long side passage 402 of the rectangular installable area (101 + 301) is first provided. And create a work for evacuating the shelf S32 in the shelf evacuation area. When the instruction transmission unit receives an instruction to retract the shelf S31 and the shelf S32 from the instruction generation unit, the instruction transmission unit transmits the instruction to any carrier 104. The transport vehicle 104 having received the instruction retracts to the shelf retraction positions A31 and A32 through the long side passage 402 of the installable area (101 + 301) based on the route determined by the instruction transmission unit (FIG. )). When the area setting unit 206 receives information indicating the completion of the evacuation work from the carriage 104, the position A34 where the shelf S33 was located and the position A35 where the shelf S32 was located are added as a shelf evacuation area, and the area information database is added to the area information database. Update stored data. When evacuating the shelf to the shelf retraction area, the number of shelves retracted to the shelf retraction area 301 can be at most the short side of the installable area that is rectangular by passing through the rectangular long side passage of the installable area. It is possible to limit the number of racks that can be arranged on the side to one less than the number of racks that can be arranged, and the efficiency of the work of retracting the racks is improved. Further, the size of the shelf retraction area can be minimized, and more shelves can be arranged in the installable area, so that the storage efficiency of articles can be improved. Finally, the transport vehicle 104 transports the shelf S31 to the target location (FIG. 4 (c)). When the transport operation is completed, the area setting unit 206 adds the position A36 where the shelf S31 was located as a shelf evacuation area.

  Thus, in the management system according to the present embodiment, an installable area (101 + 301) which is a rectangle including the shelf arrangement area 101 and the shelf withdrawal area 301 is set in the area information database, and the installation is performed. There is provided a transport system characterized in that at least the shelf evacuation area 301 is set by a few minutes smaller than the number of shelves that can be installed on the short side of the available area. Such a feature makes it possible to minimize the size of the shelf evacuation area and improve the storage efficiency of the articles.

  Moreover, in FIG. 4, although it demonstrated in the form which two sides of the installation possible area | region contact | connects a wall, it is not necessary to be in contact with a wall. Even in such a configuration, the minimum size of the shelf retraction area can be considered similarly, and when the number of shelves that can be installed on the short side of the installable area is an odd number, It is sufficient to have a space of several minutes from the center shelf to the aisle, and in the case of an even number, from the two shelves at the center on the short side to the aisle on the longer side which can be installed You should secure a few minutes of space. By doing this, the shelf retraction area can be minimized.

  In this embodiment, another example of the transfer system of the present invention is shown. In the first embodiment, the shelf arrangement area and the shelf retraction area are changed each time the shelf conveyance operation or the retraction operation is finished. However, in the second embodiment, an example regarding determination of the retraction position in the shelf retraction area 301, in particular. Explain.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a warehouse using the transport system of the present embodiment. The basic system configuration is the same as that of FIG. 2, but differs in the following points.

  In FIG. 5A, the shelf withdrawal area 301 has five shelf withdrawal positions A41 to A45. When the transport vehicle 104 receives the instruction to transport the shelf S41, the shelf S43 and the shelf S42 between the shelf S41 and the passage are first evacuated to the shelf evacuation area. At this time, the instruction creating unit 203 calculates a save priority, which is a priority to save the shelf at each of the shelf save positions A41 to A45, and creates a shelf save instruction to the save position having a high save priority. The evacuation priority is calculated for the purpose of improving the efficiency of the work in the warehouse, and the shelf evacuation priority is at least the size of the area where the shelf evacuation position contacts the surrounding shelf, and the size of the area contacting the surrounding wall surface , The size of the area in contact with the surrounding passage, the movement distance of the shelf to be retracted, the frequency of passing any shelf passing from above on the shelf retracted position, the frequency of passing any carrier passing from above on the shelf retracted position, shelf It is determined based on one of the distance between the evacuation position and an arbitrary work station, and the usage frequency of the shelf to be evacuated.

  An example of a method of calculating the evacuation priority will be described using (Equation 1) to (Equation 3).

(A, b and c are arbitrary coefficients)
The size of the area in which the shelf retracted position is in contact with the peripheral shelf is, for example, the number of sides in which the shelf retracted position is in contact with the peripheral shelf. The size of the area in which the shelf retracted position is in contact with the surrounding wall surface is, for example, the number of sides in which the shelf retracted position is in contact with the surrounding wall surface. The size of the area in which the shelf retracted position contacts the surrounding passage is, for example, the reciprocal of the number of sides where the shelf retracted position contacts the passage is one. By selecting a position where the number of sides contacting the surrounding shelf is large, the number of sides contacting the surrounding wall surface is large, or a position where the number of sides contacting the surrounding passage is small, an unnecessary gap is created in the shelf retraction area It is possible to arrange the shelves closely. Therefore, the storage efficiency of the article can be improved by using (Equation 1), and since the evacuation work is not performed avoiding the shelf forming the gap, it is easy to set the route of the conveyance vehicle performing the evacuation operation. As a result, the transfer operation and the retraction operation can be performed efficiently.

(D, e and f are arbitrary coefficients)
The moving distance to the shelf retracted position is the reciprocal of the moving distance when the transport vehicle 104 transports the shelf retracted to the shelf retracted position. By raising the priority of the shelf retraction position having a short travel distance, the travel time of the carrier vehicle 104 can be shortened, and the retraction operation can be made efficient. The distance between the shelf retracted position and the work station is, for example, the reciprocal of the distance between the shelf retracted position and the work station. By raising the priority of the shelf withdrawal position far from the work station, the shelves can be arranged in order from the back of the work station, and the shelf withdrawal area can be effectively utilized. The use frequency of the shelf to be retracted is, for example, a scheduled transfer number, which is the number of times the shelf to be retracted is transported by a transport instruction after being retracted to the retraction position. In the case of evacuating a shelf that is frequently used, for example, by increasing the priority of the shelf retraction position where the distance between the shelf retraction position and the work station is short, it is possible to shorten the transportation time of the shelf that is frequently used. As described above, by using (Equation 2), it is possible to improve the work efficiency of the evacuation operation or the transportation operation after evacuating the shelf.

(G and h are arbitrary coefficients)
The passing frequency of an arbitrary shelf at the shelf withdrawal position is 1 to the number of times the shelf for which an arbitrary carriage receives and conveys an arbitrary shelf transport instruction during the predetermined period from the time when the evacuation priority is calculated. Is the reciprocal of the number The passing frequency of an arbitrary transport vehicle at the shelf retraction position is a reciprocal of the number of times that any transport vehicle passes the shelf retraction position during the predetermined period from the time when the shelf retraction priority is calculated. The number of times of passage is a value predicted based on the article data and the operation data from the result of the conveyance system 105 creating the picking operation and the accompanying rack conveyance operation.
By raising the priority of the shelf retraction position where the frequency of passing the shelf or transport vehicle is low, it is possible to prevent the shelf retracted to the shelf retraction position from interfering with the movement of another shelf or transport vehicle. As described above, it is possible to improve the work efficiency other than the evacuation work to be performed by using (Expression 2).

  Although an example of a calculation formula for calculating the save priority is shown in (Equation 1) to (Equation 3), the coefficients a to h are variables for weighting each factor for calculating the save priority, It may be changed to any value depending on the situation. Further, the method of calculating the save priority is not limited to the above method, and various suitable methods can be implemented. For example, calculation may be performed by combining (Expression 1) to (Expression 3), or calculation may be performed using only arbitrary terms of each expression.

  Next, referring back to FIG. 5A, an example of the calculation result of the withdrawal priority of the shelf withdrawal position when the shelf S43 is withdrawn will be shown. FIG. 6A is a table 501 showing calculation results of save priority. These numerical values are values calculated using (Expression 1) to (Expression 3). As a result, since the retraction priority of the shelf retraction position A45 is the highest, the shelf S43 is retracted to the shelf retraction position A45 (FIG. 5 (b)). As soon as the evacuation operation is completed, the area setting unit updates A46 in which the shelf S43 is disposed with the shelf evacuation area and A45 with the shelf arrangement area. Next, an example of the calculation result of the withdrawal priority of the shelf withdrawal position when the shelf S42 is withdrawn is shown in FIG. 6 (b). The shelf retracted position A46 is excluded from the shelf retracted position candidates because it is used as a passage for transporting the shelf S41. As described above, it is possible to prevent the transportation work from becoming an obstacle by not setting the route necessary for the transportation work to the shelf withdrawal area until the transportation work is completed. Since the retraction priority of the shelf retraction position A41 is the highest from FIG. 6 (b), the shelf S42 is retracted to the shelf retraction position A41 (FIG. 5 (b)). Then, after securing the transport path of the shelf S41, the shelf S41 is finally transported from the shelf arrangement area 101 to the target work station (FIG. 5 (b)). In the example of FIG. 5B, the area setting unit sets the position A41 and the position A45 as a shelf arrangement area, and sets the positions A46, A47, and A48 as a shelf retraction area. As described above, by using the above-described evacuation priority, it is possible to densely arrange in the shelf arrangement area.

  Next, it is considered to transport the shelf S41 transported to the work station and to return the shelf S41 to the shelf arrangement area 101 after the predetermined work is completed. As described above, the destination of the shelf S41 is determined on the basis of the evacuation priority also when not only the evacuation work but also some work is completed and the shelf outside the shelf arrangement area is returned to the installable area. An example of the calculation result of the withdrawal priority of the shelf withdrawal position when moving the shelf S41 is shown in FIG. 6 (c). In the example, the case where the transport instruction of the shelf S44 has already been created by the instruction creating unit is shown, and the shelf retracted positions A46 to A48 are excluded from the shelf retracted position candidates because they are used as a passage for transporting the shelf S44. There is. This is the same as the reason why A46 is excluded from the candidates in FIG. 6 (b). Since the shelf withdrawal priority of the shelf withdrawal position A42 is the highest from FIG. 6 (c), the shelf S44 is moved to the shelf withdrawal position A42 (FIG. 5 (c)).

<Modification 2>
In the second embodiment, an example has been described based on the calculation of the evacuation priority which is the priority of the position at which the shelf to be evacuated is evacuated. In this modification, the calculation of the transportation priority will be described. The basic system configuration is the same as that of FIG. 2, but differs in the following points.

  In FIG. 7A, the installable area including the shelf withdrawal area 301 and the shelf arrangement area 101 is in contact with the wall surface 401 on the left side and the upper side. The shelf withdrawal area 301 has two shelf withdrawal positions A31 and A32. When the transport vehicle V1 receives the instruction to transport the shelf S31, first, the shelf S33 and the shelf S32 between the shelf S31 and the passage are retracted to the shelf retraction positions A31 and A32 in the shelf retraction area. At this time, the transport priority of the shelf S31 to be transported is calculated, and the number of transport vehicles and transport vehicles for retracting the shelf S33 and the shelf S32 to the shelf evacuation area 01 is determined based on the shelf transport priority. The transfer priority is calculated for the purpose of improving the efficiency of the warehouse work, and is an index indicating how much priority is given to the rack transfer work. The transport priority is, for example, the urgency of the shelf to be transported, the number of shelves between the shelf to be transported and the aisle (the number of shelves to be evacuated), and the shelves are evacuated from the position of the shelves to be evacuated to the shelf evacuation area. It determines based on any one of the distance to a position, the number of carriers in a warehouse, or the amount of work of carriers.

  An example of the method of calculating the conveyance priority will be described using (Equation 4).

(J to m are arbitrary coefficients)
The urgency of the shelf to be transported is, for example, the time until the work completion deadline of the work target article stored in the shelf to be transported. For example, the work management deadline is determined based on a work instruction managed by the transport system. Carrying out the evacuation to the shelf evacuation area of the shelf between the shelf to be transported when transporting the shelf with high urgency and the aisle by raising the transport priority of the shelf with high urgency with a plurality of transport vehicles Transport work can be completed in a short time. The number of shelves between the shelf to be transported and the aisle is the number of shelves that need to be retracted to the shelf evacuation area existing between the shelf to be transported and the aisle. This determination can be made based on the position of the shelf stored in the area information database. When the number of shelves to be evacuated is large, the conveyance operation can be completed in a short time by performing the evacuation operation with a plurality of carriers by raising the transportation priority. The distance from the position of the shelf to be retracted to the retraction position is the movement distance of the transport vehicle to be retracted to the shelf retraction area. When the moving distance of the transport vehicle for evacuating the shelf to be evacuated to the shelf evacuation area is large, the shelf to be transported with the large movement distance is transported by elevating the transfer priority of the shelf to be transported. The conveyance operation can be completed in a short time by the conveyance by another conveyance vehicle from the conveyance vehicle. The number of carriers in the warehouse is the number of carriers operating in the warehouse 100. By raising the conveyance priority when the number of carriers in operation is large, the conveyance work can be completed in a short time by evacuating the shelf to the shelf retraction area with a plurality of carriers. The amount of work of the transport vehicle is the reciprocal of the number of transport instructions received by the transport vehicle operating in the warehouse 100. By raising the transportation priority when the amount of work is small, the racks can be evacuated to the rack evacuation area by using a plurality of transport vehicles, and the impact on other operations can be reduced, and the transportation operation can be performed in a short time. It can be completed. The coefficients j to m are variables for weighting each factor for calculating the transfer priority, and the method for calculating the transfer priority is not limited to the method of this embodiment, and various suitable methods are executed. sell.

  An example of the calculation result of the conveyance priority at the time of conveying shelf S31 in Fig.7 (a) is shown in Fig.8 (a). This is a value calculated based on the above (Equation 4). Further, FIG. 8 (b) shows the calculation result of the threshold for judging whether or not each carriage carries out the evacuation operation of the shelf located between the shelf to be transported and the passage in comparison with the calculation result of the transport priority. . The work determination threshold value in FIG. 8B is calculated based on the work amount and the like for each transport vehicle. For example, based on the work plan of each transport vehicle managed by the transport system, the movement amount of the predetermined period, the number of times of transportation of the shelf, the charge amount, etc. are calculated from the timing of evacuation work, and the work amount is calculated from those values. You may estimate Here, it is indicated that the higher the work determination threshold value is, the higher the amount of work to be performed is.

  In FIG. 7A, when the instruction transmitting unit assigns the conveyance instruction of the shelf S31 to be conveyed to the conveyance vehicle V1, the evacuation operation of the shelf S32 and the shelf S33 which are the evacuation objects is allocated to the conveyance vehicle V1. It may be assigned to another work vehicle V2 or V3. An example in which the transfer operation and the retraction operation are performed by such a plurality of transfer vehicles will be described below.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, since the conveyance priority of the shelf S31 is larger than the operation determination threshold value of the transport vehicle V3 and the transport vehicle V2, retraction of the shelf S33 and the shelf S32 to the shelf retraction positions A31 and A32 The transport vehicle V3 and the transport vehicle V2 perform the transport of the shelf S31 by the transport vehicle V1 (FIG. 7 (b)). When the area setting unit receives, from the transport vehicle, that the shelf S33 and the shelf S32 are disposed at the positions A31 and A32,
As described above, the transport system according to the present embodiment is characterized by including an instruction transmission unit that transmits each evacuation instruction to different conveyance vehicles when there are a plurality of shelves to be evacuated.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to improve the time efficiency of the evacuation operation.

  In addition, the instruction transmission unit is characterized in that the conveyance vehicle transmitting the second instruction and the third instruction is determined based on the above-described shelf conveyance priority.

  Due to such a feature, it is possible to improve the work efficiency by performing the transport work and the retraction work in an appropriate number of transport vehicles according to the work situation.

  FIG. 9 is an example of a hardware configuration diagram of the transfer system of the present invention. The transport system may be a general computer, and includes a CPU 901, a memory 902, an input / output device 904, a network interface 905, and an auxiliary storage device 906, which are mutually connected via a bus 903.

  The CPU 901 executes various arithmetic processing. The auxiliary storage device 906 is a non-volatile non-transitory storage medium, in which various programs and various data are stored. A memory 902 is a volatile temporary storage medium, and various programs and various data stored in the auxiliary storage device are loaded in the memory, and the CPU 901 executes the various programs loaded in the memory 902. Read and write various data loaded in

  The CPU 901 has functions corresponding to the instruction creating unit 203, the instruction transmitting unit 205, and the area setting unit 206. The memory includes an instruction creating unit, an instruction transmitting unit, and an area setting unit, programs and work data corresponding to each, article data, a shelf arrangement area stored in an area information database, a shelf evacuation area, a passage, and a shelf position. Information is stored. The functions of the instruction creating unit, the instruction transmitting unit, and the area setting unit are realized by the CPU executing these programs stored in the memory.

  The article data stored in the memory includes identification information of the article to be delivered, the number of articles to be delivered, identification information of the delivery destination and the storage shelf, identification information of the article stored in the storage shelf, and the storage shelf Storage shelf data in which the number of stored items is registered is registered.

  As the position information of the shelf arrangement area stored in the memory, identification information of a place where the shelf can be arranged in the warehouse and the presence or absence of the shelf of the place are registered.

  As the position information of the shelf evacuation area stored in the memory, identification information of a place where the shelf in the shelf arrangement area can be evacuated is registered. The position information of the shelf arrangement area and the shelf withdrawal area is updated as needed.

  The network interface is an interface that communicates data with the WMS, and an interface that communicates data with the transport vehicle. The control device and the WMS may be connected by wire or wirelessly. The control device and the carrier vehicle are wirelessly connected.

  As mentioned above, although the conveyance object was described as a shelf, a conveyance object may not be a shelf, but storage containers, such as a pallet and a tray which store goods, may be sufficient as it. Further, although the description has been made centering on the work in the warehouse, it may be the work in the factory, and can be applied to all forms of transporting the container for storing the articles.

100: Warehouse 101: Shelf arrangement area 103: Shelf 104: Carrier vehicle 105: Transport system 106: Work station 201: Management system 202: WMS (Warehouse management system)
203: instruction creation unit 204: area information database 205: instruction transmission unit 206: area setting unit 301: shelf evacuation area 401: wall surface 402: conveyance path 601 to 603: evacuation priority calculation result 801: conveyance priority calculation result 802: Work judgment threshold calculation result 901: CPU
902: memory 903: bus 904: input / output device 905: network interface 906: auxiliary storage device

Claims (15)

A shelf arrangement area in which shelves are arranged, a shelf withdrawal area which is an area for retracting the shelves, an area information database which holds position information regarding the position of the passage and the position of the shelves;
When it is determined that the second shelf is disposed between the first shelf to be transported, in which the article is stored, and an optional passage, upon receiving work data and the position information regarding the article, An instruction creating unit that creates a second instruction to retract the second shelf to a predetermined first position in the shelf retraction area;
An instruction transmission unit that transmits the second instruction to a predetermined carrier;
An area setting unit for newly adding the second position to the shelf withdrawal area when information is received when the second shelf has been withdrawn from the second position where the second shelf was disposed; Transport system having. In the transport system of claim 1,
The area setting unit newly adds the third position to the shelf retraction area when receiving information in which the first shelf is transported from the third position at which the first shelf is arranged. Transport system characterized in that. In the transport system of claim 1,
The instruction transmission unit is characterized in that the first instruction is transmitted to a carrier vehicle other than the carrier vehicle performing the evacuation operation at a timing when the information that the second shelf has been evacuated is received. Transport system to be. In the transport system of claim 1,
The transportation system according to claim 1, wherein the shelf arrangement area and the shelf evacuation area, which are at least partially rectangular, are registered in the area information database. In the transport system according to claim 4,
In the area information database, an installable area which is a rectangle including the shelf arrangement area and the shelf withdrawal area is set, and one unit can be installed on the short side of the installable area. A transportation system characterized in that at least the shelf evacuation area for a small number is set. In the transport system according to claim 4,
In the area information database, an installable area which is a rectangle including the shelf arrangement area and the shelf evacuation area is set,
The instruction creating unit selects the passage from the passage on the long side of the installable area, determines whether the second shelf is disposed, and the first shelf and the passage on the long side Creating the second instruction for retracting the second shelf during the second period. In the transport system of claim 1,
The instruction creating unit is configured to set the first position to a size of an area where the first position is in contact with the peripheral shelf arrangement area, a size of an area where the first position is in contact with a peripheral wall surface, or the first A transport system, characterized in that the position of is determined based on any of the size of the area in contact with the surrounding passage. In the transport system of claim 1,
The instruction creating unit calculates the first position based on the distance between the first position and the second position, the distance between the first position and the work station, the work data, and the article data. It is characterized in that it is determined based on either the planned number of times of transportation of the second shelf or the number of times of passage of the carriage at the first position within a predetermined period calculated based on the operation data and the article data. Transport system to be. In the transport system of claim 1,
A transport system comprising a screen for displaying the shelf arrangement area and the shelf retraction area. In the transport system of claim 1,
When the third shelf is arranged between the first shelf and an arbitrary passage, the instruction creating unit places the third shelf at a predetermined third position in the shelf retraction area. Create a third instruction to evacuate,
The area setting unit newly adds the fourth position to the shelf evacuation area when receiving information in which the third shelf is evacuated from the fourth position at which the third shelf is arranged. Transport system characterized in that. In the transfer system according to claim 10,
A conveyance system comprising an instruction transmission unit that transmits the second instruction and the third instruction to different conveyance vehicles. In the transfer system according to claim 11,
The conveyance system according to claim 1, wherein the instruction transmission unit determines a carrier for transmitting the second instruction and the third instruction based on the conveyance priority of the first shelf. In the transport system of claim 12,
The instruction transmission unit is configured to calculate the transfer priority based on the degree of urgency of transfer of the first shelf, the number of shelves located between the first shelf and the aisle calculated based on the position information, and Calculated based on either the distance between the two positions and the first position, the number of movable carriers in the warehouse, or the amount of work of the movable carriers in the warehouse. Transport system. A shelf arrangement area in which the shelves are arranged, a shelf withdrawal area which is an area for retracting the shelves, a position of the passage, and position information on the position of the shelves;
When it is determined that the second shelf is disposed between the first shelf to be transported, in which the article is stored, and an optional passage, upon receiving work data and the position information regarding the article, Creating a second instruction to retract the second shelf to a predetermined first position in the shelf retraction area;
Sending the second instruction to a predetermined carrier,
The conveyance method which newly adds a said 2nd position to the said shelf evacuation area | region, when the information in which the 2nd shelf was evacuated from the 2nd position where the said 2nd shelf was arrange | positioned is received. A warehouse management system for managing work data and article data in a warehouse, a transport system for receiving the work data and the article data and creating an instruction to the transport vehicle, and management including the transport vehicle for transporting a shelf based on the instruction A system,
The transport system
A shelf arrangement area in which the racks are arranged, a shelf evacuation area which is an area for retreating the racks, a position of a passage, and an area information database holding position information on the position of the racks;
When it is determined that the second shelf is disposed between the first shelf to be transported, in which the article is stored, and an optional passage, upon receiving work data and the position information regarding the article, An instruction creating unit that creates a second instruction to retract the second shelf to a predetermined first position in the shelf retraction area;
An instruction transmission unit that transmits the second instruction to a predetermined carrier;
An area setting unit for newly adding the second position to the shelf withdrawal area when information is received when the second shelf has been withdrawn from the second position where the second shelf was disposed; A management system characterized by having.

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