KR101991175B1 - Digital picking system and method of controlling the system - Google Patents

Abstract

A controller, an article shelf comprising a plurality of cells for receiving the article, an article buffer including a plurality of buffer units for receiving the article transferred from the article shelf, and a plurality of articles into which the article is to be introduced And a conveyor belt for moving the order box in a direction parallel to the article buffer, wherein the controller outputs a first carry-out signal to a cell in which the article to be taken out of the plurality of cells is accommodated. Controlling to cause the controller to output a second export signal corresponding to the first export signal by a buffer unit to receive the object to be transported from the cell among the plurality of buffer units; When the controller enters an order box corresponding to the buffer unit among the plurality of order boxes within a threshold distance from the buffer unit The control method of the digital picking system includes a step of controlling the buffer unit to put the article to be carried out into the order box.

Description

DIGITAL PICKING SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SYSTEM}

Disclosed are a system for automatically carrying out a multi-package small quantity batch packaging by transferring a plurality of articles, and a method of controlling the system.

Existing digital picking systems inject the goods into an order box on a conveyor belt where the worker moves and stops, resulting in high worker fatigue and low productivity per hour. In addition, the existing digital picking system is a waste of work time until the worker picks and puts the goods.

The operator picks the goods in advance, and the picked items are automatically fed into the order box, allowing the operator to perform continuous picking of the items independently of the movement of the order box, thus increasing the number of picks per hour. A control method of a picking system is disclosed.

Disclosed is a control method of a digital picking system, which reduces a worker's fatigue by using a conveyor belt that automatically moves an order box, and improves productivity per hour.

Disclosed is a control method of a digital picking system capable of picking an article in advance and automatically picking the picked article into an order box to reduce wasted work time.

In a method of controlling a digital picking system (DPS), the digital picking system includes a controller, an article shelf including a plurality of cells for receiving an article, and an article transferred from the article shelf. An article buffer including a plurality of buffer units and a conveyor belt for moving the plurality of order boxes into which the article is to be put in some sections in a direction parallel to the article buffer, wherein the control method includes: And controlling a cell in which the object to be carried out of the plurality of cells to be outputted outputs a first signal (Signal), wherein the controller is configured to receive a buffer to receive the object to be transported from the cell among the plurality of buffer units. Controlling a unit to output a second export signal corresponding to the first export signal; If the order box corresponding to the group buffer unit enters within a threshold distance from said buffer unit, and a step in which the buffer control unit so as to put the taken out the merchandise in the order box.

The first carrying out signal may include quantity information of an article to be taken out.

The first export signal and the second export signal may be displayed by at least one of a color, a number, a letter, or a symbol.

The first export signal and the second export signal may be the same signal.

The controller may control the cell to stop outputting the first export signal when the cell receives a picking completion input for the object to be taken out from the worker, and the buffer unit may be When the transfer completion input for the carrying object is received, the buffer unit may be controlled to stop the output of the second carrying signal.

The control method of the digital picking system further includes the step of controlling the buffer unit to put the article to be taken out into the order box, and then controlling the cell in which the article to be taken out to output a new first export signal. can do.

The controller may control the article shelf and the article buffer to simultaneously output the first and second export signals.

The conveyor belt may be configured to circulate, read an RFID attached to the order box with an RFID reader provided at one side of the conveyor belt, and measure the weight of the order box with a weighing apparatus provided at one side of the conveyor belt. And if there is no order assigned to the order box and the weight of the order box is equal to or less than a threshold, a new order including information on the article to be accommodated in the order box is assigned to the order box. Setting a routing plan that determines which article to be accommodated is received in the order box through which buffer unit, and as a result of the reading and measurement, there is an order already assigned to the order box and the weight of the order box exceeds a threshold In this case, the method may further include not assigning a new order to the order box.

The control method may include a state in which the plurality of cells and the plurality of buffer units are allocated to a plurality of workers, respectively, and a buffer unit allocated to a worker corresponding to the routing plan cannot accommodate an article corresponding to the routing plan. May further include changing the routing plan such that the article is accommodated in the order box through a buffer unit assigned to a worker other than the worker, wherein the buffer unit assigned to the other worker is modified. According to the routing plan, the second export signal may be output.

The controlling of the output of the first carrying signal may include controlling the cell to output the first carrying signal when the order box enters a threshold distance from the goods shelf or the goods buffer.

A controller for controlling a digital picking system (DPS), the digital picking system comprising: a controller, an article shelf comprising a plurality of cells for receiving an article, a plurality of article receiving articles transferred from the article shelf An article buffer including a buffer unit and a conveyor belt for moving the plurality of order boxes into which the article is to be put in a section, in a direction parallel to the article buffer; Controlling the accommodated cell to output a first export signal (Signal), wherein the controller is configured to receive a buffer unit to receive the object to be transported from the cell among the plurality of buffer units corresponding to the first export signal; Controlling to output a second export signal; and wherein the controller is configured to communicate with the buffer unit of the plurality of order boxes. If Order box that enters within a threshold distance from the buffer unit, the buffer, the unit performs the step of controlling so as to input the export destination items in the order box.

The first carrying out signal may include quantity information of an article to be taken out.

The first export signal and the second export signal may be displayed by at least one of a color, a number, a letter, or a symbol.

The first export signal and the second export signal may be the same signal.

The controller may control the cell to stop outputting the first export signal when the cell receives a picking completion input for the object to be taken out from the worker, and the buffer unit may be When the transfer completion input for the carrying object is received, the buffer unit may be controlled to stop the output of the second carrying signal.

The controller may further perform the step of controlling the buffer unit to put the article to be taken out into the order box, and then control the cell to which the article to be taken out is outputted with a new first takeout signal.

The controller may control the article shelf and the article buffer to simultaneously output the first and second export signals.

The conveyor belt may be configured to circulate, read an RFID attached to the order box with an RFID reader provided at one side of the conveyor belt, and measure the weight of the order box with a weighing apparatus provided at one side of the conveyor belt. And if there is no order assigned to the order box and the weight of the order box is equal to or less than a threshold, a new order including information on the article to be accommodated in the order box is assigned to the order box. Setting a routing plan that determines which article to be accommodated is received in the order box through which buffer unit, and as a result of the reading and measurement, there is an order already assigned to the order box and the weight of the order box exceeds a threshold In this case, the method may further include not assigning a new order to the order box.

The control method may include a state in which the plurality of cells and the plurality of buffer units are allocated to a plurality of workers, respectively, and a buffer unit allocated to a worker corresponding to the routing plan cannot accommodate an article corresponding to the routing plan. May further include changing the routing plan such that the article is accommodated in the order box through a buffer unit assigned to a worker other than the worker, wherein the buffer unit assigned to the other worker is modified. According to the routing plan, the second export signal may be output.

The controlling of the output of the first carrying signal may include controlling the cell to output the first carrying signal when the order box enters a threshold distance from the goods shelf or the goods buffer.

A digital picking system, wherein the digital picking system includes a plurality of cells for receiving an article, wherein the cell containing the article to be taken out of the plurality of cells is configured to output a first export signal from the article shelf and the article shelf. A plurality of buffer units for receiving the goods to be transported, wherein a buffer unit for receiving the goods to be transported from the cell among the plurality of buffer units outputs a second export signal corresponding to the first export signal; And an article buffer, wherein the article buffer has an order box on a conveyor belt for moving the plurality of order boxes into which the object to be taken out is put in a direction parallel to the article buffer within a certain distance within a critical distance from the buffer unit. When entering, the buffer unit to put the article to be carried into the order box do.

Since the worker picks the goods in advance and the picked items are automatically put into the order box, the worker can perform the continuous picking of the items independently of the movement of the order box, thereby increasing the number of pickings per hour.

Conveyor belts that automatically move the order box can reduce operator fatigue and improve hourly productivity.

Picking the goods in advance and automatically put the picked items into the order box to reduce wasted work time.

1 illustrates a digital picking system.
2 is a block diagram of a digital picking system.
3 is a block diagram of a controller for controlling an article shelf and an article buffer.
4 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a digital picking system.
5 is a table relating to order assignment and routing plan settings for an order box.
6 shows the principle of operation of the buffer unit.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements.

Various modifications may be made to the embodiments described below. The examples described below are not intended to be limited to the embodiments and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes for them.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of examples. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, action, component, part, or combination thereof described on the specification, and one or more other features. It is to be understood that the present invention does not exclude the possibility of the presence or the addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, components, or a combination thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Terms such as those defined in the commonly used dictionaries should be construed as having meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the related art and shall not be construed in ideal or excessively formal meanings unless expressly defined in this application. Do not.

In addition, in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components regardless of reference numerals will be given the same reference numerals and duplicate description thereof will be omitted. In the following description of the embodiment, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the embodiment, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 illustrates a digital picking system 1000.

2 is a block diagram of a digital picking system 1000.

3 is a block diagram of a controller 100 that controls an article shelf 200 and an article buffer 300.

Referring to FIG. 1, the digital picking system 1000 may include two or more article shelves 200 and an article buffer 300. For example, two article shelves 200 may face each other, and two article buffers 300 may face each other with conveyor belt 400 interposed therebetween. By placing the article buffer 300 on both sides of the conveyor belt 400 as shown in FIG. 1, the processing speed and efficiency of the digital picking system can be doubled. The conveyor belt may be configured to circulate.

Referring to FIG. 2, according to an embodiment, the digital picking system 1000 may include a controller 100, an article shelf 200, an article buffer 300, and a conveyor belt 400. The digital picking system 1000 may include only the controller 100, the article shelf 200, and the article buffer 300 except for the conveyor belt 400.

The article shelf 200 is also referred to as a rack to accommodate articles to be placed in the order box through the digital picking system 1000. A unit for receiving an article according to each order in the article shelf 200 is referred to as a cell. The article shelf 200 includes a plurality of cells. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the plurality of cells may be physically separated from each other through partitions, partitions, and the like. The article shelf 200 includes a first signal output for carrying out the received article. The first export signal may be one of color, numbers, letters, or symbols, or a combination thereof. For example, the article shelf 200 may have two different first export signals as shown in FIG. 1 (the clouded and hatched clouds of the cloud-shaped signals mean different first exported signals). You can output

The controller 100 may control the cell to output the first carry-out signal when the order box enters within a threshold distance (for example, 5 m) from the article shelf 200 or the article buffer 300. When the first carrying out signal is configured to be randomly output, the worker first transfers an item corresponding to an order box far from the goods shelf 200 or the item buffer 300, or the order box is near but with the order box. The transfer process for the corresponding article may not be completed, thereby reducing the efficiency of the digital picking system. On the other hand, by outputting the first carry-out signal based on the threshold distance as described above, the operator can preferentially process the article corresponding to the order box in the order that the order box is moved.

The article shelf 200 may further include a button for receiving a picking completion of the picking of the article contained in the cell from the operator, and the button may be provided for each cell. The article shelf 200 may determine that the picking of the article accommodated in the cell is completed through an infrared ray, a motion detection sensor, or the like instead of the button. The article shelf 200 may receive an article from outside the digital picking system 1000.

The article buffer 300 may refer to an apparatus for receiving an article transferred from the article shelf 200 and injecting the received article into a corresponding order box. A unit for receiving an article according to each order in the article buffer 300 is referred to as a buffer unit. The article buffer 300 includes a plurality of buffer units. The plurality of buffer units may be physically separated from each other through partitions, partitions, and the like. The article buffer 300 includes a second carry-out signal output unit for designating a buffer unit to receive the article to be transported from the article shelf 200. The second export signal may be one of a color, a number, a letter, a symbol, or a combination thereof. The second export signal may be one of a color, a number, a letter, a symbol, or a combination thereof. For example, the article buffer 300 may include two different second export signals as shown in FIG. 1 (the clouded and hatched clouds of the cloud-shaped signals mean different second export signals). You can output

The article buffer 300 may further include a button for receiving input from an operator that the article is completed from the article shelf 200, and the buttons may be provided one for each buffer unit. The article buffer 300 may determine that acceptance of the article to be carried out is completed through an infrared ray, a motion detection sensor, or the like instead of the button. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the article buffer 300 may also have a multilayer structure. The article buffer 300, according to a control signal of the controller 100, when an order box corresponding to a buffer unit in which a particular article is accommodated among a plurality of order boxes enters within a threshold distance from the buffer unit, is carried out in the buffer unit. Put the goods in the order box. Each buffer unit may include a cross belt driven in a vertical direction with the conveyor belt 400 to inject items to be taken out into the order box. The controller 100 may control the buffer unit to be inclined at an angle in the direction of the order box in order to insert the object to be taken out into the order box.

The conveyor belt 400 moves the plurality of order boxes into which the article is to be put in a section parallel to the article buffer 300. Referring to FIG. 1, the conveyor belt 400 may be driven to move a plurality of order boxes at the same time. In particular, the conveyor belt 400 may move the order box in a direction parallel to the article buffer 300 in a section adjacent to the article buffer 300. Can be. In addition, the conveyor belt 400 has an RFID reader for determining which item to put into the order box (for example, as shown in FIG. 1, the conveyor belt 400 is connected to the article buffer 300). At the point just before bending to become parallel).

Referring to FIG. 3, the controller 100 may transmit and receive information to and from the article shelf 200 and the article buffer 300 to control the article shelf 200 and the article buffer 300. Specifically, the controller 100 controls the cell in which the object to be carried out of a plurality of cells is output to output a first signal, and receives the object to be transported from the cell among the plurality of buffer units. The buffer unit is controlled to output a second export signal corresponding to the first export signal, and when the order box corresponding to the buffer unit among the plurality of order boxes enters within a threshold distance from the buffer unit, the buffer unit The carry-out article is controlled to be put in the order box.

Since the worker picks the goods in advance and the picked items are automatically put into the order box, the worker can perform the continuous picking of the items independently of the movement of the order box, thereby increasing the number of pickings per hour.

By using the second carry-out signal corresponding to the first carry-out signal, it is possible to solve a problem in which an operator erroneously transfers an article picked from a specific cell to a buffer unit that does not correspond to the cell. In addition, since the first and second export signals intuitively correspond to each other, the operator can easily identify the buffer unit corresponding to the cell.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling the digital picking system 1000.

5 is a table relating to order assignment and routing plan settings for an order box.

6 shows the principle of operation of the buffer unit.

The conveyor belt 400 may include an RFID reader 410 for reading an RFID attached to the order box on one side and a weighing device (not shown) for measuring the weight of the order box. The RFID reader 410 and the weighing meter may be configured as one module. The RFID reader 410 and the weighing meter may transmit reading and measurement results to the controller 100.

If there is no order assigned to the order box as a result of the reading and measurement, and the weight of the order box is equal to or less than a threshold value (for example, 100 g), the controller 100 includes the order information including the item information to be accommodated in the order box. May be newly assigned, and a routing plan may be set to determine that an article to be accommodated in the order box is accommodated in the order box through any buffer unit.

As a result of the reading and measurement, if there is already an order assigned to the order box, and the weight of the order box exceeds a threshold, the controller 100 may not assign a new order to the order box. The threshold may be determined according to the weight of the order box. For example, if the threshold is 80g, the weight of the order box is 80g and no items are contained in the order box, the total weight of the order box is 80g so that the controller 100 does not exceed the threshold 80g. empty state) and a new order can be assigned to the order box.

Assigning an order to an order box may mean assigning a unique process number to a specific order box and matching the item information corresponding to the unique process number with the order box.

In the example according to FIG. 5, a unique processing number Ex2017090110010001 can be assigned to the order box 1001, and the article information is stored such that two A shampoos and one E soap corresponding to the unique processing number Ex2017090110010001 are accommodated in the order box. It can be matched with the order box.

In another example according to FIG. 5, a unique processing number Ex201709011340001 may be assigned to the order box 1002, and four D toothpaste and one F soap corresponding to the unique processing number Ex201709011340001 are accommodated in the order box. May match with the order box.

In another example according to FIG. 5, the order box 1003 may be assigned a unique treatment number Ex201709012000001, and one A shampoo, one B shampoo, and one C toothpaste may correspond to the unique treatment number Ex201709012000001. The article information may be matched with the order box so as to be accommodated in.

Setting up a routing plan means setting up a plan for which item buffers each order box should accommodate.

The controller 100 may allocate a plurality of cells and a plurality of buffer units to a plurality of workers, respectively. For example, the controller 100 may include a plurality of cells (eg, cells 1 to cell 1000) and a plurality of article buffers 300 (eg, buffer units 1 to buffer units included in the article shelf 200). Among the plurality of buffer units included in 500), cells 1 to cell 100 and buffer units 1 to buffer unit 100 may be assigned to worker A, and cells 101 to cell 200 and buffer units 101 to buffer unit 200 are assigned to worker B. can do.

In the example according to FIG. 5, the controller 100 refers to the item information matched with the order box 1001, two A shampoos are input from a buffer unit assigned to worker A, and one E soap is assigned to worker B. The routing plan can be set to be fed from the buffer unit.

In another example according to FIG. 5, the controller 100 refers to the item information matched with the order box 1002, four D toothpastes are introduced from the buffer unit assigned to the worker A, and one F soap is supplied to the worker B. The routing plan can be set to be fed from the allocated buffer unit.

In another example according to FIG. 5, the controller 100 refers to the item information matched with the order box 1003, wherein one A shampoo and one B shampoo are introduced from the buffer unit assigned to the worker A, and the C toothpaste 1 The dog can set up a routing plan to be fed from a buffer unit assigned to worker B.

Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the unique process number may further include information related to the orderer's name and address.

The controller 100 does not assign a new order to the order box when there are orders already assigned to the order box as a result of the reading and measurement, and the weight of the order box exceeds a threshold (for example, 150g). You may not. For example, when the weight of the order box is 80g and the weight of the measured order box is 400g, the controller 100 is in a state in which at least one or more items are accommodated in the order box, and the orders associated with the items are already It may be determined that the state is assigned to the order box, and a new order may not be assigned to the order box.

The controller 100 controls the cell in which the object to be taken out of the article shelf 200 is accommodated to output the first export signal (S100).

Referring to FIG. 1, a cell containing an article to be taken out of a plurality of cells included in the article shelf 200 may output a first takeout signal.

In the example according to FIG. 1, one of the plurality of cells may output a first export signal, such as a hatched partial cloud portion.

In another example according to FIG. 1, one of the plurality of cells may output a first export signal, such as a smooth cloud portion.

Each of the plurality of cells may simultaneously output an export signal, but all of the export signals simultaneously output from the plurality of cells are different from each other.

The first carrying out signal may include quantity information of the article to be taken out.

In one example, when the first export signal does not include the quantity information of the article to be carried out, the first export signal may mean to transfer all three items A to the corresponding buffer unit.

In another example, when three articles A are accommodated in the article shelf 200, and the first export signal includes quantity information (ex, two), the operator corresponds to only two of the three articles A. Can be transferred to the buffer unit. By using the first carry-out signal further including the quantity information of the article, it is possible to more efficiently process the packaging of the small quantity article of the multi-type.

The first export signal may be displayed in color, numbers, letters, symbols, or a combination thereof. For example, the first export signal may be represented by one of yellow, red, purple, white, or blue, or may be represented by one of "P", "D", "K", or "S", or "!" Or "@". , &Quot;# ", "% ", " &" or a combination thereof. Even if a plurality of cells output the export signal at the same time, the kind of the exported signal may be different. For example, when one cell outputs a yellow first export signal (color), another cell may output a first export signal (character) called "P".

In one embodiment, the operator may press a button provided in the cell to complete the picking of the article to be taken out from the particular cell outputting the first takeout signal. The controller 100 may control the cell to stop outputting the first export signal when a picking completion input is received through the button.

In addition, the controller 100 may determine that the picking of the article accommodated in the cell is completed by using an infrared ray, a motion detection sensor, a weight change sensor, or the like instead of the button.

In one example, where the cell utilizes an infrared sensor, the infrared sensor may be provided below the cell (ie, above the cell below), the worker's hand or when picking the article contained in the cell. As the arm passes in front of the infrared sensor, the infrared sensor can automatically receive a picking complete input for the article to be taken out.

In another example, when the cell uses a motion detection sensor, the controller 100 may take a predetermined gesture in front of the motion detection sensor after the operator completes picking on the item contained in the specific cell, thereby removing the article to be taken out. You can enter the picking completion for.

In another example, when the cell uses a weight change sensor, the weight is reduced when an operator picks an article contained in a particular cell, so that the cell may automatically receive a picking complete input for the article to be taken out.

If it is determined that the picking of the article contained in the cell is completed, the controller 100 may control the article to be received in the cell again from the outside of the digital picking system 1000.

The controller 100 controls the buffer unit to accommodate the object to be transported from the cell among the plurality of buffer units to output a second export signal corresponding to the first export signal (S110).

Referring to FIG. 1, among a plurality of buffer units included in the article buffer 300, the buffer unit to which the article to be transported from the cell may be output may output a second export signal corresponding to the first export signal.

In the example according to FIG. 1, one of the plurality of buffer units may output a second export signal corresponding to the first export signal, such as a hatched cloud portion.

In another example according to FIG. 1, one of the plurality of buffer units may output a second export signal corresponding to the first export signal, such as a smooth cloud portion.

Each of the plurality of buffer units may simultaneously output an export signal, but all of the export signals output from the plurality of buffer units are different from each other.

The second export signal may be displayed in color, numbers, letters, symbols, or a combination thereof. For example, the second export signal may be represented by one of yellow, red, purple, white, or blue, or may be represented by one of "P", "D", "K", "S", or "!", "@" , &Quot;# ", "% ", " &" or a combination thereof. Even if a plurality of cells output the export signal at the same time, the kind of the exported signal may be different. For example, when one cell outputs a yellow second export signal, another cell may output a second export signal "P".

The first and second export signals may be the same signal. The first and second export signals may be output at the same time. That is, the controller 100 may cause a specific cell to output the first export signal, and then control the buffer unit corresponding to the cell to output the second export signal after picking of the article from the cell is completed. The buffer unit corresponding to the specific cell may be controlled to simultaneously output the first and second export signals.

When the first export signal and the second export signal are sequentially output, work efficiency can be improved by drawing more attention to the operator.

When simultaneously outputting the first and second carry-out signals, the operator does not have to apply an input to the cell to pick an article from the cell, thereby further reducing the time required for the work.

In one embodiment, the operator may press a button provided on the buffer unit to apply an input that the object to be taken out has been received to a specific buffer unit that outputs a second takeout signal. The controller 100 may control the buffer unit to stop outputting the second carrying out signal when an article receiving completion input is received through the button.

In addition, the controller 100 may determine that the reception of the article is completed in the buffer unit through an infrared ray, a motion detection sensor, a weight change sensor, or the like instead of the button.

In one example, when the buffer unit uses an infrared sensor, the infrared sensor may be provided on one side located on the worker side, the operator's hand or arm in front of the infrared sensor when the worker transports the object to be carried out to the buffer unit. As it passes by, the infrared sensor can automatically receive a transfer complete input for the article to be taken out.

In another example, when the buffer unit uses a motion detection sensor, the operator transfers the object to be transported by taking a predetermined gesture in front of the motion detection sensor that has completed the transport of the object to be transported for a specific buffer unit. You can enter complete.

In another example, when the buffer unit uses a weight change sensor, the weight is increased when the worker transports the article to be transported to a specific buffer unit, so that the buffer unit may receive a transfer completion input for the article to be taken out. have.

The controller 100 assigns a plurality of cells and a plurality of buffer units to a plurality of workers, respectively, and the buffer unit assigned to the worker corresponding to the routing plan is in a state in which the goods corresponding to the routing plan cannot be accommodated ( For example, the goods are accommodated in all the buffer units, and the received items are to be put into another order box), so that the goods are received in the order box through a buffer unit assigned to another worker other than the worker. You can change the routing plan.

For example, for order box 1001, the routing plan is set up so that worker A feeds two shampoos A and worker B feeds one E soap, and all buffer units assigned to worker A relate to order box 1001. In the case of storing the missing goods, the buffer unit assigned to the worker A does not store the goods to be put into the order box according to the routing plan, unless the goods contained in the buffer unit are put into another order box and made empty. ) Cannot be accepted for transport. In this case, if there is an empty buffer unit among the buffer units allocated to another worker (for example, worker B), the controller 100 orders the item to be accommodated in the order box 1001 through the empty buffer unit. The routing plan can be changed to accommodate box 1001. When the routing plan is changed, the buffer unit allocated to the worker B may output a second export signal corresponding to the first export signal output by the cell allocated to the worker A according to the changed routing plan.

By dynamically changing the routing plan according to the state of the buffer unit, an empty buffer unit can be minimized.

The controller 100 controls the buffer unit to put the object to be taken out into the order box when the order box corresponding to the buffer unit in which the object to be taken out of the plurality of order boxes enters within a threshold distance from the buffer unit (S120). .

The controller 100 may determine a buffer unit corresponding to each order box by reading RFIDs attached to a plurality of order boxes on the conveyor belt 400 through an RFID reader provided at one end of the conveyor belt 400. have. Conventional packaging method of goods was a large quantity processing of small items that put the same goods in all order boxes, but by using RFID to determine the items to be put in each order box, different combinations of goods can be put in each order box. Therefore, small quantity processing of various kinds is possible. In addition, the conveyor belt 400 automatically moves the order box so that the operator can omit the operation of moving the order box, there is an effect that can focus more on the picking and transport of the goods.

When the order box corresponding to the buffer unit in which the object to be carried is accommodated among the plurality of order boxes enters within a threshold distance from the buffer unit, the controller 100 may control to input the object to be carried in the buffer unit into the order box. Can be. Each buffer unit may include a cross belt driven in a vertical direction with the conveyor belt 400 to inject items to be taken out into the order box. The controller 100 may control the buffer unit to be inclined at an angle in the direction of the order box in order to insert the object to be taken out into the order box.

The controller 100 may further control the buffer unit to put the article to be taken out into the order box, and then output the new first carry-out signal to the cell in which the article to be taken out was accommodated.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fifth buffer unit from the buffer unit located at the end of the direction in which the conveyor belt 400 proceeds toward the user detects that the corresponding order box has entered within a critical distance, and receives the received object to be shipped. It can be put into the order box. In addition, the controller 100 controls the buffer unit to put the article to be taken out into the order box, and then the cell and the buffer unit in which the article to be taken out are received by a new first export signal (for example, a red flashing light) and the same. The control unit may further control to output a second export signal corresponding to.

Referring to FIG. 6 together, the buffer unit may be implemented in one of various ways to implement a belt type, roller type, ball top type and cross belt sorter. For example, when the buffer unit is implemented in a belt shape, the buffer unit may move an article contained in the buffer unit to an inclined surface located toward the conveyor belt 400 by driving the belt toward the conveyor belt 400. The article moved to the inclined surface may be automatically dropped into the order box by falling along the inclined surface. By using the buffer unit as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to secure site adaptability and input stability, and to achieve processing capacity and stabilization through facility synchronization.

The controller 100 may inspect the order box that has passed through the item buffer 200 to check whether the order box has received all the goods according to the assigned order.

As a result of the inspection, when the order box accommodates all the items according to the assigned order, the controller 100 packs the order box or transfers only the items contained in the order box to the packing area and then empty the order box. (empty state) and can be reused continuously.

As a result of the inspection, when the order box does not accommodate all the goods according to the assigned order, the controller 100 passes the goods buffer through the RFID reader 410 and the weighing machine according to the conveyor belt 400 through which the order box circulates. It may be moved to go back to (200).

The apparatus described above may be implemented as a hardware component, a software component, and / or a combination of hardware components and software components. For example, the devices and components described in the embodiments may be, for example, processors, controllers, arithmetic logic units (ALUs), digital signal processors, microcomputers, field programmable arrays (FPAs), It may be implemented using one or more general purpose or special purpose computers, such as a programmable logic unit (PLU), microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing and responding to instructions. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the operating system. The processing device may also access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to the execution of the software. For convenience of explanation, one processing device may be described as being used, but one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the processing device includes a plurality of processing elements and / or a plurality of types of processing elements. It can be seen that it may include. For example, the processing device may include a plurality of processors or one processor and one controller. In addition, other processing configurations are possible, such as parallel processors.

The software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of the above, and configure the processing device to operate as desired, or process it independently or collectively. You can command the device. Software and / or data may be any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage medium or device in order to be interpreted by or to provide instructions or data to the processing device. Or may be permanently or temporarily embodied in a signal wave to be transmitted. The software may be distributed over networked computer systems so that they may be stored or executed in a distributed manner. Software and data may be stored on one or more computer readable recording media.

The method according to the embodiment may be embodied in the form of program instructions that can be executed by various computer means and recorded in a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the media may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the embodiments, or they may be of the kind well-known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape, optical media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, and magnetic disks, such as floppy disks. Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine code generated by a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware device described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

Although the embodiments have been described by the limited embodiments and the drawings as described above, various modifications and variations are possible to those skilled in the art from the above description. For example, the described techniques may be performed in a different order than the described method, and / or components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. may be combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or other components. Or even if replaced or substituted by equivalents, an appropriate result can be achieved.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are within the scope of the claims that follow.

100: controller
200: shelf of goods
300: item buffer
400: conveyor belt
410: RFID reader
1000: digital picking system

Claims (22)

In the control method of the digital picking system (DPS:
The digital picking system,
Controller;
An article shelf comprising a plurality of cells containing the article;
An article buffer including a plurality of buffer units for receiving an article carried from the article shelf; And
A conveyor belt for moving the plurality of order boxes into which the article is to be put in a section in a direction parallel to the article buffer, wherein the conveyor belt is configured to circulate
Including,
The control method,
Controlling, by the controller, a cell containing the article to be carried out of the plurality of cells to output a first export signal;
Controlling, by the controller, a buffer unit to receive the object to be transported from the cell among the plurality of buffer units to output a second export signal corresponding to the first export signal;
Controlling, by the controller, when the order box corresponding to the buffer unit among the plurality of order boxes enters within a threshold distance from the buffer unit, the buffer unit to input the carrying object to the order box;
Reading the RFID attached to the order box with an RFID reader provided at one side of the conveyor belt, and measuring the weight of the order box with a weighing apparatus provided at one side of the conveyor belt; And
As a result of the reading and measurement, if there is no order assigned to the order box, and the weight of the order box is less than or equal to a threshold, a new order including goods information to be accommodated in the order box is newly assigned, and the article to be accommodated in the order box. Set up a routing plan which decides to accept the order box via any buffer unit,
If there is an order already assigned to the order box and the weight of the order box exceeds a threshold as a result of the reading and measurement, not assigning a new order to the order box
Including,
Control method of digital picking system. The method of claim 1,
The first export signal includes quantity information of the article to be carried out,
Control method of digital picking system. The method of claim 1,
The first export signal and the second export signal are represented by at least one of color, numbers, letters or symbols,
Control method of digital picking system. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the first export signal and the second export signal are the same signal;
Control method of digital picking system. The method of claim 1,
The controller controls the cell to stop outputting the first export signal when the cell receives a picking completion input for the object to be taken out from an operator;
When the buffer unit receives a transfer completion input for the object to be carried out from the operator, the buffer unit is controlled to stop the output of the second carry-out signal,
Control method of digital picking system. The method of claim 1,
Controlling the buffer unit to put the article to be taken out into the order box, and then controlling the cell in which the article to be taken out to be outputted outputs a new first export signal;
Further comprising,
Control method of digital picking system. The method of claim 1,
The controller controls the article shelf and the article buffer to simultaneously output the first and second export signals,
Control method of digital picking system. delete The method of claim 1,
The control method,
When the plurality of cells and the plurality of buffer units are assigned to a plurality of workers, respectively, and the buffer unit allocated to the worker corresponding to the routing plan cannot receive an item corresponding to the routing plan, the worker Modifying the routing plan such that the article is accommodated in the order box through a buffer unit assigned to a worker other than
More,
The buffer unit assigned to the other worker outputs a second export signal according to the changed routing plan.
Control method of digital picking system. The method of claim 1,
The controlling of the output of the first export signal may include:
When the order box enters within a threshold distance from the article shelf or the article buffer, the cell is controlled to output a first export signal,
Control method of digital picking system. In the controller for controlling a digital picking system (DPS),
The digital picking system,
Controller;
An article shelf comprising a plurality of cells containing the article;
An article buffer comprising a plurality of buffer units for receiving an article carried from the article shelf;
A conveyor belt for moving the plurality of order boxes into which the article is to be put in a section in a direction parallel to the article buffer, wherein the conveyor belt is configured to circulate
Including,
The controller,
Controlling a cell containing the article to be carried out of the plurality of cells to output a first export signal;
Controlling, by the controller, a buffer unit to receive the object to be transported from the cell among the plurality of buffer units to output a second export signal corresponding to the first export signal;
Controlling, by the controller, when the order box corresponding to the buffer unit among the plurality of order boxes enters within a threshold distance from the buffer unit, the buffer unit to input the carrying object to the order box;
Reading the RFID attached to the order box with an RFID reader provided at one side of the conveyor belt, and measuring the weight of the order box with a weighing apparatus provided at one side of the conveyor belt; And
As a result of the reading and measurement, if there is no order assigned to the order box, and the weight of the order box is less than or equal to a threshold, a new order including goods information to be accommodated in the order box is newly assigned, and the article to be accommodated in the order box. Set up a routing plan which decides to accept the order box via any buffer unit,
If there is an order already assigned to the order box and the weight of the order box exceeds a threshold as a result of the reading and measurement, not assigning a new order to the order box
To do,
Controller. The method of claim 11,
The first export signal includes quantity information of the article to be carried out,
Controller. The method of claim 11,
The first export signal and the second export signal are represented by at least one of color, numbers, letters or symbols,
Controller. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the first export signal and the second export signal are the same signal;
Controller. The method of claim 11,
The controller controls the cell to stop outputting the first export signal when the cell receives a picking completion input for the object to be taken out from an operator;
When the buffer unit receives a transfer completion input for the object to be carried out from the operator, the buffer unit is controlled to stop the output of the second carry-out signal,
Controller. The method of claim 11,
Controlling the buffer unit to put the article to be taken out into the order box, and then controlling the cell in which the article to be taken out to be outputted outputs a new first export signal;
To do more,
Controller. The method of claim 11,
The controller controls the article shelf and the article buffer to simultaneously output the first and second export signals,
Controller. delete The method of claim 11,
The controller,
When the plurality of cells and the plurality of buffer units are assigned to a plurality of workers, respectively, and the buffer unit allocated to the worker corresponding to the routing plan cannot receive an item corresponding to the routing plan, the worker Modifying the routing plan such that the article is accommodated in the order box through a buffer unit assigned to a worker other than
More,
The buffer unit assigned to the other worker outputs a second export signal according to the changed routing plan.
Controller. The method of claim 11,
The controlling of the output of the first export signal may include:
When the order box enters within a threshold distance from the article shelf or the article buffer, the cell is controlled to output a first export signal,
Controller. A recording medium having a computer readable program recorded thereon which performs the method of controlling the digital picking system of claim 1. delete

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