WO2020166463A1

WO2020166463A1 - Load state determination system

Info

Publication number: WO2020166463A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/004452
Authority: WO
Inventors: 哲生細谷; 智志井田
Original assignee: サンデン・リテールシステム株式会社
Priority date: 2019-02-12
Filing date: 2020-02-06
Publication date: 2020-08-20
Also published as: JP2020130192A

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a load state determination system that can accurately manage placed items that are placed in a line on a shelf while conserving vertical space. [Solution] The invention comprises: a main shelf (27d) that is placed on a rack (24) and on which placed items (100) are arranged front to back; the rear edge (27b) of the top shelf (27u); an imaging device (71) that is placed behind the rearmost placed item arranged in the front to rear direction and that images the placed items and a reference part; and a load state determination unit (81) that determines the load state of the placed items loaded on the shelf. The load state determination unit measures distances (ha, hb, hc) between the placed items and the reference part on the basis of the image captured by the imaging device and determines the load state on the basis of the distances.

Description

Placement status determination system

The present invention relates to a placement status determination system, and more particularly to a technology that saves space and enhances the accuracy of determining the placement status of a placement object.

Conventionally, at a convenience store (store), an employee (worker) of the store manages the display state of products that have been replenished in a display shelf (product management work). It manages the time to restock. However, the merchandise management work needs to monitor all the display shelves in the store, which is troublesome for the worker.

Therefore, in order to automate such product management work, a technology has been developed to manage the display replenishment state by imaging the product from above (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-81552

By the way, beverage products using containers made of PET bottles are placed side by side on the shelf boards of display shelves, and it is possible to take them out one by one from the inside of the store. Further, in a small-scale store such as a convenience store, it may be possible to replenish the products above and below the shelves.

Here, in view of the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to dispose a camera above the product in order to capture an image of the product. Therefore, in order to manage all the products placed on the shelves, a space for arranging the camera at a position separated from the upper end of the product by a predetermined distance is required, and therefore the camera is arranged above the products. There was a problem that it was difficult.

Therefore, for example, it may be possible to save space in the vertical direction by irradiating infrared lasers from the back of the products lined up in a row to measure the distance, but the infrared light irradiating the colorless and transparent PET bottle is diffusely reflected. However, there is a possibility that false detection may occur.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object thereof is to accurately manage objects placed in a row on a shelf while achieving space saving in the vertical direction. It is to provide a placement situation determination system capable of performing.

In order to achieve the above object, the placement status determination system of the present invention is arranged on a shelf, and a shelf board for placing and placing the placement objects in one direction, and a reference portion located near the placement object, An image pickup device which is arranged in front of the head or rear of the tail of the row of the above-described objects arranged in the one direction, and which picks up an image of the object and the reference portion, and the object described above which is placed on the shelf board. And a placement status determination unit that determines a placement status, wherein the placement status determination unit measures a distance between the placement object and the reference unit based on an image captured by the imaging device, and the distance It is characterized in that the above described placement status is determined based on.

Preferably, the shelf has a plurality of the shelves arranged side by side in the vertical direction, and the reference portion is an end of the shelves arranged above the shelves on the side of the imaging device. Good.
Preferably, the shelf is a display shelf that is arranged in a store and displays the products displayed as the above-mentioned ornaments toward the inside of the store, and the imaging device may be arranged on the side opposite to the inside of the store. ..

Preferably, the reference portion may be an end portion of the shelf plate, which is arranged immediately above the shelf plate on which the figurine is placed, on the imaging device side.

Preferably, the shelf provided directly above the shelf on which the above-mentioned figurine is placed is provided with a mark, and preferably the reference portion is the mark.

Preferably, the reference portion is an end portion of the shelf board on the imaging device side.

Preferably, the shelf board is provided with a mark, and the reference portion is the mark.

Preferably, the placement condition determination unit may store an index indicating the relationship between the distance between the placement object and the reference unit and the number of placement objects.
Preferably, the above-mentioned figurine comprises a plurality of rows in a direction perpendicular to the one direction, and the imaging device may image the plurality of rows at a time.

Preferably, the imaging device is attached to a moving device that moves in a direction perpendicular to the one direction.

According to the placement status determination system of the present invention, the space above the shelf board can be effectively used by disposing the imaging device at the front of the front of the row of mounts or at the rear of the end of the row. In addition, by determining the placement status based on the distance between the placement object and the reference portion by the placement status determination unit, it is possible to accurately determine the number of placement objects that are placed in line on the shelf board.

With this, it is possible to accurately manage the objects placed side by side on the shelf board while saving space in the vertical direction.

It is a floor plan of a store in which the automatic display shelves according to the present invention are arranged. It is sectional drawing of the I-I cross section in FIG. It is a side view of a product display unit. It is a front view of a product display unit. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the transport device in the product display unit as viewed from the front left. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the transport device in the product display unit as viewed from the left rear. It is a block diagram which shows the connection relation of a controller. It is an image captured by the camera. FIG. 2 is a front view of the product storage shelf and its periphery viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a front view of the product supply unit and its surroundings viewed from the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1. It is explanatory drawing explaining the aspect where goods are displayed on each lane of a shelf board by the conveyance control which a conveyance control part performs. It is explanatory drawing explaining the aspect where goods are displayed on each lane of a shelf board by the conveyance control which a conveyance control part performs. It is explanatory drawing explaining the aspect where goods are displayed on each lane of a shelf board by the conveyance control which a conveyance control part performs. It is explanatory drawing explaining the aspect where goods are displayed on each lane of a shelf board by the conveyance control which a conveyance control part performs. It is a perspective view of the 1st direction changer which concerns on another Example. It is a perspective view of the 1st direction changer concerning another example. It is a perspective view of the 1st direction changer concerning the modification of further another example.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a floor plan of a store 1 in which an automatic display rack 9 according to the present invention is arranged. The store 1 is, for example, a convenience store that sells products. In this store 1, a counter 3, a room temperature shelf 5, a refrigerating shelf 7 and an automatic display shelf 9 according to the present invention are arranged.

The counter 3 is a cashier counter for accounting when a customer purchases a product selected in the store 2. The room temperature shelf 5 is a product display shelf that displays products that can be stored and displayed at room temperature. The refrigerating shelves 7 are product display shelves that display products that need to be stored and displayed at a temperature lower than normal temperature (for example, 5° C.).

The automatic display rack 9 is a product display rack including a refrigerating compartment 11 and a passage 13. The refrigerating compartment 11 is arranged so as to face the inside 2 of the store, and the passage 13 is arranged on the side opposite to the inside 2 of the refrigerating compartment 11. Has been done. With this automatic display rack 9, a customer (stored object) 100 can be taken out by opening a glass door 9a (see FIG. 2) toward the store 2 side by a visitor.

Further, the automatic display rack 9 can automatically perform a display replenishment work for displaying the product 100 on the product display rack 24 described later. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the direction facing the store 2 as viewed from the refrigerator compartment 11 is referred to as the front, and the direction facing the passage 13 is referred to as the rear.

The refrigerating room 11 is a room in which the temperature inside is kept low, and is a so-called walk-in where employees (workers) can enter by opening the door 21. The refrigerating room 11 is provided with a product storage shelf 23, a product display shelf 24 (shelf, display shelf), and a product display unit 40.

Referring to FIG. 2, a cross-sectional view of the I-I cross section in FIG. 1 is shown. The product storage shelf 23 is a shelf for storing the products 100 displayed on the refrigerating shelf 7 or the display shelf, for example, and is arranged along a heat insulating wall 31 described later. That is, since the inside of the refrigerating compartment 11 is kept at a low temperature, the commodities 100 stored in the commodity storage rack 23 are also kept at a low temperature.

The product display shelf 24 includes a main body 25 and a shelf board 27. The main body 25 is a frame that forms the main body of the product display shelf 24. The shelf plates 27 are substantially horizontal and are supported by the main body 25 side by side in the vertical direction so that the front end 27a is inclined downward. On the upper surface of the shelf board 27, for example, a plurality of rollers (not shown) are provided. As a result, when the product 100 is placed on the rear end 27b (reference portion, end portion) of the shelf plate 27 on the passage 13 side, the product 100 can smoothly move forward.

Further, a plurality of lanes extending in the front-rear direction (one direction) are provided in the left-right direction on the upper surface of the shelf board 27 (see FIG. 5 described later). Therefore, the shelf board 27 can display the products 100 in each lane by classifying them. The product display unit 40 is a device that displays the products 100 on the shelf board 27. Details will be described later.
The passage 13 is a section in which employees can enter. The passage 13 is separated from the refrigerating compartment 11 by a heat insulating wall 31 having a low heat transfer property, for example.

A product take-out door 33 and a product supply unit 35 are provided on the heat insulating wall 31. The merchandise take-out door 33 is provided at a position corresponding to the merchandise storage shelf 23, and by opening the merchandise storage shelf 23, the merchandise 100 is displayed and stored, or the stored merchandise 100 is taken out from the rear. It is a possible door. The product supply unit 35 is an opening provided in the heat insulating wall 31 for supplying the product 100 to the product display unit 40.

Since the product take-out door 33 is provided on the heat insulating wall 31 in this manner, the employee can take out the product 100 without entering the refrigerating compartment 11, and thus the length of the refrigerating compartment 11 in the front-rear direction can be narrowed. Therefore, the space required to install the automatic display rack 9 in the store 1 can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of a refrigerating device (not shown) required to make the temperature in the refrigerating chamber 11 uniform and reduce the energy required for cooling.

The product display unit 40 is a device provided on the rear side of the product display shelf 24, and can place the product 100 supplied from the product supply unit 35 on the rear end 27b of the shelf board 27.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a side view and a front view of the commodity display unit 40 are shown. Further, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, there are shown perspective views of the vicinity of the transport device 47 in the product display unit 40 as viewed from the front left and the rear left. The product display unit 40 includes a frame 41, a lifting device 43, a carrying device 47, and a bucket 45.

The frame 41 is a skeleton that supports the lifting device 43 and the transfer device 47. The lifting device 43 includes a support base 51 and a driving machine 53. The support base 51 is disposed so as to be vertically movable over the left and right column members 41 a of the frame 41. The support base 51 has rails 51a and support legs 51b.

The rail 51a is a pillar member that supports a second direction changer 62, which will be described later, of the transfer device 47 so as to be movable in the left-right direction. The support leg 51b is a flat plate member that has a pillar portion 51c and a mounting portion 51d, and is formed downward in a substantially U shape, and is attached to the left and right ends of the rail 51a. The pillar portion 51c is a pair of front and rear support pillars formed to extend upward from the front end and the rear end of the rail 51a. The attachment portion 51d is formed to extend in the front-rear direction over the upper ends of the pair of front and rear pillar portions 51c.

The driving machine 53 has a lifting rail 53a, a lifting belt 53b, a lifting motor 53c, and a counterweight 53d. The elevating rail 53a is a rail extending in the up-down direction formed on the column member 41a on the right side of the frame 41. The elevating rail 53a supports the support base 51 so as to be movable in the vertical direction while restricting the support base 51 from moving in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction.

The lifting belt 53b is a timing belt having gear teeth formed inward in the front-rear direction, and extends downward while being locked by the lifting motor 53c at the upper portion. The lifting belt 53b has a front end attached to the support base 51 and a rear end attached to the counterweight 53d. The elevating motor 53c is provided on the upper end of the elevating rail 53a, and can drive the elevating belt 53b to pull it.

Further, the lifting motor 53c can drive the lifting belt 53b by driving. The counterweight 53d is, for example, a weight having substantially the same mass as the mass of the support base 51.

As a result, the driving machine 53 drives the lifting motor 53c to pull the lifting belt 53b to move the support base 51 in the vertical direction along the lift rail 53a, and to move the support base 51 and the counterweight 53d. The support base 51 can be stopped at a predetermined position by suspending the masses of and.

The bucket 45 is a stand having one end fixed to the heat insulating wall 31 and the other end extending forward. The bucket 45 has a stock section 45a, a gate 45b, and a gate motor 45c.

The stock portion 45 a is formed on the upper side of the bucket 45 and has a concave shape extending in the front-rear direction. When the commodity 100 is supplied from the commodity supply section 35 provided on the heat insulating wall 31, the stock section 45 a can hold the commodity 100. Is. The stock portion 45a is substantially horizontal and is inclined so that the front side is slightly inclined downward. A plurality of rollers (not shown) are provided on the upper surface of the stock portion 45a.

The gate 45b is attached to the front end of the bucket 45 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. When the gate 45b is positioned so as to extend upward, the product 100 placed on the stock portion 45a is stopped (gate OFF state). ). On the other hand, when the gate 45b is positioned so as to extend forward, it forms a surface substantially parallel to the upper surface of the stock portion 45a (gate ON state). The gate motor 45c is an electric motor attached to the gate 45b and can rotate the gate 45b.

Therefore, the bucket 45 can make the product 100 supplied from the product supply unit 35 stand still when the gate 45b is in the gate OFF state. Further, since the gate 45b is in the gate ON state, the stationary product 100 can be sent forward.

The transfer device 47 is a device that transfers the product 100 sent from the bucket 45 to the lane corresponding to the product 100 on the shelf board 27. The transport device 47 (moving device) includes a conveyor 60, a first direction changer 61, and a second direction changer 62.

The conveyor 60 is a so-called belt conveyor device having a belt 60a and a support frame 60b that supports the belt 60a, and can move a product 100 placed on the belt 60a in a direction in which the belt 60a rotates. Here, the direction in which the belt 60a rotates means the direction in which the upper surface moves in the left-right direction, and the direction in which the belt 60a rotates can be changed by controlling the operation of the conveyor 60. it can. Further, in the conveyor 60, the support frame 60b is fixed to the mounting portion 51d of the support base 51.

The first direction changer 61 has a first support skeleton 61a and a first guide 61b, and is arranged on the right side of the conveyor 60. The first support skeleton 61a is a skeleton member having a lower end attached to the support frame 60b and extending upward. The first guide 61b is a member in which an arc-shaped first curved portion 61c is formed, and is attached to the first support skeleton 61a so as to be rotatable about the vertical direction. The center of the rotation axis of the first guide 61b is located substantially at the center of the belt 60a in the front-rear direction.

Here, the 1st direction changer 61 rotates the 1st guide 61b, the front end part of the 1st curve part 61c is a saving aspect and the rear end of the 1st curve part 61c is located on the left side. The part can be switched to the carry-out mode in which it is located on the left side.

The second direction changer 62 is arranged on the rail 51a so as to be movable in the left and right directions. The second direction changer 62 has a left/right drive unit 62a, a second support skeleton 62b, and a second guide 62c. The left-right driving unit 62a can move the second direction changer 62 in the left-right direction by driving a motor 62e provided on the rail 51a, for example.

The second support skeleton 62b is a skeleton formed by extending upward from the rear part of the left-right drive part 62a. The second guide 62c is fixed and attached to the second support skeleton 62b, and is arranged at a position corresponding to the belt 60a of the conveyor 60. Further, the second guide 62c is formed with the second curved portion 62d similarly to the first guide 61b, and can send the moving commodity 100 placed on the belt 60a to the shelf board 27.

Further, in the transport device 47, a camera 71 is provided above the first support skeleton 61a, a take-out monitor 73 is provided above the product take-out door 33 of the heat insulating wall 31, and a supply monitor 75 is provided to the left of the product supply section 35. Each is arranged. Further, the camera 71, the take-out monitor 73, the supply monitor 75, and the controller 77 electrically connected to the various motors described above are provided on the heat insulating wall 31, for example.

The camera 71 is an image pickup device that is arranged behind the product 100 (behind the rearmost tail of the objects lined up in one direction), and picks up an image obliquely downward to the front, and is the same as the upper surface of the belt 60a of the conveyor 60 in the vertical direction. The product 100 displayed on the shelf board 27 located at the height is imaged.

The take-out monitor 73 is a liquid crystal monitor that is displayed to an employee who takes out the merchandise 100 from the merchandise take-out door 33, and can notify the employee of the display status of the merchandise 100 and the merchandise that needs to be replenished (see a diagram described later). 9). The supply monitor 75 is a liquid crystal monitor that displays the supply procedure of the product 100 to be supplied among the products 100, and provides the employee with information regarding which product of a plurality of types of products and how and in what order. It can be notified (see FIG. 10 described later).

The controller 77 is a control device for performing comprehensive control, and is configured to include an input/output device, a storage device (ROM, RAM, non-volatile RAM, etc.), a central processing unit (CPU), and the like.

Referring to FIG. 7, a block diagram showing the connection relationship of the controller 77 is shown. The camera 71 is electrically connected to the input side of the controller 77, and imaging information captured by the camera 71 is input. The controller 77 includes a display status determination unit (placement status determination unit) 81, a supply order determination unit 83, a monitor control unit 85, and a transportation control unit 87.

With reference to FIG. 8, the imaging information captured by the camera 71 is shown. Hereinafter, the display status determination by the display status determination unit 81 will be described with reference to FIG. For convenience of explanation, the shelf plate 27 located at the same height as the upper surface of the belt 60a of the conveyor 60 in the vertical direction is referred to as a current shelf plate 27d, and the upper shelf plate 27 is referred to as an upper shelf plate 27u.

As an example, the camera 71 images three lanes (a plurality of columns) of the rightmost lane La, the lane Lb to the left of the lane Lc, and the lane Lc to the left of the lane La of the shelf 27d. ing. Here, the merchandise 100A is mounted on the lane La, the merchandise 100B is mounted on the lane Lb, and the merchandise 100C is mounted on the lane Lc in one row (front-back direction, one direction). Each of the

products

100A, 100B, and 100C is a beverage product using, for example, a colorless and transparent plastic bottle container, and only the cap 101 is made of a colored resin.

By the way, considering, for example, the use of an infrared sensor that measures the distance by receiving irradiated infrared light, a colorless and transparent container may cause false detection because the irradiated infrared light is diffusely reflected.

Therefore, the display status determination unit 81 measures the distance from the upper end of the cap 101 to the lower surface rear end 27b immediately above the upper shelf plate 27u based on the image captured by the camera 71, and mounts it on each lane La, Lb, Lc. The number of each of the placed

products

100A, 100B, 100C is determined.

Specifically, the display status determination unit 81 displays product information such as the heights and diameters of the

products

100A, 100B, and 100C, the front-rear length of the shelf board 27d, and the upper surface of the shelf board 27d directly above the upper shelf board 27u. Shelf information such as the distance to the lower surface rear end 27b is registered in advance by an employee or the like. Based on these product information and shelf information, the

products

100A, 100B, 100C displayed in the lanes La, Lb, Lc by the distances ha, hb, hc from the upper end of the cap 101 to the lower surface rear end 27b immediately above the upper shelf plate 27u. It is possible to create an index 102 that indicates the number of

Therefore, the display status determination unit 81 stores in advance the index 102 based on the relationship between the distances ha, hb, hc from the upper end of the cap 101 to the lower surface rear end 27b immediately above the upper shelf board 27u and the number of the products 100. You can

Then, assuming that the distance from the upper end of the cap 101 to the lower surface rear end 27b immediately above the upper shelf plate 27u is the distance ha in the lane La, the display status determination unit 81 displays the items based on the index 102 indicating the number of products. By determining the situation, for example, since the distance ha is the length closest to the line of "3", it is determined that the number of the products 100A is 3. Similarly, if the lane Lb is the distance hb and the lane Lc is the distance hc, the display status determination unit 81 determines that the number of the products 100B is one and the number of the products 100C is five.

In this way, by determining the number of the

products

100A, 100B, 100C displayed in the lanes La, Lb, Lc based on the imaged information captured by the camera 71, the display of the product 100 without causing erroneous detection or the like. The situation can be determined.

Although the display status determination unit 81 has been described as measuring the distance from the upper end of the cap 101 to the lower surface rear end 27b immediately above the upper shelf plate 27u, the distance to the lower surface rear end 27b of the shelf plate 27 two steps higher. May be measured, or the distance from the upper end of the cap 101 to the rear end 27b immediately below the shelf plate 27d may be measured, and a mark is provided on the upper shelf plate 27u and the shelf plate 27d, and The distance may be measured.

In this way, in measuring the distance from the upper end of the cap 101 to the reference part, the reference part is the rear end 27b immediately below the shelf plate 27d, so that the number of products 100 is counted even in the uppermost shelf plate 27. be able to. Further, by providing a mark on the upper shelf plate 27u or the present shelf plate 27d and measuring the distance from the mark, even if the rear end 27b of the shelf plate 27 has a color or shape that is difficult to be imaged by the camera 71, for example, Display status can be determined.

Returning to FIG. 7, the supply order determination unit 83 is a determination unit that determines, based on the display status determined by the display status determination unit 81, which product and in what order the optimum display order is. Specifically, assuming that the

products

100A, 100B, and 100C are in a necessary and sufficient display replenishment state (good display replenishment state) when six lanes are placed per lane, lanes La, Lb, and Lc are all good display replenishment. In order to reach the state, it is necessary to restock one product 100C, five product 100B, and three product 100A.

Here, the good display replenishment state indicates, for example, 2/3 of the number of

products

100A, 100B, and 100C that can be placed per lane. As a result, for example, even if the customer once picks up the product 100 and then restocks the product 100, and then the customer returns the product 100 to the shelf board 27, the product 100 is replaced by the shelf board 27. Overflow from the rear end 27b can be suppressed.

Therefore, when displaying the

commodities

100C, 100B, and 100A in order from the left lane such as lane Lc, lane Lb, and lane La, one commodity 100C and one commodity 100B are displayed in the stock section 45a of the bucket 45. When the five products and the three products 100A are placed side by side in this order from the front side, the respective products 100 can be efficiently displayed.

That is, the supply order determination unit 83 places one product 100C, five product 100B, and three product 100A in the stock unit 45a of the bucket 45 side by side in this order from the front side, and the lane Lc, It can be determined that displaying the products 100 in the order of the lane Lb and the lane La is the most efficient display order.

Based on the optimal display order determined by the supply order determination unit 83, the monitor control unit 85 extracts the type and number of the products 100 to be taken out from the product storage rack 23 and the supply order of the

products

100A, 100B, and 100C and the extraction monitor 73 and the supply. Display on the monitor 75. Here, according to the above-described specific example, it is necessary to take out three products 100A, five products 100B, one product 100C and one product storage shelf 23.

Referring to FIG. 9, there is shown a front view of the product storage shelf 23 and its surroundings viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. A take-out monitor 73 is arranged above the product storage shelf 23. The take-out monitor 73 displays the positions of the shelves of the

products

100A, 100B and 100C and the number of taken-out shelves.

Specifically, first, for example, a management PC (computer) (not shown) or the like stores in advance which position on the product storage shelf 23 each product 100 is stored (storage position information). Based on the storage position information registered in advance in this way, it indicates that the product 100C is stored second in the left column of the product storage rack 23, C (product 100C): 2 (from the top The second)-1 (one) display appears above the left column. Similarly, for the

products

100A and 100B, "corresponding product name: position of shelf-number of extracted products" is displayed.

With this, the employee can efficiently take out the number of

products

100A, 100B, 100C displayed on the take-out monitor 73. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the temperature increase of the refrigerating room 11 caused by the time and labor required for the employee to search for the

products

100A, 100B, 100C from the product storage rack 23 and the product opening door 33 for a long time.

Referring to FIG. 10, there is shown a front view of the commodity supply unit 35 and its periphery as viewed from the direction of arrow B in FIG. A supply monitor 75 is arranged near the product supply unit 35. The supply monitor 75 shows the supply order and the number of the

products

100A, 100B, and 100C based on the optimum display replenishment order determined by the supply order determination unit 83.

According to the above specific example, one product 100C, five product 100B, three product 100A, and the product 100 to be placed on the stock portion 45a of the bucket 45 in this order from the front side are supplied. Is desirable. Therefore, it is notified that one product 100C, five product 100B, and finally three product 100A will be supplied.

As a result, the employee supplies one product 100C, five products 100B, and three products 100A in the order displayed on the supply monitor 75, in this order from the product supply unit 35 to the stock unit 45a of the bucket 45. The products 100 can be supplied so that the

products

100A, 100B, and 100C are placed on the stock portion 45a of the bucket 45 in the optimum order from the front side.

Referring to FIGS. 11 to 14, there are shown explanatory views for explaining a mode in which the

goods

100A, 100B, 100C are displayed and replenished in the lanes La, Lb, Lc of the shelf board 27 by the carrying control executed by the carrying control unit 87. ing. An example of the transport control executed by the transport control unit 87 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

First, in order to convey the product 100C to the lane Lc, in the conveyance control in this embodiment, the gate 45b is switched from the gate OFF state to the gate ON state. As a result, the product 100C moves from the stock portion 45a toward the belt 60a. When the product 100C exceeds the gate 45b by one, the gate 45b is switched from the gate ON state to the gate OFF state again. Here, the determination as to whether or not the product 100C has exceeded one gate 45b is made by detecting that the cap 101 has passed through the gate 45b, for example, by an infrared sensor (not shown), and the stock portion 45a passes through the gate 45b. It suffices to count the number of products 100.

Further, according to FIG. 11, the first direction changer 61 is in a saving mode in which the first guide 61b is rotated so that the rear end of the first curved portion 61c faces the rear. Therefore, when the product 100C passes through the gate 45b from the stock portion 45a and is placed on the belt 60a, the moving direction can be smoothly changed to the left by the first curve portion 61c.

Further, when the product 100C is placed on the belt 60a, the belt 60a is rotated so that the upper surface of the belt 60a moves leftward in the transport control. As a result, the product 100C placed on the belt 60a is placed more smoothly on the belt 60a and can be moved leftward thereafter.

In the transportation control, the second direction changer 62 is moved so that the front end of the second guide 62c is located at the left end of the lane Lc. The second direction changer 62 may be preliminarily positioned at the position before the gate 45b is changed from the gate OFF state to the gate ON state.

Therefore, the product 100C contacts the second guide 62c while moving leftward by the belt 60a, and moves toward the lane Lc by the second curve portion 62d. As a result, in the transport control, the moving direction of the product 100C placed on the belt 60a can be converted to the direction toward the lane Lc and supplied to the lane Lc.

Next, according to FIG. 12, in order to convey the product 100B to the lane Lb, the conveyance control switches the gate 45b from the gate OFF state to the gate ON state so that the front end of the second guide 62c is located at the left end of the lane Lb. The second direction changer 62 is moved to. At this time, since there are five products 100B conveyed to the lane Lb, when the products 100C exceed five gates 45b, the gates 45b are switched from the gate ON state to the gate OFF state again.

In this way, when a plurality of products 100 are transported to the lane, the gates 45b are kept in the gate ON state until the required number of products 100 pass through the gate 45b, so that the plurality of products 100 can be delivered in a short time. Can be transported at once. The process in which the product 100B is placed on the belt 60a and is transported to the lane Lb is the same as when the product 100C is transported to the lane Lc, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

Next, according to FIG. 13, in order to convey the product 100A to the lane La, in the conveyance control, the gate 45b is switched from the gate OFF state to the gate ON state, and the front end of the second guide 62c is located on the left side of the left end of the lane Lc. The second direction changer 62 is moved so as to do so.

In the same manner as when the product 100C is conveyed to the lane Lc, the product 100A placed on the belt 60a is placed on the belt 60a after all three of the items placed on the stock portion 45a have passed through the gate 45b. It Here, when all the three products 100A are placed on the belt 60a, the conveyance control unit 87 stops the rotation of the belt 60a. In this way, the transport control unit 87 can place and hold the product 100 on the belt 60a of the conveyor 60.

Here, according to FIG. 14, the conveyance control unit 87 controls the first direction changer 61 to rotate the first guide 61b so that the front end of the first curve portion 61c faces the front side, so that the carrying-out mode is set. Then, the conveyance control unit 87 rotates the belt 60a so that the upper surface of the belt 60a moves to the right, and moves the product 100A to the right. Thus, in the conveyance control, the first curve portion 61c smoothly changes the moving direction of the product 100A from the right direction to the front direction, so that the product 100A can be conveyed from the belt 60a to the lane La.

By the way, as described above, the plurality of shelf boards 27 are supported by the main body 25 side by side in the vertical direction. Therefore, for example, when the goods 100 are displayed and replenished on the shelf board 27 located at the lowermost position, the goods 100 are placed and held on the belt 60a of the conveyor 60 as shown in FIG. The transport device 47 is lowered to the position to replenish the products 100 (see FIG. 2). As a result, the products 100 can be replenished and displayed on the plurality of shelves 27 by the single carrier device 47.

Referring to FIG. 15, a perspective view of a first direction changer 161 according to another embodiment is shown. As another example of this embodiment, a first direction changer 161 is provided instead of the first direction changer 61. The first direction changer 161 according to another embodiment is provided with a first guide 161b. The first guide 161b has a first curved portion 161c formed by bending a plurality of flat plates instead of the first curved portion 61c.

With this, it is possible to place the product 100 on the belt 60a after reducing the momentum of moving forward by applying the product 100 to the front surface 161d.

Referring to FIG. 16, a perspective view of a first direction changer 261 according to still another embodiment is shown. As yet another example of the present embodiment, a first direction changer 261 is provided instead of the first direction changer 61. A first turning guide 261b is provided in the first direction changer 261 in yet another embodiment. The first rotation guide 261b is formed in a cross shape when viewed from above, and can rotate about a central shaft 261c extending in the vertical direction.

Also, the first rotation guide 261b can be rotated and stopped by a motor (not shown) to be repeated. As a result, by adjusting the timing of rotation of the first rotation guide 261b, it is possible to control the time when the product 100 moving from the bucket 45 to the transport device 47 is placed on the belt 60a.

Referring to FIG. 17, a perspective view of a first direction changer 361 according to a modification of still another embodiment is shown. As a modification of yet another example of the present embodiment, a first direction changer 361 is provided instead of the first direction changer 61. The first direction changer 361 according to the modification of still another embodiment is provided with a first rotation guide 361b (first moving direction changing portion, third moving direction changing portion, composite changing member, plate-shaped guide). ing.

The first rotation guide 361b is a flat plate member that can be rotated about the central shaft 361c by a motor (not shown), and moves the product 100 similarly to the first direction changer 61 in the present embodiment. You can change the direction. That is, the first rotation guide 361b contacts the product 100 at an angle of, for example, 45° with respect to the moving direction of the product 100 that is about to move from the bucket 45 to the conveyor 60. With respect to the moving direction of the product 100 that is about to move from 60 to the shelf board 27, the first rotation guide 361b contacts the product 100 at 45° when viewed from above, so that the product 100 is brought out.

With this, the first rotation guide 361b can change the moving direction of the product 100 with a simple structure. Although the first rotation guide 361b is configured to be rotatable about the central shaft 361c, the central shaft 361c may be positioned at one end of the first rotation guide 361b. ..

As described above, in the placement status determination system according to the present invention, the shelf board 27d, which is arranged on the product display shelf 24 and places the products 100 side by side in the front-rear direction, and the upper shelf located above the products 100. The rear end 27b of the plate 27u and the camera 71 arranged behind the product 100 lined up in one direction to image the product 100 and the rear end 27b of the upper shelf plate 27u, and the product 100 placed on the shelf plate 27d. And a display status determination unit 81 that determines the mounting status, and the display status determination unit 81 determines the distances ha, hb, hc between the product 100 and the rear end 27b of the upper shelf board 27u based on the image captured by the camera 71. Is measured and the mounting situation is determined based on the distance.

Therefore, by disposing the camera 71 at the rear of the product 100, the space above the shelf board 27d can be effectively used. In addition, the display status determination unit 81 determines the mounting status based on the distances ha, hb, and hc between the products 100 and the upper shelf board 27u, and thus the number of the products 100 that are stacked in a row on the shelf board 27d is calculated. It can be accurately determined.

Further, in the product display shelf 24, a plurality of shelves 27 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction, and the rear end 27b of the upper shelves 27u arranged above the shelves 27d is on the camera 71 side as a reference portion. Therefore, the upper shelf plate 27u can be utilized without newly providing a reference portion for disposing the placement status determination system according to the present invention. Therefore, the space above the shelf board 27d can be used more effectively.

Further, since the upper shelf plate 27u is the shelf plate 27 disposed immediately above the shelf plate 27d, the imaging range of the camera 71 can be narrowed as compared with the case where the upper shelf plate 27u is imaged. Therefore, the distance in the front-back direction between the camera 71 and the shelf plate 27 can be narrowed.

Further, for example, if the rear end 27b of the present shelf board 27d on the camera 71 side is used as a reference portion, it is the shelf board 27 provided at the uppermost stage among the plurality of shelf boards 27 provided on the product display shelf 24. Also, the placement status can be determined.

Further, for example, if a mark is provided on the upper shelf plate 27u or the present shelf plate 27d and the mounting situation is determined based on the distance between the mark and the product 100, for example, the rear end 27b of the shelf plate 27 on the camera 71 side is detected. Even if the shelf plate 27 is made of metal and is glossy, and the rear end 27b may be blurred by the reflected light, the placement status can be determined using the mark.

Further, the product display shelf 24 is a display shelf that is arranged in the store 1 and replenishes the display of the product 100 toward the store 2. Since the camera 71 is arranged on the side opposite to the store 2, the customer can visit the store. It is possible to prevent the camera 71 from getting in the way when picking up the product 100.

Further, the display status determination unit 81 stores the index 102 indicating the relationship between the distances ha, hb, hc between the product 100 and the rear end 27b of the upper shelf board 27u and the number of the products 100. By using it, it is possible to count the number of products 100 more accurately.

Further, the product 100 is arranged on a plurality of lanes of each shelf board 27 to form a plurality of rows in the left-right direction, and the camera 71 images the products 100 forming the plurality of rows at a time. To do. Further, the camera 71 is attached to a transport device 47 that is vertically movable by a support base 51 that vertically moves, which is a direction perpendicular to the front-back direction. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of cameras 71 required to apply the placement status determination system according to the present invention.

The description of the placement status determination system according to the present invention has been completed above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified within the scope of the invention.
For example, although the display replenishment order determined by the supply order determination unit 83 has been described in the present embodiment, the display replenishment order is an example, and may be appropriately changed.

In the present embodiment, the take-out monitor 73 is used to guide the merchandise take-out door 33 in which the

merchandise

100A, 100B, and 100C are stored. However, the merchandise take-out door 33 may be provided with a lamp.

Further, in the present embodiment, the product 100 is transferred from the bucket 45 to the shelf board 27 using the conveyor 60, but the product 100 may be transferred directly from the bucket 45 to the shelf board 27. In this case, since the stock portion 45a is substantially horizontal and is inclined so that the front side is slightly inclined downward, the stock portion 45a also has a function of a delivery portion that delivers the product 100 held in the bucket 45 to the shelf board 27.

Further, in the present embodiment, in order to reduce the installation cost of the product display unit 40, the employee takes out the product 100 from the product storage shelf 23 and supplies the product 100 from the product supply unit 35 to the product display unit 40. Alternatively, the product 100 stored in the product storage shelf 23 may be supplied from the product supply unit 35 to the product display unit 40 without depending on the hand of the employee.

In addition, although the present embodiment has been described using the refrigerating room 11 in which the room temperature is kept at a low temperature, it may be a storage for handling hot beverages, or may be room temperature.

Further, in another example and further another example according to the present embodiment, the first direction changer 61 is replaced with the first direction changers 161, 262, but the second direction changer 62 is used instead. You may make it provide the 2nd direction changer of a similar structure.

Further, in the present embodiment, the camera 71 is described as being provided behind the product 100, but it may be provided in front of the product 100.
Further, in the present embodiment, the lane La (predetermined lane) is described as the rightmost lane, but it may be the leftmost lane or the center in the left-right direction.

Further, in the present embodiment, the camera 71 has three lanes, that is, the lane La on the rightmost side, the lane Lb on the left side thereof, and the lane Lc on the left side thereof, that is, a plurality of lanes L arranged side by side in the left-right direction. Although the last image of the lane is imaged, the last image of a plurality of lanes arranged in the vertical direction may be imaged.

Alternatively, the camera 71 can be moved in the up-down direction by being arranged on the transfer device 47 that can be moved in the up-down direction by the support base 51, but the transfer device 47 may be moved in the left-right direction. ..

Further, in the present embodiment, the display status determination unit 81 has been described as measuring the distance from the upper end of the cap 101 to the lower surface rear end 27b immediately above the upper shelf plate 27u, but it is optional at the lower surface rear end 27b of the upper shelf plate 27u. The distance may be measured based on the position of.

Further, in the present embodiment, the camera 71 is attached to the first direction changer 61 of the transport device 47, but it may be attached to the conveyor 60 and the second direction changer 62.

Further, in the present embodiment, the description simply “display” may include display and supplement.

1 store 2 in-store 24 product display shelf (shelf)
27 Shelf plate 27b Rear end (reference part, end part)
27d This shelf board (shelf board)
27u Upper shelf board (standard part)
47 Transport device (moving device)
71 Camera (Imaging device)
81 Display status determination unit (placement status determination unit)
100 products (deposit)
102 indicators

Claims

A shelf board that is placed on a shelf and places objects to be placed in one direction.
A reference part located near the above-mentioned figurine,
An imaging device that is disposed in front of the front or rear of the last of the row of the above-described objects arranged in the one direction, and that images the object and the reference portion.
A placement status determination unit that determines the placement status of the above-mentioned figurine placed on the shelf board;
The placement status determination unit measures the distance between the placement object and the reference unit based on an image captured by the imaging device, and determines the placement status based on the distance. ..
The shelf has a plurality of the shelf plates arranged in the vertical direction,
The placement status determination system according to claim 1, wherein the reference portion is an end portion of a shelf plate disposed above the shelf plate on the imaging device side.
The placement status determination system according to claim 2, wherein the reference portion is an end portion of the shelf plate disposed directly above the shelf plate on which the object is placed, on the imaging device side.
A mark is provided on the shelf plate arranged directly above the shelf plate on which the above-mentioned figurine is placed,
The placement status determination system according to claim 1, wherein the reference portion is the mark.
The placement status determination system according to claim 1, wherein the reference part is an end of the shelf on the imaging device side.
A mark is provided on the shelf board,
The placement status determination system according to claim 1, wherein the reference portion is the mark.
The shelf is a display shelf that is placed in a store and displays the products displayed as the above-mentioned figurine toward the store,
The placement status determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the imaging device is disposed on a side opposite to the inside of the store.
8. The mounting condition determination unit according to claim 1, wherein an index indicating a relationship between a distance between the preceding object and the reference unit and a number of the previous object is stored. Storage situation determination system.
The above-mentioned figurine constitutes a plurality of rows in a direction perpendicular to the one direction,
9. The placement status determination system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device images the plurality of columns at once.
The placement status determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the imaging device is attached to a moving device that moves in a direction perpendicular to the one direction.