WO2022208631A1

WO2022208631A1 - Conveyance system and method, and control device

Info

Publication number: WO2022208631A1
Application number: PCT/JP2021/013401
Authority: WO
Inventors: 翔太津曲; 卓司厚見; 知生嶋野
Original assignee: 株式会社日立製作所
Priority date: 2021-03-29
Filing date: 2021-03-29
Publication date: 2022-10-06
Also published as: JPWO2022208631A1

Abstract

A conveyance system according to the present invention is provided with: a conveyer that is provided adjacent to a work area where predetermined work is carried out and that conveys, to the work area, objects to be conveyed; a plurality of conveyance devices that convey the objects to be conveyed from a predetermined area and that deliver the objects to the conveyer; and a control device that controls operations of the conveyance devices, wherein for a conveyance device that has delivered, to the conveyer, an object to be conveyed, the control device determines, on the basis of the status of work on an other object to be conveyed which is on the conveyer, whether or not said other object to be conveyed is to be set as the next object to be conveyed, and decides the next operation of the conveyance device on the basis of the result of the determination.

Description

Conveying system, method and control device

The present invention relates to a transport system, method, and control device, and is suitable, for example, for a transport system that transports a shelf on which goods are stored to a picking work place by a transport device.

In recent years, the movement of stored materials within warehouses has been greatly automated, and along with this, technological development related to systems for transporting such stored materials within warehouses is underway.

Prior art related to such a system includes, for example, a movable rack, an automated guided vehicle (AGV) that conveys the movable rack, an AGV area where the automatic guided vehicle conveys the movable rack, and an AGV area. A picking area where workers take out products from the mobile rack (hereinafter referred to as picking work) in contact with the There are technologies that have picking locations. For example, there is a technique described in Patent Document 1.

WO2015/097736

By the way, in such a picking system, in order to improve the work efficiency of picking, one or a plurality of shelves to be the target of future picking work are selected in advance so that the picking work is not interrupted by waiting for the transport of the shelf at the picking place. It is desirable to transport it to the picking location and keep it on standby.

However, when the shelf to be picked up in the future is put on standby in this way, the transport device that loads and transports the shelf will also be on standby with the shelf loaded. There was a problem that the shelf transportation efficiency deteriorated due to A deterioration in the efficiency of transporting shelves leads to a decrease in the productivity of the entire picking system, such as waiting for transport of shelves at the picking location when transporting a shelf from a distant storage area takes time. obtain.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and intends to propose a highly useful transport system, method, and control device capable of improving both the working efficiency of picking work and the efficiency of transporting shelves by a transport device. It is.

In order to solve such a problem, in the present invention, in a transport system for transporting an object to be transported, a conveyor is installed adjacent to a work place where a predetermined work is performed, and conveys the object to be transported to the work place. a plurality of conveying devices for conveying the objects to be conveyed from a predetermined location and transferring them to the conveyor; With respect to the conveying device that has been transferred, it is determined whether or not the other conveying object is to be the next conveying object based on the status of the work on the other conveying object on the conveyor, and based on the judgment result. to determine the next operation of the transport device.

Further, according to the present invention, in the transport method executed by a transport system that transports an object to be transported, the transport system is installed adjacent to a work place where a predetermined work is performed, and transports the object to be transported to the work place. a conveyor that conveys the object to the For the conveying device that has passed the conveying object to the conveyor, it is determined whether or not the other conveying object is to be the next conveying object based on the status of the work for the other conveying object on the conveyor. A first step of judging and a second step of determining the next operation of the conveying device by the control device based on the judgment result are provided.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a control device for controlling the operation of a conveying device in a conveying system that conveys objects to be conveyed, wherein the conveying system is capable of stacking and conveying a plurality of objects to be conveyed. , at least a part of which has a conveyor installed adjacent to a work place where work is performed on the conveyed objects to be transported and conveys the conveyed objects to the work place, wherein the conveying device comprises: It is possible to transfer the object to be conveyed from a predetermined location to the conveyor, and the conveying device that has transferred the object to be conveyed to the conveyor is based on at least the status of the work on the object to be conveyed on the conveyor. , a conveying device control unit that determines whether or not one conveying object included in the conveying objects on the conveyor is to be the next conveying object, and determines the next operation of the conveying device based on the judgment result; I set it up.

According to the transport system, method, and control device of the present invention, it is possible to improve both the working efficiency of picking work and the efficiency of transporting shelves by the transport device.

According to the present invention, a highly useful transportation system, method, and control device can be realized.

1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of a transport system according to a first embodiment; FIG. (A) is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the conveying device, and (B) is a plan view showing the bottom configuration of the conveying device. (A) to (E) are side views for explaining a method of transporting a shelf by a transport device. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view for explaining the physical configuration of a conveyor and the effect of providing the conveyor; FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view for explaining the physical configuration of a conveyor and the effect of providing the conveyor; 2 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the conveying system; FIG. 4 is a chart showing a configuration example of an order information database; 4 is a chart showing a configuration example of an inventory information database; 4 is a chart showing a configuration example of a shelf information database; 4 is a chart showing a configuration example of a device information database; 4 is a chart showing a configuration example of a picking work information database; 9 is a flow chart showing a processing procedure of a first conveying device control process; FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing a processing procedure of a second conveying device control process; FIG. FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of a transport system according to a second embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view for explaining the positional relationship between a conveyor and a picking station; It is a chart showing the shelf information database of the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of a transport system according to a third embodiment;

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

It should be noted that the embodiments described below are examples for describing the present invention, and are appropriately omitted and simplified for clarity of description. The present invention can also be implemented in various other forms. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

The position, size, shape, range, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may not represent the actual position, size, shape, range, etc. in order to facilitate the understanding of the invention. As such, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the locations, sizes, shapes, extents, etc., disclosed in the drawings.

As examples of various types of information, expressions such as "table", "list", and "queue" may be used for explanation, but various types of information may be expressed in data structures other than these. For example, various information such as "XX table", "XX list", and "XX queue" may be referred to as "XX information". When describing identification information, expressions such as “identification information”, “identifier”, “name”, “ID”, and “number” are used, but these can be replaced with each other.

When there are multiple components that have the same or similar functions, they may be described with the same reference numerals with different suffixes. Further, when there is no need to distinguish between these constituent elements, the subscripts may be omitted in the description.

In the embodiment, there are cases where the processing performed by executing the program will be explained. Here, the computer executes a program by means of a processor (eg, CPU, GPU) and performs processing determined by the program while using storage resources (eg, memory) and interface devices (eg, communication port). Therefore, the main body of the processing performed by executing the program may be the processor.

Similarly, the subject of processing performed by executing a program may be a controller, device, system, computer, or node having a processor. The subject of the processing performed by executing the program may be an arithmetic unit, and may include a dedicated circuit for performing specific processing. Here, the dedicated circuit is, for example, FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or the like.

The program may be installed on the computer from the program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable storage medium. When the program source is a program distribution server, the program distribution server may include a processor and storage resources for storing the distribution target program, and the processor of the program distribution server may distribute the distribution target program to other computers. Also, in the embodiment, two or more programs may be implemented as one program, and one program may be implemented as two or more programs.

(1) First Embodiment (1-1) Configuration of Transport System According to this Embodiment FIG. show. This transport system 1 includes a plurality of transport devices 3 that travel within a warehouse 2, an information processing device (hereinafter also referred to as an operation control device as appropriate) 4 that remotely controls the operation of each transport device 3, and each picking station 5. picking terminals 6 installed respectively in the picking stations 5 and conveyors 7 installed adjacent to the respective picking stations 5. As shown in FIG.

The warehouse 2 is, for example, a storehouse used by a company such as an online shopping company to store products. The floor surface of the warehouse 2 is divided into a plurality of rectangular areas 2A of a predetermined size and managed, and each area 2A contains a mark (not shown) such as a QR code (registered trademark) indicating the position of the area 2A. Hereinafter, this is referred to as a position mark) is indicated.

In the case of this embodiment, the position of each area 2A is determined by setting the address of the upper left area 2A in FIG. Addresses are managed in the form of xy coordinates in which the y-direction value increases by 1 toward the lower area 2A. Therefore, the position of area 2A, which is two areas to the right and three areas to the bottom from area 2A at address (1, 1), is at address (3, 4).

Also, in the warehouse 2, a plurality of shelves 8 having approximately the same size as one area 2A are arranged and installed in a movable state so as to be positioned within the corresponding areas 2A. These shelves 8 do not have legs as shown in FIGS. 3(A) to 3(E), for example, and are mounted on a pair of U-shaped mounts 13 which are installed in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval. It is installed in a state where it is placed on the On each shelf 8, commodities to be sold are stored at predetermined positions.

The transport device 3 lifts a shelf 8 designated by the operation control device 4, travels in the warehouse 2, and transports the shelf 8 to a picking station 5 provided at a predetermined position in the warehouse 2 (unmanned transport robot). car). The shelf 8 transported to the picking station 5 is transferred to the other end of the conveyor 7 installed so that one end (one end) is positioned in front of the picking station 5, and is then transferred to the other end by the operator. After the commodities are picked up, they are returned to their original installation positions by the conveying device 3 .

As shown in FIG. 2(A), the conveying device 3 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped with a square bottom as a whole. At the center of the upper surface of the conveying device 3, a cylindrical lifting/rotating body 10 is provided so as to be vertically and rotatably movable. Further, as shown in FIG. 2(B), a pair of drive wheels 11 for turning and advancing the conveying device 3 are provided on the lower surface side of the conveying device 3, and two driving wheels 11 are provided at the four corners of the lower surface of the conveying device 3. Two auxiliary wheels 12 are provided respectively.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the conveying device 3 rotates the drive wheels 11 to move between the pair of frames 13 below the shelf 8 to be conveyed (FIG. 3(A)). - The rack 8 is lifted by raising the rotating body 10 (Fig. 3(B)), and the rack 8 is transported by running in the warehouse 2 in that state (Fig. 3(C)). At this time, the conveying device 3 can also change the direction of the lifted shelf 8 by rotating the lifting/rotating body 10 . The transport device 3 then transfers the transported shelf 8 onto the conveyor 7 (FIGS. 3(D) and 3(E)), thereby completing transport of the shelf 8 to the picking station 5 .

In addition, the transport device 3 is equipped with an automatic charging function. Specifically, when the residual amount of the battery (not shown) mounted thereon falls below a predetermined value, the conveying device 3 is provided at a predetermined position in the warehouse 2 (area 2A at address (1, 1) in FIG. 1). It moves to the battery station 9 and charges. If a large number of transport devices 3 gather at the battery station 9 at the same timing, some of the transport devices 3 are waiting for charging, and the transport efficiency of the shelf 8 by the transport devices 3 decreases. For this reason, it is preferable that the operation control device 4 schedules charging timings of the transport devices 3 and controls the transport devices 3 so as to perform charging according to the schedule.

The operation control device 4 is wirelessly connected to each transport device 3, each picking terminal 6, and each conveyor 7 in the warehouse 2 via a wireless communication line such as Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity). The operation control device 4 identifies a shelf 8 in which the ordered product is stored according to an order from a customer, and assigns the shelf 8 to the empty transport device 3 at the picking station. 5 (this instruction is hereinafter referred to as a transport instruction). At this time, the operation control device 4 also transmits an instruction to the picking terminal 6 installed in the picking station 5 to pick the product (hereinafter referred to as a picking work instruction).

Here, the "transportation instruction" includes identification information (shelf ID) of the shelf 8 to be transported and the route to be moved by the transport device 3 at that time (hereinafter referred to as the movement route of the transport device 3). information. Further, the "moving route of the transport device" includes the route from the current position of the transport device 3 to the rack 8 and the route from the rack 8 to the picking station 5 8) is included.

Furthermore, the "picking work instruction" is an instruction to the worker who performs the picking work at the picking station 5, and includes the identifier of the product to be picked and the shelf 8 where the product is stored, and the storage position of the product on the shelf 8. , including information such as the quantity of that item to be picked. After completing the picking of the products, the worker performs a predetermined operation input (for example, pressing the corresponding end button) on the picking terminal 6 . As a result, a notification to that effect (hereinafter referred to as a picking work end notification) is transmitted from the picking terminal 6 to the operation control device 4 .

When the picking operation end notification is given from the picking terminal 6, the operation control device 4 instructs the transport device 3 to which the shelf 8 was assigned in advance to transport the shelf 8 to the original installation position. Give transport instructions. This transport instruction includes a movement route from the picking station 5 to the original installation position of the shelf 8 (more precisely, a movement route from the conveyor 7 to the original installation position of the shelf 8).

The picking terminal 6 is a communication terminal device for managing the picking work of the worker at the picking station 5 where it is installed. The picking terminal 6 displays the above-mentioned picking work instruction transmitted from the operation control device 4, and operates and controls the picking work end notification according to the above-mentioned operation input performed by the worker after the picking work is completed. Send to device 4.

The conveyor 7 is a device for temporarily placing the shelf 8 conveyed by the conveying device 3. The conveyor 7 is composed of a pair of

belt conveyors

7A and 7B arranged in parallel, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, for example. Each of the

belt conveyors

7A and 7B is installed so that one end side thereof is positioned in front of the picking station 5. As shown in FIG.

The interval between the

belt conveyors

7A and 7B is set wider than the diameter of the upper surface of the lifting/rotating body 10 (FIG. 2) of the conveying device 3. After the transfer device 3 enters the lower side of the conveyor 7 so that the lifting/rotating body 10 passes between the

belt conveyors

7A and 7B, the lifting/rotating body 10 is lowered to move the shelf 8 between the

belt conveyors

7A and 7B. It can be transferred (handed over to the conveyor 7) so as to bridge over it. Each

belt conveyor

7A, 7B is formed to have a length one to several times the width of the shelf 8, so that one to several shelves 8 can be placed on the conveyor 7. FIG.

Each shelf 8 transferred to the conveyor 7 is then sequentially transferred to the front position of the picking station 5 in the order transferred onto the conveyor 7 by the conveyor 7 driven under the control of the operation control device 4. After the necessary products have been picked by the worker at the picking station 5, they are transported to the original installation position by the transport device 3. FIG.

As described above, in the transport system 1, the conveyor 7 is installed adjacent to the picking station 5, and the transport device 3 that has transported the shelf 8 transfers the shelf 8 onto the conveyor 7. The transport device 3 can then be released from transporting the shelf 8 . As a result, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the transport device 3 is in charge of unloading other shelves 8 on the conveyor 7 after completion of the picking operation, or as shown in FIG. By directing it to the target shelf 8, the transport efficiency of the shelf 8 by the transport device 3 can be improved. The shape and arrangement of the picking station 5 and the conveyor 7 in the conveying system 1 are not limited to the shapes illustrated in FIGS. It can be transformed within the range where it is installed.

4 and 5 show the state after each shelf 8 of "shelf 1" to "shelf 5" has been transported onto the conveyor 7 by the transport devices 3 "R1" to "R5", respectively. there is 4 and 5, transport devices 3 labeled "R1" and "R2" transport "shelf 1" and "shelf 2" to their original installation positions. , waiting for the completion of the picking operation for the "shelf 1" or "shelf 2". 4 and 5, "R3" and "R4" are transport devices 3 waiting at a position away from the conveyor 7 after transporting the "shelf 3" or "shelf 4" to the conveyor 7. be.

FIG. 6 shows a specific configuration example of the transport device 3, the operation control device 4, the picking terminal 6, and the conveyor 7 in the transport system 1 according to this embodiment. As is clear from FIG. 6, the conveying device 3 includes a control device 20, a driving device 21, a storage device 22, a communication interface 23, and sensors 24 of a plurality of types.

The control device 20 is a controller that controls the operation of the transportation device 3 according to the transportation instruction from the operation control device 4, the state of charge of the built-in battery, and the like. The driving device 21 includes the lifting/rotating body 10, the drive wheels 11 and the auxiliary wheels 12 described above with reference to FIG. ), and a second actuator (not shown) made up of a motor or the like for rotating the drive wheel 11 .

The storage device 22 is composed of, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor memory, a large-capacity non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk device or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and is used to retain necessary information for a long period of time. . The communication interface 23 is a communication device for communicating with the operation control device 4 by a predetermined wireless communication method, and is composed of, for example, a Wi-Fi card.

The sensor 24 is a device for collecting the positional information of the transport device 3 and various information about the transport device 3, and is used for reading the position marks written on the respective areas 2A on the floor surface as described above. It is composed of a camera, a weight sensor for measuring the weight of the shelf 8 being conveyed, and the like.

In this embodiment, the storage device 22 of each transport device 3 stores a map information database 30, a device information database 31, a running record data database 32, a route data database 33, and a measurement data database 34. 20 stores a self-position estimation program 35, a measurement program 36, a travel control program 37, and a communication program 38.

The map information database 30 contains the floor shape of the warehouse 2, the positions (addresses) of each shelf 8, the picking station 5, the conveyor 7, and the battery station 9 in the warehouse 2, and the travelable area of the transport device 3 such as aisles. (drivable area) and information such as the traveling direction of each passage (hereinafter collectively referred to as map information) is stored in the database.

In addition, the device information database 31 includes identification information, current position and state (“waiting”, “moving”, “picking work”, “charging”, “broken”, etc.) of the transport device 3 itself, This is a database that stores various types of information (hereinbelow, collectively referred to as device information) about the transport device 3, such as information about hardware and software.

The travel record data database 32 is a database in which data (hereinafter referred to as "travel record data") related to the movement route traveled by the transport device 3 is stored. In the travel record data database 32, for example, the content (address) of each position mark detected based on the image captured by the camera, which is one of the sensors 24, when the transport device 3 travels, and the detection of these position marks are stored. Information such as the time when the vehicle was driven is stored as the driving result data.

The route data database 33 is a database that stores, as route data, information on the movement route specified by the transport instruction given from the operation control device 4 . The measurement data database 34 is a database in which various measurement data measured by the sensor 24 are stored. The measurement data database 34 stores, for example, the weight of each shelf 8 measured by a weight sensor, which is one of the sensors 24, and the weight of the transport device 3 measured by an acceleration sensor and a speed sensor, which are one of the sensors 24. Acceleration and speed during running are stored.

The self-position estimation program 35 uses the position marks written for each area 2A (FIG. 1) on the floor of the warehouse 2 read by the camera, which is one of the sensors 24, and the map stored in the map information database 30. It is a program having a function of sequentially estimating the current position of the transport device 3 based on the information and registering the estimation result in the device information database 31 .

The measurement program 36 is a program having a function of performing various measurements based on the output of each sensor 24 and registering the measurement results in the measurement data database 34. For example, the measurement program 36 measures the weight of the shelf 8 being transported based on the output of a weight sensor, which is one of the sensors 24 , and registers the measurement result in the measurement data database 34 .

The running control program 37 controls the running of the transport device 3 according to the transport instruction from the operation control device 4 received by the communication program 38 and the current position of the transport device 3 estimated by the self-position estimation program 35. It is a program that has the function to

In practice, when the communication program 38 receives a transport instruction from the operation control device 4, the traveling control program 37 stores the current position of the transport device 3 estimated by the self-position estimation program 35 and the map information database 30. Based on the available map information, the specified shelf 8 (FIG. 1) is lifted and moved to the conveyor 7 along the specified movement route, or the shelf 8 on which the picking operation on the conveyor 7 is completed is specified. The driving device 21 is controlled to return to the original installation position through the moving path. The travel control program 37 also registers the above-described various information related to travel at that time in the travel performance data database 32 as travel performance data.

The communication program 38 is a program having a function of exchanging commands and information with the operation control device 4 via the communication interface 23. The communication program 38 transmits various information registered in the device information database 31, the travel performance data database 32, and the measurement data database 34 to the operation control device 4 via the communication interface 23 at regular intervals.

On the other hand, the operation control device 4 is composed of a general-purpose server device having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 40, a memory 41, a storage device 42, an input device 43, an output device 44, and a communication interface 45. However, the configuration of the operation control device 4 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. For example, the operation control device 4 may be composed of one server device or may be composed of a plurality of server devices. Further, each device included in the operation control device 4 may be arranged in one server device, or may be distributed in a plurality of server devices. Each program and each information that the storage device 42 has may be stored in one storage device or divided and stored in a plurality of storage devices.

The CPU 40 is a processor that controls the operation of the operation control device 4 as a whole. The memory 41 is composed of, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and used as a work memory for the CPU 40 . The storage device 42 is composed of, for example, a large-capacity non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk device or an SSD.

The input device 43 is composed of, for example, a mouse and a keyboard, and is used by the operator to input necessary information and instructions to the operation control device 4. The output device 44 is composed of a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, and is used to display necessary information. Further, the communication interface 45 is a communication device for communicating with each conveying device 3 by a predetermined wireless communication method, and is composed of, for example, a Wi-Fi card.

In the case of this embodiment, the storage device 42 of the operation control device 4 includes a map information database 50, an order information database 51, an inventory information database 52, a shelf information database 53, an apparatus information database 54, a picking work information database 55, Databases such as a route data database 56 and a measurement data database 57, and programs such as a data input/output program 58, a route creation program 59, and a carrier device control program 60 are stored.

The map information database 50 is a database that stores map information similar to the map information stored in the map information database 30 of the transport device 3 described above.

The order information database 51 is a database that stores various information (hereinafter referred to as order information) regarding orders from customers, such as identification information and the number of ordered products. As shown in FIG. 7, the order information database 51 includes a processing ID column 51A, a slip number column 51B, a store name column 51C, a store code column 51D, a product name column 51E, a product ID column 51F, a quantity column 51G, and a delivery date column. It has a table structure with a column 51H, an order reception date and time column 51I, and a scheduled work date column 51J. In the order information database 51, one row in FIG. 7 corresponds to one order information.

Then, in the processing ID column 51A, an identifier (processing ID) unique to the order information given to the corresponding order information in the order information database 51 is stored. A serial number starting from 1, for example, is used as the process ID. The slip number column 51B stores an identification number (slip number) unique to the slip given to the slip for one order from the customer.

The store name field 51C stores the store name (store name) of the store to which the ordered product is to be shipped, and the store code field 51D stores an identification unique to the store given to the store. A code (selling point code) is stored.

The product name column 51E stores the product name of the product ordered by the customer, and the product ID column 51F stores the product-specific identifier (product ID) given to the product. The number column 51G stores the number of products ordered by the customer.

The delivery date column 51H stores the delivery date of the product requested by the customer or set according to the rules in the warehouse 2, and the order reception date and time column 51I stores the date when the corresponding order was received.

Furthermore, in the scheduled work date column 51J, the date of the scheduled picking work for the corresponding order and the morning/afternoon classification are stored as the scheduled work date. In addition to the delivery date, the scheduled work date takes into consideration the customer's request, for example, that the product should be shipped earlier than the delivery date, and the situation of the warehouse 2, such as when there is a reason for wanting to ship the product earlier. It is determined. In addition, even if the scheduled work date is determined by the operation control device 4 or other software such as a warehouse management system (WMS) that cooperates with the operation control device 4, it is also set by the user. It may be

Therefore, in the example of FIG. 7, for example, the order information with the processing ID of "1" is "SS" with the product ID of "1XXXX" for "A store" with the store code of "AXXXX". The order information corresponds to an order with a slip number of "100" that ships "1" of the product, the received date of the order for that product is "2020/6/22", and the delivery date is "2020/6 /25 AM", indicating that shipping work is scheduled for "2020/6/22 PM".

Note that, for example, as in the order information with the process IDs "2" and "3" in FIG. 7, even if the slip number is the same (that is, one order), the product type (product name or product code) is different. In this case, it is registered in the order information database 51 as different order information. This is because, in the case of multiple types of product orders, these products may be stored on different shelves 8, respectively.

The inventory information database 52 is a database that stores information (hereinafter referred to as "inventory information") regarding the inventory quantity and storage position of each product stored in the warehouse 2. As shown in FIG. 8, the inventory information database 52 has a table structure including a management number column 52A, a product name column 52B, a product ID column 52C, an inventory quantity column 52D, a shelf ID column 52E, and an intra-shelf storage position column 52F. have In the inventory information database 52, one row in FIG. 8 corresponds to one piece of inventory information.

Then, in the management number column 52A, an identifier (inventory information ID) unique to the inventory information given to the corresponding inventory information is stored. A serial number starting from 1, for example, is used as the inventory information ID.

The product name column 52B stores the product name of the product related to the corresponding inventory information, and the product ID column 52C stores the product ID of the product. The number of items stored in the storage location corresponding to the inventory information is stored in the inventory quantity column 52D.

Further, the shelf ID column 52E stores an identifier (shelf ID) unique to the shelf 8 on which the corresponding product is stored, and the storage position column 52F stores the product on the shelf 8. The position where the product is stored (hereinafter referred to as the storage position within the shelf) is stored. In FIG. 8, for example, "U0RΔ" means the "Δ"-th position from the right (R) of the "0" stage from the top (U) of the corresponding shelf.

Therefore, in the example of FIG. 8, for example, according to the inventory information with the management number "1", the product "SS" with the product ID "1XXXX" is located on the shelf 8 with the shelf ID "S046". It is shown that "23" are stored in the second position ("U3R2") from the right in the third row from the top.

In the inventory information database 52, one piece of inventory information corresponds to one storage position of one product. For this reason, as in the inventory information with the management numbers "1" and "2" in FIG. Stored in the database 52 .

The shelf information database 53 is a database that stores information on the installation position and weight of each shelf 8 in the warehouse 2 (hereinafter referred to as shelf information). As shown in FIG. 9, the shelf information database 53 has a table structure with a management number column 53A, a shelf ID column 53B, a shelf position column 53C, a shelf weight column 53D and a product weight column 53E. In the shelf information database 53, one row in FIG. 9 corresponds to one piece of shelf information.

Then, in the management number column 53A, an identifier (shelf information ID) unique to the shelf information given to the corresponding shelf information is stored. A serial number starting from 1, for example, is used as the shelf information ID. The shelf ID column 53B stores the shelf ID of the shelf 8 associated with the corresponding shelf information.

Furthermore, the installation position of the shelf 8 is stored in the shelf position column 53C. In this case, when the corresponding shelf 8 is being transported, waiting for picking, or being picked, information to that effect is stored in the shelf position column 53C. Further, the weight of the shelf 8 itself is stored in the shelf weight column 53D, and the total weight of the shelf 8 and all the products stored on the shelf 8 is stored in the product weight column 53E.

Therefore, in the example of FIG. 9, according to the shelf information with the management number "1", the shelf 8 assigned with the shelf ID "S046" is currently located in the warehouse 2 at "(d,D)". Its weight is "50" [kg], and the total weight of that shelf 8 and all the products stored on that shelf 8 is "250" [kg]. It is shown.

In the product weight column 53E, the weight of the shelf 8 transmitted as measurement data from the transport device 3 that last transported the shelf 8 may be stored as the total weight. The weight of each piece may be managed in the inventory information database 52, and the total weight obtained by calculation may be stored using this database. When calculating the total weight by calculation, if it falls within the allowable error range, the weight of the shelf 8 and some of the products stored on the shelf 8 shall not be included in the calculation. You may do so.

On the other hand, the device information database 54 is a database that stores the device information of the transport devices 3 that are transmitted at regular intervals from the transport devices 3 existing in the warehouse 2 as described above. As shown in FIG. 10, the device information database 54 includes a management number column 54A, a device ID column 54B, a shelf loading column 54C, a device position column 54D, a remaining battery level column 54E, a device status column 54F, and an assigned shelf ID column. 54G, a destination picking station ID column 54H, and an estimated arrival date and time column 54I. In the device information database 54, one row in FIG.

Then, in the management number column 54A, an identifier (device information ID) unique to the device information given to the device information of the corresponding transport device 3 is stored. A serial number starting from 1, for example, is used as the device information ID. Further, in the device ID column 54B, an identifier (device ID) unique to the transport device assigned to the corresponding transport device 3 is stored.

Information indicating whether or not the corresponding transport device 3 is currently lifting the shelf 8 is stored in the shelf loading presence/absence column 54C. In the example of FIG. 10 , “Yes” is stored when the corresponding transport device 3 lifts the shelf 8 , and “No” is stored when the corresponding transport device 3 does not lift the shelf 8 .

The device position column 54D stores position information indicating the current position of the corresponding transport device 3, and the remaining battery level column 54E stores the current remaining battery level of the transport device 3. Further, the current state of the corresponding conveying device 3 is stored in the device state column 54F. Such "conveyor status" includes "waiting for picking" indicating that the carrier is waiting for the completion of the picking operation, "moving" indicating that the carrier is moving, and "charging" indicating that the carrier is charging. and "failure", which indicates that it is out of order.

The assigned shelf ID column 54G stores the shelf ID of the shelf 8 assigned (instructed to transport) to the corresponding transport device 3 by the operation control device 4 . If the status of the transport device 3 stored in the device status column 54F is "moving", it means that the transport device 3 is heading to pick up the shelf 8 or is transporting it. If the state of the transport device 3 stored in the column 54F is "waiting for picking", the transport device 3 is waiting for the picking operation or waiting for the completion of the picking operation of the shelf 8 that is being picked. It means that it is in a state of

In the destination picking station ID column 54H, the picking station (hereinafter referred to as the destination picking station) 5 that is the destination of the shelf 8 to be transported instructed by the operation control device 4 to the corresponding transport device 3 is given. An identifier (picking station ID) unique to the picked station 5 is stored. The destination picking station 5 may be fixedly determined for each transport device 3, or may be determined based on the degree of congestion of each picking station 5 for each transport.

Furthermore, in the scheduled arrival date and time column 54I, the date and time predicted to arrive at the destination picking station 5 when the corresponding transport device 3 moves along the movement route instructed by the operation control device 4 (hereinafter referred to as the arrival date and time). called scheduled date and time) is stored. This scheduled arrival date and time is calculated by the operation control device 4 from the route information using the standard time required for the transport device 3 to go straight and turn, and is stored in the scheduled arrival date and time column 54I.

Therefore, in the case of the example of FIG. 10, for example, the device information with the management number "1" indicates that the transport device 3 "AGV0005" is currently transported to the picking station 5 "P01" and the shelf 8 "S002". It is in a state of waiting for the completion of the picking work in the area 2A of "b, C" ("waiting for picking"), so that the transport device 3 does not load the shelf 8 ( "none"), indicating that the remaining battery level of the carrier device 3 is "90" [%].

On the other hand, the picking work information database 55 is a database that stores information (hereinafter referred to as picking work information) regarding the picking work schedule created by the transport device control program 60, which will be described later. Every time the conveying device 3 conveying the shelf 8 receives a notification from the conveying device 3 that the shelf 8 has been placed on the conveyor 7, the picking work information for the shelf 8 is changed to the "before work" status. It is created by the transport device control program 60 and registered in the picking work information database 55 .

As shown in FIG. 11, the picking work information database 55 includes a management number column 55A, a picking station ID column 55B, a processing ID column 55C, a shelf ID column 55D, a product ID column 55E, a quantity column 55F, and a scheduled picking start date and time column. 55G, a scheduled picking end date column 55H, a status column 55I, and a return transportation column 55J. In the picking work information database 55, one row in FIG. 11 corresponds to the picking work information of one picking work, and the scheduled start date and time of the picking work are stored in chronological order.

The management number column 55A stores the management number of the picking work information given to the corresponding picking work information. As this management number, for example, a serial number starting from 1 is used.

Also, the picking station ID column 55B stores the picking station ID of the picking station 5 where the corresponding picking operation should be performed. If the table shown in FIG. 11 is created for each picking station 5, the picking station ID column 55B can be omitted.

The processing ID column 55C stores the processing ID (see FIG. 7) of the order information corresponding to the order to be picked, and the shelf ID column 55D stores the product for which the order information is intended. The shelf ID of the shelf 8 (that is, the shelf 8 where the ordered product is stored) is stored. Further, the product ID column 55E stores the product ID of the product, and the quantity column 55F stores the quantity of the product in the order information (that is, the number of products ordered).

The scheduled picking start date and time column 55G stores the scheduled start date and time of the corresponding picking work (hereinafter referred to as the scheduled picking start date and time), and the scheduled picking end date and time column 55H stores the scheduled picking work date and time. The picking end date and time (hereinafter referred to as the scheduled picking end date and time) is stored.

The scheduled picking start date and time and the scheduled picking end date and time are determined by calculating the time required for the picking work from information on the storage location and quantity of the products to be picked. A more accurate value can be calculated by calculating together with the movement of the shelf 8 on the conveyor 7 and the standard time required when the transport device 3 carries out the shelf 8 from the conveyor 7 .

The standard time required for picking work may be calculated based on the average standard time, or the standard time for each worker may be calculated based on the work history of each worker's past picking work. may Based on the calculated standard time for each worker, the time required for each picking work is predicted, and the scheduled picking start date and time and the scheduled picking end date and time for each picking work are calculated based on the prediction result.

In addition, the scheduled start date and time of the picking work is basically determined in order from the earliest order reception date. , in order to improve the work efficiency of the picking work, the scheduled start date and time of the picking work may be adjusted so that these commodities are picked from the shelf 8 collectively (in FIG. 11, the management numbers are "2" and " 3” for picking work information).

The scheduled picking end date and time is calculated in consideration of the specific contents of the picking work, such as when picking one type of product from one shelf 8 or when picking multiple types of products from one shelf 8. .

The status column 55I stores the current status (situation) of the shelf 8 that is the target of the corresponding picking operation. Such statuses include "completed" which means that the picking work has been completed, "in progress" which means that the picking work is in progress, and "before work" which means that the picking work has not yet been carried out. be.

The value of the status stored in the status column 55I is notified to the operation control device 4 when the operator performs an operation input to the picking terminal 6 after finishing the picking work to the effect that the picking work is finished. , is updated from 'work in progress' to 'completed'. However, when picking is performed using a robot at the picking station 5, the operation control device 4 may acquire the picking progress information of the robot and update the status column 55I.

Further, information indicating whether or not the corresponding shelf 8 to be picked up has been carried out from the conveyor 7 is stored in the return transport column 55J. In the example of FIG. 11, when the shelf 8 has been unloaded from the conveyor 7, "o" is stored in the return transportation column 55J. If "O" is stored in the return transport field 55J, then the operation control device 4 controls the conveyor 7 to move the next shelf 8 to the front position of the picking station 5, and as a result, the shelf 8 status is updated from "To Do" to "To Do".

Therefore, in the case of the example of FIG. 11, for example, the picking work corresponding to the picking work information with the management number "1" corresponds to the order (order information) to which the process ID "24" is assigned, and the picking work is "P01". Picking work to pick only "1" product with product ID "1XXXX" from shelf 8 with shelf ID "S006" at the picking station, and the scheduled start date and time is "2020/01/01 11:09 ", and the scheduled end date and time is "2020/01/01 11:11". Also, FIG. 11 shows that the picking operation is "completed" and the shelf 8 has already been carried out from the conveyor 7. In FIG.

It should be noted that only the picking work information about the picking work of the shelf 8 placed on the conveyor 7 at that time is registered in the picking work information database 55 . Therefore, the picking work information of the rack 8 whose picking work is completed and the corresponding rack 8 has been carried out from the conveyor 7 is sequentially deleted from the picking work information database 55 .

However, the picking work information of the picking work for the shelf 8 before being placed on the conveyor 7 may also be registered in the picking work information database 55 in the order of the scheduled picking start date and time. The picking work information may be left in the picking work information database 55 as it is.

The route data database 56 is a database that stores, as route data, information relating to the movement route for each transport device 3 created by a route creation program 59, which will be described later, based on map information, order information, inventory information, shelf information, and device information. is. The route data stored in the route data database 56 are transmitted to the corresponding transport device 3 together with the above transport instruction. The measurement data database 57 is a database in which the measurement data transmitted from each transport device 3 at regular intervals is stored as described above. Details of the route data database 56 and the measurement data database 57 will be omitted.

The data input/output program 58 is a program having a function of exchanging data with each transport device 3, each picking terminal 6, and each conveyor 7 via the communication interface 45. The data input/output program 58 stores device information and measurement data acquired through communication with the transport device 3 in the device information database 54 and the measurement data database 57, and stores picking work information acquired through communication with the picking terminal 6. Stored in the picking work information database 55 .

Also, the route creation program 59 is a program having a function of creating a movement route of the transport device 3 to which the shelf 8 to be transported is assigned. The route creation program 59, in response to a request from the carrier device control program 60, which will be described later, creates a moving route from the current position of the carrier device 3 to which the shelf 8 to be carried is assigned to the shelf 8 to be carried and from that shelf 8. A movement route to the destination picking station 5 and a movement route from the picking station 5 to the original installation position of the shelf 8 are created, and the created movement routes are stored in the route data database 56 as route data.

The transport device control program 60 is a program having a function of controlling the operation of each transport device 3 in the warehouse 2 based on map information, order information, inventory information, shelf information, device information, picking work information, measurement data, and the like. be. Specific processing contents of the transport device control program 60 will be described later.

On the other hand, the picking terminal 6 is composed of a general-purpose computer device including a CPU 70 , a storage device 71 , an input device 72 , an output device 73 and a communication interface 74 . The functions and configurations of these CPU 70, storage device 71, input device 72, output device 73, and communication interface 74 are the Since it is the same as the corresponding part, detailed description is omitted here.

In the storage device 71 of the picking terminal 6, information about the picking work input by the worker at the start of the picking work, during the work, and after the work is completed is temporarily stored as the picking work information 75. Then, this picking work information 75 is read from the storage device 71 almost in real time and transmitted to the operation control device 4 via the communication interface 74. After that, the picking work information database 55 in the operation control device 4 is stored in the picking work information database 55. It is updated based on the work information 75 .

The conveyor 7 comprises a CPU 80, a storage device 81, a drive device 82, a sensor 83 and a communication interface 84 mounted on each belt conveyor 7A (Figs. 4 and 5). The functions and configurations of the CPU 80, the storage device 81, and the communication interface 84 are the same as those of the CPU 40, the storage device 42, and the communication interface 45 of the operation control device 4, and thus description thereof will be omitted here. However, the storage device 81 may be configured by a semiconductor memory.

The driving device 82 is an actuator that drives the belt to run on each belt conveyor 7A, and is composed of an actuator such as a motor, for example. The sensor 83 is composed of, for example, a weight sensor that measures the weight of the shelf 8 transferred to the conveyor 7 . The measurement result of the sensor 83 is transmitted to the operation control device 4 via the communication interface 84 as measurement data.

(1-2) Conveying Device Control Processing Next, the contents of the control processing of the conveying device 3 executed by the operation control device 4 will be described. In the following description, the carrier device control program 60 will be used as the main body of processing for various types of processing, but it goes without saying that the CPU 40 of the operation control device 4 actually executes the processing based on the carrier device control program 60. .

(1-2-1) First Conveyor Control Process FIG. 12 shows the procedure of the first conveyer control process executed periodically (for example, in cycles of several seconds to several tens of seconds) by the conveyer control program 60. show. According to the processing procedure shown in FIG. 12, the transport device control program 60 determines the transport device 3 to which the shelf 8 on which the ordered product is stored is assigned for each piece of order information registered in the order information database 51. A transport instruction is transmitted to the device 3 to transport the shelf 8 to the picking station 5 .

In practice, when the first transport device control process is started, the transport device control program 60 first stores each order information registered in the order information database 51 (FIG. 7) in the delivery date field 51H (FIG. 7). The order information is sorted in descending order of delivery date (S1).

Subsequently, the transport device control program 60 selects the order information with the earliest delivery date (S2), and registers the selected order information (hereinafter referred to as selected order information) with the inventory information database 52 (FIG. 8). Based on the stored inventory information and the shelf information registered in the shelf information database 53 (FIG. 9), the shelf 8 where the product to be picked is stored, its installation position, and the storage of the product on the shelf 8 position is specified (S3).

Specifically, the transport device control program 60 extracts the product name and product ID from the selected order information, refers to the inventory information database 52, and stores the combination of the product name and product ID in the product name column 52B (FIG. 8). And the shelf ID stored in the shelf ID column 52E (FIG. 8) of the row stored in the product ID column 52C (FIG. 8) and the shelf ID stored in the shelf storage position column 52F (FIG. 8) of the row It acquires the position where the product is stored on the shelf 8 where the product is located. Further, the transport device control program 60 thereafter refers to the shelf information database 53, and the shelf position column 53C ( It is specified by acquiring the installation position of the shelf 8 stored in FIG.

Next, the transport device control program 60 determines the transport device 3 to which the shelf 8 identified in step S3 is to be assigned (S4). Specifically, the transport device control program 60 first refers to the device information database 54 (FIG. 10) to determine which transport device 3 has "standby" stored in the device status column 54F (that is, the transport device 3 on standby). ), for example, the transport device 3 waiting at the position closest to the shelf 8 is determined as the transport device 3 that transports the shelf 8 .

However, other methods can be widely applied as a method of determining the transport device 3 that transports the shelf 8. For example, even if the transport device 3 is "moving", if it completes the current task (transporting the shelf 8) early and starts the next task earlier than the other transport devices 3, then the transport The device 3 may be determined as the transport device 3 that transports the shelf 8 specified in step S3. By doing so, the transport efficiency of the shelf 8 by the transport device 3 can be improved.

When the transport device control program 60 determines the transport device 3 in this way, it updates the device status column 54F of the row corresponding to the transport device 3 in the device information database 54 to "moving", and also updates the shelf status. 8 is stored in the assigned shelf ID column 54G (FIG. 10) of that row, and the picking station ID of the picking station 5 to which the transport device 3 should transport the shelf 8 is stored as the destination picking station ID. Store in column 54H (FIG. 10). The picking station 5 as the transport destination may be fixed for each transport apparatus 3 as described above, or may be determined according to the degree of congestion of each picking station 5 at that time.

Subsequently, the transport device control program 60 determines the movement path of the transport device 3 determined in step S4 until the transport device 3 picks up the shelf 8 specified in step S3 and transports the shelf 8 to the picking station 5. (S5).

In response to such a request, the transport device control program 60 creates a movement route using the route creation program 59 and stores the information as route data in the route data database 56 (FIG. 6). 56 and transmitted to the transport device 3 determined in step S4 together with the transport instruction (S6). The transport device control program 60 then terminates the first transport device control process.

(1-2-2) Second Conveyor Control Processing On the other hand, FIG. 2 shows a processing procedure of a second carrier device control process executed by the carrier device control program 60 of the operation control device 4 when the operation control device 4 is notified of the transfer. The transport device control program 60 determines the transport device 3 to be assigned to the shelf 8 on the conveyor 7 for which the transport device 3 to be returned to the installation position has not been determined, according to the processing procedure shown in FIG.

In practice, the transport device control program 60 starts the second transport device control process shown in FIG. First, referring to the device information database 54 (FIG. 10) and the picking work information database 55 (FIG. 11), among the racks 8 placed on the conveyor 7 at that time, there are still transport devices 3 (picking work completed). All the shelves 8 to which the conveying device 3) to be conveyed to the original installation position later are not assigned are specified (S10).

Specifically, the transport device control program 60 first refers to the picking work information database 55 and identifies all the shelves 8 placed on the conveyor 7 at that time. Such identification is performed in each row of the picking work information database 55 in which the picking station ID of the picking station 5 in which the conveyor 7 is installed is stored in the picking station ID column 55B (FIG. 11) of the shelf ID column 55D (FIG. 11). 11) by reading out the shelf IDs stored respectively.

The transport device control program 60 also refers to the device information database 54 to identify all the shelves 8 to which the transport device 3 has not yet been assigned among the shelves 8 identified as described above. Such a shelf 8 corresponds to a shelf 8 whose shelf ID obtained as described above is not stored in the assigned shelf ID column 54G (FIG. 10) of any row of the device information database 54. FIG.

Subsequently, the transport device control program 60 acquires the scheduled completion date and time of the picking work for each shelf 8 specified in step S10 (S11). These scheduled picking end dates and times can be obtained by reading the scheduled end dates and times of the picking work from the scheduled picking end date and time column 55H ( FIG. 11 ) of the corresponding row of the picking work information database 55 .

However, if the actual picking work ends earlier than the scheduled picking end date and time, the shelf 8 targeted for the picking work will be in a standby state. A time that is earlier than the scheduled picking end date and time stored in .

Next, the transport device control program 60 calculates the scheduled arrival date and time of each transport device 3 scheduled to arrive at the conveyor 7 (S12). Specifically, the transport device control program 60 sets the status stored in the device status column 54F (FIG. 10) of each row of the device information database 54 to "moving" and the transport destination picking station ID column 54H (FIG. 10). , all rows in which the picking station IDs of the picking stations 5 adjacent to the conveyor 7 are stored are extracted.

The transport device control program 60 also extracts the current position of the corresponding transport device 3 stored in the device position column 54D (FIG. 10) of each row and the transport device registered in the route data database 56 (FIG. 6). 3 and the normal moving speed of the transport device 3, the dates and times when these transport devices 3 arrive at the conveyor 7 are calculated. Each date and time calculated in this manner is the scheduled arrival date and time of each conveying device 3 scheduled to arrive at the conveyor 7 in the future.

If there are commodities to be picked on both sides of the shelf 8, after the commodities are picked from one side of the shelf 8, the shelf 8 is carried out from the conveyor 7 by the conveying device 3 and the other side is picked up by the picking station 5. It is also conceivable to place the rack 8 again at the end of the conveyor 7 toward the side. When carrying out such an operation, considering the scheduled arrival date and time of the transport device 3 to put the shelf 8 on the conveyor 7 again, the scheduled arrival time of each transport device 3 scheduled to arrive at the conveyor 7 in the future is calculated. are calculated respectively.

After that, the transport device control program 60 calculates the scheduled completion date and time of the picking work for each shelf 8 acquired in step S11 and the arrival schedule of each transport device 3 that is scheduled to arrive at the conveyor 7 calculated in step S12. time and time sequentially corresponding to each other, and whether or not there is a possibility that a waiting time for waiting for the arrival of the transport device 3 after the end of the picking work will occur on any of the shelves 8 placed on the conveyor 7 at present. (S13). Here, the case where there is a possibility that the waiting time will occur is the case where the scheduled time of arrival of the corresponding transport device 3 at the conveyor 7 is later than the scheduled time of completion of the picking operation for a certain shelf 8 .

Obtaining a negative result in this judgment means that there is no waiting time for any of the shelves 8 on the conveyor 7 to which the conveying device 3 has not yet been assigned. Thus, at this time, the transport device control program 60 instructs the target transport device 3 to perform the next operation (instruct to transport the next shelf 8 or wait at any place) (S14). 2 ends the transport device control process. That is, the target transport device 3 does not wait for the picking operation to return the shelf 8 on the conveyor 7 to the storage position (for example, the original installation position), but executes the transport task for another shelf 8 or performs the transport task for another shelf 8 . transport task can be executed, and the transport efficiency can be improved.

On the other hand, obtaining an affirmative result in the determination in step S13 means that there will be a waiting time for one of the shelves 8 on the conveyor 7 to which the conveying device 3 has not yet been assigned. do. Thus, at this time, the transport device control program 60 assigns each of the shelves 8 on the conveyor 7 where such waiting time occurs to one of the target transport devices 3, and assigns the shelf 8 to each of these target transport devices 3. to the original installation position (S15).

Thus, each target transport device 3 to which this transport instruction is given then moves to the lower side of the shelf 8 and always waits under the shelf 8 until the picking operation for the shelf 8 is completed. After that, when the picking operation for the shelf 8 is completed, the shelf 8 is lifted and transported to the original installation position.

Subsequently, the transport device control program 60 determines the scheduled picking end date and time (acquired in step S11) of each shelf 8 on the conveyor 7 to which the picking task is to be performed after the shelf 8 to which the target transport device 3 has been assigned in step S15. The corresponding picking work scheduled end date and time) is compared with the scheduled date and time when any of the transport devices 3 will arrive at the conveyor 7 next, and these shelves 8 are made to wait for the arrival of the transport device 3 on the conveyor 7. It is determined whether or not all of them can be returned to their original installation positions by the respective conveying devices 3 arriving at the conveyor 7 after the next (S16).

This determination is made by calculating the arrival date and time of each transport device 3 that will arrive at the conveyor 7 afterward in the same manner as in step S12, and calculating the time and date of arrival of each transport device 3 that will arrive at the conveyor 7 after these calculations. The date and time of arrival of the conveyor 7 and the scheduled completion date and time of the picking work of each shelf 8 after the first shelf 8 to be picked among the shelves 8 on the conveyor 7 to which the conveying device 3 has not yet been assigned are sequentially compared. , by judging whether or not the arrival date and time of the transport device 3 to the conveyor 7 is earlier than the scheduled completion date and time of the picking operation for the shelf 8 in all the combinations of the transport device 3 and the shelf 8 .

Then, the transport device control program 60 ends this second transport device control process when a positive result is obtained in this determination. On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step S16, the transport device control program 60 creates a temporary transport instruction so that the shelf 8 on the conveyor 7 can be returned without waiting time. For example, for all the shelves 8 for which the arrival date and time of the corresponding transport device 3 to the conveyor 7 is later than the scheduled completion date and time of the picking operation, the transport device 3 that has not been assigned a transport task at that time and is on standby is assigned (S17). ).

Specifically, the transport device control program 60 refers to the device information database 54 and stores the transport device 3 that is not transporting the shelf 8 at that time, more specifically, "standby" in the device status column 54F (FIG. 10). or all the transport devices 3 for which "absent" is stored in the shelf loading presence/absence column 54C (FIG. 10) and "moving" is stored in the device status column 54F. Among the transport devices 3, the target shelf 8 (the shelf 8 whose arrival date and time of the corresponding transport device 3 to the conveyor 7 is later than the scheduled picking work end date and time) reaches the conveyor 7 by the scheduled picking work end date and time. A transport device 3 that is available is identified, and that transport device 3 is assigned to that shelf 8 exceptionally. As another means for creating a temporary transport instruction, a transport apparatus 3 to which a transport task has already been assigned and which has not yet been loaded with a shelf is prioritized over the current transport task, and the conveyor is You may control so that the shelf 8 on 7 may be conveyed.　

Then, the transport device control program 60 transmits a transport instruction (including a movement route) to the transport device 3 to transport the shelf 8 to the original installation position, and thereafter, the second transport is performed. Terminate the device control process.

Note that steps S16 and S17 are optional processes, and these steps S16 and S17 may be omitted. Further, instead of step S17, the operation control device 4 alerts that a waiting time will occur because there is a shelf 8 waiting for transportation by the conveying device 3 on the conveyor 7 after the picking work, and the waiting time at that time. may be transmitted to the picking terminal 6 of the corresponding picking station 5, and the picking terminal 6 may display to that effect.

Also, in step S17, assigning the above-mentioned shelf 8 to the transport device 3 that is not transporting the shelf 8 means rearranging the once-assigned transport task. Therefore, in step S16, it may be determined that the efficiency of the entire system does not satisfy a predetermined standard due to the shelf 8 waiting on the conveyor. As an example, instead of determining whether or not the shelf 8 can be returned without waiting in step S16, it is determined whether or not the waiting time will be longer than the predetermined time even if there is a standby, and a positive result is obtained. If so, the process may proceed to step S17, and if a negative result is obtained, the second transport device control process may be terminated.

An upper limit may be set for the number of transport devices 3 that can stand by in front of the picking station 5 . In this case, it is possible to suppress imbalance between the number of transport devices 3 waiting in front of the picking station 5 and the number of transport devices 3 transporting the shelf 8, thereby preventing a decrease in the productivity of the entire picking system. .

An example of changes in the second transport device control process when an upper limit is set for the number of transport devices 3 that can stand by in front of the picking station 5 as described above will be described. For example, before step S10 of the second transport device control process described above with reference to FIG. You may make it determine whether it is not. In that case, when it is determined that the number of waiting transport devices 3 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the transport device control program 60 instructs the target transport device 3 to perform the next operation (instruction to transport the next shelf 8 or any waiting at a place), and the second transport device control process is terminated. Then, when it is determined that the number of waiting conveying devices 3 is less than the predetermined threshold value, the processing after step S10 is performed as described above.

(1-3) Effect of the present embodiment As described above, in the transport system 1 of the present embodiment, when the transport device 3 that has transported the shelf 8 transfers the shelf 8 onto the conveyor 7, the transport system 1 The device 3 is released from its shelf 8 transport. Therefore, according to the transport system 1, there is no need to have the transport device 3 stand by in front of the picking station 5 with the shelf 8 lifted, and the transport device 3 can be caused to perform the next operation. Accordingly, the transport efficiency of the shelf 8 by the transport device 3 can be improved.

In the transport system 1, the conveyor 7 is installed so that one end thereof is positioned in front of the picking station 5. Therefore, the transport device 3 must carry out the shelf 8 for which the picking operation has been completed from the conveyor 7. For example, the conveyor 7 cannot be moved to move the next shelf 8 to be picked up to the front position of the picking station 5.例文帳に追加

Regarding this point, in the transport system 1, when the transport device (target transport device) 3 that has transported the shelf 8 transfers the shelf 8 to the conveyor 7, the transport device 3 on the conveyor 7 is not yet assigned. According to the work situation of the picking work of the empty shelf 8, the shelf 8 is appropriately assigned to the target transport device 3 and the target transport device 3 is made to wait under the shelf 8, so the shelf 8 that has finished the picking task is assigned. It is possible to prevent the interruption of the picking work caused by waiting for the arrival of the conveying device 3 which has been picked up, and to improve the work efficiency of the picking work.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve both the work efficiency of the picking work and the efficiency of transporting the shelf 8 by the transport device, thus realizing a highly useful transport system.

(2) Second Embodiment In the transport system 1 of the first embodiment, the time from the end of the picking operation for one shelf 8 to the start of moving the next shelf 8 to the front position of the picking station 5 is In the meantime, there is a slight waiting time until the transport device 3 finishes unloading the rack 8 for which the picking work has been completed, and there is a possibility that the working efficiency of the picking work will be reduced by that amount.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, a buffer area is provided on the conveyor 7 to temporarily store the racks 8 for which the picking operation has been completed so that such a waiting time does not occur.

FIG. 14, in which parts corresponding to those in FIG. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals, shows a schematic configuration of such an information processing system (hereinafter also referred to as a transport system) 90 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, the conveying system 90 is primarily characterized in that one end of the conveyer 7 is positioned closer to the conveying direction of the shelves 8 on the conveyer 7 than the front position of the picking station 5 is. It is different from the transport system of the form.

In this case, one end side of the conveyor 7 is placed closer to the conveying direction side of the shelf on the conveyor 7 than the adjacent picking station 5 by the same length as the width of one to several shelves 8. 1 to several shelves 8 after completion of the picking operation can be placed as they are.

For this reason, in the transport system 90 of the present embodiment, the shelf 8 placed on the conveyor 7 as it is after the picking operation is finished is indicated as the shelf position in the shelf information database 53 as shown in FIG. , the information "picking completed" is stored in the shelf position column 53C (see the shelf position column 53C with the control number "3"), thereby indicating that the shelf 8 is still on the conveyor 7 after the picking operation. It is made so that the control device 4 can recognize it.
The second transport device control process (FIG. 13) executed by the transport device control program 60 of the operation control device 4 may be the same as in the first embodiment, or at least some steps may be different. may be

For example, in S13 of the second transport device control process described above with reference to FIG. The estimated time of arrival at the conveyor 7 of each of the transport devices 3 scheduled to arrive from now on is sequentially compared with the estimated time of arrival at the conveyor 7, and the transport device 3 is placed on one of the shelves 8 currently placed on the conveyor 7 after the completion of the picking operation. determines whether there is a possibility of waiting for the arrival of

Here, the case where the waiting time may occur may be the case where the scheduled arrival time of the corresponding transport device 3 at the conveyor 7 is later than the scheduled completion date and time of the picking work for a certain shelf 8 . Alternatively, when N units (N is a natural number) can be stored in the buffer area, waiting time may occur if M units (M is N or less) (Natural number of )), the scheduled arrival time of the transport device 3 corresponding to a certain shelf 8 to the conveyor 7 may be later than the scheduled picking end time of the shelf 8 to be picked later. In this way, it is also possible to replace at least some of the steps with processing utilizing the buffer area for temporarily storing the shelf 8 . By utilizing the buffer area, the transport efficiency of the transport device 3 can be improved.

In the transport system 90 of the present embodiment having the above configuration, the end of the conveyor 7 on the transport direction side of the shelf 8 relative to the front position of the picking station 5 on the conveyor 7 (one end of the conveyor 7) is used for the picking operation. It can be used as a buffer area for temporarily storing the shelf 8 that has been finished.

Therefore, in the transport system 90, immediately after the picking operation for one shelf 8 is completed, the conveyor 7 can be operated to move the next shelf 8 to be picked to the front position of the picking station 5. After the picking work of 8 is completed, it is possible to prevent unnecessary waiting time from occurring until the next shelf 8 is moved to the front position of the picking station 5.例文帳に追加

Thus, according to the transport system 90 of the present embodiment, in addition to the effects obtained by the first embodiment, it is possible to obtain the effect of improving the work efficiency of the picking work.

(3) Third Embodiment In the above-described first and second embodiments, the case where one picking station 5 corresponds to one conveyor 7 has been described, but in this embodiment , an information processing system in which one picking station 5 is provided with two

conveyors

7C and 7D, as shown in FIG.

FIG. 17, in which parts corresponding to those in FIGS. 1 and 14 are assigned the same reference numerals, is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing system (hereinafter also referred to as a transport system as appropriate) 91 according to this embodiment. In the transport system 91, the shelves 8 transferred from the transport device 3 to the

conveyors

7C and 7D are sequentially transported to the front position of the picking station 5 under the control of the operation control device 4, and arranged at the picking station 5. Then, the operator alternately picks the racks 8 loaded on the conveyor 7C and the racks 8 loaded on the conveyor 7D.

In this embodiment, since the picking work is alternately performed on the racks 8 loaded on the conveyor 7C and the racks 8 loaded on the conveyor 7D, the picking operator continues the picking work without waiting for the transport by the transport device 3. For this purpose, it is sufficient that the rack 8 after the picking operation on one

conveyor

7C, 7D is conveyed by the end time of the picking operation for the rack 8 on the next adjacent conveyor 7D, 7C. 1 embodiment. For example, the rack 8 after the picking operation loaded on the conveyor 7C may be transported until the picking operation to the next rack 8 loaded on the conveyor 7D is completed.

A description will be given of the difference in the second transport device control process between the present embodiment and the first embodiment. In this embodiment, in step S10 of the second carrier device control process described above with reference to FIG. , 7D.

In the following step 11, the scheduled completion date and time of the picking work for the shelf 8 on the

other conveyors

7D and 7C on which the picking work will be performed following the specified shelf 8 is acquired. Further, in the next step 12, the scheduled arrival date and time of the conveying device 3 scheduled to arrive at one of the

conveyors

7C and 7D is calculated.

After that, in step 13, the scheduled work completion date and time acquired in step 11 and the scheduled arrival date and time calculated in step 12 are compared in sequence, and the items currently placed on one of the

conveyors

7C and 7D are compared. It is determined whether or not there is a possibility that any shelf 8 will wait for the arrival of the transport device 3 after the picking operation for the shelf 8 on the

other conveyors

7D, 7C is completed.

With this configuration, in addition to the effects obtained by the first embodiment, after the picking operation for a certain shelf 8, the operator can pick up the next shelf 8 without waiting for the next shelf 8 to be set by the

conveyers

7C and 7D. Since the picking work can be performed on the shelves 8 set in advance on the

adjacent conveyors

7C and 7D, it is possible to obtain the effect of improving the picking efficiency.

(4) Other Embodiments In the above-described first and second embodiments, a case has been described in which the shelf 8 that has completed the picking operation is immediately returned to its original installation position. Alternatively, a storage area may be provided in the warehouse 2 for temporarily storing the racks 8 for which the picking operation has been completed. In this case, a storage area is provided in the vicinity of the picking station 5, and the operation control device 4 is operated by the transport device so that the shelves 8 that are frequently picked are left in the storage area and the other shelves 8 are returned to their original installation positions. 3 may be controlled.

Further, in the first and second embodiments described above, the present invention is applied to the

transport systems

1 and 90 for picking work in storage warehouses used by companies such as online shopping companies to store products. Although the case has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to a transport system for transporting articles in factories, workshops, and the like other than such storages.

Specifically, an object to be transported by the transport device 3 (hereinafter referred to as an object to be transported) may be an object other than the shelf 8, such as a tray, box, pallet, or article. In this case, the trays, boxes, and pallets may or may not contain articles (for example, when the trays, boxes, and pallets themselves are objects to be conveyed). In this case, it is only necessary to replace the "shelf" with the "conveying object" in the first and second embodiments described above, so detailed description will be omitted.

In addition, the work for such transported objects may be work other than picking, such as processing, assembly, packing, or inspection. In this case, it is only necessary to replace "picking" and "picking work" with "work" in the above-described first and second embodiments, so detailed description will be omitted.

Furthermore, the items stored on the shelf 8 may be items other than finished products such as unfinished products or parts. In this case, in the above-described first and second embodiments, it is only necessary to replace "merchandise" with "item", so detailed description will be omitted.

Furthermore, for example, an article for which the previous process has been completed is conveyed to a conveyor, the next process (may be two or more processes) is performed on the conveyor, and then the article is further conveyed to the next process location. For example, the present invention can be applied to the case where the transport device 3 performs inter-process transport from a place where a certain process is performed to a place where the next process is performed.

In this case, "order information" and "stock information" do not have to be used when there is no need to search for objects to be transported, as in the first and second embodiments. In addition, if transportation is to be carried out between predetermined points (between points where the work of each corresponding process is performed), it is possible to create a movement route and carry it without using "shelf information". You may make it convey according to the determined movement path|route.

Furthermore, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the case where a person (worker) performs the picking work has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the case where a picking robot (machine) performs, The present invention can also be applied to a case in which a machine and a machine cooperate with each other.

Furthermore, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the case where the conveyor 7 is configured by a pair of

belt conveyors

7A and 7B has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the

belt conveyors

7A and 7B Alternatively, a chain conveyor, a screw conveyor, a pallet conveyor, a vibrating conveyor, a bucket elevator, or the like may be used as the conveyor.

belt conveyors

7A and 7B has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of short conveyors are connected. Conveyor 7 may be configured by

The

transport systems

1, 90, and 91 include a conveyor 7 capable of loading a plurality of storage units (for example, objects to be transported such as shelves 8) that can store articles, and a plurality of transport devices that transport the storage units and load them on the conveyor 7. 3, a data input/output device that acquires the status of work (for example, picking work) for the articles stored in the storage unit on the conveyor 7, and at least based on the work status, one of the plurality of transport devices 3, and a control device (operation control device 4) that determines the transport device 3 that stands by to transport the storage section after work.

By loading a storage part waiting for work on a conveyor 7 and partially limiting the transport devices 3 waiting for transporting the storage part after the work to a storage place, the plurality of transport devices 3 as a whole waits for the work. It is possible to reduce the time and improve the transportation efficiency. Furthermore, by improving the transportation efficiency, it becomes difficult for the storage section to wait for transportation, and it is possible to improve the work efficiency.

The

transport systems

1, 90, and 91 further include a storage device 42 that stores device information (device information database 54) including information on the transport device 3 waiting to transport the storage unit after work from the conveyor 7. The plurality of transport devices 3 includes a first transport device. The plurality of receptacles includes a first receptacle. After the first transporting device transports the first storage unit and loads it on the conveyor 7, the control device determines at least the work status and the status of the waiting transporting device 3 for the next transporting task of the first transporting device. Based on the information, it is determined whether or not to wait for transporting the processed storage section from the conveyor 7 .

The present invention can be widely applied to transport systems that transport various objects to be transported.

1, 90, 91... Conveying system, 3... Conveying device, 4... Operation control device, 5... Picking station, 6... Picking terminal, 7, 7C, 7D... Conveyor, 7A, 7B... Belt Conveyor 8... Shelf 40... CPU 50... Map information database 51... Order information database 52... Inventory information database 53... Shelf information database 54... Apparatus information database 55... Picking work information database, 56... Route data database, 57... Measurement data database, 59... Route creation program, 60... Conveyor control program.

Claims

In a transport system that transports objects to be transported,
A plurality of objects to be transported can be stacked and transported, at least a part of which is installed adjacent to a work place where work is performed on the loaded objects to be transported, and the objects to be transported are placed at the work place. a conveyor that conveys to
a plurality of transport devices capable of transporting the object to be transported from a predetermined location and transferring it to the conveyor;
and a control device that controls the operation of the transport device,
The control device is
With respect to the conveying device that has delivered the objects to be conveyed to the conveyor, one object to be conveyed included in the objects to be conveyed on the conveyor is selected as follows based on at least the status of the work on the objects to be conveyed on the conveyor. A transport system that determines whether or not a transport object is to be transported, and determines the next operation of the transport device based on the determination result.
The control device controls, with respect to the conveying device that has passed the conveying object to the conveyor, the conveying device on the conveyer based on at least the situation of the work on the conveying object on the conveyor and the situation of the other conveying devices. 2. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not one transport object included in the transport objects is to be the next transport object.
2. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein the status of the work on the object to be conveyed on the conveyor includes a scheduled completion date and time of the work on the object to be conveyed on the conveyor.
The control device is
Calculate the scheduled end date and time of the work of the one or more other conveying objects transferred to the conveyor and the arrival date and time when the one or more other conveying devices arrive at the conveyor,
Based on the calculated scheduled end date and time and the calculated arrival date and time, regarding the conveying device that has delivered the conveying object to the conveyor, one conveying object included in the conveying objects on the conveyor is determined as the next conveying object. 4. The transport system according to claim 3, wherein it is determined whether or not to carry out.
The control device is
Based on the scheduled end date and time and the arrival date and time, if it is determined that a waiting time will occur until the transport device arrives after the predetermined work for another transport object loaded on the conveyor, the 5. The conveying system according to claim 4, wherein, for the conveying device that has passed the conveying object to the conveyer, the other conveying object on the conveyer is determined as the next conveying object.
The control device is
When it is determined that a waiting time does not occur until the transport device arrives after the predetermined work for one or more transport objects loaded on the conveyor based on the scheduled end date and time and the arrival date and time. 5. The conveying system according to claim 4, wherein the conveying device that has delivered the conveying object to the conveyor determines conveying or waiting for the next conveying object as the next operation.
The control device is
5. The transport system according to claim 4, wherein the scheduled end date and time is calculated based on the work history of the past work status of the worker who performs the work at the work place.
The control device is
5. The transport system according to claim 4, wherein the scheduled end date and time is calculated in consideration of specific contents of the work.
The conveyor is
2. The transport system according to claim 1, further comprising a buffer area for temporarily storing the transport object for which the work has been completed.
The transport object is a shelf,
2. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein the work is a picking work of taking out articles from the shelf.
The transport object is a shelf,
The work is a picking work of taking out an article from the shelf,
When the product is taken out from both sides of the shelf, after the product is taken out from one side of the shelf, the shelf is carried out from the conveyor and transferred to the conveyor again,
The control device is
5. The transport system according to claim 4, wherein the arrival date and time when the transport device arrives at the conveyor next is calculated in consideration of the operation.
The conveyor is installed so that one end side is located in front of the work place,
2. The conveying system according to claim 1, wherein the conveying device transfers the object to be conveyed to the other end of the conveyor.
The conveyor is
2. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein the transferred objects to be transferred are sequentially transferred to a position adjacent to the work place in the order in which they were transferred.
The transport system according to claim 1, wherein the object to be transported is a pallet, a tray, or a box.
The predetermined place is a place where the work of the first step is performed,
The work place is a place where the work of the second step is performed,
The transport system according to claim 1, wherein the transport device performs inter-process transport for transporting the object to be transported from the first process to the second process.
In a transport method executed by a transport system that transports an object to be transported,
The transport system is
a conveyor installed adjacent to a work place where a predetermined work is performed and conveying the object to be conveyed to the work place;
a plurality of conveying devices that convey the object to be conveyed from a predetermined location and deliver it to the conveyor;
a control device for controlling the operation of the conveying device,
With respect to the conveying device that has passed the conveying object to the conveyor, the control device moves the other conveying object to the next conveying object based on the status of the work on the other conveying object on the conveyor. a first step of determining whether to
and a second step in which the control device determines the next operation of the transport device based on the determination result.
A control device for controlling the operation of a conveying device in a conveying system that conveys an object to be conveyed by the conveying device,
The transport system is
A plurality of objects to be transported can be stacked and transported, at least a part of which is installed adjacent to a work place where work is performed on the loaded objects to be transported, and the objects to be transported are placed at the work place. It has a conveyor that conveys to
The conveying device is
The object to be conveyed can be conveyed from a predetermined place and transferred to the conveyor,
With respect to the conveying device that has delivered the objects to be conveyed to the conveyor, one object to be conveyed included in the objects to be conveyed on the conveyor is selected as follows based on at least the status of the work on the objects to be conveyed on the conveyor. A control device, comprising: a transport device control unit that determines whether or not a transport object is to be transported, and determines the next operation of the transport device based on the determination result.