Management device, transport system, and control method

Abstract

A management device capable of controlling a transport device that transports an object to be transported to a work site, the management device comprising: a storage unit configured from a storage device that stores log data including at least the time at which the transport device has performed a transport work and the time at which the work has been performed at the work site; and a control unit that allocates, to the transport device, a transport task for transporting the transport object to the work site, the control unit determines, for each work site, an upper limit value of the transport task for the work site that can be allocated to the transport device on the basis of the log data, and allocates, to the transport device, the upper limit value of the transport task for the work site on the basis of the determined upper limit value. The transport tasks are allocated to the transport devices such that the number of the transport devices that can allocate the transport tasks to the work site is equal to or less than the upper limit value.

Description

[0001] References

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Japanese patent application No. 2023-33091, filed on March 3, 2023, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a conveying system, a control device for the conveying system, and a control method for the conveying system. Background Art

[0004] As background technology in this technical field, there is a technology for setting the number of transport vehicles to be managed for each area and controlling the arrangement of the transport vehicles.

[0005] As background technology in this technical field, the following prior art exists. Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-200205) describes a transport vehicle system comprising transport vehicles for transporting articles and a travel route that connects a plurality of closed-loop tracks and is divided into a plurality of areas in a manner that allows the transport vehicles to freely transfer, wherein a minimum number of transport vehicles is set for each area, and when the number of transport vehicles in an area is less than the minimum number, transport vehicles are moved from other areas to the area. The system is characterized in that it includes: a storage unit that stores the number of transport requests generated in each area; and a setting change unit that changes the minimum number of transport vehicles in each area in response to data regarding the number of transport requests stored in the storage unit. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] When unmanned delivery vehicles are used to transport cargo at multiple workstations, in order to allow for continuous operations at each workstation, unmanned delivery vehicles carrying other cargo may be placed on standby near the workstation while operations are ongoing at that workstation. However, due to variations in operating conditions at each workstation, setting a fixed number of unmanned delivery vehicles on standby can lead to a problem where more unmanned delivery vehicles are required than necessary, reducing the delivery efficiency of the delivery vehicles. Patent Document 1 does not address this issue.

[0008] Therefore, a transportation system is required that can appropriately allocate work to unmanned transportation vehicles in consideration of the work status of each work station.

[0009] Technical solutions to problems

[0010] A representative example of the invention disclosed in this application is described below. Specifically, a management device capable of controlling a transport device that transports an object to a work station is configured by a computer having a computing device that performs predetermined computing processing and a storage device connected to the computing device. The management device includes: a storage unit configured by the storage device that stores log data including at least the times when the transport device performed transport operations and the times when operations were performed at the work station; and a control unit that assigns a transport task to the transport device to transport the object to the work station. The control unit determines, for each work station, an upper limit on the number of transport tasks that can be assigned to the transport device for the work station based on the log data, and assigns the transport tasks to the transport device so that the number of transport devices that can be assigned the transport tasks for the work station remains below the upper limit.

[0011] Effects of the Invention

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately assign transport tasks to transport devices in consideration of the work conditions at the work site. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1A This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 1B This is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of the warehouse control device in this embodiment.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a perspective view showing an example of the layout of the transportation system in the logistics center of this embodiment.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of transportation device information constituting transportation device driving performance data according to this embodiment.

[0017] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of site information constituting site performance data in this embodiment.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of transport device information constituting device information of this embodiment.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of shelf management information constituting shelf information of this embodiment.

[0020] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing an example of hit number information constituting hit number data of this embodiment.

[0021] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of worker performance information constituting worker performance data in this embodiment.

[0022] Figure 9 This is a diagram showing an example of a work site management table constituting site transport device allocation information of this embodiment.

[0023] Figure 10 This is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for the number of transport devices to be allocated to a station according to this embodiment.

[0024] Figure 11 This is a flowchart of the process of setting the number of transport device assignments in this embodiment.

[0025] Figure 12 This is a flowchart of the process of setting the number of transport device assignments in this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are examples for illustrating the present invention, and are appropriately omitted and simplified for clarity of description. The present invention can also be implemented in various other ways. Unless otherwise specified, each component can be single or multiple. Regarding the position, size, shape, range, etc. of each component shown in the drawings, there are cases where the actual position, size, shape, range, etc. are not represented in order to make the invention easier to understand. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the position, size, shape, range, etc. disclosed in the drawings.

[0027] While various types of information are sometimes described using terms such as "table," "list," and "queue," these types of information can also be expressed using other data structures. For example, various types of information such as "XX table," "XX list," and "XX queue" can also be described as "XX information." When describing identification information, terms such as "identification information," "identifier," "name," "ID," and "number" are used, but these are interchangeable.

[0028] When there are multiple components having the same or similar functions, different suffixes may be added to the same reference numerals for description. In addition, when there is no need to distinguish the multiple components, the suffix may be omitted for description.

[0029] In this embodiment, the processing performed by the execution program is sometimes described. Here, the computer uses a processor (such as a CPU, a GPU) to execute the program, and uses storage resources (such as a memory) and interface devices (such as a communication port) to perform the processing specified by the program. Therefore, the subject of the processing performed by the execution program can also be regarded as a processor. Similarly, the subject of the processing performed by the execution program can also be a controller, a device, a system, a computer, or a node with a processor. The subject of the processing performed by the execution program only needs to be a computing unit, and can also include a dedicated circuit for performing specific processing. Here, the dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), etc.

[0030] A program can be installed onto a computer from a program source. The program source can be, for example, a program publishing server or a computer-readable storage medium. If the program source is a program publishing server, the program publishing server includes a processor and storage resources for storing the program to be published. The processor of the program publishing server publishes the program to be published to other computers. In addition, in embodiments, two or more programs can be implemented as one program, or one program can be implemented as two or more programs.

[0031] <Block diagram showing the overall structure>

[0032] Figure 1A is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1B This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the warehouse control device 100 .

[0033] The information processing system of this embodiment includes a warehouse control device 100 , a plurality of transport devices 203 , and a plurality of station terminals 210 . The plurality of transport devices 203 and the plurality of station terminals 210 are connected to the warehouse control device 100 via a network 150 .

[0034] In this embodiment, workers operate a station terminal 210 installed in a warehouse of a logistics center, and the warehouse control device 100 causes the transport device 203 to transport a shelf 202 to a work station, where the workers perform picking operations. The shelf 202 has shelf units that constitute a storage area for storing items.

[0035] In the warehouse where the transport system of this embodiment is the control object, Figure 2As shown, there are work stations 205-1 to 205-3 where workers 206-1 to 206-3 perform work, and a robot station 205-4 where robot 207-1 performs work. In the following description, the work is mainly performed by workers 206, but the robot 207 can also perform the same work as the worker 206.

[0036] The warehouse control device 100 is a computer including a computing device 101, a memory 102, an input device 103, an output device 104, a storage device 110, and a communication interface 105. Figure 1B The warehouse control device 100 may be a single computer or comprised of multiple computers. Furthermore, the various components of the warehouse control device 100 may be configured in a single computer or distributed across multiple devices. The programs and information stored in the storage device 110 may be stored in a single storage device or distributed across multiple storage devices.

[0037] The storage device 110 comprises a nonvolatile storage medium and stores programs executed by the computing device 101 and data used by the programs. Examples of programs include a route generation program 111, a data input / output program 112, a data analysis program 113, and a transport device control program 114. The computing device 101 loads the necessary programs into the memory 102 and executes them.

[0038] In addition, an example of data stored in the storage device 110 is order information 121, inventory information 122, shelf information 123, operator duty information 124, work plan information 125, device information 126, path data 127, hit count data 128, transport device driving performance data 129, site transport device allocation information 130, site log 131, site performance data 132 and operator performance data 133.

[0039] The route generation program 111 calculates the movement route of the transport device 203 based on pre-set map information (not shown). For example, the route generation program 111 calculates the movement route of the transport device 203 based on the location of the item (or product) to be picked and the location of the work station to be moved.

[0040] The transporter control program 114 refers to the station transporter allocation information 130 to determine whether a transport operation instruction with each work station as the transport destination can be assigned to the transporter 203. If the transporter control program 114 determines that an assignment is possible, it then refers to the route calculated by the route generation program 111 and the device information 126, determines the transporter 203 to transport the rack 202, and sends a transport instruction to the transporter 203, including information about the rack 202 to be transported and the work station to which it is to be transported. The determination of whether an assignment to a work station is possible can be made using not only the work station allocation information for the rack 202, but also the allocation priority of each work station. The transporter control program 114 records the result of the instruction to the transporter 203 regarding the rack 202 to be transported and the work station to which it is to be transported, as well as the transport performance of the transporter 203, in the transporter driving performance data 129.

[0041] The data input / output program 112 receives order information 121, receives input from the site terminal 210 operated by the operator, and receives sensor data from the transport device 203, and accumulates the data in the order information 121 and the site log 131. Furthermore, when the data input / output program 112 receives a command from the site terminal 210 to start the transport device 203, it transmits a command generated by the transport device control program 114 to the transport device 203.

[0042] The data analysis program 113 refers to the station log 131 to generate station performance data 132 that records the work time for each work station, operator performance data 133 that records the work time for each operator, and hit count data 128 that records the number of types of items taken from the shelf 202 for each transport performed by the transport device 203. The results calculated based on these are stored in the station transport device allocation information 130 described later. For details of the hit count data 128, please refer to Figure 7 The data analysis program 113 functions as a control unit of the warehouse control device 100 through such processing.

[0043] The order information 121 is information about orders for shipment of goods, and stores information about the goods to be picked. The inventory information 122 is related to the inventory of goods, and stores information about the shelves 202 where the goods are placed, as well as information about the positions, quantities, and weights of the goods in the shelves 202. The shelf information 123 stores information about the positions and weights of the shelves. For details about the shelf information 123, refer to Figure 6 Described in the following text.

[0044] Worker work information 124 stores worker work schedules and information about their experience and status. This information can include information about the worker's years of service, their height, any injuries, and the number of consecutive hours worked that day. Work plan information 125 stores information about the work item, the planned completion time, and the worker performing the work for each work station. Work plan information 125 is pre-generated data and can be input, for example, from the input device 103 of the warehouse control device 100 or from an external computer.

[0045] The device information 126 stores the identification information, location, and operating status of the transport device 203. The path data 127 stores the path information of each transport device 203 in the warehouse. The work day characteristics 134 are data that add attributes to the work day according to various conditions. For example, attributes can be added based on information such as the overall amount of inbound and outbound operations, as well as seasonality, the presence or absence of activities, weather, disasters, and failures. More specifically, information such as promotions and other activities in the shopping malls involved in the logistics center, seasonal information, and information on disasters or failures can be stored. For details of the device information 126, please refer to Figure 5 Described in the following text.

[0046] The site log 131 stores information about the work performed at the work site. The site performance data 132 extracts data for each work site from the site log 131 and stores the work start time, work end time, and work content. For details on the site performance data 132, refer to Figure 4 The worker performance data 133 extracts the data of each worker from the site log 131 and stores information such as the work start time, work end time, work content, and work load in association with the worker. Figure 8 Described in the following text.

[0047] The transporter's driving performance data 129 stores the operation log of the transporter 203. For example, the transporter's driving performance data 129 may include identification information for the transport instructions assigned to the transporter 203, information about the shelves transported according to the transport instructions, information about the destination stations being transported according to the transport instructions, the start and end times of transport operations performed according to the transport instructions, and information about the transporter's position at the start and end times of the operations. Furthermore, the start and end actions of transport operations can be determined according to the specifications of the transport system and the transporter 203. For example, the start action of a transport operation may be the start of movement from the current position to the location of the shelf being transported after the transport instruction is assigned. Alternatively, the end action of a transport operation may be the arrival of the transporter 203, loaded with the shelf being transported, at the destination station. Arrival at the destination station may include a waiting queue formed before the arrival at the station. In the waiting queue, the transporter 203, loaded with shelves awaiting transport at the station, waits in the order of operations at the station. The start and end actions of a transport operation are not limited to these examples. For details on transporter driving performance data 129, please refer to Figure 3 Described in the following text.

[0048] The site transport device allocation information 130 stores, for each work site, the number of allocated units, which indicates the number of transport devices 203 that have been allocated transport instructions with the moving destination being the work site at a certain point in time. In addition, the transport instructions for each work site are allocated to the transport devices 203 in a manner that does not exceed the maximum number of transport devices 203 or shelves 202 that can be allocated to each work site, as determined by the data analysis program 113. The number of allocated units increases by 1 each time a new transport device 203 or shelf 202 is allocated to a work site, and decreases by 1 each time an operation on the shelf 202 at the work site is completed. In addition, the timing for increasing the number of allocated units may be the timing for starting the movement of the transport device 203 when it dives under the shelf 202, or the timing for starting the movement after the shelf 202 is lifted. In addition, the timing for decreasing the number of allocated units may be the timing for completing the operation at the work site, or the timing for completing the transportation of the transport device 203 from the work site to the shelf storage location. For details of the site transport device allocation information 130, please refer to Figure 9 Described in the following text.

[0049] The input device 103 is composed of a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel. The output device 104 is composed of a display. For example, the output device 104 can output the upper limit of the number of transport devices to be allocated. The communication interface 105 communicates with the transport device 203 and other computers via a wireless network 150.

[0050] The transport device 203 is an autonomous mobile device that automatically transports the rack 202 loaded with items in response to transport instructions from the warehouse control device 100. The transport device 203 is an automatic transport device that includes a control device 170, a storage device 160, a drive device 180, a sensor 152, and a communication interface 151. The sensor 152 includes, for example, a vibration sensor (acceleration sensor) and an image sensor.

[0051] The control device 170 includes a computing device 171 and a memory 172. The memory 172 is loaded with a self-position estimation program 173, a travel control program 174, a measurement program 175, and a communication program 176. The programs loaded into the memory 172 are executed by the computing device 171. The computing device 171 is composed of a microcomputer or a processor.

[0052] The self-position estimation program 173 calculates the position of the transport device 203 based on image data (image or video data) obtained from the image sensor. For example, a mark indicating a location may be placed on the warehouse floor, and the self-position estimation program 173 calculates the position of the transport device 203 based on the mark read by the image sensor. The mark placed on the floor is information that can be read by the sensor 152 of the transport device 203, such as a QR code. Alternatively, the position of the transport device 203 can be estimated by the warehouse control device 100 after receiving image data obtained by the image sensor. Marks are also called identifiers or reference marks.

[0053] For example, a warehouse floor is organized into multiple zones, each of which is labeled with a marker indicating its location. The transport device 203 travels across the floor, reading the markers on each zone as it passes over it, and acquiring information about the zone's location. The markers may include information that identifies the zone's location; for example, they may be the zone's location information or information associated with the zone's location information (e.g., identification information for the zone).

[0054] The travel control program 174 controls the drive device 180 based on the current position of the transport device 203 and the path data 127 received from the warehouse control device 100. Furthermore, the warehouse control device 100 transmits the path data 127 for each transport device 203 generated by the path generation program 111 to the transport device 203, which then stores the path data 127 in the path data 161 of the storage device 160.

[0055] The measurement program 175 receives sensor data from the sensor 152, the travel speed and acceleration from the travel control program 174, and the position of the transport device 203 calculated by the self-position estimation program 173, and transmits these data to the warehouse control device 100. This sensor data includes vibration data from the vibration sensor and floor image data from the image sensor. The measurement program 175 may transmit sensor data to the warehouse control device 100 at a predetermined timing or period (e.g., every 24 hours).

[0056] The storage device 160 is composed of a non-volatile storage medium and stores programs and data used by the programs. Examples of the data include route data 161 , map information 162 , measurement data 163 , device information 164 , and driving performance data 165 .

[0057] The route data 161 stores route data received from the warehouse control device 100. The map information 162 stores map information received from the warehouse control device 100. The measurement data 163 stores sensor data acquired by the sensor 152 and data acquired or calculated by each program.

[0058] The device information 164 stores information such as the transport device 203's identification information (device ID), the device's status, information on whether it is loaded with a shelf, the device's location, remaining battery charge, cumulative travel distance, and cumulative acceleration times. For example, the device information 164 may be information equivalent to the information regarding the transport device 203 in the device information 126 stored in the warehouse control device 100. The driving performance data 165 stores a history of the transport device 203's movement routes, the ground conditions (vibration) in each area, and its movement patterns.

[0059] The driving device 180 includes a carriage 181, a platform 182, driving wheels 183, auxiliary wheels (castors) 184, a motor 185 serving as a power source for driving the driving wheels 183 and the platform 182, and a battery (not shown) for supplying power to the motor 185. The motor 185 for driving the driving wheels 183 and the platform 182 can be composed of separate motors.

[0060] After the transport device 203 enters under the shelf 202, the drive device 180 raises the platform 182 to lift the shelf 202. Then, the drive device 180 drives the transport device 203 to the indicated position while the shelf 202 is lifted. After the transport device 203 reaches the destination, the drive device 180 lowers the platform 182 to put the shelf 202 on the ground.

[0061] The computing device 171 operates as a functional unit that provides predetermined functions by executing processes according to the programs of each functional unit. For example, the computing device 171 functions as a travel control unit by executing processes according to the travel control program 174. Similarly, for other programs, the computing device 171 operates as a functional unit that provides the functions of executing the multiple processes of each program.

[0062] The site terminal 210 is provided at each work site where workers perform work. The site terminal 210 displays the work plan information 125 sent from the warehouse control device 100 to present work details to workers, and receives data input by workers and sends it to the warehouse control device 100 .

[0063] The station terminal 210 is a computer that includes a communication interface 191, an input device 192, an output device 193, a control device 194, and a storage device 195. The communication interface 191 communicates with the warehouse control device 100 via the network 150. The input device 192 comprises a touch panel, a keyboard, and other components. The output device 193 comprises a display, a speaker, and other components. The control device 194 comprises a microcomputer and other components and executes predetermined programs. The storage device 195 stores programs and data.

[0064] The station terminal 210 receives the work plan for the work station from the warehouse control device 100 and stores it in the picking work information 196 in the storage device 195. Based on the picking work information 196, the station terminal 210 outputs instructions corresponding to the work status of the workers to the output device 193.

[0065] When starting or completing a job, the operator operates the station terminal 210 to obtain job instructions. The input device 192 of the station terminal 210 includes a picking start button, a picking completion button, a sorting start button, a sorting completion button, a start button, a stop button, and a resume button. These buttons can be physically operable or displayed on the display of the output device 193 and operated by touch.

[0066] For example, after pressing the Pick Start button, the operator retrieves the items specified in the work order from shelf 202 and transports them to the specified location. When the operator has completed picking the specified items, they press the Pick Complete button. Next, the operator presses the Sorting Start button to sort and pack the picked items. When sorting and packing are complete, the operator presses the Sorting Complete button. When the operator presses the Start button to begin the next work, the warehouse control device 100 sends a command to the transport device 203 to move the next shelf 202 to be worked on to the work station.

[0067] In response to the operation of each button, the control device 194 transmits the content of the operation received by the input device 192 to the warehouse control device 100. When the warehouse control device 100 receives the content of the operation from the site terminal 210, it accumulates the received content in the site log 131 described later.

[0068] <System Diagram>

[0069] Figure 2 This is a perspective diagram showing an example of the layout of a transportation system in a logistics center. The logistics center has a storage space 201. Within storage space 201, multiple shelves 202 are arranged in a grid pattern in the vertical and horizontal directions. Shelves 202 form an "island" consisting of a predetermined number of shelves 202 (e.g., 2 x 6 or 1 x 6).

[0070] A plurality of transport devices 203 are arranged in the storage space 201. The transport devices 203 enter under the shelves 202, lift the shelves 202, and move them. A plurality of charging stations 204 for charging the transport devices 203 are arranged at predetermined locations around the storage space 201.

[0071] A plurality of workstations 205-1 to 205-4 are arranged at predetermined positions on the outer edge of the storage space 201. At the workstations 205-1 to 205-3, workers 206-1 to 206-3 perform storage and retrieval operations, while at the robot station 205-4, a robot 207-1 performs storage and retrieval operations.

[0072] In the following description, when a work station is not individually specified, the reference numeral "206" is used with the suffix "-" omitted. The same applies to the reference numerals of other components.

[0073] Safety light curtains 208, 208 are installed at a workstation 205 adjacent to the storage space 201 to detect the intrusion of the worker 206 into the storage space 201. Between the safety light curtains 208, 208 is a shelf unit 209 where the shelves 202 are arranged for picking.

[0074] When the transport device 203 places the shelf 202 on the shelf unit 209, the safety light curtains 208, 208 are closed, allowing the worker 206 to perform the picking operation. On the other hand, when the picking operation is completed and the transport device 203 moves the shelf 202 from the shelf unit 209, the safety light curtains 208, 208 are opened, and an alarm is output if the worker 206 or others intrudes from the shelf unit 209.

[0075] At a workstation 205 where a worker 206 performs work, a station terminal 210 is disposed near a shelf unit 209. Also, at predetermined locations around the periphery of the workstation 205, work spaces 211-1 to 211-4 are provided for sorting and packaging.

[0076] The size of the work space 211 and the size of storage sections such as boxes for sorting and packaging may differ for each work station 205 , and these differences are factors that affect the work efficiency of the workers 206 .

[0077] When the transport device 203 arranges the shelves 202 in the shelf units 209, the time during which the operator 206 or robot 207 can perform the operation without moving the transport device 203 varies depending on the specific work performed at the work station 205. For example, in a shipping operation, one or more items are shipped from the 3×3 shelf units of the shelf 202 according to the shipping information. Meanwhile, in a receiving operation, a relatively concentrated number of items (e.g., 3 to 4 items) are received. The time during which the transport device 203 can perform the operation without moving the transport device 203 increases depending on the number of items being processed.

[0078] Similarly, the number of racks 202 that can wait at a work station 205 varies depending on the type of work being performed at the work station 205. For example, in outbound operations, the operation time varies depending on the number and type of items removed from the racks 202. Therefore, if the operation time is short, the number of racks 202 that can wait at the work station 205 can be increased. On the other hand, in inbound operations, the operation time varies depending on the number and type of items removed from the racks 202. Since these operations involve a larger number of items than outbound operations, if the operation time is long, the number of racks 202 that can wait at the work station 205 can be reduced. In other words, the operation time varies depending on the type, location, and time of the work being performed at the work station 205, and the number of racks 202 that can wait also varies. Therefore, the upper limit of transporter allocation can be adjusted.

[0079] Furthermore, the location of the workstation and the storage location of the items being entered or unloaded may sometimes affect the operation time. For example, at a workstation close to a location where a large number of items with high in- and out-of-stock frequency are stored, the time it takes for the transport device 203 to transport the rack 202 to the workstation 205 is short. In other examples, at a workstation close to a location where heavy, space-consuming items are stored, the picking time may be long and the workload may be relatively high. In other words, the time it takes to transport the rack 202 to the workstation 205 varies depending on the work being performed at the workstation 205, the location of the workstation 205, and the time of day, and the number of racks 202 available for standby also varies.

[0080] Here, an example of the application in the transport system of this embodiment is described. In the transport system of this embodiment, in the manner in which the transport device 203 transports the transport object such as the shelf 202 to the work station 205, depending on the distribution pattern of the transport instructions, there is a situation in which a waiting time for the shelf of the work object to arrive at the work station 205 is generated. For example, when the operation time in the work station 205 is shorter than the transport time of the transport device from the storage position of the shelf to the work station 205, the number of shelves 202 waiting in front of the work station 205 is reduced, and the shelf 202 configured at the shelf unit 209 may not exist. That is, when the operation efficiency in the work station is higher than the transport efficiency of the transport device, there is a situation in which a waiting time in the work station 205 is generated. When the waiting time in the work station 205 is generated in this way, there is a possibility of reducing the operation efficiency of the work station 205 and reducing the efficiency of the entire transport system. It is preferable to shorten the waiting time in the work station 205. Therefore, in the transport system of this embodiment, the transport instructions for transporting the shelf 202 to a certain work station 205 can be distributed to multiple transport devices 203 at the same time. Furthermore, as Figure 2 As shown, a plurality of racks 202 and the transport devices 203 carrying the racks 202 are configured to wait in front of a work station 205. This allows racks 202 waiting near a rack 202 that has completed work at the work station 205 to be moved to the rack unit 209 of the work station 205, allowing continuous work to be performed, thereby reducing the waiting time at the work station 205. Furthermore, the waiting positions of racks 202 waiting near the work station 205 or the transport devices 203 carrying the racks 202 can be arranged to wait at adjacent positions, forming a queue with the racks arranged at the rack unit 209 of the work station 205 at the head of the queue, thereby reducing the time loss caused by the movement of the racks 202. Figure 2 , an example is shown in which the rack 202-1 arranged at the rack unit 209 of the work station 205-2 is at the head of the queue and the rack 202-2 is formed in the back in a waiting queue, but the selection of the waiting position of the rack 202 is not limited to this example.

[0081] In addition, the number of transport devices 203 and shelves 202 arranged in front of the work station 205 can be changed by setting upper limits for the work station 205 based on several indicators such as the location of the above-mentioned work station, the relationship between the storage locations of the items entering and leaving the warehouse, the status of the operators, the work performance and the performance of the transportation time.

[0082] Thus, there are errors in the content of work, work load, and work time at each work station. In addition, the deviation is not fixed, but may change accordingly with the change of season, fashion, and the storage location of the article.

[0083] In this embodiment, regarding the work performed by the worker 206 at the work station 205, examples of picking work, sorting work, and unloading work are shown for outbound work and inbound work, respectively.

[0084] The outbound operation consists of workers 206 (or robots 207) working with recipients to remove items from shelves 202, sorting the removed items by category, and placing the sorted items into the storage areas corresponding to the category. The inbound operation consists of workers 206 (or robots 207) sorting items arriving at the warehouse by category, and placing the sorted items into designated locations on shelves 202. In this embodiment, the various outbound and inbound operations are defined as follows.

[0085] The picking operation of the outbound operation is an operation in which the worker 206 (or the robot 207) takes out a designated item from the shelf 202 that has arrived at the shelf unit 209 and moves it to the work space 211. The designated item may be displayed on the output device 193 of the station terminal 210.

[0086] The sorting process for outbound delivery involves workers 206 (or robots 207) placing items moved to workspace 211 into boxes (transportation components) corresponding to their destinations and packaging those boxes. The designated destination for the items may be displayed on output device 193 of station terminal 210.

[0087] The outbound operation is performed when the worker 206 (or robot 207) operates the station terminal 210 to request the next rack 202 after the picking operation of the rack 202 arranged at the rack unit 209 is completed. The warehouse control device 100 sends a command to the transport device 203 to move the rack 202 arranged at the rack unit 209, and instructs other transport devices 203 to move the next rack 202 to the rack unit 209.

[0088] Picking in incoming warehouse operations involves workers 206 (or robots 207) removing designated items from items arriving at workstation 205 via trucks or pallets and moving them to workspace 211. Item designation also occurs in outgoing warehouse operations, and can be displayed on output device 193 of station terminal 210.

[0089] The sorting operation of the warehousing operation is an operation in which the worker 206 (or robot 207) stores the articles taken out of the work space 211 on the shelves 202 arranged in the shelf unit 209. The designation of the shelf 202 to store the articles may be displayed on the output device 193 of the station terminal 210.

[0090] The outbound operation of the warehousing operation is an operation in which the operator 206 (or the robot 207 ) completes the sorting operation of the shelf 202 configured at the shelf unit 209 , operates the site terminal 210 , and requests the next shelf 202 .

[0091] <Log data sheet of transport device>

[0092] Figure 3 1 is a diagram showing an example of the transportation device information 300 constituting the transportation device driving performance data 129 .

[0093] The transport device information 300 includes a record in which a transport device ID column 301 , a status column 302 , a start / end column 303 , a time column 304 , a position column 305 , a station ID column 306 , and an acquired data column 307 are associated with each other.

[0094] The transport device ID stored in the transport device ID column 301 is identification information for uniquely identifying the transport device 203 .

[0095] The status stored in the status column 302 is the content of the specific work and action instructed by the warehouse control device 100 to the transport device 203 in the transport instruction and the phenomenon detected by the transport device 203. Such status is also called "event" in this field.

[0096] The flag stored in the start / end column 303 is either “start” indicating the start of a state or “end” indicating the end of a state.

[0097] The time stored in the time column 304 is the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second of the time when the state starts or ends.

[0098] The position stored in the position field 305 is the two-dimensional coordinate value of the area where the transport device is located at that moment. # represents an arbitrary numerical value.

[0099] The identification information stored in the site ID column 306 is identification information that uniquely identifies sites related to the transportation operation, such as the work site 205 and the charging site 204 of the transportation target, and is identification information that uniquely identifies sites related to the status of the transportation device 203, such as the site to which the transportation device 203 is heading or stopped at that moment.

[0100] The acquired data stored in the acquired data column 307 is data concerning the acquired state of the transport device 203. In most cases, the acquired data is measurement information other than the start and end times of the acquired state. For example, when the transport device 203 transports the rack 202, the acquired data is identification information uniquely identifying the rack 202, read from the bottom surface of the rack 202. Furthermore, multiple pieces of measurement information may be stored in the acquired data column 307.

[0101] According to the transport device information 300 ( Figure 3 ), for example, the following can be known.

[0102] From 10:20:00 to 10:22:00 on December 1, 2022, transport device A001 performed "non-dispatched operation." "Dispatched" means the purpose is to transport rack 202 to workstation 205. Therefore, "non-dispatched" means the purpose is not to transport rack 202 to workstation 205. The "non-dispatched operation" from 10:20:00 to 10:21:25 indicates movement to the charging location, while the "non-dispatched operation" from 10:21:25 to 10:22:00 indicates the movement of transport device 203 in accordance with movement instructions triggered by operations at station terminal 210.

[0103] From 10:20:00 to 10:21:25, the transport device A001 was charging at the charging station 204 , and from 10:21:25 to 10:22:00, the transport device A001 received an instruction from the station terminal 210 .

[0104] From 10:22:00 to 10:30:00, the transport device A001 was “on standby” at a predetermined standby position. This “on standby” indicates a state where no work is being done.

[0105] From 10:30:00 to 10:33:05, the transport device A001 performed the "dispatching operation".

[0106] From 10:30:00 to 10:31:00, the transport device A001 performed "meeting." "Meeting" means traveling to the position of the shelf storing the target item without lifting the shelf.

[0107] From 10:31:00 to 10:31:05, the transport device A001 performs "shelf raising." "Shelf raising" means that the transport device 203 raises the platform 182 to lift the shelf 202. At this time, the transport device A001 obtains the shelf ID from the shelf 202.

[0108] From 10:31:05 to 10:32:05, transport device A001 performed "Rack Transport (Outbound)." "Rack Transport (Outbound)" refers to transport device 203 transporting rack 202 to workstation 205. The identification information of the destination workstation 205 is stored in the station ID column 306, and the travel path is stored in the acquired data column 307.

[0109] From 10:32:05 to 10:32:25, transport device A001 performed "station operation." "Station operation" means that while operator 206 is performing a shipment operation at a work station, transport device A001 waits until the shipment operation is completed. The identification information of the work station 205 in operation is stored in the station ID column 306.

[0110] From 10:32:25 to 10:33:00, transport device A001 performed "Rack Transport (Return)." "Rack Transport (Return)" refers to transport device 203 transporting rack 202 to a designated storage location. The identification information of the workstation 205, the source of the transport, is stored in station ID column 306.

[0111] From 10:33:00 to 10:33:05, the transport device A001 performed “rack lowering.” “Rack lowering” refers to the action of the transport device 203 lowering the platform 182 to place the rack 202 .

[0112] From 10:33:05 to 11:00:00, transport device A001 was in "waiting" at the designated waiting position. Meanwhile, from 10:40:00 to 10:41:00, a "communication interruption detected" message occurred. "Communication interruption detected" refers to a communication interruption with the warehouse control device 100 or another transport device 203.

[0113] From 11:00:00 to 11:30:00, the transport device A001 is in an “offline” state. “Offline” means that the warehouse control device 100 cannot send a movement instruction to the transport device 203 .

[0114] <Log data table of work site>

[0115] Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing an example of site information 400 constituting the site performance data 132.

[0116] The site information 400 includes records that associate a site ID column 401 , a status column 402 , a start / end column 403 , a time column 404 , a job ID column 405 , a worker column 406 , a processing row number column 407 , a shelf ID column 408 , and an item ID×quantity column 409 .

[0117] The site ID stored in the site ID column 401 is identification information for uniquely identifying the work site 205 (for example, the robot site 205 - 4 ).

[0118] The status stored in the status column 402 is the content of the work instructed from the warehouse control device 100 to the station terminal 210 .

[0119] The flag stored in the start / end column 403 and the transport device information 300 ( Figure 3 ) sign, indicating the start or end of a state.

[0120] The time stored in the time column 404 and the transport device information 300 ( Figure 3 ) is the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second of the time when the state starts or ends.

[0121] The identification information (job ID) stored in the job ID column 405 is identification information for uniquely identifying each job.

[0122] The identification information (worker ID) stored in the worker column 406 is identification information for uniquely identifying the worker 206 or the robot 207 working at the work station 205 (for example, the worker 206 - 1 working at the work station 205 - 1 ).

[0123] The number of processing lines stored in the processing line number column 407 is the number of processing lines of the job instruction (the amount of data in the instruction content). The larger the number of processing lines, the more complex and / or voluminous the work to be performed by the operator (details will be described later). The # represents an arbitrary numerical value. The number of processing lines and the number of hits have the same meaning; the value expressing the number of processing lines as a ratio is the number of hits.

[0124] The identification information (shelf ID) stored in the shelf ID column 408 is identification information for uniquely identifying the shelf 202 .

[0125] The item ID and quantity stored in the Item ID × Quantity column 409 indicate that the item ID is identification information for the type of item being worked on, and the quantity is the number of items. In this embodiment, workers at workstation 205 place items in storage (store them on a shelf) or remove them from storage (take them out of a shelf). Each shelf unit (storage space) on the shelf houses different types of items.

[0126] According to the site information 400 ( Figure 4 ), for example, the following can be known.

[0127] At least from 10:00:00 to 11:15:00 on December 1, 2022, a worker with a worker ID of H001 performed work at the work site 205 with a site ID of E001.

[0128] From 10:00:00 to 10:32:00, a storage operation with W012 in the operation ID field 405 was performed. The contents of the operation with W012 in the operation ID field 405 are as follows.

[0129] From 10:00:00 to 10:10:00, the work site 205 with the site ID E001 is in “waiting (waiting for dispatch).” “Waiting (waiting for dispatch)” refers to a state of waiting for the transport device 203 to be associated with a work at the site.

[0130] From 10:10:00 to 10:12:00, work station 205 with station ID E001 was in "Standby (Vehicle Reception or Rack Delivery)." "Vehicle Reception" means that work station 205 is on standby and is traveling to the rack holding the target item without lifting the rack. "Rack Delivery" means that work station 205 is on standby and the transport device 203 is transporting rack 202 to work station 205.

[0131] From 10:12:00 to 10:32:00, work station 205 with station ID E001 performed a "warehouse entry operation." The number of processing lines in the work instruction for this warehouse entry operation is "#." Work station 205 with station ID E001 performed a warehouse entry operation, storing at least 200 items with item ID D021 in shelf F001, in accordance with the work instruction.

[0132] From 10:32:00 to 11:10:00, a delivery operation with W054 in the operation ID field 405 was performed. The contents of W054 in the operation ID field 405 are as follows.

[0133] From 10:32:00 to 10:35:00, the work site 205 whose site ID is E001 is in "standby (waiting for dispatch)".

[0134] From 10:35:00 to 10:36:00, the work station 205 whose station ID is E001 is in "waiting (receiving vehicle or shelf delivery)".

[0135] During the outbound operation, from 10:36:00 to 10:37:00, work station 205 with station ID E001 was in "Standby (Safety Sensor Detection)." "Safety Sensor Detection" means, for example, that the station's light curtain was blocked. In other words, during this period, all operations at work station 205 with station ID E001 were suspended.

[0136] From 10:37:00 to 10:38:00, the work station 205 with the station ID E001 is in "waiting (receiving vehicle or rack delivery)".

[0137] From 10:38:00 to 11:10:00, work station 205 with station ID E001 performed a "removal operation." The number of processing lines in the work instruction for this removal operation is "#." Work station 205 with station ID E001 performed a removal operation, removing at least two items D031 from shelf F002, in accordance with the work instruction.

[0138] From 11:10:00 on December 1, 2022, another job with W003 in the job ID field 405 was performed. In the job with W003 in the job ID field 405, the job site 205 with site ID E001 was in "waiting (waiting for dispatch)" from 11:10:00 to 11:15:00.

[0139]

[0140] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of the transport device information 500 constituting the device information 126 .

[0141] The transport device information 500 is information acquired by the transport device control program 114 of the warehouse control device 100 from the transport device 203 .

[0142] The transport device information 500 includes records in which a device ID column 501 , an operation status column 502 , a job ID column 503 , a current position column 504 , a work site ID column 505 , a shelf ID column 506 , an abnormal CD column 507 , and a work start time column 508 are associated with each other.

[0143] The device ID column 501 stores identification information assigned to the transport device 203. The operating status column 502 indicates the status of the transport device 203, such as operating, not operating, abnormal, or charging. The job ID column 503 stores unique identification information assigned to the job by the transport device control program 114 of the warehouse control device 100. The current position column 504 stores the real-time location of the transport device 203 within the warehouse. The work station ID column 505 stores unique identification information for identifying the work station 205 performing the work associated with the transport instruction assigned to the transport device 203 (i.e., the transport destination). The shelf ID column 506 stores unique identification information for identifying the shelf 202 associated with the transport instruction assigned to the transport device 203. The abnormality CD column 507 stores identification information identifying the details of an abnormality that has occurred in the transport device 203, as determined by the control device 170 or the drive device 180. Abnormalities in the transport device 203 include, for example, deviation from the travel path, unknown location within the warehouse, or deviation from the loading position of the shelf 202. The Abnormal CD column 507 stores the code corresponding to the cause of the abnormality. The Operation Start Time column 508 stores the time when the record of the transport device information 500 was generated, such as the time when the operation started or the time when the abnormality was detected.

[0144] The transporter control program 114 of the warehouse control device 100 refers to the transporter information 500, selects a transporter 203 suitable for the next operation, and assigns the operation to the selected transporter 203. Furthermore, the transporter 203 suitable for the operation may be selected from a transporter 203 that is closest to the operation site, a transporter 203 with a "Not Operating" column 502, or a transporter 203 selected in descending order based on the times stored in the operation start time column 508. Alternatively, AI may be used to select the most suitable transporter 203.

[0145] The transport device control program 114 updates the transport device information 500 with information on the recorded job to which the selected transport device 203 is assigned.

[0146] Furthermore, the time stored in the work start time column 508 may be compared with the current time, and if the work requires more time than the estimated time, the maximum number of assigned transport instructions to the work station 205 (the station transport device assignment information 130 ( Figure 9 )).

[0147] <Shelf Management Table>

[0148] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of the shelf management information 600 constituting the shelf information 123 .

[0149] The shelf management information 600 is used to manage the information of the shelf 202, that is, the transport device control program 114 or the path generation program 111 of the warehouse control device 100 is used to determine the position of the shelf 202 in the warehouse or to generate a moving path for the transport device 203 to transport the shelf 202 in accordance with the purchase or shipment.

[0150] The shelf management information 600 includes a record in which a shelf ID column 601 , a status column 602 , a current position column 604 , a work station ID column 605 , and a shipping frequency column 606 are associated with each other.

[0151] The shelf ID column 601 stores identification information that uniquely identifies the shelf 202. The status column 602 indicates the status of the shelf 202. If the transport device 203 is transporting the shelf 202, it is "in operation"; otherwise, it is "in storage." The operation ID column 603 stores the operation ID of the transport device 203 that is transporting the shelf 202 (see Figure 5 ) The current position column 604 stores the real-time position of the shelf 202 in the warehouse. When the status column 602 is "in operation", the operation site ID column 605 stores the identification information of the operation site 205 related to the transportation of the shelf 202. The shipment frequency column 606 stores the frequency of transporting the shelf 202 to the operation site 205. In this embodiment, only the shipments in the case of the shipment operation in the operation site 205 are counted, and the shipment frequency is calculated and evaluated according to 5 levels of A to E, where A is high frequency and E is low frequency. In addition, separate columns can be set for the purchase frequency and the shipment frequency, or a column for the total value of the purchase frequency and the shipment frequency can be set. The operation start time column 607 stores the moment when the status column 602 becomes "in operation".

[0152] Reference Figure 6 The shelf management information 600 shown can realize the following control, for example.

[0153] The shipping frequency column 606 indicates that high-frequency shelves 202 are arranged near the work station 205 where shipping operations are performed, thereby shortening the delivery time to the work station 205 where shipping operations are performed. On the other hand, the shipping frequency column 606 indicates that low-frequency shelves 202 are arranged away from the work station 205 where shipping operations are performed, thereby extending the delivery time to the work station 205 where shipping operations are performed.

[0154] Furthermore, incoming goods are often carried out at workstations 205 where outgoing goods are not performed. Therefore, if the shelves 202 with a high frequency of outgoing goods in the column 606 are located away from the workstations 205 where incoming goods are performed, the delivery time to the workstations 205 where incoming goods are performed can be extended. On the other hand, if the shelves 202 with a low frequency of outgoing goods in the column 606 are located near the workstations 205 where incoming goods are performed, the delivery time to the workstations 205 where incoming goods are performed can be shortened.

[0155] Depending on the distance between the position stored in the current position column 604 of the rack 202 and the location of the work station 205 associated with the job, the transport time required by the transport device 203 to transport the rack 202 varies, and the time the transport device 203 waits in front of the work station 205 for the job to be performed also varies. Therefore, by calculating the required transport time based on the distance between the current position of the rack 202 and the location of the work station 205, the time the transport device 203 waits in front of the work station 205 for the job to be performed can be minimized. The order and maximum number of transport devices assigned to job instructions for the target work station 205 are modified. This allows the transport device 203 to be assigned to a different work station 205.

[0156]

[0157] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing an example of the hit count information 700 constituting the hit count data 128 .

[0158] The hit count information 700 indicates the shipping performance of the shelf 202 in the work station 205 and includes a record in which a station ID column 701 , a time column 702 , a processing row number column 703 , a shelf ID column 704 , and an item ID×quantity column are associated with each other.

[0159] Site ID column 701 and site ID column 401 (refer to Figure 4) Similarly, identification information uniquely identifying workstation 205 is stored. Time column 702 stores the time when shelf 202 arrives at workstation 205. Processing row number column 703 stores the number of times a worker picks items from a shelf 202. For example, conveyor 203 transports shelf 202 to workstation 205 once, and a worker picks 200 items with item ID D021 and 50 items with item ID D022 for order destination A, and 30 items with item ID D021 and 100 items with item ID D023 for order destination B. In this case, since 200 items with item ID D021 for order destination A, 50 items with item ID D022 for order destination A, 30 items with item ID D021 for order destination B, and 100 items with item ID D023 for order destination B were picked, the number of picks is 4. The number of picking operations can also be calculated by multiplying the item type by the quantity, or by the number of item IDs. The shelf ID column 704 stores identification information for the shelf 202. The item ID × quantity column 705 stores the item IDs of the items picked by the worker and the number of items picked.

[0160] Reference Figure 7 The hit count information 700 shown can realize the following control, for example.

[0161] Assuming the operator takes a fixed amount of time per pick, the greater the number of picks stored in the processing row column 703, the longer the rack 202 and conveyor 203 wait at the workstation 205. Conversely, the smaller the number of picks stored in the processing row column 703, the shorter the time the rack 202 and conveyor 203 wait at the workstation 205. Therefore, the smaller the number of picks stored in the processing row column 703, the more frequent the exchange of racks 202 and conveyor 203, requiring more conveyor 203. Therefore, it is preferable to store a larger number of picks in the processing row column 703.

[0162] The increase in the waiting time of the transport device 203 at the work station 205 means that the time the transport device 203 waits in front of the work station 205 until the currently ongoing work is completed is extended. Therefore, according to the number of pickings stored in the processing line number column 703, the upper limit of the number of transport devices assigned to the work station 205 is corrected so that the waiting time of the transport device 203 in front of the work station 205 is shortened (refer to Figure 9 ), which can shorten the operation waiting time of the transport device 203 being assigned to other operation sites 205 and improve the shipping efficiency.

[0163] In order to allocate the transport devices 203 to the work stations 205 and improve the shipping efficiency, the maximum number of transport devices 203 to be allocated to the work stations 205 is modified so that the waiting time of other transport devices 203 in front of the work stations 205 is shortened.

[0164]

[0165] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of the worker performance information 800 constituting the worker performance data 133 .

[0166] The worker performance information 800 is information recording the worker's work performance, and includes records in which a worker ID column 801 , a time column 802 , a picking time column 803 , a shelf ID column 804 , and an item ID×quantity column 805 are associated with each other.

[0167] The Worker ID column 801 stores the identification information of the worker 206 (e.g., 206-1) or robot 207 (e.g., 207-1) at the workstation 205. The Time column 802 stores the time at which item picking begins. The Picking Time column 803 stores the time required to pick the target item. The Shelf ID column 804 stores the identification information of the shelf 202 from which the item was removed. The Item ID × Quantity column 805 stores the identification information of the picked item and the number of items picked.

[0168] For example, for a job with job ID H002, it is recorded that picking started at 10:03:00 on December 1, 2022, 197 items with item ID D069 were picked from shelf 202 with shelf ID F083, and the time required for picking was 29 seconds.

[0169] Reference Figure 8 The worker performance information 800 shown can realize the following control, for example.

[0170] When an operator carries out a picking operation on a shelf 202 transported from the transport device 203 to the work station 205, assuming that the number of picking times stored in the processing row number column 703 is a fixed value, if the picking time is long, the waiting time of the shelf 202 and the transport device 203 in the work station 205 increases. On the other hand, if the picking time is short, the waiting time of the shelf 202 and the transport device 203 in the work station 205 decreases. Figure 7 In the same manner as described above, if the picking time is short, the exchanges between the rack 202 and the transport device 203 will be more frequent.

[0171] Assuming the number of picks stored in the processing row count column 703 is fixed, if the picking time is long, the time the rack 202 and transporter 203 wait at the work station 205 increases. On the other hand, if the picking time is short, the time the rack 202 and transporter 203 wait at the work station 205 decreases. Therefore, according to the picking time, the maximum number of transporters assigned to the work station 205 is adjusted to minimize the waiting time of the transporter 203 at the work station 205, and the transporter 203 is assigned to other work stations 205, thereby reducing idle time and improving shipping efficiency.

[0172]

[0173] Figure 9 1 is a diagram showing an example of the work site management table 900 constituting the site transportation device allocation information 130 .

[0174] The work site management table 900 includes records that associate a site ID column 901 , a position column 902 , a work status column 903 , a worker column 904 , a current number of transporter allocations column 905 , an upper limit of transporter allocations column 906 , and an allocation priority column 907 .

[0175] Site ID column 901 and Figure 4 The station ID column 401 similarly stores the identification information of the work station 205. The position column 902 stores the position where the transport device 203 stops for the work at the work station 205. The work status column 903 stores the status of the work at the work station 205. For example, the work status includes "warehouse entry" for the work of storing items on the shelf 202, "warehouse removal" for the work of removing items from the shelf 202, "other" for the work of counting items in the shelf 202 and exchanging items in the shelf unit, and "not working" when no work is being performed. The operator column 904 stores the identification information of the operator 206 or robot 207 performing the work at the work station 205.

[0176] The current number of transport devices assigned column 905 stores the real-time number of transport devices 203 to which the transport device control program 114 has assigned transport instructions to the work station 205. The transport device control program 114 adds the number of transport devices 203 assigned transport instructions to the current number of transport devices assigned column 905 corresponding to the station ID column 901. When the worker 206 or robot 207 completes work at the work station 205, the transport device control program 114 subtracts 1 from the current number of transport devices assigned column 905.

[0177] The upper limit column 906 for the number of transporters 203 to which the transporter control program 114 can assign transport instructions is stored for each workstation 205. The transporter control program 114 assigns transport instructions to the transporters 203 for each workstation 205 so that the current number of transporters assigned does not exceed the value stored in the upper limit column 906 for the number of transporters assigned. In this embodiment, the current number of transporters assigned column 905 and the upper limit column 906 for the number of transporters assigned are managed as a single item for both incoming and outgoing operations. However, separate entries for incoming and outgoing operations can be used to manage the current number of transporters assigned and the upper limit column 906 for each operation.

[0178] The allocation priority column 907 stores information referenced by the transporter control program 114 to select a work station 205 to which transport instructions should be preferentially assigned when the work status column 903 indicates "Not Operating" and the current number of transporters assigned to multiple work stations does not exceed the value stored in the upper limit of the number of transporters assigned column 906. For example, priority is evaluated on a five-level scale from A to E, with A being the highest priority and E being the lowest. If the current number of transporters assigned does not exceed the value stored in the upper limit of the number of transporters assigned column 906 and multiple station IDs are eligible for transport instructions, the transporter control program 114 assigns work instructions to the transporters 203 starting with the highest priority. This priority is effective when the number of transporters 203 eligible for transport instructions is less than the number of transport instructions. The priority can be predetermined during transport system design or changed based on the work performance of the work stations 205.

[0179] <Settings screen>

[0180] Figure 10 10 is a diagram showing an example of a station transport device allocation number setting screen 1000 displayed on the output device 193 of the station terminal 210 .

[0181] The current number of transport device allocation settings column 1001 displays Figure 9The work station management table 900 shown in the figure stores the station ID in the station ID column 901, the upper limit of the number of transporters to be allocated in the upper limit of the number of transporters to be allocated column 906, and the allocation priority in the allocation priority column 907. A manual / automatic mode switch 1002 allows the operator to select between a manual input mode in which the operator directly enters the upper limit of the number of transporters to be allocated and the allocation priority, and an automatic input mode in which changes are made based on past data such as the transport time from the shelf 202 to the work station 205, the location information of the shelf 202, the number of hits during the picking operation, and the picking time the operator takes items from the shelf 202. In the automatic input mode, the upper limit of the number of transporters to be allocated and the allocation priority are derived from past data using a machine learning model or mathematical model that utilizes AI technology. The changed number of transporters to be allocated setting column 1003 is used when manual input is selected in the manual / automatic mode switch 1002. The operator can input changes to the upper limit of the number of transporters to be allocated and the allocation priority corresponding to the station ID. The setting change button 1004 is operated to confirm the contents entered in the changed number of transporter units assigned setting field 1003. By operating the setting change button 1004, the contents entered in the changed number of transporter units assigned setting field 1003 are transmitted to the warehouse control device 100, and the workstation management table 900 is updated. Furthermore, if the manual / automatic mode switch 1002 is in the automatic setting, the setting change button does not need to be operated, and the workstation management table 900 is automatically updated.

[0182] <Conveyor unit allocation number setting process>

[0183] Figure 11 This is a flowchart of the transport device allocation number setting process executed by the warehouse control device 100.

[0184] In step S1101, the transport device control program 114 of the warehouse control device 100 obtains all log data (past performance data A) stored in the storage device 110 and each device. Each device here includes a transport device 203, a charging station 204, and a work station 205. The work station 205 includes a robot 207, a station terminal 210, and any device that gives specific work instructions to the operator 206 (a terminal device carried by the operator, a display, an instruction box on the front of the shelf unit, etc.). In addition, the log is an action instruction for each device and the action history of each device, and the data representing the status of the device is attached with time information (such as the start and end time of the status). The log is recorded in the instructions sent by the warehouse control device 100 to each device or in the data sent by each device to the warehouse control device 100.

[0185] In step S1102, the transport device control program 114 obtains the time required for the transport device 203 to transport to the work station 205 from the log data obtained in step S1101. Specifically, from the transport device information 300, the time required for "Meeting," "Shelf Lift," "Shelf Transport (Outbound)," and "Station Operation" in the status column 302 of "Dispatching Operation" is obtained from multiple transport devices 203, and the transport time is calculated based on the obtained time. For example, the average of the obtained times can be calculated as the transport time. Alternatively, the transport time can be calculated as a weighted average weighted according to the distance between the work station 205 and the shelf 202. Alternatively, a device learning model that has been learned based on the transport performance, shipment volume, and transport time of the transport device 203 can be used to derive the transport time based on the transport performance of the transport device 203 and the future shipment volume forecast.

[0186] In step S1103 , the transport device control program 114 specifies the worker of the work station 205 based on the worker information B stored in the worker column 904 of the target station ID column 901 in the work station management table 900 .

[0187] In step S1104, the transport device control program 114 calculates the worker's picking time obtained in step S1103 based on the log data obtained in step S1101. Specifically, the worker ID column 801 of the worker performance information 800 is referenced to select the worker obtained in step S1103, and the picking time is calculated based on the average of the worker's past picking performance. Alternatively, the picking time may be calculated as a weighted average weighted according to the worker's daily work status. Alternatively, the picking time may be calculated by taking into account the worker's height and physique, as well as the location of items stored on shelf 202. For example, if the item to be picked is located high, the time required to move up and down the standing position may be added to the picking time. Furthermore, for example, the picking time may be adjusted to account for work environment factors such as the time required to travel back and forth when the workstation 205 is located far from a rest area.

[0188] In step S1105, the transport device control program 114 obtains the real-time hit count for the currently transported rack 202 and the past hit count from the log data obtained in step S1101. For example, referring to the station ID column 701 of the hit count information 700, the data in the processing row column 703 of the work station 205 for which the hit count is being calculated is obtained, and the average number of picking times stored in the processing row column 703 is calculated as the average hit count. Furthermore, information about the rack 202 currently being transported by the transport device 203 to the work station 205 is obtained from the transport device information 500, and the real-time hit count is obtained from the shipping plan included in the order information 121. The real-time hit count is then compared with the average hit count. Alternatively, the average hit count can be calculated using a forgetfulness average weighted by elapsed time. Alternatively, the weighting can be calculated based on past performance data using a machine learning model or a mathematical model utilizing AI technology.

[0189] In step S1106, the transport device control program 114 retrieves the dates and times when a high number of inbound or outbound operations are recorded in the status column 402 of the station information 400 of the log data obtained in step S1101. For example, the average number of operations per hour is calculated for each work station 205 for the inbound or outbound operation information recorded in the status column 402 of the station information 400. If the number of operations is high on any given day and varies significantly depending on the work station 205, the data is determined to have a certain degree of variation in the operation time, and the variation is calculated as a weight.

[0190] In step S1107 , the transport device control program 114 obtains the number of transport devices 203 in operation and the number of transport devices not in operation. Specifically, the number of transport devices 203 in "not in operation," "in operation," and "charging" is obtained from the operation status column 502 of the transport device information 500 .

[0191] In step S1108, the transporter control program 114 calculates the upper limit of the number of transporters to be assigned based on the transport time, picking time, hit count, outbound delivery performance, the operating status of the transporters, and shelf location information. The calculation is then stored in the upper limit column 906 of the work station management table 900. Furthermore, the allocation priority for each work station 205 is calculated based on the trend of outbound delivery performance and stored in the allocation priority column 907 of the work station management table 900.

[0192] For example, the picking time is multiplied by the hit count to calculate the waiting time of the transport device 203 in front of the workstation 205, and the shelf transport time is divided by this time to calculate the value obtained as the tentative upper limit of the number of transport devices to be allocated.

[0193] Next, the calculated provisional upper limit of the number of transport devices to be assigned is corrected by adding a correction value. This correction value can be calculated based on additional information regarding the transport operation, warehousing performance or outbound performance, and shelf location information. For example, if the distance between shelf 202 and the work station 205 calculated based on the warehousing performance or outbound performance and shelf location information is closer than a specified reference, and the number of shelves with a warehousing frequency or outbound frequency greater than the specified reference is greater than a specified threshold, it is inferred that the shelf's transport time to the work station 205 is shorter than the average. Therefore, the correction value for the number of transport devices to be assigned to the work station 205 can be set to a negative value to reduce the upper limit of the number of transport devices to be assigned. On the other hand, if the distance between shelf 202 and workstation 205 is greater than a predetermined reference, and the number of shelves with a stocking-in or stocking-out frequency greater than the predetermined reference exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is estimated that the shelf's delivery time to that workstation 205 is longer than the average. Therefore, the correction value for the number of transporters assigned to that workstation 205 can be set to a positive value, thereby increasing the upper limit of the number of transporters assigned. Here, the predetermined reference and threshold can be appropriately set according to the logistics center's layout, the characteristics of the transporters, and other environmental factors. Alternatively, the predetermined threshold can be determined based on past performance values ​​for stocking-in or stocking-out frequency.

[0194] The reference value for the distance between the shelf 202 and the workstation 205 and the judgment criteria for the frequency of warehousing or outgoing can be set at multiple levels. Furthermore, the correction value A can be set to different values ​​in accordance with the reference value for the distance between the shelf 202 and the workstation 205 and the judgment criteria for the frequency of warehousing or outgoing, which are set at multiple levels. For example, the upper limit of the number of conveyor units to be assigned can be calculated using Formula 1. In Formula 1, the transport time is the transport time obtained in step S1102, the picking time is the picking time of the operator obtained in step S1104, and the hit count is the average hit count obtained in step S1105. By multiplying the picking time by the hit count, the time during which the conveyor unit 203 loaded with the shelf 202 waits at the workstation 205 until the operator 206 completes the work, i.e., the transport unit operator standby time, is calculated. If the calculated transporter operator standby time is shorter than the transport time and there is only one transporter 203, the standby time of the operator 206 at the workstation 205 is the time obtained by subtracting the transport time from the transporter operator standby time. Therefore, the number of transporters 203 allocated to the workstation 205 is calculated so that the difference between the transporter operator standby time and the transport time is minimized. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the number of transporters 203 allocated to the workstation 205 is calculated by adding a correction value A to the calculated number of transporters allocated. The correction value A is adjusted based on the positional relationship between the rack 202 and the workstation 205, as well as the incoming and outgoing stocking performance and the forecasted incoming and outgoing stocking for the day. The value calculated using Formula 1 is rounded up to the nearest integer.

[0195] (Formula 1)

[0196] Upper limit of the number of transport devices to be assigned = (transport time / (picking time × number of hits)) + correction value A

[0197] Furthermore, the position of the transporter 203 stored in the current position column 504 of the transporter information 500 indicating "abnormal" can be obtained based on the value stored in the current transporter allocation number column 905 of the work station management table 900 and the operating status of the transporter 203. Considering that the transport time for a work station 205 near the transporter 203 that interferes with transport operations will be extended in order to avoid the abnormal transporter 203, the correction value for the number of transporters allocated to that work station 205 can be set to a positive value, thereby increasing the upper limit of the number of transporters allocated. Furthermore, after the transporter 203 recovers from the abnormality, the correction value for the work station where the transporter 203 interfered with transport operations can be set to a negative value, thereby decreasing the upper limit of the number of transporters allocated.

[0198] In addition, for the allocation of priorities, the tendency of warehousing or outbound operations calculated in step S1106 can be referred to, and the priority of the work site at the time when the outbound frequency was high in the past can be increased, and the priority of the work site at the time when the outbound frequency was low can be set to a lower level.

[0199] Furthermore, the upper limit on the number of transport devices to be assigned and the priority of the assigned transport devices are updated at a predetermined time (e.g., every hour or upon a predetermined event), and appropriate upper limits and priorities can be determined for each time period. This allows the upper limit and priority to be appropriately determined in accordance with the operations at the work stations 205 that vary with the time period.

[0200] In addition, the upper limit of the number of transport devices to be allocated and the allocation priority can also be determined according to the positional relationship between the rack 202 and the transport device 203 and the work plan of the work station 205.

[0201] <Conveyor unit allocation number setting process>

[0202] Figure 12 This is a flowchart of the transport device allocation number setting process executed by the warehouse control device 100.

[0203] In step S1201, the transport device control program 114 of the warehouse control device 100 sends a transport instruction to the transport device 203. In accordance with the received transport instruction, the transport device 203 transports the shelf 202 to the work station 205. For example, the transport device 203 retrieves the work status stored in the work status column 903 based on the object's site ID column 901 in the work station management table 900. If the work status of the work station 205 is "inbound," the inbound information is referenced; if it is "outbound," the outbound information is referenced.

[0204] Next, the transporter control program 114 compares the number of transporters 203 assigned transport instructions, stored in the Current Transporter Assignment Number column 905 of the work site management table 900, with the number of transporters 203 that can be assigned, stored in the Transporter Assignment Number Upper Limit column 906, to determine whether the number of transporters 203 assigned transport instructions is less than the number of transporters 203 that can be assigned. If the number of transporters 203 assigned transport instructions is equal to or greater than the number of transporters 203 that can be assigned, the transporter control program 114 waits until the number of transporters 203 assigned transport instructions becomes less than the number of transporters 203 that can be assigned.

[0205] If the value in the Current Transporter Allocation Number column 905 of the workstation management table 900 is less than the value in the Upper Limit of Transporter Allocation Number column 906, the transporter control program 114 searches for the rack 202 storing the item based on the inbound or outbound information and determines the rack 202 to be transported. Alternatively, after searching for a rack 202, the program may determine whether the workstation 205 is the target rack for transport.

[0206] Next, for the determined rack 202 to be transported, select the transport device 203 whose operating status column 502 of the transport device information 500 is "Not in operation" and whose position stored in the current position column 504 is closest to the current position of the rack ID column 601 of the object in the rack management information 600.

[0207] When the number of transporters 203 with the "Not Operating" status column 502 low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition, the transporter control program 114 determines the workstation 205 to which a transport instruction is to be assigned using the priority stored in the assignment priority column 907 of the workstation management table 900. For example, the workstation 205 with the highest priority stored in the assignment priority column 907 is selected, ensuring that the current number of transporter assignments in the workstation management table 900 does not exceed the upper limit of the number of transporter assignments. In this way, the assignment priority is used to determine the workstation 205 to which a transport instruction is preferentially assigned when the number of transporters 203 is low. However, the assignment priority may also be determined by comparing the total value obtained by subtracting the value stored in the current number of transporter assignments column 905 from the value stored in the upper limit of the number of transporter assignments column 906 with the number of transporters 203 not operating, or by comparing the total value stored in the upper limit of the number of transporter assignments column 906 with the number of transporters 203 currently operating. In addition, according to the allocation priority, the work site 205 to which the transport instruction is preferentially allocated can be determined, and the upper limit of the number of transport devices allocated to the work site 205 can be updated (for example, the upper limit of the number of transport devices allocated to the work site 205 with a low allocation priority can be reduced).

[0208] Furthermore, if the total of the upper limits of the number of transporter allocations for each workstation 205 exceeds the total number of transporters 203 currently in operation, the transporter control program 114 may experience a shortage of transporters 203 to which transport instructions have not yet been assigned, leading to an increase in the number of workstations 205 to which transport instructions cannot be assigned up to the upper limit of the number of transporter allocations, and a potential discrepancy in operating efficiency between workstations 205. To reduce this discrepancy, the upper limit of the number of transporter allocations may be set based on the priority stored in the allocation priority column 907 so that it does not exceed the number of currently operating transporters 203 to which transport instructions can be assigned. In this case, the upper limit of the number of transporter allocations calculated in step S1108 may be corrected based on the priority stored in the allocation priority column 907. For example, if the total of the calculated upper limits of the number of transporter allocations for each workstation 205 is determined to exceed the number of currently operating transporters 203, the upper limit of the number of transporter allocations may be corrected by subtracting a predetermined amount from the upper limit of the number of transporter allocations, starting with the workstation with the lowest allocation priority, based on the priority stored in the allocation priority column 907. The predetermined amount may be 1. Correction is performed until the total of the calculated upper limits of the number of transport devices assigned to each work station 205 does not exceed the number of transport devices 203 in operation.

[0209] The route generation program 111 generates a transport route for the selected transport device 203. In the above manner, a transport task to be executed by the transport device 203 is generated. Then, the transport device control program 114 sends a transport instruction to the transport device 203.

[0210] In step S1202 , the transport device control program 114 collects the performance of the transport device 203 in accordance with the transport instruction generated in step S1201 , and stores the collected performance in the transport device driving performance data 129 .

[0211] In step S1203, the transport device control program 114 saves the performance of the shelf 202 transported by the transport device 203 and the warehousing or outbound operation performed by the operator 206 at the work site 205 in the site performance data 132 (site information 400) and the operator performance data 133 (operator performance information 800) in accordance with the transport instructions generated in step S1201.

[0212] In step S1204, the transport device control program 114 calculates the number of hits performed on the rack 202 transported by the transport device 203 according to the transport instruction generated in step S1201, and stores the result in the hit count data 128 (hit count information 700). As described above, the number of picks stored in the processed row number column 703 of the hit count data 128 is determined by the number of item types picked from a single rack 202 for each destination. Therefore, for example, the hit count data 128 can be determined based on the number of records of picks performed continuously over time from the same rack 202 by the operator's operator performance data 133. Alternatively, the hit count data 128 can be determined by taking into account the picking time. Because the hit count data 128 and the picking time vary due to different factors, obtaining data on the operation time for each rack can avoid the influence of exception logs.

[0213] In step S1205 , the transport device control program 114 stores information on the work performed on the rack 202 transported by the transport device 203 in the worker performance data 133 (worker performance information 800 ) according to the transport instruction generated in step S1201 .

[0214] The warehouse control device 100 can simply output the calculated upper limit on the number of transporter allocations from the output device 104. For example, the calculated upper limit on the number of transporter allocations for each work station 205 can be summed up to calculate the preferred number of transporters 203 in the warehouse and output from the output device 104. Alternatively, in a warehouse divided into multiple areas, the calculated upper limit on the number of transporter allocations for each work station 205 can be summed up for each area, and the sum for each area can be divided by the sum of the upper limits on the number of transporter allocations for all work stations 205 to output the allocation rate and number of transporters 203 for each area.

[0215] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes various modifications and equivalent structures within the scope of the accompanying claims. For example, the above-described embodiments are described in detail to easily explain the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to all the structures described. In addition, a portion of the structure of a certain embodiment may be replaced with the structure of another embodiment. In addition, the structure of another embodiment may be added to the structure of a certain embodiment. In addition, for a portion of the structure of each embodiment, other structures may be added, deleted, or replaced.

[0216] Furthermore, the above-mentioned structures, functions, processing parts, processing units, etc. may be partially or entirely implemented by hardware, for example, by designing them in an integrated circuit, or may be implemented by software by interpreting and executing programs that implement the functions on a processor.

[0217] Information such as programs, tables, and files that realize various functions can be stored in storage devices such as memories, hard disks, and SSDs (Solid State Drives), or recording media such as IC cards, SD cards, and DVDs.

[0218] In addition, the control lines and information lines are shown as necessary for explanation, and not all the control lines and information lines required for implementation are shown. In practice, it can be considered that almost all the components are connected to each other.

Claims

1. A management device capable of controlling a transport device that transports an object to a work site, characterized in that: The computer comprises a computing device that performs predetermined computing processing and a storage device connected to the computing device. The management device includes: a storage unit constituted by the storage device, storing log data including at least the time when the transport device performed a transport operation and the time when the operation was performed at the operation site; and a control unit that assigns a transport task to the transport device to transport the transport object to the work site, The control unit, Based on the log data, an upper limit value of the transport task for each work site that can be assigned to the transport device is determined. The transport tasks are assigned to the transport devices so that the number of the transport devices to which the transport tasks for the work station can be assigned is equal to or less than the upper limit.

2. The management device according to claim 1, wherein: The transport object is a shelf for storing items. The control unit calculates the upper limit based on the transport time of the transport object transported by the transport device, the work time at the work station, and the number of hits of the transport object corresponding to the work at the work station recorded in the log data.

3. The management device according to claim 2, wherein: The management device determines the hit count based on the number of picking operations of taking out articles from the same transport object continuously in time from the worker's work performance data recorded in the log data.

4. The management device according to claim 2, wherein: The control unit calculates the upper limit value so that the upper limit value increases as the transport time of the transport device transporting the transport object increases, decreases as the work time at the station increases, and decreases as the hit count increases.

5. The management device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit determines the upper limit value for each type of work time at the work station.

6. The management device according to claim 1, wherein: The storage unit stores a priority level referred to in order to select a work station to which a transport instruction is preferentially assigned to the transport device. The control unit determines a work station to which a transport instruction is assigned, referring to the priority level.

7. The management device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit, When an abnormality occurs in the transport device, the upper limit value of the work station involved in the transport work interfering with the transport device is set higher. After the transport device recovers from the abnormality, the upper limit value of the work station where the transport device interfered with the transport work is set lower.

8. The management device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit determines the upper limit value which differs for each time period.

9. The management device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit determines the upper limit value based on a positional relationship between the transport object and the transport device.

10. The management device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit determines the upper limit value based on a work plan at the work site.

11. The management device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit outputs a total value of the upper limit values ​​of the work stations within a predetermined range.

12. A transport system, characterized in that: include: A conveying device for conveying an object to be conveyed; and a management device for controlling the movement of the transport device, The management device, The computer comprises a computing device that performs predetermined computing processing and a storage device connected to the computing device. And includes: a storage unit constituted by the storage device, storing log data including at least the time when the transport device performed transport operations and the time when operations were performed at the operation site; and a control unit that assigns a transport task to the transport device to transport the transport object to the work site, The control unit, Based on the log data, an upper limit value of the transport task for each work site that can be assigned to the transport device is determined. The transport tasks are assigned to the transport devices so that the number of the transport devices to which the transport tasks for the work station can be assigned is equal to or less than the upper limit.

13. A control method, executed by a management device capable of controlling a plurality of transport devices that transport objects to a work site, characterized in that: The management device, The computer comprises a computing device that performs predetermined computing processing and a storage device connected to the computing device. And includes: a storage unit constituted by the storage device, storing log data including at least the time when the transport device performed a transport operation and the time when the operation was performed at the operation site; and a control unit that assigns a transport task to the transport device to transport the transport object to the work site, In the control method, The control unit determines, for each of the work stations, an upper limit value of the transport task that can be assigned to the transport device for the work station based on the log data. The control unit allocates the transport tasks to the transport devices so that the number of the transport devices to which the transport tasks for the work station can be allocated is equal to or smaller than the upper limit.

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