Physical distribution system

Abstract

To improve management efficiency by reducing a vertical conveyance step which does not produce any added value.SOLUTION: A floor opening is provided on the third floor of a building. An automatic warehouse 100 having a sequential shuttle function through second to third floors is installed. A line dismantling work station 120-20 and a packing work station 130-20 are installed at the second floor. A line dismantling work station 120-30 and a packing work station 130-30 are installed at the third floor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a logistics system that reduces the vertical carrying process of transporting goods between upper and lower floors of a building. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to handle not only the traditional delivery of products to stores, but also orders from e-commerce sites such as mail order, logistics centers receive products on pallets by truck and temporarily store the pallets on a floor adjacent to the building's truck yard. They then transport the pallets using forklifts or other vehicles to a picking area, usually according to badge processing, where the products are sorted and shipped.

[0003] For stores that replenish products by placing six-wheeled carts in line with the display shelves in the store, the Oricon containers with products placed according to orders are loaded onto the six-wheeled carts and shipped. For home delivery, products are shipped in cardboard boxes.

[0004] Logistics centers in Japan generally have a small amount of land area but handle a large amount of goods, so the buildings are often multi-story. For example, the first floor is used as a storage area for pallets that can handle several days' worth of goods. At least the day before, a forklift transports the pallets from the first floor to the work floor on the second floor and temporarily stores them there. Workers then separate products for the e-commerce site from the cardboard boxes and place them in storage trays for the automated warehouse, where they are temporarily stored. On the day of delivery, the products are removed from the automated warehouse in order according to orders and transported to the work station, where workers place the products into cardboard boxes (shipping boxes). The shipping boxes are then transported by conveyor to the truck yard.

[0005] For products destined for stores, they are delivered at least the day before for badge processing the next day. For example, a forklift transports pallets from the first floor to the third floor and places them temporarily on the work floor. On the day of delivery, workers assemble the containers on hand, pick products from the incoming cardboard boxes according to the order form line, put them in the containers, and load them onto a six-wheeled cart. The worker then transports the six-wheeled cart to the truck yard.

[0006] Trucks use the building's ramps to unload shipping boxes and six-wheel carts from the truck yard on each floor.

[0007] This creates "vertical transportation," which means moving goods up and down between upper and lower floors in a building, and requires extra warehouse space. In order to handle the expanding volume of goods, it is necessary to improve management efficiency in relation to the building's floor area ratio and the number of workers.

[0008] Patent Documents 1 and 2 propose a large-scale automated warehouse system that is fully automated for storing and retrieving goods and is extremely economically efficient, as it can accurately select the required number of goods at the required time for each customer (shipping destination) from a wide variety of products temporarily stored in a large computer-managed automated warehouse, accurately place (pick or assort) them into designated shipping containers, and ship them out at high speed.

[0009] However, in a logistics center with a multi-story building, several days' worth of goods are received and temporarily stored in the lower floors of the building, for example, in the truck yard on the first floor, and then according to customer orders, the goods are moved from the first floor to an upper floor where a row unbalancing line is installed, and after row unbalancing, the goods are temporarily stored in an automated warehouse installed on the same floor as the row unbalancing line, and then sorted by customer by the automated warehouse's sequential function and sent out to the loading line. This creates a vertical carrying process of moving goods from the first floor to the upper floor where the row unbalancing line is installed, and from the upper floor where the loading line is installed to the lower floor where the shipping truck yard is located. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6506368 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7268267 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 6896720 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] The present invention is intended to solve the problems previously described above, and has as its object to reduce unadded-value-generating processes and improve management efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The inventor of the present invention has come up with many problems to be solved, such as the time required to wait while moving products and shipping boxes to different floors, the labor hours required for the movement, and the space required for the products and shipping boxes to wait vertically in both the building and the automated warehouse. In order to solve these problems, the inventor has proposed to optimize the amount of material, the facility volume, and the productivity by installing an automated warehouse with a sequential order function so that it runs through multiple floors, and by linking the unpacking work and loading work on each floor with the sequential order function of the automated warehouse, thereby shortening the vertical waiting line.

[0013] "Bulk packing" refers to the task of dividing up incoming products or shipping boxes when, for example, a cardboard box contains multiple individual packages of the same product. "Consolidation" refers to the task of collecting multiple customers' products into shipping boxes for each shipping destination while checking the contents and quantities according to shipping instructions.

[0014] Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, a logistics system according to a first aspect of the present invention is a storage unit that stores multiple items in a predetermined storage form on shelves consisting of multiple tiers whose horizontal positions can be identified for each division, and is characterized in that the storage unit is equipped with a running unit for transporting the items horizontally between the shelves, a transport unit for receiving the items from a work station where the received items are subdivided, and a transport unit for shipping the items to a work station where the items are collected for each shipping destination, for each of the multiple tiers.

[0015] As a logistics system according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the transport unit may be a conveyor.

[0016] As a logistics system according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the transport unit may be a transport robot.

[0017] As a logistics system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the traveling unit may have a shuttle mechanism that transports the items.

[0018] As a logistics system according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the traveling unit may be a transport robot that transports the items.

[0019] As a logistics system according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the storage unit may include a lifting unit that transports the items in a vertical direction.

[0020] As a logistics system according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect, the storage unit may be installed in two forms: a lifting unit that receives the items from a transport unit that transports the items from a work station where the subdivision work is performed, and a lifting unit that takes the items out from the transport unit that transports the items to a work station where the collection work is performed.

[0021] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a logistics system control method according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is a logistics system control method in a logistics system comprising a storage unit which stores a plurality of items in a predetermined storage form on shelves consisting of a plurality of tiers whose horizontal positions can be identified for each division, wherein the storage unit is provided with a running unit for transporting the items horizontally between the shelves, a transport unit for receiving the items from a work station where the received items are subdivided, and a transport unit for shipping the items to a work station where the items are collected for each shipping destination, for each of the plurality of tiers, and characterized in that the method controls the items so that they can be combined for each shipping destination.

[0022] Furthermore, in order to solve the above problem, a program according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is a control program for a logistics system comprising a storage unit which stores a plurality of items in a predetermined storage form on shelves consisting of a plurality of tiers whose horizontal positions can be identified for each division, the storage unit comprising, for each of the plurality of tiers, a running unit for transporting the items horizontally, between the shelves, a transport unit for receiving the items from a work station where the received items are divided into smaller portions, and a transport unit for shipping the items to a work station where the items are collected for each shipping destination, and characterized in that the program controls the items so that they can be combined for each shipping destination.

[0023] A tenth aspect of the present invention may be realized as a recording medium storing the program according to the ninth aspect. Effect of the Invention

[0024] According to each aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce non-added-value waiting processes in logistics centers, and improve management efficiency by reducing the floor area ratio of automated warehouses and reducing labor costs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a layout diagram of an automated warehouse in a logistics center according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view illustrating an automated warehouse on the third floor and a work station installed on the same third floor in a logistics center according to a conventional embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view illustrating an automated warehouse according to one embodiment of the present invention, which is installed throughout the building floors from the second to third floors, and work stations installed on each of the second and third floors. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of an automated warehouse installed through the second and third floors of FIG. 3 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and the configuration of work stations installed on each of the second and third floors. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following are examples of devices and methods for embodying the technical idea of ​​the invention, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention is not limited to the following. The technical idea of ​​the present invention can be modified in various ways within the scope of the matters described in the claims. In particular, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and may differ from the actual product. Descriptions of parts that are already known technology are omitted.

[0027] The row unpacking, packing, and movement between floors, which will be described later, are not limited to being performed by workers, but may also be performed by automated machines or robots.

[0028] Figure 1 is a layout diagram of a highly efficient automated warehouse in a logistics center according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, an automated warehouse 100 with a forward shuttle function is installed with a floor opening on the third floor of the building, passing through the building floors from the second to third floors. An unbalancing work station 120-20 and a load-matching work station 130-20 are installed on the second floor. An unbalancing work station 120-30 and a load-matching work station 130-30 are installed on the third floor.

[0029] The automated warehouse 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is a highly efficient automated warehouse in which a single horizontal floor is configured with vertically configured shelves arranged in multiple tiers with a running surface 105 (some of the leading lines are omitted from the drawing) between the shelves, and is equipped with a running part on the running surface 105 between the shelves, and is controlled by an overall control computer. Products 10 (some of the leading lines are omitted from the drawing) and shipping boxes (not shown) received at the truck yard are unpacked at unpacking work stations 120-20 and 120-30, transported to the automated warehouse 100 by a conveyor 150, transported vertically by an elevator 110 to a layer with a specified shelf position, and moved horizontally by a highly efficient shuttle 103 (some of the leading lines are omitted from the drawing) that runs on the running surface 105 between the shelves as a running part, and placed on a specified shelf position. In addition, the products 10 are sequentially removed by the highly efficient shuttle 103, and the elevator 110 moves vertically with high efficiency to the position of the conveyor 150 connected to the matching work stations 130-20 and 130-30 installed on multiple floors, where the products 10 and shipping boxes are transferred to the conveyor 150 and transported to the matching work stations 130-20 and 130-30. The elevator 110 may be configured to transport the shuttle 103 vertically to transfer the products and shipping boxes to a transport robot waiting on the building structure floor. In order to reduce vertical waiting due to the capacity of the elevator, the elevator is divided into two functions, a storage function and a shipping function, and is arranged at least in two places in the longitudinal direction of the shelf, divided into a storage elevator 110-In and a shipping elevator 110-Out for storage and shipping functions. However, the division into two functions is not limited to this.

[0030] This utilizes the known technology described in Patent Document 3. A shuttle-type automated warehouse is preferable, but is not limited to this and may be a stacker crane-type automated warehouse or a robot-type automated warehouse.

[0031] The operation of each device, such as the automated warehouse 100, the conveyor 150, the storage elevator 110-In, the delivery elevator 110-Out, and the shuttle 103 (traveling part), as well as the display of work instructions to workers, are controlled by a control computer using known techniques, such as those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2. The traveling part is preferably a shuttle, but is not limited thereto and may be a stacker crane, a transport robot, or the like.

[0032] The control computer is configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read-only Memory) that stores the control programs that run on the CPU, a RAM for temporarily storing various data, and a storage device. It may also be a server.

[0033] The control computer is equipped with an identifier detection unit, a reset unit, and an error detection unit. Under the control of the control computer, the shelf positions, products, and shipping boxes in the automated warehouse are identified by identifiers, and using known technology, the row separation of products and shipping boxes (not shown), loading and unloading into the automated warehouse, loading and unloading, shipping work, and movement of pallets are controlled by communication (including wired and wireless). The contents of the control are scheduled in advance according to the arrival of products and orders from customers.

[0034] Receiving and shipping are controlled by a control computer, which controls the entry and exit of goods and shipping boxes between the logistics center and the outside, and storing and retrieving are controlled by a control computer, which controls the entry and exit of goods and shipping boxes between the automated warehouse and work stations / conveyors.

[0035] Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of an automated warehouse on the third floor of a logistics center according to a conventional embodiment, and a work station installed on the third floor. As shown in Fig. 2, the first, second, and third floors are provided with truck yards 51a, 52a, and 53a for receiving products 10 and shipping boxes, truck yards 52b and 53b for shipping products 10 packed in shipping boxes, the third floor is provided with an automated warehouse 100, a disassembly work station 120-30, and a packing work station 130-30, a conveyor 150 connecting the disassembly work station 120-30, the sorting work station 130-30, and the automated warehouse 100, and vertical waiting sections 200-10a, 200-20a, and 200-20b, for example, using elevators or rotary, where workers transport products 10 and shipping boxes from each floor to the next floor using six-wheeled carts or forklifts with pallets. Conventional elevators are installed on the assumption that a single unit will be used for both entrance and exit functions.

[0036] The vertical waiting sections 200-10a, 200-20a, and 200-20b include the costs required for installing and operating the elevators and rotary described above, the volume of the building they occupy, the time required for transportation, and the like.

[0037] The following will be described along the flow of the movement of the products and shipping boxes and the work flow in Fig. 2. However, the present invention is not limited to the steps described below.

[0038] Under control of the control computer, the products 10 and shipping boxes arriving at the receiving truck yard 51a on the first floor are moved by the vertical waiting section 200-10a to the unbalancing work station 120-30 on the third floor. Alternatively, the products 10 and shipping boxes arriving at the receiving truck yard 52a on the second floor are moved by the vertical waiting section 200-20a to the unbalancing work station 120-30 on the third floor. (Step 1).

[0039] Under control of the control computer, the products 10 and shipping boxes are disassembled by workers at the disassembly work station 120-30 on the third floor, transported by the conveyor 150 on the third floor, transferred to an elevator in the automated warehouse 100, raised and lowered to the specified shelf position height, transferred to the shuttle 103, stored at the specified shelf position, and temporarily stored (step 2).

[0040] Under control of the control computer, the products 10 and shipping boxes that have arrived at the receiving truck yard 53a on the third floor are unpacked at the unpacking work station 120-30 on the third floor, transported by the conveyor 150 on the third floor, transferred to the elevator of the automated warehouse 100, raised and lowered to the specified shelf position height, transferred to the shuttle 103, stored at the specified shelf position, and temporarily stored (step 3).

[0041] Under control of the control computer, according to a predetermined schedule and in accordance with customer orders, the products 10 and shipping boxes are transferred from their designated shelf positions in the automated warehouse 100 to the shuttle 103, then transferred to the elevator for removal from the warehouse, removed from the warehouse, transferred to the conveyor 150 on the third floor, and transported to the matching work station 130-30 on the third floor, where they are matched (step 4).

[0042] Under the control of the control computer, the products 10 packed in the shipping boxes are shipped from the shipping truck yard 53b on the third floor (step 5).

[0043] Alternatively, under control of the control computer, the products 10 that have been packed into shipping boxes at the packing work station 130-30 on the third floor are moved from the third floor to the second floor by the vertical waiting section 200-20b according to a pre-scheduled schedule, and are shipped from the shipping truck yard 52b on the second floor (step 6).

[0044] In the conventional embodiment described above, the unpacking work station 120-30, the automated warehouse 100, and the matching work station 130-30 are installed on the third floor, so in steps 1 and 6, the products 10 and shipping boxes need to be moved from the first and second floors to the third floor, and from the third floor to the second floor. This causes many problems in management efficiency, such as extra time in the form of vertical waiting time due to the movement, extra work hours for the movement, and extra capacity required in both the building and the automated warehouse to store the products 10 and shipping boxes corresponding to the vertical waiting time.

[0045] 3 is a schematic side view illustrating an automated warehouse installed through the second to third floors according to an embodiment of the present invention, and work stations installed on each of the second and third floors. As shown in FIG. 3, the first, second and third floors each have truck yards 51a, 52a and 53a for receiving products 10 and shipping boxes, truck yards 52b and 53b for shipping products 10 packed in shipping boxes, an automated warehouse 100 installed through the second to third floors, a disassembly work station 120-20 and a packing work station 130-20 on the second floor, and a disassembly work station 120-30 and a packing work station 130-30 on the third floor. There are also provided a conveyor 150 connecting the automated warehouse 100, a work station 130-30, unloading work stations 120-20 / 120-30 on the second and third floors, sorting work stations 130-20 / 130-30, and a vertical waiting section 200-10a such as an elevator or rotary that can be used by workers to transport the products 10 and shipping boxes from one floor to the next using a six-wheeled cart or a forklift with a pallet.

[0046] The vertical waiting section 200-10a includes the costs required for installing and operating the above-mentioned elevators and rotary, the volume of the building they occupy, the time required for transportation, and the like.

[0047] Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of an automated warehouse installed through the second to third floors of Fig. 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a configuration of a row unbalance work station and a load-matching work station installed on each of the second and third floors. As shown in Fig. 4, row unbalance work stations 120-20 / 120-21 / 120-2n, 120-30 / 120-31 / 120-3n, load-matching work stations 130-20 / 130-21 / 130-2n, 130-30 / 130-31 / 130-3n, and a conveyor 150 are provided for each of the second and third floors of the travel surface 105 (between shelves) of the automated warehouse 100. However, it is not limited to installing the row unbalance work station and the load-matching work station on all of the travel surfaces 105.

[0048] The movement and work flow of products and shipping boxes will be described using Figures 3 and 4. However, the flow is not limited to the steps described below.

[0049] Under control of the control computer, the products 10 and shipping boxes that have arrived at the receiving truck yard 51a on the first floor are moved by workers using the vertical waiting section 200-10a to the row unloading work station 120-20 on the second floor, or to the row unloading work station 120-30 on the third floor by the vertical waiting section 200-10a (step 11).

[0050] Under control of the control computer, at the unpacking work station 120-20 on the second floor or at the unpacking work station 120-30 on the third floor, the products 10 and shipping boxes are unpacked by workers, transported by the conveyor 150, transferred to the storage elevator 110-In of the automated warehouse 100, raised and lowered to a prescribed shelf position height, transferred to the shuttle 103, stored at the prescribed shelf position, and temporarily stored (step 12).

[0051] Under control of the control computer, the products 10 and shipping boxes that have arrived at the receiving truck yard 52a on the second floor are unpacked at the unpacking work station 120-20 on the second floor, transported by the conveyor 150 on the second floor, transferred to the receiving elevator 110-In of the automated warehouse 100, raised and lowered to a prescribed shelf position height, transferred to the shuttle 103, stored at the prescribed shelf position, and temporarily stored (step 13).

[0052] Under control of the control computer, the products 10 and shipping boxes arriving at the receiving truck yard 53a on the third floor are unpacked at the unpacking work station 120-30 on the third floor, transported by the conveyor 150 on the third floor, transferred to the receiving elevator 110-In of the automated warehouse 100, raised and lowered to a prescribed shelf position height, transferred to the shuttle 103, stored at the prescribed shelf position, and temporarily stored (step 14).

[0053] Under control of the control computer, according to a predetermined schedule and in accordance with customer orders, the products 10 and shipping boxes are transferred from their designated shelf positions in the automated warehouse 100 to the shuttle 103, transferred to the out-of-stock elevator 110-Out, taken out, transferred to the conveyor 150 on the third floor, and transported to the matching work station 130-30 on the third floor, where they are matched (step 15).

[0054] Under the control of the control computer, the products 10 packed into the shipping boxes are shipped from the shipping truck yard 53b on the third floor (step 16).

[0055] In response to instructions from the control computer, in accordance with orders from customers and according to a pre-determined schedule, the products 10 and shipping boxes are transferred from their designated shelf positions in the automated warehouse 100 to the shuttle 103, transferred to the outgoing elevator 110-Out, taken out, transferred to the conveyor 150 on the second floor, and transported to the matching work station 130-20 on the second floor, where they are matched (step 17).

[0056] In response to an instruction from the control computer, the products 10 packed into shipping boxes are shipped from the shipping truck yard 52b on the second floor (step 18).

[0057] As described above, the present invention provides the unpacking work station 120-20 and the matching work station 130-20 on the second floor, and eliminates the vertical waiting sections 200-20a and 200-20b by installing the automated warehouse 100 through the building floors from the second to the third floors. In addition, the vertical movement is made more efficient by dividing the storage and delivery functions of the storage elevator 110-In and the delivery elevator 110-Out, which can drastically reduce the vertical carrying of goods and shipping boxes.

[0058] However, this is not limited to the second and third floors, and the automated warehouse 100 may be installed throughout the building floors from the first floor to the second, third and fourth floors, and the unloading work stations and the cargo-matching work stations may be installed on the first, second, third and fourth floors, or, for example, the unloading work stations and the cargo-matching work stations may be installed on the second, third and fourth floors excluding the first floor.

[0059] As another example, the functions of the conveyor, shuttle, and elevator in the above-described embodiment may be replaced with a transport robot.

[0060] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned logistics center, but may also be used in a luggage storage system at an airport or the like that temporarily stores luggage such as suitcases of sightseeing passengers during transit between flights.

[0061] Not only does it reduce vertical holding processes that do not create added value and cut down on vertical waiting time, it also maximizes equipment capacity, thereby contributing to improved management efficiency by increasing equipment operating rates and reducing the volume of buildings corresponding to the vertical holding parts. [Industrial Applicability]

[0062] The logistics systems according to each aspect of the present invention have great potential for use in the logistics industry as well as various manufacturing industries, since the increase or decrease in the number of vertical traffic lines directly affects operating costs, the initial investment required for buildings and equipment is reduced, and management efficiency is improved by reducing labor costs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 10. Product 51a, 52b, 53b: Receiving truck yard 52b, 53b: Shipping truck yard 100···Automated warehouse 103...Shuttle 105···Running surface 110-In···Storage elevator 110-Out...Elevator for unloading 120-20, 120-21, 120-2n, 120-30, 120-31, 120-3n... Row disassembly station 130-20, 130-21, 130-2n, 130-30, 130-31, 130-3n... Combining station 150···Conveyor 200-10a, 200-20a, 200-20b... Vertical waiting section

Claims

1. A storage unit that stores a plurality of items in a predetermined storage form on a shelf composed of a plurality of stages in which a horizontal position can be identified for each division, The storage unit includes: a running section for transporting the items horizontally between the shelves; A conveying unit for receiving the items from a work station for dividing the received items into smaller pieces; A transport unit for delivering the items to a work station for picking up the items for each shipping destination; A logistics system comprising:

2. The logistics system according to claim 1 , wherein the transport unit is a conveyor.

3. 2. The logistics system according to claim 1, wherein the transport unit is a transport robot.

4. 2. The logistics system according to claim 1, wherein the traveling section has a shuttle mechanism for transporting the items.

5. 2. The logistics system according to claim 1, wherein the traveling unit is a transport robot that transports the items.

6. 2. The logistics system according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit includes a lifting unit that transports the items vertically.

7. The storage unit includes: a lifting unit that receives the item from a transport unit that transports the item from a work station that performs the subdivision operation; 7. The logistics system according to claim 6, characterized in that the system is installed in two forms: a transport section that transports the items to the work station where the collection work is performed, and a lifting section that unloads the items.

8. A storage unit that stores a plurality of items in a predetermined storage form on a shelf composed of a plurality of stages in which a horizontal position can be identified for each division, The storage unit includes: a running section for transporting the items horizontally between the shelves; A conveying unit for receiving the items from a work station for dividing the received items into smaller pieces; A transport unit for delivering the items to a work station for picking up the items for each shipping destination; A method for controlling a logistics system in a logistics system including the steps of: A logistics system control method comprising the steps of: controlling the items so that they can be combined for each shipping destination.

9. A storage unit that stores a plurality of items in a predetermined storage form on a shelf composed of a plurality of stages in which a horizontal position can be identified for each division, The storage unit includes: a running section for transporting the items horizontally between the shelves; A conveying unit for receiving the items from a work station for dividing the received items into smaller pieces; A transport unit for delivering the items to a work station for picking up the items for each shipping destination; on each of the plurality of stages, said program controlling the items so that they can be combined for each shipping destination.

10. A recording medium storing the program according to claim 9.

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