Digital picking system

Abstract

To provide a digital picking system (DPS) which can achieve space saving without lowering facility processing capability of a huge physical distribution facility, can cope with a change in the scale and shape of the physical distribution facility, and has a high degree of design freedom, and a sorting method.SOLUTION: A DPS is a system which is managed and controlled by a system capable of managing article information and controlling a physical distribution facility, wherein an article automatic replenishment device capable of automatically replenishing commodity items is provided in a back face space between two picking storage shelves facing back-to-back, where a plurality of flow racks storing commodity items to be sorted are arranged, partition spaces where sorting is executed are provided in each of both of front face openings of the two picking storage shelves, a travel space of an automatic conveyance vehicle for collecting articles is provided therein, and a sorting facility provided with conveyance means connecting outside on one end of the two picking storage shelves is provided therein.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 19

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a digital picking system (DPS) and its operation method that realizes space saving and high efficiency in a DPS that is becoming more advanced with digitalization and IoT (Internet of Things), and in particular to a technology that realizes space saving and high efficiency in a DPS by shortening the sorting equipment consisting of a collection container conveying line and a picking storage line that play a central role in the DPS, renovating the collection container conveying line, and the associated arrangement of product items in the picking storage line and reorganization of the collection container conveying line. [Background technology]

[0002] As the variety and quantity of goods handled in logistics facilities increases, DPSs that are controlled in the space between the collection container conveying line and the picking storage line to pick up ordered items indicated by a display from the flow racks that make up the picking storage line and place them in collection containers indicated by a display on the collection container conveying line for sorting have been adopted as logistics systems in a wide range of industries (for example, Patent Documents 1-3).

[0003] This is because the DPS allows for accurate and rapid sorting by following the instructions on the display, and can improve and standardize work efficiency, thereby dramatically improving logistics quality. More specifically, the DPS is managed by a Warehouse Management System (WMS), which manages item data such as inventory items and item delivery destinations, and is controlled by a Warehouse Control System (WCS), which controls individual logistics equipment, so that the sorting work is continuous and has short flow lines, eliminating human error in a systematic way, resulting in improved productivity, reduced manpower, and reduced fatigue. In particular, in terms of improving productivity, the process in which the required variety and quantity of product items are supplied in advance from the large automated warehouse where the items are stored to the flow racks that make up the picking storage line and temporarily stored there, based on the vast amount of item information from the WMS, is a major factor in dramatically improving the efficiency of the sorting work. These systems are merging and are expected to transition to a Warehouse Execution System (WES) that combines warehouse management and warehouse control functions, capturing real-time data on inventory and receiving management, as well as on-site work such as picking, and comprehensively controlling people, goods, and equipment within the warehouse; however, this will not affect the essential characteristics of DPS.

[0004] Among the various work processes in logistics facilities, such as receiving, receiving inspection, storage, goods movement, sorting (picking and assorting), shipping inspection, packaging, shipping, and inventory, if we focus on the work process of "receiving → receiving inspection → sorting → shipping inspection → shipping" centered on DPS, it is preferable to arrange the equipment in an I-shape or U-shape, where the movement lines of people and things are short and do not cross, from the viewpoint of work efficiency, and the equipment is generally designed in accordance with this. In other words, in the case of an I-shape, if the building is a rectangular parallelepiped, the receiving and shipping processes are arranged on the opposing sides in the longitudinal direction, and the collection container conveying line and picking storage line are set up in an I-shape (straight line) between them, and the sorting process with a space for sorting work is arranged between the collection container conveying line and the picking storage line, or on the collection container conveying line side of the parallel collection container conveying line and picking storage line. In addition, in the case of a U-shape, if the building is a rectangular parallelepiped, the receiving and shipping processes will be located on one of the longitudinal sides, and the collection container transport and line picking storage line will be set up in a U-shape in between, and a sorting process will be arranged with a sorting work space similar to that of the I-shape.

[0005] Therefore, in this type of sorting process, it is necessary to install long collection container transport lines and picking storage lines in parallel, which limits the degree of freedom in facility design. In addition, in order to meet diverse consumer needs, many logistics facilities have seen a dramatic increase in the number of product items they handle. As a result, high-capacity automated warehouses are required to handle the shipping of high-frequency items that are collected frequently. As a result, huge logistics facilities have been built on vast sites isolated from urban areas, such as along highway interchanges or in industrial areas.

[0006] However, in recent years, there has been a demand for urban logistics facilities located close to residential areas in order to establish logistics facilities that can respond flexibly to the trends in the logistics industry that change with the quantitative and qualitative changes of electronic commerce (EC, Electric Commerce) and to secure the necessary human resources (Non-Patent Document 1). Therefore, while the equipment processing capacity of huge logistics facilities is required, the contradictory issue of saving space in the facilities has come to be taken up as an extremely important issue to be resolved. In addition, there is a demand for logistics cost reduction to absorb the high land prices and rising labor costs of urban logistics facilities and strengthen competitiveness, as well as speed to shorten lead times for high-mix, high-frequency, small-volume product items, and there is a need for logistics facilities and delivery systems with more efficient operators and equipment than ever before.

[0007] For such space saving and efficiency improvement of logistics facilities, for example, Patent Document 4 proposes a sorting system in which the backs of flow racks are installed facing the longitudinal direction of the automated warehouse, a collection container conveying line is installed in parallel with the flow racks through the sorting work space, and product items are transferred from the flow racks to the collection containers. This sorting system is characterized in that the backs of the flow racks are installed facing the longitudinal direction of the automated warehouse, product items before being transferred to the flow racks are prepared in advance on placement shelves installed in the automated warehouse, and the product items are transferred from the placement shelves to the flow racks by a stacker crane, thereby avoiding the enlargement of the flow racks, and the placement shelves of the automated warehouse serve as temporary storage shelves for the product items to be transferred to the flow racks. According to this configuration, the variety and quantity of product items stored in the flow racks are extremely small, and therefore the collection container conveying line is short. Furthermore, since the movement of goods is accompanied by a stacker crane in the multi-story warehouse, the processing capacity is low, and if the processing speed is increased, there is a high possibility that a large number of in-process collection containers that have not been sorted will be generated. Therefore, it is considered difficult to handle not only a wide variety of large quantities of merchandise items, but also a small variety of small quantities of merchandise items.

[0008] Furthermore, in Patent Document 5, the installation space for the display conveying path is narrowed to reduce the space required for the entire facility, but it is thought to be difficult to significantly reduce the space required for the DPS.

[0009] Furthermore, in Patent Document 6, a space for sorting is provided on the collection container conveying line side of the parallel picking storage line and collection container conveying line, and in the sorting operation, ordered items indicated by a display are removed from the flow rack that makes up the picking storage line and transferred to the collection container indicated by a display on the conveying line, and a conveying line that supplies empty collection containers to the collection container conveying line where sorting takes place is provided along the flow rack, submerged under the lowest shelf of the flow rack, thereby making effective use of the space within the logistics facility and reducing space consumption throughout the facility, but it is not possible to achieve a significant reduction in the space occupied by the DPS by shortening the length of the parallel collection container conveying line and picking storage line.

[0010] Thus, no logistics facility, particularly a DPS, has yet been proposed that satisfies the space-saving and high efficiency requirements for urban logistics facilities. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-298555 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2011-157138 A [Patent Document 3] International Publication No. 2012 / 032865 [Patent Document 4] JP 2014-133643 A [Patent Document 5] JP 2015-048157 A [Patent Document 6] JP 2018-090347 A [Patent Document 7] JP 2022-001534 A [Non-patent literature]

[0012] [Non-Patent Document 1] Fumito Marusumi, "Logistics facilities approaching towns: from isolation to cooperation and consideration, and even to becoming drivers of the local economy", [online], opinion, Japan Research Institute, Ltd. website, February 7, 2022, [Retrieved May 9, 2023], Internet<https: / / www.jri.co.jp / page.jsp?id=101988> . [Non-Patent Document 2] PickGo Logistics Column Editorial Department, "What is just-in-time logistics? Characteristics and solutions to issues facing delivery sites", [on line], PickGo homepage, PickGo Logistics Column, Created on November 8, 2021, Updated on April 18, 2023, [Retrieved on May 9, 2023], Internet<https: / / pickgo.town / media / just-in-time> . Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0013] As described in the background art, urban logistics facilities close to residential areas are required in order to install logistics facilities that can respond to the changing trends in the logistics industry and to secure the necessary manpower. In other words, it is necessary to handle a wide variety of product items that meet various consumer needs, to compact logistics facilities that are suitable for urban logistics facilities with high land prices, and to at least maintain the high processing capacity that has been achieved in conventional huge logistics centers. Furthermore, there is a demand not only to solve the labor shortage caused by urbanization of logistics facilities, but also to solve the labor shortage by highly automating logistics facilities. The present invention aims to provide a DPS that can save space without reducing the equipment processing capacity of huge logistics facilities in response to such trends, and to provide a sorting method characteristic of the system. More specifically, the present invention aims to provide a DPS that can realize high efficiency of operators and equipment that are effective in reducing logistics costs and shortening lead times, and that has a high degree of design freedom and is capable of responding to changes in the scale and form of logistics facilities, and to provide a sorting method characteristic of the system that can further improve efficiency and save labor.

[0014] In response to these problems, the present invention first intends to solve the above problems by reducing the space required for sorting equipment in a DPS where conventional sorting work is carried out, in which a picking storage line with racks for temporarily storing the products to be sorted and a collection container conveying line along which collection containers sorted from the racks move in order to ship ordered product items are installed side by side.Therefore, the present invention first clarifies the specific problems with the collection container conveying line and the picking storage line, excluding multi-story automated warehouses that have the item management and storage functions of a logistics facility.

[0015] FIG. 1 shows a schematic plan view of a typical line conveyor type picking (sorting) equipment 100, focusing on a collection container conveying line 110 and a picking and storage line 130, and FIG. 2 shows a schematic front view of the picking and storage line 130 in FIG. 1. As is clear from the figure, in the process in which a collection container 161 supplied from a collection container supply conveyor 113 is inserted from a collection container preparation area 114 and moves along a long belt conveyor 111, product items are correctly transferred from item storage flow racks 130m, 130n provided in the divided picking zones 120m, 120n in charge of a perator P to collection containers 163m, 163n on the belt conveyor 111. Then, a collection container 165 that has completed collection is inspected in an inspection area 115, and then sent to a shipping conveyor 116 for shipping. In order for the product items to be correctly transferred to the collection container, the position of the collection container 163 passing through the picking zone 120 on the belt conveyor 111 is grasped under a host computer capable of managing a huge amount of product information and comprehensively controlling the logistics facilities such as the conveyor and indicators, and the lighting of various indicators linked to that position indicates the work of the operator P. Taking the m-th picking zone 120m (Zm) as an example, the m-th picking zone 120m is equipped with an item storage flow rack 130m, which is divided into bays 121m to 123m and further divided into 27 storage shelves 131m to 1327m, with bay indicators (item storage bay indicators) 141m to 143m for each bay and storage shelf indicators (item removal indicators) 151m to 1527m for each storage shelf. Meanwhile, the collection container transport line 110 is provided with a guide indicator (item insertion indicator) in parallel with the belt conveyor 111. For example, when an order is placed for a product on the first storage shelf 131m of the first bay 121m, the collection container 163m is moved to a predetermined position in the m-th picking zone 120m by the belt conveyor 111, and the first bay indicator 141m and the first storage level indicator 151m are illuminated, indicating the number of product items stored there to be taken out. Then, when the operator Pm takes out a product item and transfers it to the collection container 163m, the guide indicator is illuminated to indicate the collection container 163 to which it should be transferred.

[0016] In this way, DPS has been invented, improved, and is still evolving in pursuit of preparing a wide variety of products without shortages, taking into account the shipping frequency, and delivering them to consumers efficiently, at low cost, accurately, safely, and with a short lead time. However, as explained in the background art, in order to efficiently carry out the work process of "supply → preparation → sorting → inspection → shipping" of collection boxes in the sorting equipment of Figures 1 and 2, the sorting equipment is extremely long in one direction, with short and non-intersecting traffic lines of people and objects, and requires a long and narrow site and facility, and the degree of freedom in designing the sorting equipment is extremely low. Therefore, there is a problem that conventional DPS cannot be introduced when building an urban logistics facility on a new site or reusing the site of an existing supermarket or department store for a logistics facility. Moreover, in DPS, there is a strong belief in this I-type sorting equipment, and no technical information that breaks away from this type is recognized.

[0017] Therefore, the first specific problem to be solved by the present invention is to shorten the length of this sorting equipment and to save space without compromising the excellent features of the conventional DPS.

[0018] Furthermore, in response to the above problem (paragraph 0013), the present invention secondly intends to improve the efficiency by increasing the freedom of the transport speed and transport path of the collection container in a conventional conveyor system that transports the collection container. Conveyors are suitable for any transported object, have a high transport capacity, are easy to handle, and have low equipment costs, so they have been used in a wide range of industries as the main modern production equipment that handles assembly line work, including logistics systems. However, as explained in the background art, the trend in logistics systems, as represented by just-in-time logistics, is to build systems that can keep up with the changing needs of consumers, shippers, and the logistics industry, and in DPS, it is preferable for the system to be one that can handle various shipping situations, from product items with a high variety and low shipping frequency, to product items with a low variety and high shipping frequency, and has a short lead time. From this perspective, conveyors used as devices for transporting collection containers on collection container transport lines are forced to move all collection containers continuously at the same speed along a fixed transport path, and the collection containers are transported regardless of whether or not product items are transferred to them. This makes it difficult to control the moving speed of each collection container, resulting in the problem that sorting efficiency cannot be improved.

[0019] Therefore, the second specific problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve the conveyor problem by innovating the means for transporting the collection containers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0020] Therefore, the reduction in the length of the sorting equipment shown in Figures 1 and 2 was examined by reorganizing the collection container conveying line 110, the picking storage line 130, the work space 170, and the automatic article replenishment space 180, which occupy one picking zone and are extracted from the plan outline schematic diagram in Figure 3, which graphically depicts the equipment components of Figures 1 and 2. For this examination, the replenishment of items to the picking storage line 130 was performed by installing an automatic article replenishment device 190-1 in the automatic article replenishment space 180 to automatically replenish items from one direction, so that the area occupied by the sorting equipment could be treated as fixed. There are various types of automatic article replenishment devices, but in the automatic article replenishment device 190-1 shown in Fig. 3, a shuttle 191-1 having wheels 1912 on a vehicle body 1911 runs on rails 192 laid on each stage (corresponding to the upper stage, middle stage, and lower stage in Fig. 2) of the picking storage line 130, and an arm 1913 having fingers 1914 supplies articles in one direction to the picking storage line 130. Also, the movement of articles in the vertical direction is performed by raising and lowering the shuttle 191-1 to which the articles are supplied.

[0021] The results are shown in Figure 4. The areas of the collection container conveying line 110, the article storage line 130, the work space 170, and the automatic article replenishment space 180, which occupy four picking zones and are extracted from the schematic plan view of Figure 3, are divided into four for each picking zone, and the four divided rectangles are rearranged to show four types of layouts that are considered to be preferable for the sorting equipment.

[0022] Fig. 4(a) shows a typical conventional sorting facility shown in Figs. 1 to 3, with the area it occupies being 100. Fig. 4(b) shows Fig. 4(a) cut in half, with collection container conveying lines 110 arranged to run adjacent to each other in parallel. Fig. 4(c) shows picking and storage lines 130 and work spaces 170 arranged alternately and perpendicularly to the collection container conveying lines 110 with the work spaces 170 in between. Fig. 4(d) shows picking and storage lines 130 arranged in parallel in a position that is linearly symmetrical with respect to the automatic article replenishment space 180 at their rear, This is a sorting facility that includes a collection container conveying line 110 via a predetermined work space 170 along each picking and storage line 130. The automatic replenishment device in this case has a similar configuration to the automatic article replenishment device 190-1 in Fig. 3, but it is premised on the fact that the arm 1913 can move to both sides of the vehicle body 1911 to replenish articles in two directions to the picking and storage line.

[0023] In Fig. 4(c), the length of the sorting equipment is halved and the exclusive floor area is 87.5%, but the movement distance of the operator P moving through the work space 170 is longer by one picking zone. In addition, there is a possibility that the display will be out of sight beyond the movement distance, and the work motion becomes complicated, so there is a high possibility that the work efficiency and work accuracy will be significantly impaired. Furthermore, in Fig. 4(c), like Figs. 4(a), (b), and (d), an automatic replenishment space 180 is provided, but with this arrangement, automatic replenishment is extremely difficult and a large burden is placed on the automatic release device.

[0024] In Fig. 4(b), the length of the sorting equipment is halved, which has the effect of shortening the length of the sorting equipment, which is the subject of the present invention, but the occupied floor area cannot be reduced. In contrast, in Fig. 4(d), the automatic item replenishment space 180, which corresponds to two picking lines, can be made smaller than in Fig. 4(b) by arranging the automatic item replenishment space 180 so that it is sandwiched between the picking storage lines 130. In other words, with the arrangement of the sorting equipment in Fig. 4(d), the length of the sorting equipment can be shortened to halve and the occupied floor area can be reduced to 87.5%.

[0025] Based on the result of Fig. 4(d) in which the simple rectangular collection container conveying line 110, the item storage line 130, the work space 170, and the automatic item replenishment space 180 with one picking zone are allocated, the sorting equipment shown in the schematic plan view in Fig. 5 was designed and a demonstration experiment was conducted. It was confirmed that the conveying equipment, the automatic item replenishment equipment, and the indicators of the picking storage line can be controlled under a host computer that can manage a huge amount of item information and comprehensively control the logistics facilities such as conveyors and indicators, and that the length of the sorting equipment can be shortened to about half and the exclusive area can be reduced to about 87.5% without reducing the capacity of the conventional DPS. Here, the automatic item replenishment equipment 190-2 shown in Fig. 5 is one that can replenish items on both sides of the vehicle body 1911, as explained in Fig. 4(d).

[0026] This situation is shown in Fig. 6 as a schematic plan view, and in Fig. 7 as a schematic cross-sectional view cut perpendicularly to the paper by a straight line passing through the m-th picking zone 130m and the s-th picking zone 130s, using the product collection container conveying line 110 and the picking and storage line 130 shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Here, the sorting space is a space composed of a work space where an operator performs sorting work and a space exclusively used by the conveying equipment that moves the product collection containers. For example, the sorting space of the m-th picking zone is composed of the work space 170m of the m-th picking zone, and the product collection container conveying line 110 of the m-th picking zone, including the belt conveyor 111 of the m-th picking zone and the guide display device 112 of the m-th picking zone.

[0027] As can be seen from Fig. 7, in this automatic article replenishing device 190-2, a shuttle 191-2 having wheels 1912 on a vehicle body 1911 runs on rails 192 laid adjacent to the rear openings of the upper, middle, and lower tiers of the mth article storage flow rack 130m and the sth article storage flow rack 130s, and merchandise items are replenished to both the mth article storage flow rack 130m and the sth article storage flow rack 130s by an arm 1913 having fingers 1914. The merchandise items to be replenished are transferred from a replenishment article supply conveyor 194 shown in Fig. 6 to the shuttle 191-2 through a replenishment article passage port 199 provided in a shuttle elevator 195 that raises and lowers the shuttle 191-2. The shuttle 191-2 onto which the product items have been transferred is sorted by the shuttle elevator 193 to the upper, middle, or lower tier of the mth item storage flow rack 130m and the sth item storage flow rack 130s, and travels on the rails 192 to replenish the product items at the rear openings of the mth item storage flow rack 130m and the sth item storage flow rack 130s to be replenished. In the above-mentioned automatic item replenishment device 190-2, the shuttle 191 which transfers and replenishes the product items to the pinking storage line 130 composed of flow racks by the arm 1913 having the finger 1914 attached thereto has been described as an example of an automatic replenishment device, but a structurally simple cross-belt sorter type conveyor is more preferable. Furthermore, from the standpoint of design freedom, which allows for excellent mobility and freedom of travel area, easy position grasping and control of travel path, and the ability to freely change the shape of the automatic item replenishment device in response to reorganization such as changing the layout of sorting equipment, especially picking storage shelves, it is even more preferable for the automatic item replenishment device to be selected from various conveying devices, especially an automatic guided vehicle (AGV), an autonomous mobile robot (AMR), and an autonomous navigation robot (ANR) disclosed in Patent Document 7.In this case, the item loading platforms of the automated transport devices, such as AGVs, AMRs, and ANRs, need to have a lifting function that can accommodate the vertical replenishment of items on the picking storage shelves, and a conveyor function that can accommodate the horizontal replenishment of items on the picking storage shelves.

[0028] Figures 6 and 7 are applied to a DPS in which a collection container supply conveyor 113 is provided on one side of a logistics facility and a shipping conveyor 116 is provided on the other, with the flow of people and goods being short and non-intersecting in order to efficiently carry out the collection container work process of "supply → preparation → sorting → inspection → shipping," in an I-shape; however, as shown in Figure 8, the present invention can also be applied to a DPS in which a collection container supply conveyor 113 and a shipping conveyor 116 are provided on one side of a logistics facility, with the flow of people and goods being short and non-intersecting in order to efficiently carry out the collection container work process of "supply → preparation → sorting → inspection → shipping," in a U-shape, which can achieve similar space savings.

[0029] Having thus been able to solve the first specific problem, the inventors then addressed the second specific problem. They attempted to replace a conveyor for transporting DPS collection containers with an automated guided vehicle, which has an incomparably higher degree of freedom than a conveyor in terms of the range, speed, and direction of movement, and which has recently been called a robot and is being considered for use in various processes in logistics systems, as a transport device for collection containers on a collection transport line.

[0030] The automated automated guided vehicle is an automated automated guided vehicle 210 having an appearance as shown in Fig. 9. This automated automated guided vehicle is preferably an automated guided vehicle (AGV, Automatic Guided Vehicle) or an autonomous mobile robot (AMR, Autonomous Mobile Robot) that is already in general use in logistics facilities, but an autonomous guided transport robot (ANR, Autonomous Navigation Robot) disclosed in Patent Document 7 can also be preferably applied. In particular, although a detailed running mechanism is not shown, AMR and ANR are more preferable because they do not require a guide such as a magnetic tape and can run under computer control based on position information from a sensor.

[0031] Furthermore, as can be seen from the schematic plan views of Fig. 9(a) and (b) and the schematic side view of Fig. 9(c), it is preferable that the vehicle body 211 is provided with swivelable driving wheels 212 and driven wheels 213, and is provided with a belt conveyor 214 via a rotary elevator 215. The swivelable driving wheels 212 require at least two wheels to enable free movement and operation, and the driven wheels 213 require at least three wheels or more to allow the automated unmanned transport vehicle 210 to run stably and play an important role in preventing damage to the transported merchandise items. The swivelable belt conveyor 214 provided with the belt conveyor 214 via the rotary elevator 215 allows easy and rapid transfer of the collection container 160 between the conveyor 230 and the automated unmanned transport vehicle 210, and has the effect of reducing the impact on the merchandise items and preventing damage. FIG. 9(b) is a schematic plan view of the belt conveyor 214 of FIG. 9(a) rotated by 90 degrees.

[0032] An experiment was conducted by replacing the conveyor 111, which is the conveying device of the product collection container conveying line 110 in Figures 6 and 7, and Figure 8, with the automatic automated guided vehicle 210. In a DPS according to one embodiment of the present invention, the length of the sorting equipment is about 1 / 2, the occupied area is about 87.5%, and the automatic automated guided vehicle 210 is used as the conveying device of the product collection container conveying line 110. Figure 10 is a schematic plan view corresponding to Figures 6 and 8, and Figure 11 is a schematic plan view corresponding to Figure 8.

[0033] As a result, there are no disadvantages to using the automated guided vehicle 210 as a device for transporting collection containers on the collection container transport line 110 in this manner, and the DPS can be operated under the control of a host computer as in the conventional case.By using the present invention as shown in Figures 10 and 11, it is possible to use collection containers in a number corresponding to the type and quantity of ordered product items and pass through the non-sorted picking zone 120 at high speed, and it has been demonstrated that this solves the problem with conveyors, namely, the problem that all collection containers are forced to move continuously at the same speed along a fixed transport path, are transported regardless of whether or not a product item is transferred to the collection container, and it is difficult to control the moving speed of each collection container, making it difficult to improve sorting efficiency.

[0034] The sorting space in Figs. 10 and 11 is a space composed of a work space 170 where an operator performs sorting work and an area space 220 where an automated automated guided vehicle 210 that moves a collection container travels. For example, the sorting space of the m-th picking zone is composed of a work space 170m of an operator in the m-th picking zone and a travel area 220 of the automated automated guided vehicle 210 in the m-th picking zone. However, in Figs. 10 and 11, the travel space of the automated automated guided vehicle 210 is set at the position of the belt conveyor 111 in Figs. 6 to 8 separated by the work space where the operator performs sorting work, but is not limited to this. A travel space may be provided between the picking storage shelf 130 and the operator P, and the sorting space may be passed along the front opening of the picking storage shelf 130.

[0035] Furthermore, although not shown, it is more preferable that the automated guided vehicle can travel in the under-shelf space formed between the lower part of the picking storage shelf, the lowest shelf board, and the floor surface of the logistics facility, so that the automated guided vehicle can overtake and wait for other automated guided vehicles, and the ordering process after the DPS process can be omitted, and the travel distance can be shortened and the sorting equipment can be made compact. Also, regarding the travel of the automated guided vehicle 210, Fig. 11 shows an example of travel on a fixed route like the belt conveyor 111 in Fig. 8, but due to its characteristics, it is preferable that the automated guided vehicle can travel freely in a space that is not an obstacle to travel in the logistics facility and travel on the shortest route.

[0036] Therefore, the first problem to be solved by the present invention, which is to shorten the length and reduce the space of the sorting equipment without compromising the excellent features of the conventional DPS, and the second problem, which is to innovate the conveying means for the collection containers, have been realized by the DPS having the sorting equipment of Figures 10 and 11, which is one embodiment of the present invention. Furthermore, the inventors have found that by using such a DPS, it is possible to further improve efficiency. In other words, this is a capability unique to the DPS of the present invention.

[0037] Table 1 in FIG. 12 shows the order forecast for shipments A, B, C, and D based on the composition of shipments by frequency and their past order data. When preparing these product items in the picking and storage line 130 of the conventional DPS shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 based on this forecast, if the plan outline schematic diagram of FIG. 3 is used, there is no other way than to arrange them as shown in FIG. 13, although they may be in any order unless there are special constraints. In the case of the DPS shown in FIG. 6, in which two picking and storage lines 130 with flow racks arranged in the longitudinal direction face each other with a predetermined space between them at the back, an automatic item replenishment device is located in that space, and a collection container conveying line is located in front of the two picking and storage lines 130 with a predetermined working space between them, the length of the sorting equipment is shortened to about half, and if the plan outline schematic diagram of FIG. 5 is used, the product items are prepared in the picking and storage line 130 as shown in FIG. 14.

[0038] Therefore, in a logistics facility that has implemented the conventional DPS shown in Figures 1 to 3, it was found that the actual orders were as shown in Table 2 in Figure 15, showing the composition of ordered items and the number of orders. This shows that although the DPS in Figure 14 can save space, as with the DPS in Figure 13, many items pass through collection containers 163m and 163s without being sorted, and since there are many opportunities to sort product A, it is irrational to prepare product items with different frequencies, such as products A, B, C, and D, in a row.

[0039] For this reason, it is not possible to deal with this situation with the picking storage line in Figure 13, but when two picking storage lines 130 are installed side by side as shown in Figure 14, it has been found that it is preferable to disperse high-frequency items as shown in Figure 16, as this is an effective and efficient arrangement of product items in the space of the pinking storage line 130.

[0040] In this way, by installing two picking storage lines 130 side by side and replenishing product items from both rear sides, the length of the sorting equipment can be shortened, and the space of the pinking storage line 130 can be effectively and efficiently arranged. However, as can be seen from Table 2 in FIG. 15, not all sorting can be completed on one sorting path. Although it is possible to distribute and arrange high-frequency items, as shown in FIG. 16, if the upper sorting line is I and the lower sorting line is II, as shown in I & II mixed, about 16% will be in-process collection containers. As a result, when the collection container transport line 110 is a conveyor, in order to eliminate the in-process collection containers, for example, the in-process collection containers must be loaded onto the automatic unmanned guided vehicle 210 shown in FIG. 12 and transported to the collection container preparation area 114 as shown in FIG. 17.

[0041] The means for solving this problem is to use an automated automated guided vehicle 210 as the conveying device of the product collection container conveying line 110 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 18, for example, if a work-in-progress collection container generated on a lower sorting line is transferred from the lower automated automated guided vehicle 210 to the upper automated automated guided vehicle 210, the upper automated automated guided vehicle 210 travels to complete the collection, and the work-in-progress collection container can be eliminated with the minimum required travel distance in the automated automated guided vehicle travel area 220 of the automated automated guided vehicle 210. At this time, the swivelable drive wheel 212 provided on the automated automated guided vehicle 210 and the belt conveyor 214 mounted on the rotary elevator 215 play useful roles in the rational operation of the automated automated guided vehicle 210 and the movement of goods between the automated automated guided vehicles 210, respectively.

[0042] A more preferable means for eliminating the in-process collection containers has been found. That is, as shown in Fig. 19, a conveyor 230 is provided so as to connect the downstream ends of the automated automated guided vehicle travel areas 220. By using this conveyor 230, for example, in-process collection containers generated on the lower sorting line can be transferred from the lower automated automated guided vehicle 210 to the upper automated automated guided vehicle 210 without the automated automated guided vehicle 210 moving, and in-process collection boxes can be eliminated in the same manner as above. Therefore, the travel distance of the automated automated guided vehicle 210 to eliminate the in-process collection boxes is further shortened.

[0043] Therefore, the present invention can shorten the length of the sorting equipment to about 1 / 2 without impairing the capacity of the conventional DPS, and reduce the occupied area to about 87.5%, and can solve the problem of the conveyor of the conventional DPS, that is, all the collection containers have to be moved continuously at the same speed and on a fixed conveying path, and are conveyed regardless of whether or not the product items are transferred to the collection container, and the moving speed of each collection container is difficult to control, so that the sorting efficiency cannot be improved. Furthermore, only by using the DPS of the present invention, it is possible to disperse high-frequency products as an effective and efficient arrangement of product items in the space of the pinking storage line, and further improve the efficiency of the DPS. In addition, by introducing the DPS of the present invention into a logistics facility, an efficient logistics system can be built in a new urban logistics facility that is not a huge building, or in an urban logistics facility that uses the site of a supermarket, etc.

[0044] That is, based on the means for solving the problems described above, the present invention can be summarized as follows.

[0045] First, the DPS, which is the technical foundation of the present invention, is a system that manages product information (WMS, Warehouse Management System) and a system that can control individual logistics facilities (WCS, Warehouse Control System). The system is managed and controlled by a digital picking system (DPS) and includes two picking storage shelves in which flow racks are arranged in a width direction between the rear and front entrances, the flow racks storing merchandise items to be sorted and having a rear entrance on one side for replenishing the merchandise items and a front entrance on the other side for removing the merchandise items, a transport vehicle that travels carrying a collection container into which the merchandise items are sorted and transferred, and an automatic item replenishment device that automatically replenishes the merchandise items to the two picking storage shelves, the two picking storage shelves being arranged side by side at positions facing each other at their rear entrances with a specified rear space between them, and the automatic item replenishment device is arranged side by side in the rear space adjacent to the rear entrances of the two picking storage shelves so that the automatic item replenishment device can replenish the merchandise items to the two picking storage shelves, and both of the front entrances of the two picking storage shelves are provided with sorting spaces where sorting is performed adjacent to the front entrances, and the sorting spaces are equipped with sorting equipment including a traveling space along which the transport vehicle travels. This travel space is not limited to the sorting space where sorting is performed, and desirably includes an under-shelf space formed below the two picking storage shelves.

[0046] Furthermore, in order to shorten the travel distance of the transport vehicles, it is preferable that such a DPS be provided with a travel space for the transport vehicles so that the downstream ends of the travel spaces for the transport vehicles are connected to each other, and in order to further shorten the travel distance of the transport vehicles, it is even more preferable that the downstream ends of the travel spaces for the transport vehicles are connected to each other by a conveyor that transports collection containers.

[0047] On the other hand, the automatic article replenishment device may be a shuttle that runs on a rail and has an arm that can supply product items to a shelf, a stacker crane that also has an arm that can supply product items to a shelf, a cross-carrier belt type conveyor, various conveying devices, etc., but is not particularly limited thereto. In particular, as the automatic article replenishment device, a cross-belt type conveyor is more preferable from the viewpoint of a simple structure, and from the viewpoint of design freedom that is excellent in mobility and freedom of movement area, easy to grasp the position and control the movement path, and allows the shape of the automatic article replenishment device to be freely changed in accordance with reorganization such as a change in the arrangement of the sorting equipment, especially the picking storage shelf, it is preferable that the automatic article replenishment device is selected from various conveying devices, especially an automatic guided vehicle (AGV), an autonomous mobile robot (AMR), and an autonomous navigation robot (ANR) disclosed in Patent Document 7. In this case, the item loading platforms of the automated transport devices, such as AGVs, AMRs, and ANRs, need to have a lifting function that can accommodate the vertical replenishment of items on the picking storage shelves, and a conveyor function that can accommodate the horizontal replenishment of items on the picking storage shelves.

[0048] In addition, as a transport vehicle suitable for the DPS of the present invention that runs while carrying a collection container, it is preferable that the transport vehicle be selected from among an AGV, an AMR, and an ANR, for the same reasons that they are applied to the above-mentioned automatic item replenishment device.

[0049] Furthermore, the present invention also provides a sorting method in which, in such a DPS of the present invention, frequently ordered product items are stored in both of the two picking storage shelves, and less frequently ordered product items are stored in only one of the two picking storage shelves and then sorted.

[0050] In this sorting method, when an in-process collection container that has not yet been sorted is encountered, a transport vehicle carrying the in-process collection container runs to complete the collection, or a transport vehicle other than the in-process collection container carrying transport vehicle runs from the transport vehicle carrying the in-process collection container via a conveyor that connects the downstream ends of the transport vehicles' running spaces to complete the collection.

[0051] Therefore, the DPS of the present invention can be deployed in urban logistics facilities with a compact site area, and an efficient and rational logistics system, including the sorting method of the present invention, can be established in the logistics facility. Effect of the Invention

[0052] The present invention has the effect of shortening the length of the sorting equipment to about half and reducing the occupied area to about 87.5% without compromising the capacity of the conventional DPS, and also has the effect of improving sorting efficiency beyond that of the conveyors of the conventional DPS. Furthermore, the picking storage line of the present invention makes it possible to distribute high-frequency items, which is an effective and efficient arrangement of product items in the space unique to the picking storage line, and further improves the efficiency of the DPS. Therefore, the DPS of the present invention provides an optimal logistics system for compact logistics facilities.

[0053] That is, the present invention can provide a DPS that can realize high efficiency of operators and equipment that is effective in reducing logistics costs and shortening lead times, and has a collection container conveying line and a picking and storage line with a high degree of design freedom that can accommodate changes in the scale and shape of logistics facilities. Also, the present invention can provide a sorting method characteristic of the system of the present invention that can further increase efficiency and reduce labor.

[0054] Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to build an efficient logistics system in logistics facilities that can freely respond to trends in the logistics industry accompanying changes in social needs, for example, new compact urban logistics facilities that are not huge buildings, and urban logistics facilities that reuse the sites of supermarkets, etc. This is because the present invention has the ability to absorb high land prices and rising labor costs of urban logistics facilities, reduce logistics costs to strengthen competitiveness, and respond to the demands for speed to shorten lead times for high-mix, high-frequency, small-quantity product items, and furthermore, for higher efficiency of operators and facilities than ever before. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0055] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of sorting equipment, centered on a collection container transport line and a picking and storage line, in a typical conventional DPS. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the picking and storage line shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view diagrammatically illustrating the schematic plan view shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] This is the result of considering a layout suitable for sorting equipment by reorganizing the collection container transport line, picking storage line, work space, and automatic item replenishment space, which occupy one picking zone, extracted from the schematic plan view of Figure 3. [Diagram 5] This is a schematic plan view of a sorting facility according to one embodiment of the present invention, drawn based on the results of Figure 4, and comprising an automatic item replenishment device, two picking and storage lines arranged adjacent to both sides of the device in a line-symmetrical position relationship in the longitudinal direction, and two collection container transport lines arranged along the two picking and storage lines through a specified work space. [Figure 6]This is a schematic plan view of a DPS that is a comparative example of the present invention, in which two picking storage lines, each with multiple flow racks arranged in the longitudinal direction, face each other with a predetermined space between them and are arranged side by side in a linearly symmetrical position relative to a longitudinal straight line passing through the midpoint of the space, and in which an automatic item replenishment device is disposed adjacent to these picking storage lines in this space, and a belt conveyor collection container transport line is arranged side by side on the opposite side of the automatic item replenishment device of the picking storage line, with a predetermined space between them for sorting work to be performed. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. [Figure 8] This is a schematic plan view of a DPS in which the sorting equipment in Figure 6, which is a comparative example of the present invention, is arranged in a U-shape with a collection container supply conveyor and a shipping conveyor on one side of a logistics facility, and the movement paths of people and objects are short and do not cross, in order to efficiently carry out the collection container work process of "supply → preparation → sorting → inspection → shipping." [Figure 9] 1A and 1B are schematic plan views of an automatic guided vehicle used as a device for transporting a collection container of a DPS of the present invention, and FIG. 1C is a schematic side view of the automatic guided vehicle. [Figure 10] 10 is a schematic plan view of a DPS in which the automatic guided vehicle shown in FIG. 9 is applied as a device for transporting a collection container on the collection container transport line in FIG. 6 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is a schematic plan view of a DPS in which the automatic guided vehicle shown in FIG. 9 is applied as a device for transporting a collection container on the collection container transport line in FIG. 8 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 1 is a table showing a composition of shipments by frequency and order forecasts for those shipments based on past order data. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view of the shipments in Table 1 of FIG. 12 arranged in the picking and storage line of FIG. 3, which is a conventional DPS. [Figure 14] FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view of the shipments in Table 1 arranged in the picking and storage line of FIG. 5, which is a DPS with the sorting equipment length reduced by half. [Figure 15]This table shows the actual orders compared to the predictions in Table 1 of Figure 12, as well as the storage picking areas for shipments by frequency and the picking routes based on the composition of ordered items. [Figure 16] Table 2 of FIG. 15 is a schematic plan view showing a rational arrangement of shipments by frequency for the picking and storage line of FIG. 14 based on actual orders. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a schematic plan view of a comparative example of the present invention, in which the rational arrangement of shipped items by frequency of shipment shown in FIG. 16 is applied to the picking and storage line of the DPS shown in FIG. 6 in which the length of the sorting equipment is halved. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing a DPS according to one embodiment of the present invention, characterized in that a travel space for an automatic automated guided vehicle is provided so that the downstream ends of the travel spaces for the automatic automated guided vehicles in FIG. 10 are connected to each other. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing a DPS according to one embodiment of the present invention, characterized in that a conveyor for transporting collection containers is provided so as to connect the downstream ends of the travel spaces of the automatic guided vehicles shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0056] In the section on solving the problems, the embodiment of the present invention has already been described, so the description will be omitted. However, since the embodiment of the present invention is mixed with the prior art and comparative examples, the embodiment of the present invention will be described briefly.

[0057] The embodiment of the present invention is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. The present invention can be implemented in various modifications within the scope of the present invention, and is limited only by the technical ideas described in the claims.

[0058] Fig. 10 shows a DPS according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the length of the sorting equipment is shortened to about 1 / 2 and the occupied area is reduced to about 87.5%, two picking and storage lines are both installed adjacent to the back of the automatic item replenishment device, and the transport device of the collection container transport line is updated from a conveyor to an automatic unmanned transport device, and is shown as a schematic plan view of the DPS in which the automatic unmanned transport vehicle shown in Fig. 9 is applied as the device for transporting the collection container of the collection container transport line of Fig. 6. This embodiment is an example of an I-type equipment arrangement.

[0059] Fig. 11, like Fig. 10, shows a DPS according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which the length of the sorting equipment is shortened to about 1 / 2 and the occupied area is reduced to about 87.5%, two picking and storage lines are installed adjacent to the back of the automatic item replenishment device, and the transport device of the collection container transport line is updated from a conveyor to an automatic unmanned transport device, and the DPS is shown as a schematic plan view of the automatic unmanned transport vehicle shown in Fig. 9 as the device for transporting the collection container of the collection container transport line of Fig. 8. In this embodiment, it is an example of a U-shaped equipment arrangement.

[0060] Fig. 18 is a schematic plan view showing a DPS according to an embodiment of the present invention, characterized in that the travel space of the automated automated guided vehicles is provided so as to connect the downstream ends of the travel spaces of the automated automated guided vehicles shown in Fig. 10. Two picking and storage lines are both installed side by side adjacent to the automatic article replenishment device at their backs, and the problem of work-in-progress collection containers that occurs when product items stored in the picking and storage lines are rationally distributed, for example, when high-frequency items are placed in two picking and storage lines and low-frequency items are placed in only one picking and storage line, can be solved by the DPS employing the automated automated guided vehicles of the present invention.

[0061] Fig. 19 is a schematic plan view showing a DPS according to one embodiment of the present invention, characterized in that a conveyor for transporting collection containers is provided so as to connect the downstream ends of the travel spaces of the automated automated guided vehicles shown in Fig. 10. This DPS effectively solves the problem of in-process collection containers by shortening the travel distance of the automated automated guided vehicles by using the travel area space of the automated automated guided vehicles shown in Fig. 18 as a conveyor for transporting collection containers. [Industrial Applicability]

[0062] The DPS of the present invention is a DPS with high design freedom that can save space and increase efficiency, and therefore has extremely high industrial applicability as a DPS that can reduce the floor space required without sacrificing efficiency in order to rationally rearrange the interior of a logistics facility, such as in the compact urban logistics facilities that are the trend in the logistics industry and urban logistics facilities that reuse the sites of supermarkets, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 100 Line conveyor type picking (sorting) equipment 100-1(I) Single automatic replenishment type single I line conveyor type sorting equipment 100-2(I) Double automatic replenishment type double I line conveyor type sorting equipment 100-3(I) Single automatic replenishment type double I line conveyor type sorting equipment 100-3(U) Single automatic replenishment type double U line conveyor type sorting equipment 100-4(I) Double I-line conveyor-type sorting equipment 110 Collection container transport line 111 Conveyor Belt 112 Guide indicator (item insertion indicator) 113 Collection container supply conveyor 114 Collection container preparation area 115 Inspection Area 116 Shipping Conveyor 120 Picking Zone 120l First picking zone (Zl) 120m mth picking zone (Zm) 121m 1st bay of mth picking zone (Zm1) 122m 2nd bay of mth picking zone (Zm2) 123m 3rd bay of mth picking zone (Zm3) 120n nth picking zone (Zn) 121n First bay of nth picking zone (Zn1) 122n: 2nd bay of nth picking zone (Zn2) 123n Third bay of nth picking zone (Zn3) 120о Picking Zone (Zо) 120s s Picking Zone (Zs) 120t Picking Zone (Zt) 130 Goods Storage Line 130l 1st item storage flow rack in 1st picking zone 130m mth picking zone mth item storage flow rack 131m 1st storage shelf (upper level) of the m-th storage flow rack 133m 3rd storage shelf (upper level) of the m-th item storage flow rack 139m No. 9 storage shelf (upper level) of the m-th storage flow rack 1310m 10th shelf (middle) of the m-th storage flow rack 1319m No. 19 storage shelf (lower section) of the m-th storage flow rack 130n: nth item storage flow rack in nth picking zone 131n 1st storage shelf (upper level) of nth item storage flow rack 138n 8th storage shelf (upper level) of nth item storage flow rack 139n 9th storage shelf (upper level) of nth item storage flow rack 1318n 18th storage shelf (middle level) of nth item storage flow rack 1327n 27th storage shelf (lower level) of nth item storage flow rack 130s sth item storage flow rack in sth picking zone 130t t-item storage flow rack in t-item picking zone 140 Picking zone bay indicator (item storage bay indicator) 140m Bay indicator for mth picking zone 141m mth picking zone 1st bay indicator 143m mth picking zone 3rd bay indicator 140n Bay indicator for nth picking zone 141n 1st bay indicator for nth picking zone 143n 3rd bay indicator for nth picking zone 140s Picking Zone Bay Indicator 140t Picking Zone Bay Indicator 150 Picking zone storage shelf indicator (item removal indicator) 150m Storage shelf indicator for the mth picking zone 151m No. m picking zone, No. 1 storage shelf indicator (upper level) 158m No. 8 storage shelf indicator (upper level) in the m-th picking zone 159m No. 9 storage shelf indicator (upper level) in the mth picking zone 1510m No. 10 storage shelf indicator (middle level) in the mth picking zone 1519m No. 19 storage shelf indicator (lower level) in the mth picking zone 150n Storage shelf indicator for nth picking zone 151n nth picking zone, 1st storage shelf indicator (upper level) 154n: nth picking zone, 4th storage shelf indicator (upper level) 159n 9th storage shelf indicator (upper level) of nth picking zone 1518n 18th storage shelf indicator (middle shelf) in nth picking zone 1527n 27th storage shelf indicator (lower level) in nth picking zone 150s Picking Zone Storage Shelf Indicator 150t Storage shelf indicator for the t-th picking zone 160 Collection container 161 Containers on container supply conveyor 162 Bin on bin preparation area 163 Bin passing through picking zone 163l Container passing through picking zone 1 163m A collection container passing through the mth picking zone 163n A collection container passing through the nth picking zone 163о Container passing through picking zone о 163s A collection container passing through the sth picking zone 163t A collection container passing through the picking zone 164 Bin passing between picking zones 165 Collection containers above the inspection area 166 Collection containers on shipping conveyors 167 Order Number Panel 170 Working Space 180 Automatic article replenishment space 190 Automatic article replenishment device 190-1 First automatic item replenishment device 190-2 Second automatic item replenishment device 190-3 Third item automatic replenishment device 191 Shuttle 191-1 First Shuttle 191-2 Second Shuttle 191-3 Third Shuttle 1911 Body 1912 wheels 1913 Arm 1914 Finger 192 Rail 193 Shuttle Elevator 194 Replenishment item supply conveyor 195 Replenishment passage port 200 Line transport vehicle type sorting equipment 200-1(I) Single replenishment type double I-line transport vehicle type sorting equipment 200-1(U) Single replenishment type double U line transport vehicle type sorting equipment 210 Automatic guided vehicle 211 Main unit 212 Drive Wheel 213 Driven Wheel 214 Belt Conveyor 215 Rotating elevator 2102 Automated guided vehicle above collection container preparation area 210m An automated guided vehicle traveling in the mth picking zone 210n An automated guided vehicle traveling in the nth picking zone 210s An automated guided vehicle traveling in the sth picking zone 210t An automated guided vehicle traveling through the picking zone 2104 An automated guided vehicle traveling between picking zones 2105 Automatic guided vehicle above inspection area 220 Automated guided vehicle driving area 230 Picking Zone Inter-Conveyor D Moving direction D1 Direction of collection container movement D2 Shuttle movement direction D3 Direction of travel of automated guided vehicle P Operator Pl Picking Zone Operator Pm Operator in charge of the mth picking zone Pn Operator in charge of the nth picking zone Po Operator in charge of picking zone No. Ps. Picking Zone Operator Pt Picking Zone Operator M Goods Mm Item in the mth item storage flow rack Items in Ms sth item storage flow rack

Claims

1. A digital picking system controlled under a host computer that can manage item information and comprehensively control a logistics facility, two picking storage shelves for storing the product items to be sorted, the flow racks having a rear opening on one side for replenishing the product items and a front opening on the other side for removing the product items, the flow racks being arranged in a width direction of the rear opening and the front opening; A transport vehicle that travels carrying a collection container into which the product items are sorted and transferred; an automatic article replenishment device that automatically replenishes the product items to the two picking storage shelves; The two picking storage shelves are arranged side by side at positions facing each other across a predetermined rear space at the rear opening, the automatic article replenishment device is provided in the rear space adjacent to the rear openings of the two picking storage shelves so as to replenish the product items in the two picking storage shelves; A sorting space in which sorting is performed is provided adjacent to the front opening of each of the two picking storage shelves, A digital picking system, characterized in that the sorting space is equipped with sorting equipment including a travel space in which the transport vehicle travels.

2. 2. The digital picking system according to claim 1, wherein the travel space further includes an under-shelf space formed below the two picking storage shelves.

3. 2. The digital picking system according to claim 1, wherein the automatic replenishment device is an automatic replenishment device selected from an automatic guided vehicle (AGV), an autonomous mobile robot (AMR), and an autonomous navigation robot (ANR).

4. 2. The digital picking system according to claim 1, further comprising a travel space for the transport vehicles such that downstream ends of the travel space are connected to each other.

5. 2. The digital picking system according to claim 1, wherein a conveyor capable of transporting the collection container is provided so as to connect downstream ends of the travel spaces of the transport vehicles to each other.

6. The digital picking system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the transport vehicle is selected from an automatic guided vehicle (AGV), an autonomous mobile robot (AMR), and an autonomous navigation robot (ANR).

7. 7. A sorting method for a digital picking system according to claim 6, characterized in that frequently ordered product items are stored in both of the two picking storage shelves, and less frequently ordered product items are stored in only one of the two picking storage shelves.

8. 8. The sorting method according to claim 7, wherein, when an in-process collection container for which sorting has not been completed occurs, a in-process collection container carrying transport vehicle runs to complete the collection of the in-process collection container.

9. A sorting method as described in claim 7, characterized in that when an in-process collection container that has not yet been sorted occurs, the in-process collection container is transferred from the transport vehicle on which it is loaded to the conveyor, and a transport vehicle other than the in-process collection container loading transport vehicle runs along the conveyor to complete the collection.

10. A logistics facility characterized in that the digital picking system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is installed.

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