Methods for processing information and for stowage, program and apparatus for processing information

Abstract

To create a stowage plan appropriately in accordance with operation details.SOLUTION: A method for processing information includes the steps of: acquiring operation information indicative of an article to be sent to a destination of shipment; computing an initial solution indicative of stowage information indicative of articles assigned to respective ones of a plurality of pallets and a stowage order of articles on the pallet and of stowage order indicative of an order of pallets onto which stowage is to be done, based on the operation information; computing an initial evaluation value indicative of a burdening degree of shipment operation in the initial solution based on the initial solution; computing a neighboring solution obtained by changing a part of the stowage information and the stowage order, for the initial solution, based on the initial solution; computing a neighboring evaluation value indicative of a burdening degree of shipment operation in the neighboring solution based on the neighboring solution; and setting stowage information and stowage order to be used in a stowage plan based on the initial and neighboring evaluation values.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing method, a stowage method, a program, and an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a known method for loading goods onto trays such as pallets and shipping them. For example, Patent Document 1 describes an automatic shipping device that transports goods trays on a belt conveyor, loads goods onto the goods trays on the belt conveyor, and ships the loaded goods. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-83486 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, it is required to create an appropriate stowage plan according to the work content.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing method, a stowage method, a program, and an information processing device that are capable of creating an appropriate stowage plan depending on the work content. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information processing method according to the present disclosure includes the steps of acquiring work information indicating goods to be shipped to a destination, calculating an initial solution indicating goods to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets, stowage information indicating the stacking order of the goods on the pallets, and a stowage order indicating the order of the pallets in which stowage will be performed, based on the work information, calculating an initial evaluation value indicating a load level of shipping work in the initial solution, based on the initial solution, calculating a neighborhood solution in which a part of the stowage information and the stowage order are changed with respect to the initial solution, based on the initial solution, calculating a neighborhood evaluation value indicating a load level of shipping work in the neighborhood solution, and setting the stowage information and the stowage order to be used in a stowage plan, based on the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value.

[0007] The stowage method according to the present disclosure stows the items onto a plurality of pallets based on the stowage information and the stowage order set in the information processing method.

[0008] The program according to the present disclosure causes a computer to execute the steps of acquiring work information indicating items to be shipped to a destination; calculating an initial solution indicating items to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets, stowage information indicating the stacking order of the items on the pallets, and a stowage order indicating the order in which the pallets are to be stowed, based on the work information; calculating an initial evaluation value indicating a load level of shipping work in the initial solution, based on the initial solution; calculating a neighborhood solution in which a part of the stowage information and the stowage order are changed from the initial solution, based on the initial solution; calculating a neighborhood evaluation value indicating a load level of shipping work in the neighborhood solution, based on the neighborhood solution; and setting the stowage information and the stowage order to be used in a stowage plan, based on the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value.

[0009] The information processing device according to the present disclosure includes: a work information acquisition unit that acquires work information indicating items to be shipped to a destination; an initial solution calculation unit that calculates, based on the work information, an initial solution indicating items to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets, stowage information indicating the stacking order of the items on the pallet, and a stowage order indicating the order of the pallets in which stowage will be performed; an initial evaluation value calculation unit that calculates, based on the initial solution, an initial evaluation value that indicates a load level of shipping operation in the initial solution; a neighborhood solution calculation unit that calculates, based on the initial solution, a neighborhood solution in which a part of the stowage information and the stowage order have been changed with respect to the initial solution; a neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit that calculates, based on the neighborhood solution, a neighborhood evaluation value that indicates the load level of shipping operation in the neighborhood solution; and a setting unit that sets the stowage information and the stowage order to be used in a stowage plan based on the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, a stowage plan can be created appropriately according to the work content. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a stowage system according to this embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the information processing device according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an initial solution. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the first neighbor solution. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the second nearest neighbor solution. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a third neighbor solution. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart explaining the flow of setting stowage information and stowage sequence. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the setting of the item information. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the setting of the item information. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining the setting of the item information. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the setting of the item information. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a process flow illustrating a method for allocating individual items. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a process flow illustrating a method for allocating all items. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram for explaining the setting of the layer information. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram for explaining the setting of the layer information. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram for explaining the setting of the layer information. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram for explaining the setting of the layer information. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating the process flow for setting stowage information. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram for explaining the setting of the stowage order. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a flowchart explaining the process flow for setting the stowage order and the pallets to be used. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram for explaining setting of an initial solution for the stowage sequence in the third embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating the process flow for setting the stowage order in the third embodiment. [Diagram 23] FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating a process flow for setting a palette to be used in the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and when there are multiple embodiments, the present disclosure also includes combinations of the embodiments.

[0013] (First embodiment) (Loading system) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a stowage system according to the present embodiment. The stowage system 100 according to the present embodiment is a system that stows items Q on a pallet P in a facility W based on a stowage plan. More specifically, the stowage system 100 according to the present embodiment transfers items Q loaded on a supply pallet P0 to a pallet P. The facility W is, for example, a facility that is managed by logistics, such as a warehouse, but may be any facility where the work of stowage of items Q on a pallet P is performed. The items Q are items that are stowed on a pallet P, such as goods to be shipped. Here, the definition of a pallet P by the Japan Pallet Association, a general incorporated association, is "a surface on which cargo that has been consolidated into one unit is placed, and has a structure that allows all of loading, transporting, and storing by hand or a dedicated vehicle such as a forklift, including those with a superstructure." In the present embodiment, the pallet P refers to a container or platform on which the items Q are stowed. In other words, the pallet referred to here is not limited to a so-called flat platform, but may also include a cage cart, and may be of any shape. Like the pallet P, the supply pallet P0 may be a container or platform (a so-called pallet) on which items Q are loaded. In this embodiment, only one type of item Q is loaded on one supply pallet P0, whereas multiple types of items Q may be loaded on a pallet P depending on the work content (shipping order). In this embodiment, multiple items Q are loaded on the pallet P in layers. That is, for example, layers in which multiple items Q are lined up are stacked on the pallet P. The type and arrangement order of the items Q in one layer of the pallet P and the stacking order of the pallet P are determined by a stowage plan.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the stowage system 100 includes an information processing device 10, a mobile body 12, and a stowage device 14. The information processing device 10 is a device that creates a stowage plan for stowage of items Q on a pallet P, and will be described in detail later. The mobile body 12 is a mobile body that transports a supply pallet P0 or a pallet P. For example, the mobile body 12 may be a forklift, and more specifically, may be a so-called AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) or AGF (Automated Guided Forklift). The stowage device 14 is a device (robot) that stows items Q on a pallet P, and is a so-called palletizer. Note that a plurality of mobile bodies 12 and stowage devices 14 may be provided in the facility W.

[0015] (equipment) The equipment W is provided with an item storage area AR1 where the item Q is placed, a supply pallet placement area AR2 where the supply pallet P0 is placed, a pallet placement area AR3 where the pallet P is placed, a shipment placement area AR4 where the pallet P where loading is completed is placed, and an empty pallet placement area AR5 where the empty supply pallet P0 is placed. The item storage area AR1 stores the item Q to be loaded onto the pallet P. In the example of FIG. 1, the item storage area AR1 stores the item Q loaded onto the supply pallet P0, but is not limited thereto, and the item Q not loaded onto the supply pallet P0 may be stored. In this case, for example, a loading device 14 may also be provided in the item storage area AR1, and an operation of loading the item Q onto the supply pallet P0 may be performed. The supply pallet placement area AR2 is an area where the supply pallet P0 loaded with the item Q is placed, and the pallet placement area AR3 is an area where the pallet P to be loaded with the item Q is placed. The stowage device 14 picks up the goods Q from the supply pallet P0 arranged in the supply pallet arrangement area AR2, and stows the picked-up goods Q on the pallet P arranged in the pallet arrangement area AR3. The shipment arrangement area AR4 is an area where the pallet P is arranged after the stowage work in the pallet arrangement area AR3 has been completed, and the pallet P may be shipped from here. The empty pallet arrangement area AR5 is an area where the pallet (supply pallet P0) that is empty and does not have the goods Q stacked thereon is arranged. That is, for example, the supply pallet P0 that has been emptied after the transfer of the goods Q has been completed is arranged in the empty pallet arrangement area AR5. The transportation of the supply pallet P0 and the pallet P between the areas may be performed by the moving body 12. Note that the above layout of the equipment W is an example, and is not limited to the above description.

[0016] (Information processing device) FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an information processing device according to this embodiment. The information processing device 10 is a device that generates a stowage plan for stowage of items Q on a pallet P. In the example of FIG. 1, the information processing device 10 is installed in a facility W, but may be installed in any location without being limited thereto. The information processing device 10 is a computer, and has a communication unit 20, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 24, as shown in FIG. 2. The information processing device 10 may also have an input unit that accepts input from a user and an output unit that outputs information (for example, a display unit that displays an image). The information processing device 10 may be configured as a single device, may be configured integrally with other devices, or may be configured as a system combining various devices such as an arithmetic circuit and a data server, and is not particularly limited.

[0017] The communication unit 20 is a communication module that communicates with an external device, such as an antenna. The information processing device 10 communicates with an external device by wireless communication, but may also use wired communication, and any communication method may be used. The storage unit 22 is a memory that stores various information such as the calculation contents and programs of the control unit 24, and includes at least one of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a main storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), and an external storage device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The program for the control unit 24 stored in the storage unit 22 may be stored in a recording medium that can be read by the information processing device 10.

[0018] The control unit 24 is a processing device that executes calculations, and includes a calculation circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 24 includes a work information acquisition unit 30, an initial solution calculation unit 32, a neighborhood solution calculation unit 34, an initial evaluation value calculation unit 36, a neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38, a setting unit 40, and an output control unit 42. The control unit 24 reads out a program (software) from the storage unit 22 and executes it to realize the work information acquisition unit 30, the initial solution calculation unit 32, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38, the setting unit 40, and the output control unit 42, and executes these processes. The control unit 24 may execute these processes using one CPU, or may be provided with multiple CPUs and execute the processes using the multiple CPUs. In addition, at least a portion of the processing of the work information acquisition unit 30, initial solution calculation unit 32, neighborhood solution calculation unit 34, initial evaluation value calculation unit 36, neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38, setting unit 40, and output control unit 42 may be realized by hardware circuits.

[0019] The work information acquisition unit 30 acquires work information indicating work content for generating a stowage plan. The work information includes information indicating the goods Q to be shipped to the destination. The initial solution calculation unit 32 calculates an initial solution indicating stowage information and a stowage order based on the work information. The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates a neighborhood solution based on the initial solution. The neighborhood solution refers to a solution in which the stowage information and the stowage order are partially changed from the initial solution. The initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​calculates an initial evaluation value indicating the load level of the shipping work in the initial solution based on the initial solution. The neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 calculates a neighborhood evaluation value indicating the load level of the shipping work in the neighborhood solution based on the neighborhood solution. The setting unit 40 sets the stowage information and the stowage order to be used in the stowage plan based on the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value. The output control unit 42 outputs information on the stowage plan including the stowage information and the stowage order to an external device via the communication unit 20. For example, the output control unit 42 transmits information on the stowage plan to the mobile body 12 and the stowage device 14, and causes the mobile body 12 and the stowage device 14 to carry out work based on the stowage plan.

[0020] (Processing of information processing device) The specific processing contents of the information processing device 10 will be described below.

[0021] (Getting work information) The work information acquisition unit 30 acquires work information indicating the work content for generating a stowage plan. The work information acquisition unit 30 may acquire the work information by any method, for example, may acquire the work information from a device (upper system) that manages the equipment W via the communication unit 20. The work information is information used to set the stowage information. The work information may be any information that can be used to set the stowage information, but it is preferable that the work information includes at least information indicating the goods Q to be shipped (goods information). More specifically, in this embodiment, the work information includes shipping destination information, goods information indicating the goods Q to be shipped to the shipping destination, and supply pallet information indicating the supply pallet P0 on which the goods Q to be shipped are loaded. The shipping destination information is information indicating the shipping destination for the current work. The goods information is information indicating the type and number of goods Q scheduled to be shipped for each shipping destination. In addition to the type and number of items Q, the item information may also include at least one (preferably all) of the following: information indicating the size of the items Q to be shipped (e.g., length in the vertical, horizontal, and height directions), information indicating the area of ​​one layer of the pallet P (e.g., length in the vertical and horizontal directions), information indicating the weight of the items Q, and information on the maximum number of items Q that can be placed in one layer on the pallet P. The supply pallet information includes information on the type and number of items Q to be loaded onto the supply pallet P0.

[0022] (Calculation of the initial solution) The initial solution calculation unit 32 calculates an initial solution indicating stowage information and a stowage order based on the work information. The stowage information is information indicating the items Q (types of items Q) to be assigned to a pallet P and the stacking order of the items Q on the pallet P. In other words, the stowage information includes item information indicating the type and number of items Q to be assigned to a pallet P, and stacking information indicating how the items Q indicated by the pallet information are stacked on the pallet P. The stowage order is information indicating the order in which the pallets P are stowed, or in other words, the order in which the pallets P for shipment are finished.

[0023] The initial solution calculation unit 32 sets stowage information (item information and stacking information) in the initial solution for each of the multiple pallets P used for shipment based on the work information. The initial solution calculation unit 32 may set the stowage information in the initial solution by any method based on the work information. For example, based on the type and number of items Q for each shipping destination indicated by the work information, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may calculate the number of pallets P to be used for that shipping destination and the type and number of items Q to be assigned to each pallet P to be used for the shipping destination, and set this as item information in the initial solution. Then, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may calculate the stacking order (stack information) of the assigned items Q for each pallet P to be used for the shipping destination, and set this as stacking information in the initial solution.

[0024] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an initial solution. In the example of Fig. 3, stowage information in the initial solution is set so that items Qa, Qb, and Qc are stacked in this order on pallet Pa, items Qd, Qe, and Qf are stacked in this order on pallet Pb, and items Qg, Qh, and Qi are stacked in this order on pallet Pc.

[0025] The initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the stowage order in the initial solution (the order in which the pallets P are finished) based on the work information. The initial solution calculation unit 32 may set the stowage order in the initial solution by any method based on the work information. For example, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may set the stowage order in the initial solution based on the stowage information in the initial solution calculated based on the work information. That is, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may calculate the stowage order in the initial solution based on the type and number of items Q assigned to each pallet P (item information in the initial solution) and the stacking order of the items Q on each pallet P (stacking information in the initial solution).

[0026] In the example of FIG. 3, the stowage order in the initial solution is set so that pallets Pa, Pb, and Pc are stowed in this order.

[0027] It is preferable that the initial solution calculation unit 32 also includes pallet information indicating the supply pallet P0 that is the supply source of the item Q to be assigned to the pallet P in the initial solution. The pallet information is set for each item Q to be assigned to the pallet P in the initial solution. That is, in the example of FIG. 3, the supply pallet P0 that is the supply source of each item Qa to Qi is set. The initial solution calculation unit 32 may set the pallet information by any method based on the work information. For example, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may set the pallet information by identifying the supply pallet P0 on which the item Q assigned to the pallet P in the initial solution is loaded, based on the work information.

[0028] (Calculating the neighborhood solution) The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates a neighborhood solution indicating stowage information and a stowage order based on the initial solution. The neighborhood solution is the same as the initial solution in that it is a solution including stowage information and a stowage order, but part of the stowage information and the stacking order is different from the initial solution. That is, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates a neighborhood solution in which part of the type and number of items Q to be loaded on a pallet P, the stacking order of the items Q on the pallet P, and the order in which the pallet P is finished are changed from the initial solution. The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may calculate multiple types of neighborhood solutions. That is, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may calculate multiple types of neighborhood solutions such that part of the stowage information and the stowage order is different from the initial solution, and part of the stowage information and the stowage order is different between the neighborhood solutions.

[0029] The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may calculate the neighborhood solution by any method based on the initial solution, but in this embodiment, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates any one of the first neighborhood solution to the fourth neighborhood solution described below as the initial solution.

[0030] (First nearest neighbor solution) FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the first neighborhood solution. The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may calculate the first neighborhood solution, which is a solution in which the items Q assigned to multiple pallets P with the same shipping destination are swapped with respect to the initial solution, as the neighborhood solution. That is, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 swaps the items Q assigned to the pallet P with the items Q assigned to another pallet P with the same shipping destination as the pallet P with respect to the stowage information in the initial solution, and sets new stowage information (first stowage information). The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates a solution in which the stowage information in the initial solution is changed to the first stowage information, as the first neighborhood solution. The first neighborhood solution has the same content as the initial solution, except that the stowage information is changed to the first stowage information. That is, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates the first neighborhood solution so that the initial solution is not changed except that the items Q of multiple pallets P with the same shipping destination are swapped with each other. Note that the neighborhood solution may be calculated multiple times. In this case, as will be described later in detail, the solution with the higher evaluation value between the initial solution and the neighborhood solution is determined as the optimal solution, and a new neighborhood solution is calculated based on the optimal solution. Therefore, it can be said that the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates a solution in which the items Q assigned to multiple pallets P with the same shipping destination are swapped with respect to the optimal solution (the initial solution with a higher evaluation value than the calculated neighborhood solution, or the calculated neighborhood solution with a higher evaluation value than the initial solution) as the first neighborhood solution.

[0031] The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may swap items Q between three or more pallets P with the same shipping destination with respect to the initial solution (optimum solution), but it is preferable to calculate a solution in which items Q assigned to two pallets P with the same shipping destination are swapped with respect to the initial solution as the first neighborhood solution. The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may swap multiple types of items Q with respect to the initial solution (optimum solution), but it is preferable to calculate a solution in which items Q of one type are swapped with respect to the initial solution (optimum solution). That is, it is preferable for the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 to calculate the first neighborhood solution by swapping items Q of one type assigned to two pallets P with the same shipping destination by so-called swap neighborhood. It is preferable that the items Q to be swapped are of different types, but it is also possible to swap items Q of the same type but different numbers.

[0032] FIG. 4 shows an example of the first neighborhood solution in which items Q assigned to pallets Pa and Pb, which have the same shipping destination, are swapped. That is, in the example of FIG. 3, in the initial solution, items Qa, Qb, and Qc are assigned to pallet Pa in this order, and items Qd, Qe, and Qf are assigned to pallet Pb in this order. In contrast, in the first neighborhood solution shown in FIG. 4, item Qb assigned to pallet Pa and item Qe assigned to pallet Pb are swapped. That is, in the first neighborhood solution, items Qa, Qe, and Qc are assigned to pallet Pa in this order, and items Qd, Qb, and Qf are assigned to pallet Pb in this order. That is, the position of the swapped item Q on pallet P in the first neighborhood solution (the stacked position of item Qe in FIG. 4) is the same as the position of item Q on pallet P before swapping in the initial solution (the stacked position of item Qb in FIG. 3).

[0033] (Second nearest neighbor solution) FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the second neighborhood solution. The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may calculate the second neighborhood solution by changing the stacking order of the items Q on the pallet P from the initial solution as the neighborhood solution. That is, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 changes the stacking order of the items Q assigned to the pallet P from the stowage information in the initial solution to set new stowage information (second stowage information). The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates the solution by changing the stowage information in the initial solution to the second stowage information as the second neighborhood solution. The second neighborhood solution has the same content as the initial solution except that the stowage information is changed to the second stowage information. That is, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates the second neighborhood solution so that the initial solution is not changed except for the stacking order of the items Q on the pallet P being changed. As described above, since the neighboring solutions may be calculated multiple times, the neighboring solution calculation unit 34 can be said to calculate a solution in which the stacking order of items Q on pallet P is changed from the optimal solution (the initial solution having a higher evaluation value than the calculated neighboring solution, or the calculated neighboring solution having a higher evaluation value than the initial solution) as the second neighboring solution.

[0034] The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may change the stacking order of three or more items Q assigned to the same pallet P with respect to the initial solution (optimum solution), but it is preferable to calculate a solution in which the stacking order of two items Q assigned to the same pallet P is changed with respect to the initial solution as the second neighborhood solution. Also, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may change the stacking order of items Q on multiple pallets P with respect to the initial solution (optimum solution), but it is preferable to calculate a solution in which the stacking order of items Q assigned to one pallet P is changed with respect to the second neighborhood solution. That is, it is preferable for the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 to calculate the second neighborhood solution by changing the stacking order of two items Q on one pallet P by so-called swap neighborhood.

[0035] Fig. 5 shows an example of the second neighborhood solution in which the stacking order of the items Q assigned to the pallet Pa is swapped. That is, in the example of Fig. 3, in the initial solution, the items Qa, Qb, and Qc are assigned to the pallet Pa in this order. In contrast, in the second neighborhood solution shown in Fig. 5, the stacking order of the items Qb and Qc is swapped, and the items Qa, Qc, and Qb are assigned to the pallet Pa in this order.

[0036] (3rd nearest neighbor solution) FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a third neighbor solution. The neighbor solution calculation unit 34 may calculate a third neighbor solution by changing the order (loading order) of pallets P to be loaded with respect to the initial solution as the neighbor solution. That is, the neighbor solution calculation unit 34 calculates a solution by changing the loading order in the initial solution as the third neighbor solution. The third neighbor solution has the same content as the initial solution except that the loading order is changed. That is, the neighbor solution calculation unit 34 calculates the third neighbor solution so that the initial solution is not changed except for the loading order being changed. As described above, since the neighbor solution may be calculated multiple times, it can be said that the neighbor solution calculation unit 34 calculates a solution by changing the order (loading order) of pallets P to be loaded with respect to the optimal solution (initial solution having a higher evaluation value than the calculated neighbor solution, or calculated neighbor solution having a higher evaluation value than the initial solution) as the third neighbor solution.

[0037] The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may swap the stowage order (finishing order) of three or more pallets P with respect to the initial solution (optimum solution), but it is preferable to calculate a solution in which the stowage order of two pallets P is swapped with respect to the initial solution as a third neighborhood solution. That is, it is preferable for the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 to calculate the third neighborhood solution by swapping the stowage order of two pallets P with respect to the initial solution by so-called swap neighborhood.

[0038] In Fig. 6, as an example of the third nearest neighbor solution, an example in which the stowage order of pallets Pa and Pb is swapped is shown. That is, in the example of Fig. 3, pallets are stowed in the order of Pa, Pb, and Pc in the initial solution, but in the third nearest neighbor solution shown in Fig. 6, pallets are stowed in the order of Pb, Pa, and Pc.

[0039] (4th nearest neighbor solution) The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may calculate a solution in which the supply pallet P0 that supplies the item Q allocated to the pallet P is changed from the initial solution as the neighborhood solution. That is, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates a solution in which the pallet information (information indicating the supply pallet P0 that is the supply source of the item Q) in the initial solution is changed as the fourth neighborhood solution. The third neighborhood solution has the same content as the initial solution except that the pallet information is changed. That is, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates the fourth neighborhood solution so that the initial solution is not changed except for the change in the supply pallet P0. As described above, since the neighborhood solution may be calculated multiple times, it can be said that the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates a solution in which the supply pallet P0 is changed from the optimal solution (the initial solution having a higher evaluation value than the calculated neighborhood solution, or the calculated neighborhood solution having a higher evaluation value than the initial solution) as the fourth neighborhood solution.

[0040] The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may change the supply pallet P0 for multiple types of items Q in the initial solution (optimum solution), but preferably calculates a solution in which only the supply pallet P0 for one type of item Q in the initial solution is changed as the fourth neighborhood solution. Also, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 preferably calculates a solution in which the supply pallet P0 set in the initial solution (optimum solution) is replaced with another supply pallet P0 carrying the same number of items Q as the supply pallet P0 as the supply pallet P0 as the fourth neighborhood solution. That is, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 preferably calculates the fourth neighborhood solution by replacing two supply pallets P0 carrying the same number of the same items Q by so-called swap neighborhood.

[0041] 3, in the initial solution, item Qa is assigned to pallet Pa. In this case, for example, a solution in which the supply pallet P0 of item Qa to be assigned to pallet Pa is changed from the initial solution may be calculated as the fourth nearest neighbor solution.

[0042] (Combination of each neighborhood solution) When calculating multiple types of neighborhood solutions, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may calculate the multiple types of neighborhood solutions using at least one of the first neighborhood solution to the fourth neighborhood solution. That is, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may calculate multiple types of neighborhood solutions using only one of the first neighborhood solution to the fourth neighborhood solution, may calculate multiple types of neighborhood solutions using multiple of the first neighborhood solution to the fourth neighborhood solution, or may calculate multiple types of neighborhood solutions using all of the first neighborhood solution to the fourth neighborhood solution.

[0043] More specifically, a priority order may be set for each of the first neighborhood solution to the fourth neighborhood solution. In this case, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates multiple neighborhood solutions using the calculation method of the neighborhood solution with the highest priority order among the first neighborhood solution to the fourth neighborhood solution. Then, if the neighborhood solutions of all combinations using the calculation method with the highest priority order are calculated before a predetermined time has elapsed (i.e., while the calculation time up to now is equal to or less than a threshold), the calculation of the neighborhood solution may be continued using the calculation method of the neighborhood solution with the next highest priority order. That is, for example, when the priority order of the first neighborhood solution is the highest, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates multiple first neighborhood solutions by changing the pallet P or the object Q to be replaced. Then, if the calculation of the first neighborhood solutions of all combinations is completed before a predetermined time has elapsed (i.e., while the calculation time up to now is equal to or less than a threshold), the calculation of the same calculation is continued using the calculation method of the neighborhood solution with the next highest priority order.

[0044] (Calculation of initial evaluation value) The initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​calculates an initial evaluation value indicating the load level of the shipping work in the initial solution based on the initial solution. The initial evaluation value is an index for evaluating the initial solution. As will be described in detail later, the information processing device 10 also calculates a neighborhood evaluation value for evaluating neighboring solutions, and the solution with the higher evaluation value between the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value is used for the stowage plan.

[0045] The initial evaluation value is an index indicating the degree of workload when it is assumed that the items P are stowed onto the pallet P in accordance with the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the initial solution, and the pallet P is shipped. The initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​may calculate the initial evaluation value by any method based on the initial solution, but in this embodiment, the initial evaluation value is calculated based on at least one of the workload of the stowage device 14 that stows the items Q onto the pallet P, the workload of the mobile body 12 that transports the pallet P, and the number of consecutive small lots.

[0046] (Workload of stowage equipment) When calculating the initial evaluation value based on the workload of the stowage apparatus 14, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​calculates the workload of the stowage apparatus 14 based on the initial solution. The workload of the stowage apparatus 14 here refers to the degree of load of the work performed by the stowage apparatus 14 when it is assumed that the items P are stowed onto the pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the initial solution. For example, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​may calculate the total number of times that the items Q are stowed onto the pallet P (shipping pallet) from the supply pallet P0 when it is assumed that the items P are stowed onto the pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the initial solution, and set the total number of times as the initial evaluation value.

[0047] (Workload of mobile objects) When calculating the initial evaluation value based on the workload of the moving body 12, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​calculates the workload of the moving body 12 based on the initial solution. The workload of the moving body 12 here refers to the degree of load of the work performed by the moving body 12 when it is assumed that the goods P are stowed on the pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the initial solution. For example, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​may calculate the total number of times that the moving body 12 transports the pallet P when it is assumed that the goods P are stowed on the pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the initial solution, and set the total number of times as the initial evaluation value.

[0048] In addition, in the facility W, both AGVs and AGFs may be deployed as the mobile body 12. The AGV is a mobile body that does not have a function as a forklift and does not have a fork capable of lifting the pallet P. The AGF is a mobile body that has a function as a forklift. The AGV performs a task of transporting the pallet P between, for example, the item storage area AR1, the supply pallet placement area AR2, the pallet placement area AR3, the shipment placement area AR4, and the empty pallet placement area AR5, and the AGF performs a task of transporting the pallet P (pallet for shipment) placed in the area AR4 to a shelf. However, the tasks performed by the AGV and the AGF are not limited to this and may be set appropriately. In this manner, when both the AGV and the AGF are deployed, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​may calculate at least one of the workload of the AGV and the workload of the AGF as the workload of the mobile body 12. An example of the workload of an AGV is the total number of times that the AGV transports a pallet P when it is assumed that goods P are loaded onto a pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the initial solution. An example of the workload of an AGF is the total number of times that the AGF transports a pallet P when it is assumed that goods P are loaded onto a pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the initial solution.

[0049] (Number of consecutive small lots) The number of consecutive small lots refers to the number of times that the number of items Q (small lot items Q) assigned to a pallet P is a predetermined number or less is stacked consecutively. In other words, if the predetermined number is two, the number of times that the number of items Q assigned to a pallet P is two or less is stacked consecutively. If the number of items Q assigned to a pallet P is small, the work time for the stacking device 14 to stack the items Q is short. On the other hand, if the number of types of items Q assigned to a pallet P is large, the number of times that the supply pallet P0 is transported to the supply pallet arrangement area AR2 is increased. Therefore, as the number of consecutive small lots increases, the work time for each item Q of the stacking device 14 is shortened, while the number of times that the supply pallet P0 is transported increases, so that when the stacking device 14 is ready to start the next work, there is a high possibility that the supply of the supply pallet P0 will not be in time. In this way, as the number of consecutive small lots increases, the stacking device 14 waits for the arrival of the supply pallet P0 or the number of times that the moving body 12 is transported increases, so the number of consecutive small lots can be said to be an index corresponding to the degree of load of the shipping work.

[0050] When calculating the initial evaluation value based on the number of consecutive short lots, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​calculates the number of consecutive short lots based on the initial solution. For example, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​may calculate the number of consecutive short lots when it is assumed that the items P are stowed on the pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the initial solution, and set the number of consecutive short lots as the initial evaluation value.

[0051] (Combination of initial evaluation values) The initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​may calculate the initial evaluation value based on at least one of the workload of the stowage device 14, the workload of the mobile body 12, and the number of consecutive short lots. In other words, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​may calculate the initial evaluation value using only one of the workload of the stowage device 14, the workload of the mobile body 12, and the number of consecutive short lots, may calculate the initial evaluation value using two or more of them, or may calculate the initial evaluation value using all of them.

[0052] More specifically, a priority order may be set for each of the workload of the stowage device 14, the workload of the mobile body 12, and the number of consecutive small lots. In this case, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​may calculate the initial evaluation value using the one with the highest priority among them. In this case, as will be described in detail later, the information processing device 10 may compare the calculated initial evaluation value with a neighborhood evaluation value described later, and if the evaluations are the same, calculate the initial evaluation value using the one with the next highest priority and repeat the same process.

[0053] (Calculation of neighborhood evaluation value) The neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 calculates a neighborhood evaluation value indicating the load level of the shipping work in the neighborhood solution based on the neighborhood solution. When multiple neighborhood solutions are calculated, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 calculates a neighborhood evaluation value for each neighborhood solution.

[0054] The neighborhood evaluation value is an index indicating the degree of workload when it is assumed that the items P are stowed onto the pallet P in accordance with the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the neighborhood solution, and the pallet P is shipped. The neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 calculates the neighborhood solution in the same manner as the calculation of the initial evaluation value, except that the initial solution is replaced with the neighborhood solution. That is, in this embodiment, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 calculates the neighborhood evaluation value based on at least one of the workload of the stowage device 14 that stows the items Q onto the pallet P, the workload of the mobile body 12 that transports the pallet P, and the number of consecutive small lots.

[0055] (Workload of stowage equipment) When calculating the neighborhood evaluation value based on the workload of the stowage device 14, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 calculates the workload of the stowage device 14 based on the neighborhood solution. For example, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 may calculate the total number of times that items Q are stowed from a supply pallet P0 to a pallet P (a shipping pallet) when it is assumed that items P are stowed on a pallet P in accordance with the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the neighborhood solution, and use the total number of times as the neighborhood evaluation value.

[0056] (Workload of mobile objects) When calculating the proximity evaluation value based on the workload of the mobile object 12, the proximity evaluation value calculation unit 38 calculates the workload of the mobile object 12 based on the neighborhood solution. For example, the proximity evaluation value calculation unit 38 may calculate the total number of times that the mobile object 12 transports the pallet P when it is assumed that the goods P are stowed on the pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the neighborhood solution, and set the total number of times as the proximity evaluation value.

[0057] In addition, when both AGVs and AGFs are deployed, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 may calculate at least one of the workload of the AGV and the workload of the AGF as the workload of the mobile body 12. The workload of the AGV may be, for example, the total number of times that the AGV transports the pallet P when it is assumed that the goods P are stowed on the pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the neighborhood solution. The workload of the AGF may be, for example, the total number of times that the AGF transports the pallet P when it is assumed that the goods P are stowed on the pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the neighborhood solution.

[0058] (Number of consecutive small lots) When calculating the neighborhood evaluation value based on the number of consecutive small lots, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 calculates the number of consecutive small lots based on the neighborhood solution. For example, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 may calculate the number of consecutive small lots when it is assumed that the items P are stowed on the pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the neighborhood solution, and set the number of consecutive small lots as the neighborhood evaluation value.

[0059] (Combination of each neighborhood evaluation value) The proximity evaluation value calculation unit 38 may calculate the proximity evaluation value based on at least one of the workload of the stowage device 14, the workload of the mobile body 12, and the number of consecutive short lots.

[0060] More specifically, a priority order may be set for each of the workload of the stowage device 14, the workload of the mobile body 12, and the number of consecutive small lots. In this case, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 may calculate the neighborhood evaluation value using the one with the highest priority among them. In this case, as will be described in detail later, the information processing device 10 may compare the initial evaluation value with the highest priority and the neighborhood evaluation value, and if the evaluations are the same, calculate the neighborhood evaluation value using the one with the next highest priority and repeat the same process.

[0061] (Loading information and loading sequence setting) The setting unit 40 sets the loading information and loading order to be used in the loading plan based on the initial evaluation value and the neighboring evaluation value. Specifically, the setting unit 40 sets the loading information and loading order included in a solution having a higher evaluation value among the initial solution and the neighboring solutions as the loading information and loading order to be used in the loading plan. That is, for example, when the evaluation of the initial evaluation value is higher than the neighboring evaluation value, the setting unit 40 sets the loading information and loading order included in the initial solution as the loading information and loading order to be used in the loading plan. On the other hand, when the evaluation of the neighboring evaluation value is higher than the initial evaluation value, the setting unit 40 sets the loading information and loading order included in the neighboring solution as the loading information and loading order to be used in the loading plan. Note that, in the example of this embodiment, the initial evaluation value and the neighboring evaluation value are set so that the evaluation becomes higher as the evaluation value becomes lower, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the loading information and loading order may be set so that the evaluation becomes higher as the evaluation value becomes lower.

[0062] Furthermore, when multiple neighboring solutions are calculated, the setting unit 40 performs the same process for each of the neighboring solutions. That is, for example, the setting unit 40 sets the solution with the higher evaluation between the initial solution and the neighboring solutions as the optimal solution. Then, the setting unit 40 compares the evaluation value of the optimal solution with the evaluation value of another neighboring solution, and sets the solution with the higher evaluation as the optimal solution. That is, the setting unit 40 compares the evaluation values ​​of the optimal solution at the current time with those of unevaluated neighboring solutions, and sets the solution with the higher evaluation as the optimal solution. Then, when the evaluation comparison is completed for all the neighboring solutions, the loading information and loading order included in the optimal solution at that time are set as the loading information and loading order to be used in the loading plan.

[0063] (Processing flow) The setting flow of the stowage information and the stowage sequence used in the stowage plan explained above will be explained. FIG. 7 is a flow chart explaining the setting flow of the stowage information and the stowage sequence. As shown in FIG. 7, the information processing device 10 acquires the work information by the work information acquisition unit 30 (step S2). Then, the information processing device 10 calculates an initial solution of the stowage information and the stowage sequence based on the work information by the initial solution calculation unit 32 (step S4), and calculates an initial evaluation value corresponding to the initial solution by the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​(step S6). Also, the information processing device 10 calculates a neighborhood solution of the stowage information and the stowage sequence based on the initial solution by the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 (step S8), and calculates a neighborhood evaluation value corresponding to the neighborhood solution by the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 (step S10).

[0064] The information processing device 10 compares the evaluation values ​​(here, the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value) by the setting unit 40, and if the evaluation value corresponding to the new solution is evaluated higher (step S12; Yes), the new solution is set as the optimal solution (step S14). That is, for example, if the neighborhood evaluation value is evaluated higher than the initial evaluation value, the neighborhood solution corresponding to the neighborhood evaluation value is set as the optimal solution. Then, if the calculation time up to now is equal to or less than the threshold (step S16; Yes) and it is possible to create another neighborhood solution that has not been calculated so far (step S18; Yes), the process returns to step S8, calculates another neighborhood solution that has not been calculated so far, and repeats the subsequent processes. That is, in this case, the neighborhood evaluation value corresponding to the newly calculated neighborhood solution is compared with the evaluation value corresponding to the optimal solution, and if the neighborhood evaluation value corresponding to the newly calculated neighborhood solution is evaluated higher, the newly calculated neighborhood solution is updated as the optimal solution. On the other hand, if the neighborhood evaluation value corresponding to the newly calculated neighborhood solution is evaluated lower, the optimal solution is not updated.

[0065] Also, if the evaluation value corresponding to the original solution is higher than the evaluation value of the new solution (step S12; No), the original solution is set as the optimal solution (step S15). That is, for example, in the first calculation, if the initial evaluation value is higher than the neighborhood evaluation value, the initial evaluation value is set as the optimal solution. Also, for example, when the calculation is repeated, if the evaluation value corresponding to the set optimal solution is higher than the newly calculated neighborhood evaluation value, the optimal solution is used as it is as the optimal solution.

[0066] If the calculation time is longer than the threshold (step S16; No), the process ends. In this case, the stowage information and stowage sequence in the optimal solution at that time are set as the stowage information and stowage sequence to be used in the stowage plan.

[0067] Similarly, if it is not possible to create another nearby solution (step S18; No), this process ends. In this case, the loading information and loading sequence of the optimal solution at that time are set as the loading information and loading sequence to be used in the loading plan.

[0068] The determination of whether or not another neighborhood solution can be created, shown in step S18, may be made by any method. For example, it is determined whether or not a neighborhood solution having some content (loading information or loading order) different from the neighborhood solutions calculated so far can be calculated using the currently used neighborhood solution calculation method (e.g., the first neighborhood solution calculation method). If such a neighborhood solution can be calculated, it is determined that another neighborhood solution can be created, and the other neighborhood solution is calculated using the currently used neighborhood solution calculation method.

[0069] On the other hand, if it is impossible to calculate a neighborhood solution with some different contents (loading information or loading order) using the currently used calculation method of the neighborhood solution, it is judged whether there is a calculation method (e.g., a calculation method of the second neighborhood solution) that is different from the currently used calculation method and has not been used so far. If there is such a calculation method, it is judged that it is possible to create another neighborhood solution, and the calculation method is switched to (e.g., the calculation method of the second neighborhood solution) and the calculation of the neighborhood solution is continued using that calculation method. On the other hand, if there is no calculation method that has not been used so far (if all calculation methods have been used), it is judged that it is impossible to create another neighborhood solution. Note that, when multiple calculation methods are used in this way, a priority order may be set for the calculation methods, and the calculation methods with the highest priority may be applied.

[0070] Furthermore, when calculating the evaluation value, a priority order may be set as to which of the workload of the stowage device 14, the workload of the mobile body 12, and the number of consecutive small lots to use. In this case, the information processing device 10 calculates the evaluation value (initial evaluation value and neighboring evaluation value) using the one with the highest priority among them. Then, as shown in steps S12 to S16, if the evaluations of the calculated evaluation values ​​are different, the solution with the higher evaluation value is set as the optimal solution. On the other hand, if the evaluations of the calculated evaluation values ​​are the same, the information processing device 10 recalculates the evaluation value (initial evaluation value and neighboring evaluation value) using the one with the next highest priority, and repeats the same process.

[0071] The priority order in the calculation of the evaluation value may be set as appropriate. For example, the priority order may be lower in the order of the workload of the stowage device 14, the workload of the mobile body 12, and the number of consecutive small lots, or the priority order may be lower in the order of the workload of the stowage device 14, the number of consecutive small lots, and the workload of the mobile body 12. The priority order may be lower in the order of the workload of the mobile body 12, the workload of the stowage device 14, and the number of consecutive small lots, or the priority order may be lower in the order of the workload of the mobile body 12, the number of consecutive small lots, and the workload of the stowage device 14. The priority order may be lower in the order of the number of consecutive small lots, the workload of the stowage device 14, and the workload of the mobile body 12, or the priority order may be lower in the order of the number of consecutive small lots, the workload of the mobile body 12, and the workload of the stowage device 14. Furthermore, as described above, the workload of the mobile object 12 may be divided into the workload of the AGV and the workload of the AGF, and priorities may be set for the workload of the AGV and the workload of the AGF.

[0072] (Execution of loading operations) The information processing device 10 calculates the initial solution and the neighboring solutions as described above, and sets the stowage information and stowage order to be used in the stowage plan based on the evaluation values ​​(initial evaluation value and neighboring evaluation value). The stowage plan may also include information on the supply pallet P0 that supplies the goods Q to the pallet P. The output control unit 42 of the information processing device 10 outputs the generated stowage plan (information including the stowage information and the stowage order) to an external device. For example, in this embodiment, the output control unit 42 outputs the stowage plan to another device of the stowage system 100, and causes the other device to execute stowage work (stowage of goods Q on the pallet P) according to the stowage plan. That is, for example, the output control unit 42 transmits the stowage plan to a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of the stowage device 14, and the control unit controls the operation of the stowage device 14 so as to execute the stowage work according to the stowage plan. Also, for example, the output control unit 42 transmits the stowage plan to a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of the mobile body 12, and the control unit controls the operation of the mobile body 12 so as to perform stowage work in accordance with the stowage plan.

[0073] (effect) As described above, the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment calculates the initial solution and the neighboring solutions, and sets the stowage information and stowage order to be used in the stowage plan based on their evaluation values ​​(initial evaluation value and neighboring evaluation value). Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to create an appropriate stowage plan according to the work content. That is, by creating and evaluating a neighboring solution that is partially changed from the initial solution, it is possible to set a stowage plan optimized according to the work content. Furthermore, by using a neighboring solution that is only partially changed from the initial solution without changing the entire initial solution, it is possible to set a stowage plan optimized according to the work content while suppressing an excessively high calculation load.

[0074] (others) In the description of this embodiment, the neighboring solution is always calculated to create a stowage plan, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be determined whether or not to use the neighboring solution. That is, for example, the information processing device 10 determines whether or not to calculate the neighboring solution, and when it is determined to calculate the neighboring solution, it creates a stowage plan by the method described in the above embodiment. On the other hand, when it is determined not to calculate the neighboring solution, the information processing device 10 does not calculate the neighboring solution and the neighboring evaluation value, and sets the stowage information and stowage order in the initial solution as the solution to be used in the stowage plan. It should be noted that the method of determining whether or not to calculate the neighboring solution may be arbitrary. For example, information on whether or not to calculate the neighboring solution may be input to the information processing device 10 by the user, and the information processing device 10 may determine whether or not to calculate the neighboring solution based on the input result. Also, for example, the information processing device 10 may automatically determine whether or not to calculate the neighboring solution. In this case, for example, the information processing device 10 may determine whether or not to use the neighboring solution based on the work information.

[0075] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a specific calculation method of the initial solution is specified. In the second embodiment, the description of the points common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0076] In the second embodiment, the initial solution calculation unit 32 calculates, as stowage information in the initial solution, item information indicating the type and number of items Q to be assigned to a pallet P, and stacking information indicating how the items Q indicated by the pallet information are to be stacked on the pallet P.

[0077] (Item information settings) (Calculation of the number of individual items) 8 to 11 are schematic diagrams for explaining the setting of item information. When setting item information in the initial solution, the initial solution calculation unit 32 classifies items Q to be shipped to a target shipping destination into whole items and individual items, and calculates the number of items Q classified into individual items (the number of individual items). The whole items refer to items Q stacked so as to occupy the entirety of each layer when it is assumed that items Q are stacked on a pallet P so that the entirety of one layer is occupied by items Q, and the individual items refer to items Q that are left over because they cannot occupy the entirety of one layer in that case. In other words, the whole items are items Q stacked over the entire area of ​​the area that can be stacked in one layer of the pallet P, and the individual items are items Q stacked only in a part of the area that can be stacked in one layer of the pallet P. The initial solution calculation unit 32 classifies items Q into whole items and individual items based on information on the number of items Q to be shipped to a target shipping destination and information on the maximum number of items Q to be arranged, which are indicated in the work information, and calculates the number of individual items for the items Q. In this embodiment, the initial solution calculation unit 32 calculates the number of individual items as the remainder when the number of items Q to be shipped to the destination is divided by the maximum arrangement number. That is, in an example where 18 items Q are shipped and the maximum arrangement number is 4, if the items Q are stacked on a pallet P so that each layer is entirely occupied by items Q, four layers will be stacked, leaving two items Q remaining. Therefore, in this example, the total number of items will be 16 for four layers, and the number of individual items will be two. Note that if there is no remainder when the number of items Q is divided by the maximum arrangement number (if it is divisible), all items will be classified as total items, and the number of individual items will be zero.

[0078] The initial solution calculation unit 32 classifies the items Q into whole items and individual items for each type of item Q to be shipped to the destination, and calculates the number of individual items for each item Q. Fig. 8 shows an example of a plan to ship 18 items QA, 2 items QB, 12 items QC, and 6 items QD to a certain destination, and illustrates a case in which the maximum number of items QA to be placed is 4, the maximum number of items QB to be placed is 2, and the maximum number of items QC and QD to be placed is 3. In this case, in the example of Fig. 8, item QA is classified into 16 whole items QA1 and 2 individual items QA2, and items QB, QC, and QD do not include individual items and are all classified into whole items QB1, QC1, and QD1.

[0079] (Allocation of individual items) Next, the initial solution calculation unit 32 assigns the individual items (items Q in the number classified as individual items) to the pallet P. Assigning the items Q to the pallet P means selecting the items Q to be loaded on the pallet P (selecting the pallet P on which the items Q are to be loaded). The initial solution calculation unit 32 searches whether each of the individual items of one type of item Q can be arranged on one layer of the pallet P. The initial solution calculation unit 32 searches whether there is an arrangement of the individual items in one layer where the individual items do not overlap each other, based on the size of the item Q indicated in the work information and the width of one layer of the pallet P. The search method here may be any, but for example, the Bottom-Left method may be used. When there is an arrangement where the individual items do not overlap each other on one layer, the initial solution calculation unit 32 assigns the individual items of those items Q to that pallet P. On the other hand, when there is no arrangement where the individual items do not overlap each other on one layer, the initial solution calculation unit 32 does not assign the individual items of those items Q to that pallet P. 9, for example, it is determined that two individual items QA2 can be arranged on one layer on pallet PA, and so two individual items QA2 (all individual items QA2) are assigned to pallet PA. If it is determined that an individual item should not be assigned to pallet P, it is possible to search for whether the individual item can be assigned to another pallet P, or it is possible to divide the total number of individual items into a plurality of groups and determine for each group whether the individual item can be assigned to pallet P.

[0080] In this embodiment, when an individual item of one type of item Q can be arranged in one layer, the individual item is assigned to the pallet PA, but the criteria for assignment are not limited thereto. For example, when there is an arrangement in one layer in which the individual items do not overlap each other, and the total height of the individual item and the height of all the overall items of the same type as the individual item stacked (total item height) is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold height, the individual item may be assigned to the pallet PA. In other words, even if there is an arrangement in one layer in which the individual items do not overlap each other, if the total height of the individual item and the overall items of the same type stacked is higher than the threshold height, the individual item does not need to be assigned to the pallet PA. The total item height may be calculated arbitrarily, but may be, for example, a value obtained by multiplying the number of stacked overall items calculated by dividing the total number of overall items by the maximum arrangement number by the height of the overall items, and the same applies below. That is, for example, in the example of Figure 8, when all of the entire items QA1 of item QA are stacked, they become four layers, so the total height is the sum of the total item height of the four layers of entire item QA1 and the height of individual item QA2, and if this total height is higher than the threshold height, individual item QA2 does not need to be assigned to that pallet PA.

[0081] When there are individual items among multiple types of items Q for one shipping destination, the initial solution calculation unit 32 allocates the individual items to the pallet P in a similar manner for each type of item Q. The order in which the individual items are allocated for each type of item Q may be arbitrary, but it is preferable to allocate the individual items from among the multiple types of items Q, starting with the individual items of items Q with the shortest height.

[0082] Furthermore, when there are individual items in multiple types of items Q, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may allocate multiple types of individual items to one layer of one pallet P. Specifically, the initial solution calculation unit 32 searches for an arrangement of individual items in one layer that does not overlap with already-allocated individual items and does not overlap with individual items to be allocated this time. If there is an arrangement that does not overlap with already-allocated individual items and does not overlap with individual items to be allocated this time, the initial solution calculation unit 32 allocates those individual items to that pallet P. On the other hand, if there is no such arrangement, the initial solution calculation unit 32 does not allocate those individual items to that pallet P, but allocates them to, for example, another pallet P. That is, for example, when two other types of individual items can be arranged in the same layer as the two individual items QA2 on a pallet PA to which two individual items QA2 have already been allocated without overlapping, those two individual items are also allocated to the same layer as the individual item QA2 on the pallet PA. On the other hand, if those individual items cannot be placed in the same layer as individual item QA2 without overlapping, those individual items are assigned to another pallet P.

[0083] The initial solution calculation unit 32 executes the process of allocating the individual objects to the pallet P for each individual object.

[0084] (Allocating entire items to a pallet that already has individual items allocated to it) The initial solution calculation unit 32 allocates all items (items Q corresponding to the number of items classified as all items) to a pallet P to which individual items have already been allocated. The initial solution calculation unit 32 preferentially allocates all items of the same type as the allocated individual items to the pallet P. Specifically, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects all items of the same type as the individual items from among all items for the target shipping destination, and determines whether the selected all items can be allocated to the pallet P to which the individual items have been allocated. The initial solution calculation unit 32 calculates the total height of the selected all items (the height of all the all items stacked) and the allocated individual items, and if the total height is equal to or less than a threshold height, it determines that all of the selected all items can be allocated to the pallet PA, and performs allocation. On the other hand, if the total height is higher than the threshold height, the initial solution calculation unit 32 does not allocate the selected all items to the pallet PA, but allocates them to another pallet P. 10, the total height of the four layers including all of the whole items QA1 plus the height of the individual items QA2 is equal to or less than the threshold height, so all of the whole items QA1 are assigned to the pallet PA. In this way, by preferentially assigning whole items of the same type as the individual items, it is possible to prevent the number of types of items Q loaded onto the pallet PA from increasing, and the number of times the supply pallet P0 for loading is replaced is reduced, thereby reducing the operation time.

[0085] The initial solution calculation unit 32 may also allocate other types of overall items to a pallet P to which individual items and overall items have already been allocated. In this case, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects an overall item of a type for which allocation has not been determined from among the overall items for the target shipping destination, and judges whether the selected overall item can be allocated to a pallet P to which individual items and overall items have already been allocated. The initial solution calculation unit 32 calculates the total height of the selected overall item (the height of all overall items stacked), the total item height of the allocated overall items, and the height of the allocated individual items. If the total height is equal to or less than a threshold height, the initial solution calculation unit 32 judges that all of the selected overall items can be allocated to the pallet P, and performs allocation. On the other hand, if the total height is higher than the threshold height, the initial solution calculation unit 32 does not allocate the selected overall item to the pallet P, but allocates it to another pallet P. In the example of Figure 10, the total height of one layer including all of the entire items QB1, the height of four layers of the entire items QA1, and the height of individual items QA2 is less than the threshold height, so all of the entire items QB1 are assigned to the pallet PA.

[0086] Note that even if a whole item of the same type as the individual item is not assigned to a pallet P to which an individual item is assigned, another kind of whole item may be assigned to that pallet P. In this case, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a kind of whole item whose assignment has not been determined from among the whole items for the target shipping destination, calculates the total height of the selected whole items (the height of all whole items stacked) and the height of the assigned individual items, and assigns all of the selected whole items to that pallet PA if the total height is equal to or less than a threshold height. On the other hand, if the total height is higher than the threshold height, the initial solution calculation unit 32 does not assign the selected whole items to that pallet P, but assigns them to another pallet P.

[0087] The initial solution calculation unit 32 sequentially selects all items of a type for which allocation has not been determined, and repeats the above-mentioned process for the pallet P to which the individual items are assigned, thereby allocating all items to the pallet P to which the individual items are assigned.

[0088] The initial solution calculation unit 32 executes the above-described whole item allocation process for each pallet P to which individual items are allocated.

[0089] (Allocating whole items to pallets with no individual items allocated) When the allocation process of the entire items for the pallet P to which the individual items are assigned is completed, the initial solution calculation unit 32 allocates the entire items (items Q corresponding to the number of items classified as the entire items) for which allocation has not been determined to the pallet P to which the individual items are not assigned. The initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the entire items of the type for which allocation has not been determined from the entire items for the target shipping destination, and judges whether the selected entire items can be allocated to the pallet P to which the individual items are not assigned. The initial solution calculation unit 32 calculates the entire item height (the height of all the entire items stacked) of the selected entire items, and when the entire item height is equal to or less than the threshold height, it judges that all the selected entire items can be allocated to the pallet P, and performs the allocation. On the other hand, when the entire item height is higher than the threshold height, the initial solution calculation unit 32 does not allocate the selected entire items to the pallet P. In this way, by preferentially allocating the same type of entire items, it is possible to prevent the number of types of items Q loaded on the pallet PA from increasing, and to reduce the number of times the supply pallet P0 for loading is replaced, thereby reducing the operation time.

[0090] The initial solution calculation unit 32 may also allocate other types of overall items to a pallet P to which no individual items have been allocated but to which overall items have been allocated. In this case, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects an overall item of a type to which allocation has not been determined from among the overall items for the target shipping destination, and determines whether the selected overall item can be allocated to a pallet P to which the overall items have been allocated. The initial solution calculation unit 32 calculates the total height of the overall item height of the selected overall items and the overall item height of the allocated overall items, and if the total height is equal to or less than a threshold height, it determines that all of the selected overall items can be allocated to the pallet P, and performs allocation. On the other hand, if the total height is higher than the threshold height, the initial solution calculation unit 32 does not allocate the selected overall items to the pallet P, but allocates them to another pallet P. In the example of FIG. 11, the total height of the height of four layers including the total number of the overall items QC1 and the height of two layers including the total number of the overall items QC1 is equal to or less than the threshold height, so all of the overall items QC1 and QD1 are allocated to the pallet PB.

[0091] The initial solution calculation unit 32 sequentially selects all items of a type for which allocation has not been determined, and repeats the above-mentioned process for the pallets P to which individual items have been allocated, thereby allocating all items to pallets P to which individual items have not been allocated. In other words, if a new all item cannot be allocated to one pallet P, a new pallet P is selected, and all items are allocated to the newly selected pallet P in the same manner. Note that in the above explanation, the total number of all items of one type is allocated to one pallet P, but if the total number of all items cannot be allocated to any pallet P, the total number of all items may be divided by layer and allocated to a pallet P for each layer.

[0092] The initial solution calculation unit 32 assigns individual items and all items to a pallet P in the manner described above so that, for each shipping destination, all items Q of the shipping destination are assigned to one of the pallets P. As a result, item information indicating the type and number of items Q assigned to each pallet P is set for each shipping destination.

[0093] In the above description, the overall items are selected and allocated in order to the pallets P to which individual items have already been allocated and to the pallets P to which individual items have not been allocated. The order in which the overall items are selected may be arbitrary. For example, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may alternately select the overall item of the type having the maximum overall item height (the height of all the overall items stacked) and the overall item of the type having the minimum overall item height from among the overall items of the types not yet selected. That is, for example, the overall item of the maximum overall item height is selected from among the overall items not yet selected, then the overall item of the minimum overall item height is selected from among the remaining (not selected) overall items, and then the overall item of the maximum overall item height is selected from among the remaining overall items. By alternately selecting the overall items of the maximum and minimum overall item heights in this way, it is possible to stack the overall items as high as possible on the pallet P, and the number of pallets P to be used can be reduced. For example, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may alternately select the overall item of the type having the maximum number of items and the overall item of the type having the minimum number of items from among the overall items of the types not yet selected. That is, for example, from among all unselected whole items, the whole item with the largest number is selected, then from among the remaining (unselected) whole items, the whole item with the smallest number is selected, and then from among the remaining whole items, the whole item with the largest number is selected. By alternately selecting the whole items with the largest and smallest numbers in this way, it is possible to stack as many whole items as possible on a pallet P, and the number of pallets P used can be reduced.

[0094] More specifically, if a method of alternately selecting the total items with the maximum total item height and the total items with the minimum total item height is defined as a first selection method, and a method of alternately selecting the total items with the maximum number and the total items with the minimum total item height is defined as a second selection method, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may determine whether to use the first selection method or the second selection method based on the number of pallets P required when all items Q for one shipping destination are allocated. In this case, for example, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects unselected total items using the first selection method, and sets item information by the method described above such that all items Q for the shipping destination are allocated to one of the pallets P (allocation of individual items and the total items is performed). Also, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects unselected total items using the second selection method, and sets item information by the method described above such that all items Q for the shipping destination are allocated to one of the pallets P (allocation of individual items and the total items is performed). Then, the initial solution calculation unit 32 compares the total number of pallets P required when all items Q are allocated using the first selection method with the total number of pallets P required when all items Q are allocated using the second selection method, and treats the item information set by the selection method resulting in a smaller total number of pallets P as the item information to be used for the stowage plan.

[0095] (Item information setting flow) The process flow for setting item information in the initial solution described above will be described. FIG. 12 is a process flow for explaining an individual item allocation method, and FIG. 13 is a process flow for explaining an allocating method for all items. As shown in FIG. 12, when allocating an individual item to a pallet P, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects an individual item (step S22), judges whether all the selected individual items can be arranged in one layer of the selected pallet P (step S24), and if they can be arranged in one layer (step S24; Yes), allocates all the individual items to the pallet P (step S26), and if there are no other individual items (step S28; No), ends this process. On the other hand, if there are other individual items (step S28; Yes), the process returns to step S22 and continues the process of selecting other individual items and allocating them to the pallet P. Even if the selected individual items cannot be arranged in one layer of the pallet P (step S24; No), the process proceeds to step S28. In addition, if the selected individual item cannot be arranged in one layer on the selected pallet P, another pallet P may be selected to determine whether the individual item can be arranged in one layer on the other pallet P.

[0096] As shown in FIG. 13, when all items are to be allocated to a pallet P, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a pallet P and all items (step S30), and judges whether all the selected all items can be allocated to the selected pallet P (step S32). If all items can be allocated (step S32; Yes), the initial solution calculation unit 32 allocates all the all items to the pallet P (step S34). If there are no other all items (step S36; No), the process ends. On the other hand, if there are other all items (step S36; Yes), the process returns to step S30, and the process of selecting other individual items and allocating them to the pallet P continues. Also, if the selected all items cannot be allocated to the selected pallet P (step S32; No), the process proceeds to step S36. Note that, after judging whether all the all items can be allocated to the selected pallet P, if there are still all items for which allocation has not been determined, the process returns to step S30, selects another pallet P, and judges whether the all items for which allocation has not been determined can be allocated to the other pallet P.

[0097] (Layer information settings) The item information set in the above explanation indicates the type and number of items Q (individual items and all items) to be assigned to the pallet P, so it is not yet determined how the assigned items Q will be arranged on the pallet P. Therefore, in this embodiment, after setting the item information in the initial solution, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets stacking information in the initial solution that indicates how the items Q are to be stacked on the pallet P. A specific explanation will be given below.

[0098] 14 to 17 are schematic diagrams for explaining the setting of stacking information. The initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the order of stacking the layer groups L, with the same type of items Q assigned to one pallet P as one layer group L. The layer group L here can be said to be a collection of layers including the same type of items Q, and one layer group L may include one layer of the same type of items Q, or multiple layers. The number of layers included in the layer group L is, for example, a value obtained by dividing the total number of the items Q by the maximum number of items to be arranged, and in the case where individual items are included, the number is a sum of the value obtained by dividing the total number of the items Q by the maximum number of items to be arranged and the number of layers of the individual items. That is, for example, the layer group L of the item QA shown in FIG. 10 includes a total of five layers, including four layers of the entire items and one layer of the individual item.

[0099] The initial solution calculation unit 32 determines whether an individual item is assigned to the pallet P based on the item information of the pallet P. If an individual item is assigned, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the layer group L of the item Q including the individual item as the top layer group, which is the layer group placed at the top of the pallet P. On the other hand, for a pallet P to which an individual item is not assigned, the top layer group is not set at this stage. In this way, by placing the layer group L including the individual item in the top layer, the item Q can be stacked appropriately. Note that in the layer group L of the item Q including the individual item, the layer of the individual item is set as the top layer of each layer of the item Q.

[0100] In addition, the initial solution calculation unit 32 judges whether or not there is a maximum weight layer group among the layer groups L included in the pallet P, in which the weight of the items Q in one layer included in the layer group L is the largest, based on the item information of the pallet P. If there is a maximum weight layer group, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the maximum weight layer group as the bottom layer group, which is the layer group arranged at the bottom of the pallet P. In this case, for example, the initial solution calculation unit 32 can determine whether there is a maximum weight layer group by calculating the weight of the items Q in one layer for each layer group L from the weight and the maximum arrangement number of the items Q and comparing them. Note that if there is no maximum weight layer group, that is, for example, if there are multiple layer groups L in which the weight of the items Q in one layer is the largest, it is not necessary to set the bottom layer group. In this way, by arranging the heaviest layer as the bottom layer, it is possible to stack while maintaining weight balance.

[0101] In the example of Fig. 14, an item QA including an individual item QA2 and an item QB including no individual items are assigned to a pallet PA. Therefore, in the example of Fig. 14, the layer group L2 of the item QA is set as the top layer group of the pallet PA, and the layer group L1 of the remaining item QB is set as the layer group below the layer group L2 (the lowest layer group in this example). Also, in the example of Fig. 15, items QC and QD including no individual items are assigned to a pallet PB, and the layer group of the item QC is the heaviest layer group. Therefore, in the example of Fig. 15, the layer group L1 of the item QC is set as the lowest layer group of the pallet PB, and the layer group L2 of the remaining item QD is set as the layer group above the layer group L1 (the highest layer group in this example).

[0102] Next, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts popular items (target items) from among the items Q assigned to the pallets P of each shipping destination. The popular item here refers to the item Q that is assigned to the largest number of shipping destinations. That is, for example, if item QD is shipped to three shipping destinations and items QA, QB, and QD are shipped to two shipping destinations, item QD is the popular item. However, the popular item is not limited to the item Q that is assigned to the largest number of shipping destinations, and may refer to a type of item Q selected by any method from the items Q assigned to the pallets P of each shipping destination, and may refer to, for example, the item Q with the largest total number per shipping destination.

[0103] After extracting the popular items, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the first pallet with the largest number of popular items assigned among the pallets P of each shipping destination. The initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the layer group L including the popular items assigned to the selected first pallet as the lowest layer group of the selected first pallet. If there are multiple pallets P with the largest number of popular items assigned, any one of them may be selected as the first pallet. If the lowest layer group of the selected first pallet has already been set, the pallet with the largest number of popular items is selected as a new first pallet from among the unselected pallets P excluding the first pallet, and the same process is performed. For example, in the example of FIG. 16, the pallet PC has the largest number of items QD, which are popular items, among each pallet P, so the layer group L1 of items QD is set as the lowest layer group.

[0104] Also, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the second pallet with the smallest number of popular items assigned to it among the pallets P of each shipping destination. The initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the layer group L including the popular items assigned to the selected second pallet as the second layer group from the bottom of the selected second pallet. The second layer group can also be said to be the layer group immediately above the lowest layer group. If there are multiple pallets P with the smallest number of popular items assigned to them, any one of them may be selected as the second pallet. Also, if the second layer group of the selected second pallet has already been set, the pallet with the smallest number of popular items is selected as a new second pallet from among the unselected pallets P excluding the second pallet, and the same process is performed. For example, in the example of FIG. 17, the pallet PD has the smallest number of items QD, which are popular items, among the pallets P, so the layer group L2 of the item QD is set as the second layer group. In the example of FIG. 17, the layer group L1 of the item QA is the heaviest layer group, so it is set as the lowest layer group.

[0105] After setting the bottom layer group of the first pallet and the second layer group of the second pallet, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the first pallet and the second pallet from among the unselected pallets P that have not been selected as the first pallet and the second pallet, and repeats the process of setting the bottom layer group of the first pallet and the process of setting the second layer group of the second pallet. Furthermore, when the selection of all pallets P is completed for the extracted popular items, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts the item Q that has the largest number of assigned shipping destinations as a new popular item from among the items Q excluding the popular items extracted so far, and repeats the selection of the first pallet and the process of setting its bottom layer group, and the selection of the second pallet and the process of setting its second layer group. In this way, by setting the bottom layer group of the first pallet and the second layer group of the second pallet as the same popular item, it becomes possible to continuously stow the popular item on the second pallet and the first pallet, thereby reducing the time required for stowage and the load of the stowage work.

[0106] Next, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts a pallet P in which the stacking order of all layer groups L has not been determined (a pallet P in which the stacking order of at least some layer groups L has not been determined). For the extracted pallet P, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the largest layer group in which the number of items Q is the largest from among the layer groups L in which the stacking order has not been determined, and sets the selected largest layer group as the lowest layer group among the layer groups L in which the stacking order has not been determined. That is, for example, when the lowest layer group has been determined and the second layer group (the layer group immediately above the lowest layer group) has not been determined, the largest layer group is set as the second layer group, and when the lowest layer group and the second layer group have been determined, the largest layer group is set as the layer group immediately above the second layer group. Note that when there are multiple layer groups L in which the number of items Q is the largest, any one of them may be selected as the largest layer group.

[0107] Next, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects, for the extracted pallet P, the smallest layer group having the smallest number of items Q from among the layer groups L whose stacking order is undetermined, and sets the selected smallest layer group as the lowest layer group among the layer groups L whose stacking order is undetermined. Next, for the extracted pallet P, the initial solution calculation unit 32 newly selects, for the extracted pallet P, the largest layer group having the largest number of items Q from among the layer groups L whose stacking order is undetermined, and sets the selected largest layer group as the lowest layer group among the layer groups L whose stacking order is undetermined. That is, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the stacking order for the layer groups L whose stacking order is undetermined such that the largest layer group and the smallest layer group are stacked alternately from the bottom. For example, in the example of Fig. 16, the largest layer group of the layer groups L whose stacking groups are not yet determined for the pallet PC is the layer group L2 containing the item QB, and the smallest layer group is the layer group L3 containing the item QC, so the stacking order is set in the order of layer group L1, layer group L2, and layer group L3. Also, for example, in the example of Fig. 17, the largest layer group of the layer groups L whose stacking groups are not yet determined for the pallet PD is the layer group L3 containing the item QC, and the smallest layer group is the layer group L4 containing the item QB, so the stacking order is set in the order of layer group L1, layer group L2, layer group L3, and layer group L4. In this way, by stacking the largest layer group and the smallest layer group alternately on one pallet P, it is possible to average the replacement time of the supply pallet P0 to be stacked on one pallet P, and the time required for stacking can be reduced, thereby reducing the load of the stacking work. That is, for example, when stacking layers L each containing a small number of items Q, the stacking of layers L is repeatedly completed early, so that the supply pallet P0 cannot be replaced in time, and stacking may have to wait until the supply pallet P0 is replaced. In contrast, by stacking the largest and smallest layers alternately, the number of times that the stacking has to wait until the supply pallet P0 is replaced can be reduced.

[0108] The initial solution calculation unit 32 performs the above process for all palettes P, thereby setting stacking information for all palettes P.

[0109] (Loading information setting flow) The process flow for setting stowage information in the initial solution described above will be described. FIG. 18 is a flowchart for describing the process flow for setting stowage information. As shown in FIG. 18, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the layer group L including individual items as the top layer group and the heaviest layer group as the bottom layer group for each pallet P for which item information has been set (step S40). Then, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts popular items (step S41), selects a first pallet including the maximum number of popular items and a second pallet including the minimum number of popular items from each pallet P (step S42), sets the bottom layer group of the first pallet as the layer group of popular items, and sets the second layer group of the second pallet as the layer group of popular items (step S43). After that, it is determined whether all pallets have been selected as the first pallet or the second pallet for the extracted popular items (step S44), and if the selection has not been completed (step S44; No), the process returns to step S42 and continues the selection process of the first pallet and the second pallet from the unselected pallets P. If all pallets have been selected (step S44; Yes), it is determined whether extraction of all items Q as popular items has been completed from among the respective items Q (step S45), and if extraction has not been completed (step S45; No), the process returns to step S41 and continues the extraction process of popular items from among the remaining items Q that have not been extracted so far. If extraction has been completed (step S45; Yes), the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the stacking order for each pallet P so that the maximum layer group and the minimum layer group are alternately arranged (step S46).

[0110] (Setting loading sequence) As described above, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets, for each pallet P, item information indicating the items Q to be stowed on that pallet P and stacking information indicating the stacking order of the items Q as an initial solution. Once the stowage information in the initial solution has been set, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets a stowage order in the initial solution indicating the order in which stowage work for each pallet P will be performed, based on the stowage information of each pallet P. In addition, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets a supply pallet P0 to be used to supply items Q to the pallet P, based on work information (supply pallet information). A specific description will be given below.

[0111] The initial solution calculation unit 32 determines whether there are two pallets P to which layers of the same type of item Q are assigned based on the stowage information, and if there are two pallets P to which layers of the same type of item Q are assigned, sets the stowage order of those pallets P to be consecutive. That is, in this case, the stowage order is set so that immediately after stowage of items Q onto one pallet P to which layers of the same type of item Q are assigned is completed, items Q are stowed onto the other pallet P. This makes it possible to supply the same type of item Q to two pallets P in consecutive stowage orders using one supply pallet P0, and therefore, for example, the number of times that the supply pallets P0 to be placed in the supply pallet placement area AR2 is replaced can be reduced, thereby reducing the workload and work time.

[0112] (Select the first palette) FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram for explaining the setting of the stowage order. More preferably, in the second embodiment, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts popular items (target items) from among the items Q assigned to the pallets P of each shipping destination. The initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts, as the first pallet, the pallets P to which popular items are assigned in layers (layers of the second layer group or higher) above the lowest layer group from among the pallets P. If there are multiple pallets P to which popular items are assigned in layers above the lowest layer group, any one of them may be selected as the first pallet. Note that the popular item here refers to the item Q to which the number of shipping destinations assigned is the largest, as described above, but is not limited thereto, and may refer to a type of item Q selected by any method from the items Q assigned to the pallets P of each shipping destination, and may refer to the item Q to which the total number per shipping destination is the largest, for example.

[0113] (Selection of pallet to use for the first pallet) The initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a supply pallet P0 (a pallet to be used) for supplying the items Q other than the popular items assigned to the first pallet to the first pallet based on the stowage information for the first pallet and the supply pallet information included in the work information. The initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a pallet to be used for supplying the items Q other than the popular items from each supply pallet P0 based on the type and number of the items Q other than the popular items assigned to the first pallet indicated in the stowage information and the type and number of the items Q loaded on the supply pallet P0 indicated in the supply pallet information. More specifically, in this embodiment, the initial solution calculation unit 32 judges whether there is a supply pallet P0 on which the same number of items Q (items Q of the same type) are loaded, based on the number of items Q other than the popular items assigned to the first pallet. If there is a supply pallet P0 on which the same number of items Q of the same type are loaded, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the supply pallet P0 as the pallet to be used for supplying the items Q to the first pallet. If there are multiple supply pallets P0 carrying the same number of items Q of the same type, any one of them may be selected as the pallet to be used. On the other hand, if there is no supply pallet P0 carrying the same number of items Q of the same type, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects, from among the supply pallets P0, the supply pallet P0 carrying the smallest number of items Q as the pallet to be used.

[0114] After selecting a pallet to be used, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the number of items Q loaded on the pallet to be used, which is equal to the number of items Q to be assigned to the first pallet, as the items Q to be supplied to the first pallet.

[0115] The initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a pallet to be used for each of the items Q other than the popular items assigned to the first pallet using the method described above. Note that for the supply pallet P0 selected as the pallet to be used, the number of items Q to be loaded on the supply pallet P0 is calculated by subtracting the number of items to be loaded on the pallet P (here, the first pallet) from the original number of items Q loaded on the supply pallet P0, and the selection process for the pallet to be used thereafter is performed in the same manner.

[0116] (Selection of the second pallet and setting of the loading order) The initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts, from each pallet P, a pallet P to which popular items are assigned to the lowest layer group as the second pallet. If there are multiple pallets P to which popular items are assigned to the lowest layer group, any one of them may be selected as the second pallet. More specifically, in this embodiment, if the total value of the number of popular items included in the lowest layer group of the pallet P and the number of popular items included in the first pallet is the same as the number of popular items to be loaded on the supply pallet P0 indicated in the work information (supply pallet information), the pallet P (pallet P to which popular items are assigned to the lowest layer group) is selected as the second pallet. In other words, if there is a supply pallet P0 to which the same number of popular items as the above-mentioned total value is loaded, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the pallet P used in calculating the total value as the second pallet.

[0117] After selecting the second pallet, the initial solution calculation unit 32 determines the stowage order so that the stowage work of the second pallet is performed immediately after the stowage work of the first pallet. In addition, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the supply pallet P0 on which the same number of popular items as the total number of popular items assigned to the first pallet and the second pallet are loaded as the pallet to be used to supply the popular items to the first pallet and the second pallet. For example, in the example of FIG. 19, the popular item QD is assigned to the second layer group L2 (a layer above the lowest layer group) of the pallet PA, and the popular item QD is assigned to the lowest layer group L1 of the pallet PB. Then, the supply pallet P0A is loaded with the same number of items QD (three layers) as the total number of items QD in the second layer group L2 of the pallet PA (one layer) and the lowest layer group L1 of the pallet PB (two layers). 19, the stowage order is set so that pallet PB (second pallet) is stowed immediately after pallet PA (first pallet), and supply pallet P0A is selected as the pallet to be used to supply goods QD to pallets PA and PB. In this way, supply pallet P0, which can use up just the popular goods on the first and second pallets, is set as the pallet to be used, and the first and second pallets are successively stowed, so that supply pallet P0, which has used up the popular goods, can be repurposed as pallet P (second pallet in this case), thereby reducing, for example, the transport load of supply pallet P0, and favorably reducing work time and work load.

[0118] On the other hand, in this embodiment, if there is no supply pallet P0 carrying the same number of popular items as the total value, the pallet P with the largest number of popular items is selected as the second pallet from among the pallets P to which popular items are assigned to the lowest layer group. The initial solution calculation unit 32 determines the stowage order so that the stowage work of the second pallet is performed immediately after the stowage work of the first pallet. Then, when the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the pallet P with the largest number of popular items as the second pallet, from among the respective supply pallets P0, the supply pallet P0 with the largest number of popular items loaded is selected as the use pallet for supplying the popular items to the first pallet and the second pallet. That is, for example, if there is no supply pallet P0A carrying three layers of items QD as shown in FIG. 19, from among the respective supply pallets P0, the supply pallet P0 with the largest number of items QD loaded is selected as the use pallet for supplying the items QD to the pallets PA and PB. In addition, one pallet P0 may be used as a pallet that supplies popular items to the first pallet and the second pallet, or the pallet that supplies popular items to the first pallet and the pallet that supplies popular items to the second pallet may be selected individually.

[0119] Also, for the second pallet, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a pallet to be used for supplying the item Q other than the popular item allocated to the second pallet to the second pallet. The method of selecting the pallet to be used here is similar to the method of selecting the pallet to be used for supplying the item Q other than the popular item to the first pallet, and therefore the explanation will be omitted.

[0120] As described above, in this embodiment, the first pallet and the second pallet are selected, a stowage order is set so that the stowage work of the second pallet is performed immediately after the first pallet, and a pallet to be used for the first pallet and the second pallet is selected. After that, the initial solution calculation unit 32 newly selects the second pallet as the first pallet, sets the item Q included in the layer above the lowest layer group of the newly selected first pallet (original second pallet) as a popular item, and performs the same processing as above. The initial solution calculation unit 32 executes this processing until all pallets are selected as the first pallet or the second pallet, thereby setting the stowage order and selecting the pallet to be used for all pallets.

[0121] (Processing flow) Next, the process flow of setting the stowage order and the pallets to be used described above will be explained. FIG. 20 is a flowchart explaining the process flow of setting the stowage order and the pallets to be used. As shown in FIG. 20, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a pallet P to which a layer group L containing popular items is assigned in a layer above the lowest layer group as the first pallet (step S50), and selects a pallet to be used for supplying items Q other than the popular items to the first pallet (step S52). Then, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts a pallet P containing popular items in the lowest layer group (step S54), and determines whether there is a supply pallet P0 on which the same number of popular items as the total number of popular items on the extracted pallet P and the first pallet is loaded (step S56). If there is a supply pallet P0 carrying the same number of popular items as the total value (step S56; Yes), the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the extracted pallet P as the second pallet (step S58), sets the stowage order in the order of the first pallet and the second pallet, and selects the supply pallet P0 carrying the same number of popular items as the total value as a pallet to be used to supply popular items to the first pallet and the second pallet (step S60). After that, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a pallet to be used to supply items other than the popular items to the second pallet (step S62), and if the stowage order has been set for all pallets P (step S64; Yes), this process is terminated, and if the stowage order has not been set for all pallets P (step S64; No), the process returns to step S52, sets the second pallet as a new first pallet, and continues the process.

[0122] Furthermore, if there is no supply pallet P0 carrying the same number of popular items as the total value (step S56; No), the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the pallet P carrying the maximum number of popular items from among the extracted pallets P as the second pallet (step S66), and while setting the loading order in the order of the first pallet, the second pallet, selects the supply pallet P0 carrying the maximum number of popular items as the pallet to be used for supplying popular items to the first pallet and the second pallet (step S68), and proceeds to step S62.

[0123] (effect) As described above, in the second embodiment, an initial solution for the stowage order of each pallet P is set based on the stowage information for the multiple pallets P. According to this embodiment, an initial solution for the stowage order of the pallets P is set according to the type, number, and stacking order of the items Q to be stowed on each pallet P, so that a stowage plan can be created appropriately according to the work content. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the stacking order of the first pallet, in which popular items are assigned to a layer above the lowest layer group, and the second pallet, in which popular items are assigned to the lowest layer group, is made continuous. This further appropriately reduces the number of replacements of the supply pallets P0 to be placed in the supply pallet placement area AR2, thereby reducing the workload and work time. Also, in this embodiment, the supply pallet P0 that can just use up the popular items on the first pallet and the second pallet is set as the pallet to be used, and the first pallet and the second pallet are continuously stowed. This makes it possible to repurpose the supply pallet P0 that has used up the popular items as the second pallet, so that, for example, the transport load of the supply pallet P0 can be reduced, and the work time and work load can be suitably reduced.

[0124] Third embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, the method of setting the loading sequence in the initial solution is different from that in the second embodiment. In the third embodiment, the description of the configuration common to the second embodiment will be omitted.

[0125] (Setting loading information) In the second embodiment, when setting stowage information in the initial solution, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the layer group L including popular items to the lowest layer group for the first pallet in which the number of popular items is the largest, and sets the layer group L including popular items to the second layer group (the second lowest layer group) for the second pallet in which the number of popular items is the smallest. In contrast, in the third embodiment, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the layer group L including popular items to the lowest layer group for the first pallet, and sets the layer group L including popular items to the highest layer group for the second pallet. Then, the second pallet is set as a new first pallet, the item Q in the highest layer group of the new first pallet is set as a popular item, and the pallet P including the popular item is selected as a new second pallet, and the process of setting the popular item of the second pallet to the lowest layer group is repeated. The method of setting stowage information other than this point is the same as that of the second embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0126] (Setting loading sequence) Fig. 21 is a schematic diagram for explaining the setting of an initial solution for a stowage order in the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the stowage order based on the stowage information of each pallet P, similarly to the first embodiment, and preferably sets the stowage order of the pallets P to be consecutive when there are two pallets P to which layers of the same type of goods Q are assigned. However, in the third embodiment, a more preferable method for setting the stowage order and the pallets to be used differs from that in the second embodiment. This will be explained in detail below.

[0127] In the third embodiment, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects, as the first pallet, the pallet P in which the number of articles Q included in the top layer group is maximum, among the pallets P. However, the method of selecting the first pallet is not limited to this, and the first pallet may be selected from each pallet P by any method.

[0128] The initial solution calculation unit 32 selects, as the second pallet, a pallet P that includes in its lowermost layer group an item Q of the same type as the item Q included in the uppermost layer group of the first pallet from among the pallets P. When there are multiple pallets P that include in their lowermost layer group an item Q of the same type as the item Q included in the uppermost layer group of the first pallet, any one of them may be selected as the second pallet.

[0129] After selecting the second pallet, the initial solution calculation unit 32 determines the stowage order so that the stowage work of the second pallet is performed immediately after the stowage work of the first pallet. After that, the initial solution calculation unit 32 newly selects the second pallet as the first pallet, newly selects the second pallet including the item Q included in the top layer group of the newly selected first pallet (original second pallet) in the bottom layer, and performs the same processing as above. The initial solution calculation unit 32 executes this processing until all pallets are selected as the first pallet or the second pallet, thereby setting the stowage order for all pallets. In this way, by having the first pallet and the second pallet including the same item Q in the top layer group and the bottom layer group perform the stowage work successively, the supply pallet P0 that has been transferred to the first pallet can be diverted to the second pallet, so that the number of times that the stowage work is continued by moving the supply pallet from the supply pallet arrangement area AR2 to another place can be reduced, and the work time and the work load can be suitably reduced.

[0130] (Select palette to use) After setting the stowage order, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects, for each pallet P, a pallet to be used for supplying the goods Q.

[0131] Specifically, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts one type of item Q1 by any method from among the items Q assigned to the pallets P of each shipping destination. Then, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts pallets P that include the extracted item Q1 in the lowest layer group from each pallet P for which a stowage order has been set, and selects the pallet P with the maximum number of items Q1 from among the pallets P that include the item Q1 in the lowest layer group as the first pallet.

[0132] The initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a pallet P that is stacked before the first pallet and to which the items Q1 included in the lowest layer group of the first pallet are assigned as the second pallet. Then, the initial solution calculation unit 32 judges whether a supply pallet P0 exists on which the same number of items Q1 as the total value of the number of items Q1 in the lowest layer group of the first pallet and the number of items Q1 included in the second pallet is loaded. If a supply pallet P0 on which the same number of items Q1 are loaded exists, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the supply pallet P0 as a pallet to be used for supplying the items Q1 to the first pallet and the second pallet. Note that, if a supply pallet P0 on which the same number of items Q1 are loaded does not exist, another pallet P that is stacked before the first pallet and to which the items Q1 included in the lowest layer group of the first pallet are assigned is newly set as the second pallet, and similar processing is performed.

[0133] For example, in the example of Fig. 21, the goods QD are assigned to the top layer group L1 of the pallet PA, and the goods QD are assigned to the bottom layer group L1 of the pallet PB. The supply pallet P0A is loaded with the same number of goods QD (4 layers) as the total number of goods QD (2 layers) in the top layer group L1 of the pallet PA and the bottom layer group L1 of the pallet PB. Therefore, in the example of Fig. 21, the loading order is set so that the loading work is performed on the pallet PB (second pallet) immediately after the pallet PA (first pallet), and the supply pallet P0A is selected as the pallet to be used to supply the goods QD to the pallets PA and PB. In this way, by setting the supply pallet P0, which can use up exactly the amount of goods Q1 between the first pallet and the second pallet, as the pallet to be used, it is possible to repurpose the supply pallet P0, which has been used up by transferring the required amount of goods Q1 onto the first pallet, as a pallet P (here, the second pallet), thereby reducing, for example, the transportation load of the supply pallet P0 and advantageously reducing work time and workload.

[0134] The initial solution calculation unit 32 determines whether all palettes P correspond to the first palette or the second palette, and for those that correspond to the first palette or the second palette, performs the same process as above to assign a palette to be used. On the other hand, for palettes P that do not correspond to the first palette or the second palette, the palette to be used is assigned by the method described below. Below, the palettes P that do not correspond to the first palette or the second palette are appropriately referred to as residual palettes, and the method of assigning palettes to be used is explained.

[0135] The initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts a plurality of (preferably two) remaining pallets to which the items Q1 are assigned from the plurality of remaining pallets. Then, the initial solution calculation unit 32 judges whether a supply pallet P0 exists on which the same number of items Q1 as the total number of items Q1 assigned to the plurality of extracted remaining pallets is loaded. If a supply pallet P0 on which the same number of items Q1 is loaded exists, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the supply pallet P0 as a pallet to be used for supplying the items Q1 to the plurality of extracted remaining pallets. The initial solution calculation unit 32 repeats this process until a supply pallet P0 on which the same number of items Q1 as the total number of items Q1 for all remaining pallets is loaded does not exist.

[0136] Then, when there is a remaining pallet to which no usage pallet has been assigned, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a supply pallet P0 carrying a greater number of items Q1 than the number of items Q1 assigned to the remaining pallet as a usage pallet that will supply the items Q1 to the remaining pallet.

[0137] Using the above method, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a pallet to be used to supply the item Q1 to each pallet P to which the item Q1 is assigned. After that, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts, as new items Q1, items Q that have not been extracted as item Q1 from among the items Q assigned to the pallet P of each shipping destination, and performs a process of selecting a pallet to be used in the same manner as above. The initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a pallet to be used for all items Q by performing this process until all items Q are extracted as items Q1.

[0138] (Processing flow) Next, a process flow for setting the loading order and the pallets to be used in the initial solution in the above-described third embodiment will be described. Fig. 22 is a flowchart for explaining the process flow for setting the loading order in the third embodiment, and Fig. 23 is a flowchart for explaining the process flow for setting the pallets to be used in the third embodiment.

[0139] As shown in FIG. 22, when setting the stowage order, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the first pallet from each pallet P (step S70), judges whether there is a pallet P in which the same item Q as the item Q in the top layer group of the first pallet is assigned to the bottom layer group (step S72), and if there is (step S72; Yes), selects that pallet P as the second pallet (step S74). Then, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the stowage order in the order of the first pallet and the second pallet (step S76), and if the setting of the stowage order for all pallets P is completed (step S78; Yes), ends this process, and if not completed (step S78; No), returns to step S70 and repeats the process. Also, if there is no pallet P in which the same item Q as the item Q in the top layer group of the first pallet is assigned to the bottom layer group (step S72; No), proceeds to step S78.

[0140] As shown in FIG. 23, when setting the pallet to be used, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts the item Q1, selects the first pallet with the largest number of items Q1 included in the lowest layer group from among the pallets P containing the item Q1 in the lowest layer group (step S80), and selects the second pallet to which the item Q1 is assigned from among the pallets P loaded before the first pallet (step S82). Then, the initial solution calculation unit 32 determines whether there is a supply pallet P0 on which the same number of items Q1 as the total number of items Q1 on the first pallet and the second pallet is loaded (step S84), and if there is (step S84; Yes), selects the supply pallet P0 as the pallet to be used to supply the items Q1 to the first pallet and the second pallet (step S86). Furthermore, it is preferable to use this supply pallet P0 as the supply pallet for the first pallet, and to divert the supply pallet P0 after the supply of the items Q1 to the first pallet to the second pallet. That is, the supply pallet P0, which has finished supplying the items Q1 to the first pallet, becomes the supply source of the items Q1 for the second pallet, and can be said to be a supply pallet for the second pallet, and can be said to be converted to the second pallet itself, since it is used as the second pallet without being transferred. Then, proceed to step S88, and if all pallets P have not been selected as the first pallet or the second pallet (step S88; No), return to step S80, and if all pallets P have been selected as the first pallet or the second pallet (step S88; Yes), proceed to step S90. Note that, even if there is no supply pallet P0 on which the same number of items Q1 as the total number of items Q1 on the first pallet and the second pallet is loaded (step S84; No), proceed to step S88.

[0141] In step S90, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts a number of remaining pallets to which the item Q1 is assigned from the remaining pallets for which a pallet to supply the item Q1 has not been selected. The initial solution calculation unit 32 then determines whether there is a supply pallet P0 on which the same number of items Q1 as the total number of items Q1 on the remaining pallets to which the item Q1 is assigned is loaded (step S90), and if there is (step S90; Yes), selects the supply pallet P0 as a pallet to supply the items Q1 to the remaining pallets (step S92). After executing step S92, the process returns to step S90, and the process is repeated until there is no supply pallet P0 on which the same number of items Q1 as the total number of items Q1 on the remaining pallets is loaded. On the other hand, if there is no supply pallet P0 carrying the same number of items Q1 as the total number of items Q1 in the remaining pallets (step S90; No), the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a supply pallet P0 carrying a greater number of items Q1 than the number of items Q1 assigned to the remaining pallet to which no used pallet has been assigned, as a used pallet to supply items Q1 to the remaining pallet (step S94). After that, if the selection of the used pallet to supply items Q1 has not been completed for all the remaining pallets (step S96; No), the process returns to step S94. On the other hand, if the selection of the used pallet to supply items Q1 has been completed for all the remaining pallets, the process proceeds to step S98. In step S98, if the extraction of all items Q as items Q1 has not been completed (step S98; No), the process returns to step S80, a new item Q is extracted as item Q1, and the process is repeated. If the extraction of all items Q as items Q1 has been completed (step S98; Yes), the process ends.

[0142] In this way, in the third embodiment, by performing consecutive stowage operations on the first and second pallets which contain the same items Q in the top and bottom layer groups, the number of times that the supply pallet P0, which has already been transferred, needs to be moved from the supply pallet placement area AR2 to another location to continue the stowage operation can be reduced, thereby advantageously reducing work time and workload.

[0143] (effect) As described above, the information processing method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes the steps of acquiring work information indicating the items Q to be shipped to a destination, calculating an initial solution indicating the items Q to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets P, stowage information indicating the stacking order of the items Q on the pallets P, and a stowage order indicating the order of the pallets P to be stowed based on the work information, calculating an initial evaluation value indicating the load level of the shipping work in the initial solution based on the initial solution, calculating a neighborhood solution in which the stowage information and the stowage order are changed from the initial solution based on the initial solution, calculating a neighborhood evaluation value indicating the load level of the shipping work in the neighborhood solution based on the neighborhood solution, and setting the stowage information and the stowage order to be used in the stowage plan based on the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value. According to the present disclosure, by creating and evaluating a neighborhood solution in which a part of the initial solution is changed, it is possible to set a stowage plan optimized according to the work content, and it is possible to create an appropriate stowage plan according to the work content.

[0144] An information processing method according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing method according to the first aspect, and in the step of setting stowage information and stowage order, if the evaluation of the neighborhood evaluation value is higher than the evaluation of the initial evaluation value, the stowage information and stowage order in the neighborhood solution are set as the solution to be used for the stowage plan. According to the present disclosure, by adopting the neighborhood solution when it is highly evaluated, it is possible to create an appropriate stowage plan according to the load level of the shipping work.

[0145] An information processing method according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing method according to the first or second aspect, in which in the step of calculating a neighboring solution, a plurality of neighboring solutions having different stowage information and stowage sequences are calculated, and in the step of calculating a neighboring evaluation value, a neighboring evaluation value is calculated for each neighboring solution. According to the present disclosure, by creating a plurality of neighboring solutions, a loading plan that is more optimized according to the work content can be set.

[0146] An information processing method according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method according to any one of the first to third aspects, and in the step of calculating the neighboring solutions, at least one of the following is calculated as the neighboring solution: a first neighboring solution in which the items Q assigned to multiple pallets P with the same shipping destination are swapped with respect to the stowage information in the initial solution, a second neighboring solution in which the stacking order of the items Q on the pallet P is changed with respect to the stowage information in the initial solution, a third neighboring solution in which the order of the pallets P to be stowed is changed with respect to the stowage order in the initial solution, and a fourth neighboring solution in which the supply pallet P0 that supplies the items Q assigned to the pallet P is changed with respect to the initial solution. According to the present disclosure, by using such neighboring solutions, a stowage plan that is more optimized according to the work content can be set.

[0147] An information processing method according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, and in the step of calculating the initial evaluation value and the neighboring evaluation value, the initial evaluation value and the neighboring evaluation value are calculated based on at least one of the workload of the stowage device 14 that stows the items Q on the pallet P, the workload of the mobile body 12 that transports the pallet P, and the number of times (number of consecutive small lots) that items Q with a number of items Q not more than a predetermined number assigned to the pallet P are successively stowed. According to the present disclosure, by using such evaluation values, a stowage plan that is more optimized according to the work content can be set.

[0148] An information processing method according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, further comprising a step of determining whether or not to calculate a neighboring solution, and if it is determined not to calculate a neighboring solution, the neighboring solution and the neighboring evaluation value are not calculated, and the loading information and loading order in the initial solution are set as the solution to be used for the loading plan. According to the present disclosure, since it is possible to determine whether or not to use a neighboring solution as necessary, it is possible to set an appropriate loading plan depending on the work content and the calculation load.

[0149] A stowage method according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure stows items Q onto a plurality of pallets P based on stowage information and a stowage order set in the information processing method according to any one of the first to sixth aspects. According to the present disclosure, the items Q can be appropriately stowed.

[0150] A program according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to execute the steps of acquiring work information indicating goods Q to be shipped to a destination, calculating an initial solution indicating goods Q to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets P, stowage information indicating the stacking order of goods Q on pallets P, and a stowage order indicating the order of pallets P to be stowed based on the work information, calculating an initial evaluation value indicating a load level of shipping work in the initial solution based on the initial solution, calculating a neighborhood solution in which a part of the stowage information and the stowage order are changed from the initial solution based on the initial solution, calculating a neighborhood evaluation value indicating a load level of shipping work in the neighborhood solution based on the neighborhood solution, and setting stowage information and a stowage order to be used in a stowage plan based on the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value. According to the present disclosure, a stowage plan can be created appropriately according to the work content.

[0151] The information processing device according to the ninth aspect of the present disclosure includes a work information acquisition unit 30 that acquires work information indicating items Q to be shipped to a destination, an initial solution calculation unit 32 that calculates an initial solution indicating items Q to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets P, stowage information indicating the stacking order of the items Q on the pallets P, and a stowage order indicating the order of the pallets P to be stowed, based on the work information, an initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​that calculates an initial evaluation value indicating a load level of the shipping work in the initial solution, based on the initial solution, a neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 that calculates a neighborhood solution in which a part of the stowage information and the stowage order are changed from the initial solution, based on the initial solution, a neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 that calculates a neighborhood evaluation value indicating a load level of the shipping work in the neighborhood solution, based on the neighborhood solution, and a setting unit 40 that sets the stowage information and the stowage order to be used in the stowage plan, based on the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value. According to the present disclosure, a stowage plan can be created appropriately according to the work content.

[0152] Although the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the embodiment is not limited by the contents of this embodiment. In addition, the above-mentioned components include those that a person skilled in the art can easily imagine, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the so-called equivalent range. Furthermore, the above-mentioned components can be appropriately combined. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the components can be made without departing from the gist of the above-mentioned embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0153] 1. Loading System 10. Information processing device 30 Work information acquisition unit 32 Initial solution calculation part 34 Neighborhood solution calculation section 36 Initial evaluation value calculation unit 38 Neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 40 Setting section P Palette Q Goods

Claims

1. obtaining operation information indicative of items to be shipped to a destination; calculating an initial solution indicating items to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets, stowage information indicating a stacking order of the items on the pallets, and a stowage order indicating an order of the pallets to be stowed, based on the work information; calculating an initial evaluation value indicating a load level of a shipping operation in the initial solution based on the initial solution; calculating a neighborhood solution obtained by changing a part of the stowage information and the stowage sequence with respect to the initial solution based on the initial solution; calculating a neighborhood evaluation value indicating a load level of a shipping operation in the neighborhood solution based on the neighborhood solution; setting the stowage information and the stowage sequence to be used in a stowage plan based on the initial evaluation value and the neighboring evaluation value; Including, Information processing methods.

2. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of setting the stowage information and the stowage sequence, if an evaluation of the neighborhood evaluation value is higher than an evaluation of the initial evaluation value, the stowage information and the stowage sequence in the neighborhood solution are set as a solution to be used for a stowage plan.

3. In the step of calculating the neighboring solutions, a plurality of neighboring solutions are calculated in which a part of the stowage information and the stowage sequence are different from each other, 3. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein in said calculating a neighborhood evaluation value, said neighborhood evaluation value is calculated for each of said neighborhood solutions.

4. In the step of calculating the neighborhood solution, A first neighborhood solution in which the items assigned to the multiple pallets having the same shipping destination are swapped with respect to the stowage information in the initial solution; A second neighboring solution in which the stacking order of the items on the pallet is changed with respect to the stowage information in the initial solution; and a third neighboring solution obtained by changing the order of the pallets to be stowed with respect to the stowage order in the initial solution; and A fourth neighboring solution obtained by changing a supply pallet that supplies items assigned to the pallet with respect to the initial solution; The information processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of calculating at least one of the following as a neighborhood solution:

5. An information processing method as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein in the step of calculating the initial evaluation value and the proximity evaluation value, the initial evaluation value and the proximity evaluation value are calculated based on at least one of the workload of a loading device that loads the items onto the pallet, the workload of a mobile body that transports the pallet, and the number of times that the items, the number of which is assigned to the pallet is a predetermined number or less, are loaded consecutively.

6. determining whether to calculate the neighborhood solution; 3. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein, when it is determined not to calculate the neighboring solutions, the neighboring solutions and the neighboring evaluation values ​​are not calculated, and the stowage information and the stowage sequence in the initial solution are set as a solution to be used for the stowage plan.

7. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: stowing the items onto a plurality of pallets based on the stowage information and the stowage order set in the information processing method according to claim 1. Stowage method.

8. obtaining operation information indicative of items to be shipped to a destination; calculating an initial solution indicating items to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets, stowage information indicating a stacking order of the items on the pallets, and a stowage order indicating an order of the pallets to be stowed, based on the work information; calculating an initial evaluation value indicating a load level of a shipping operation in the initial solution based on the initial solution; calculating a neighborhood solution obtained by changing a part of the stowage information and the stowage sequence with respect to the initial solution based on the initial solution; calculating a neighborhood evaluation value indicating a load level of a shipping operation in the neighborhood solution based on the neighborhood solution; setting the stowage information and the stowage sequence to be used in a stowage plan based on the initial evaluation value and the neighboring evaluation value; to cause a computer to execute program.

9. a work information acquisition unit that acquires work information indicating an item to be shipped to a shipping destination; an initial solution calculation unit that calculates an initial solution indicating stowage information indicating items to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets and a stacking order of the items on the pallets, based on the work information, and a stowage order indicating the order in which the pallets are to be stowed; an initial evaluation value calculation unit that calculates an initial evaluation value indicating a load level of a shipping operation in the initial solution based on the initial solution; a neighborhood solution calculation unit that calculates a neighborhood solution obtained by changing a part of the stowage information and the stowage sequence with respect to the initial solution based on the initial solution; a neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit that calculates a neighborhood evaluation value indicating a load level of a shipping operation in the neighborhood solution based on the neighborhood solution; a setting unit that sets the stowage information and the stowage sequence to be used in a stowage plan based on the initial evaluation value and the neighboring evaluation value; Including, Information processing device.

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