Article management system and article management method

Abstract

To prevent the number of sensors from increasing even when there are multiple shelves, and to manage a storage state of merchandise including a storage position.SOLUTION: An article management system comprises: a station having a tag reader for reading tag identification information from a tag individually attached to an article and a sensor for detecting frontage identification information for individually identifying a frontage of operation target of a shelf; a shelf instruction output unit for outputting an instruction to call the shelf in correspondence with an operation instruction list to a robot control system; a shelf identification information acquisition unit for acquiring shelf identification information of the shelf conveyed by a conveyance vehicle of the robot control system and having arrived at the station; a tag data acquisition unit for acquiring the frontage identification information of the frontage of operation target of the article with respect to the shelf which has arrived and the tag identification information from the tag attached to the article operated with respect to the shelf which has arrived, from the tag leader; and an operation management unit for writing the shelf identification information, a frontage detection result and the tag identification information into a storage unit in association with an operation content.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article management system and an article management method. [Background technology]

[0002] In a warehouse, a large number of products are stored on shelves. When goods arrive, the products are placed on the shelves, and when goods are shipped, the necessary products are picked up from the shelves. Each product to be managed is accompanied by product identification information represented by a barcode. When the product is received or shipped, the operator reads the barcode of each product to be managed with a barcode reader and registers the arrival or shipment of the product. There is a system in which, instead of attaching a barcode to each product, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag is attached and an RFID reader installed on the shelf where the product is stored reads the RFID tag of the product to be received or shipped (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Also, the shelf has multiple openings, and by installing a sensor at each opening, it is possible to know which position (opening) on ​​the shelf the product was put into or taken out from. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-190881 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, a warehouse has many shelves. Therefore, if an RFID reader is installed on each shelf, the more shelves there are, the more RFID readers are required. Also, if a sensor is installed at each entrance, the more shelves there are, the more sensors are required. Thus, when the number of shelves increases, the number of RFID readers and sensors must also increase, which increases installation costs.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an item management system and item management method that reduces the increase in the number of sensors even when there are multiple shelves, and manages the storage status of products, including their storage locations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention is an item management system having a station having a tag reader that reads tag identification information from a tag individually attached to an item and a sensor that detects frontage identification information that individually identifies the frontage of a shelf that is to be operated on; a shelf instruction output unit that outputs an instruction to a robot control system to call a shelf corresponding to an operation instruction list that includes the item to be operated on; a shelf identification information acquisition unit that acquires shelf identification information of a shelf that has been transported by a transport vehicle of the robot control system in accordance with the instruction and arrived at the station; a frontage detection result that is the result of the sensor detecting frontage identification information of the frontage of the item that is to be operated on the arrived shelf; a tag data acquisition unit that acquires from the tag reader tag identification information from a tag attached to an item that has been operated on the arrived shelf; and an operation management unit that associates the shelf identification information, the frontage detection result, and the tag identification information with operation content and writes them to a memory unit.

[0007] Moreover, one aspect of the present invention is an item management method including an item management device and a station having a tag reader that reads tag identification information from a tag individually attached to an item and a sensor that detects frontage identification information that individually identifies the frontage of the shelf that is to be operated, in which a shelf instruction output unit of the computer that is the item management device outputs an instruction to a robot control system to call up a shelf corresponding to an operation instruction list that includes the item to be operated, a shelf identification information acquisition unit acquires shelf identification information of a shelf that has been transported by a transport vehicle of the robot control system in accordance with the instruction and arrived at the station, a tag data acquisition unit acquires from the tag reader a frontage detection result that is the result of detection by the sensor of the frontage identification information of the frontage of the item that is to be operated on the arrived shelf, and tag identification information from a tag attached to an item that has been operated on the arrived shelf, and an operation management unit writes the shelf identification information, the frontage detection result, and the tag identification information to a memory unit in association with the operation content. Effect of the Invention

[0008] As described above, according to the present invention, even if there are multiple shelves, it is possible to reduce an increase in the number of sensors and to manage the storage status of products including their storage positions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an external view showing the outline of the vicinity of a station ST of an article management system. [Diagram 2] 1 is a system configuration diagram showing the configuration of an item management system S. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a functional configuration of an item management device 1. FIG. [Figure 4A] 3 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a storage unit 102. FIG. [Figure 4B] 10 is a diagram showing an example of shelf storage location data stored in a storage unit 102. FIG. [Figure 4C] 4 is a diagram showing an example of product data stored in a storage unit 102. FIG. [Diagram 5]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an operation instruction list when a target operation is “warehousing.” [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an operation instruction list when a target operation is “leaving.” [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the article management device 1 when a storage operation is performed. [Figure 8A] 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the article management device 1 when a retrieval operation is performed. [Figure 8B] 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the article management device 1 when a retrieval operation is performed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] An article management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view showing a general outline of the vicinity of a station ST of an article management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The station ST is a work area where an operator OP performs operations on the shelves T. Operations include putting away, picking, and inventory. Putting into storage is an operation for storing a product in any of the openings of a shelf. Picking is an operation of removing a product from one of the openings of shelf T. Inventory is a process in which the tag identification information of the RFID tags attached to each product stored on a shelf is read and compared with the product list registered as inventory.

[0011] The shelf has multiple openings M. The openings M represent sections allocated to the shelf. The openings M are sections obtained when the shelf T is divided into multiple tiers by shelf boards, and each tier is divided horizontally (in the row direction) into multiple sections by partition boards. For example, when a single shelf T has seven tiers formed by multiple shelf boards, and each tier is divided into three areas (rows) by partition boards, 21 openings M are formed on one shelf T. Shelf T has a gap between the underside of the lowest shelf and the floor, allowing an automated guided vehicle (AGV) to enter.

[0012] The automated guided vehicle AGV is a robot that receives a control signal transmitted wirelessly from an external robot control system, and based on that control signal, pushes up the shelf T from the underside of the lowest shelf board of the shelf T, and drives its wheels to move independently and transport the shelf T. A screen SC is provided in the vicinity of the shelf T (here, on the left side as viewed from the shelf T).

[0013] The screen SC displays the image projected by the projector PJ. The screen SC displays, for example, a display area SCa for displaying the name of the product to be operated, a display area SCb for displaying the number of products to be operated, a display area SCc for displaying the operation content, and a display area SCd for displaying list identification information assigned to the operation instruction list to be operated. The layout of these display areas may be set arbitrarily.

[0014] The projector PJ is installed at the upper part of the station ST, and projects various images in response to instructions from a higher-level server (for example, the higher-level system 2 described later). The area to be projected is, for example, a screen SC. The projector PJ can also project an image onto the shelf T. When projecting an image onto the shelf T, the projector PJ can also project onto the front surface of the shelf (the surface visible from the operator OP). For example, the projector PJ can project onto each shelf individually, such as onto the front surface Rt1 of the upper shelf of the shelf T, the front surface Rt2 of the shelf below, and so on. In addition, in the horizontal direction of the shelf, an image can be projected onto an area obtained by dividing the entire width corresponding to the frontage M according to the width of the frontage. This allows individual images to be projected onto the areas corresponding to each frontage M. It is sufficient that the projector PJ can project an image onto at least one of the screen SC and the shelf board of the shelf board. For example, when the projector PJ projects an image onto the shelf board, the screen SC does not necessarily have to be provided. Also, the area onto which the projector PJ can project is not limited to the screen SC and the shelf board, but may be other areas such as the wall surface or floor surface of the station ST.

[0015] The shelf reader Ra is installed in the upper part of the station ST and reads tag identification information from RFID tags individually attached to products. The readable area of ​​the reader RE is the shelf T present in the station ST. For example, the reader RE can read the RFID tags of products stored on the shelf T transported to the station ST by the automated guided vehicle AGV, but does not read the RFID tags of products stored on the shelf T transported outside the station ST.

[0016] Here, the top plate, shelf boards, side plates, bottom plate, etc. of the shelf T are made of a material that transmits electromagnetic waves (e.g., plastic), and the reader RE can read the RFID tags of the products stored on the shelf T. As long as the reader RE can read the RFID tags of the products on the shelf T, metal may be used as the material for parts of the shelf T other than the top plate, shelf boards, side plates, and bottom plate.

[0017] The camera C is installed at the upper part of the station ST, captures the actions of the operator OP on the shelf T, and transmits the captured image data to the PPS controller Pcon. The PPS controller also performs various analysis processes (such as a process of obtaining an opening ID that identifies the opening into which the operator OP has placed his / her hand) on the image data captured by the camera C, and transmits a result based on the analysis result to the item management device 1. The camera C is a sensor that detects frontage identification information (frontage ID) that individually identifies the frontage of the shelf that is the object of operation among the shelves operated by the operator OP. The camera C detects the operator's movement and thereby identifies the frontage of the object that the operator is to operate.

[0018] The sorting shelf SrT is installed in a position near the shelf T where the operator OP can operate it. The sorting shelf SrT has a plurality of casters attached to its bottom surface, making it movable. The sorting shelf SrT is divided into a plurality of openings Msrt. A door D is provided at each opening Msrt so that it can be opened and closed. The door D is provided with an opening / closing drive mechanism that houses a motor, a control circuit, etc., and specific doors among the multiple doors D can be opened and closed individually based on a control signal from the upper system 2. As a result, depending on the operation content, the door D of the opening Msrt that is the target for storing products to be stored on the shelf T or products picked up from the shelf T is opened, and the other doors D are closed, making it possible to identify the opening Msrt to be operated. This sorting shelf SrT is installed outside the area to be read by the reader RE, so that the RFID tags of the products stored on the sorting shelf SrT are not read. Alternatively, if at least a part of the sorting shelf SrT is installed within the area to be read by the reader RE, the sorting shelf SrT may be made of metal so that the RFID tags of the products on the sorting shelf SrT are not read. On this sorting shelf SrT, products that have been received in cardboard boxes or the like are removed from the cardboard boxes or the like and stored before being put into storage at the entrance Msrt of the sorting shelf SrT in accordance with the operation instruction list.

[0019] The work table SD is installed in the station ST near the shelf T and the sorting shelf SrT, and the work leader Rb is placed on the work table SD. The work table SD is a table on which the operator OP can temporarily place products to be stored or picked, and on which various operations can be performed. The work reader Rb is placed on the work table SD and reads the RFID reader attached to the product to be worked on. The product to be worked on is, for example, a product to be stored. The area in which the work reader Rb can communicate with the RFID reader is set to a communication area that does not read the RFID tags of the products stored on the shelf T and does not read the RFID tags of the products stored on the sorting shelf SrT. For example, the communication area is set to have radio wave strength and directivity that allows the RFID tag of the product to be operated to be read by touching or approaching the work reader Rb.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram showing the configuration of the item management system S. The article management system S includes an article management device 1, a host system 2, a camera C, a reader RE, a projector PJ, a screen SC, a plurality of shelves T1, shelves Tn (hereinafter, may be referred to as shelves T when not specifically identified), a sorting shelf SrT, a robot control system RCS, an automated guided vehicle AGV, and a network NW. The article management system S may not include the robot control system RCS and the automated guided vehicle AGV, and may be connected to an external part of the network NW.

[0021] The article management system S can be used in situations where multiple articles are handled, such as, for example, logistics warehouses, manufacturers, wholesale warehouses, and the like.

[0022] The article management device 1 is communicably connected to a PPS controller Pcon, a reader RE, a robot control system RCS, and a higher-level system 2 via a network NW. The PPS controller Pcon is connected to a projector PJ and a camera C. The goods management device 1 has functions such as receiving management, shipping management, and inventory management of goods stored in a warehouse to be managed.

[0023] The upper system 2 transmits to the article management device 1, warehousing information, which is information related to warehousing, and shipping information, which is information related to the shipment of goods from the warehouse, to the article management device 1. The upper system 2 transmits, for example, an operation instruction list to the article management device 1. When the upper system 2 receives order data for goods from an external transaction server or the like, it generates an operation instruction list in which the goods to be shipped are to be removed from the warehouse based on the order data, and transmits the operation instruction list to the article management device 1. In addition, when the upper system 2 receives warehousing data based on the delivery of goods from a manufacturer from an external transaction server or the like, it generates an operation instruction list in which the goods to be stored on the shelves are to be stored based on the warehousing data, and transmits the operation instruction list to the article management device 1.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the item management device 1. As shown in FIG. The item management device 1 has a communication unit 101, a memory unit 102, a shelf instruction output unit 103, a shelf identification information acquisition unit 104, a tag data acquisition unit 105, an operation management unit 106, a display control unit 107, an entrance identification unit 108, an entrance selection unit 109, and a control unit 110. The communication unit 101 communicates with the robot control system RCS, the PPS controller Pcon, and the shelf reader Ra via the network NW.

[0025] The storage unit 102 stores various data. The storage unit 102 is configured by a storage medium, such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a flash memory, an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), a random access read / write memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), or any combination of these storage media. The storage unit 102 may be, for example, a non-volatile memory.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the storage unit 102. As shown in FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an example of item storage data stored in memory unit 102. The item storage data is data in which a shelf ID, a storage position (opening ID), and tag identification information are associated with each other. The shelf ID is identification information that individually identifies multiple shelves. The storage position (hereinafter also simply referred to as opening ID) is identification information that individually identifies multiple openings assigned to a shelf. The tag identification information is identification information assigned to an RFID.

[0027] For example, in the shelf ID "001", a product with tag identification information "1001" is stored in a frontage assigned with frontage ID "011". Here, even if the tag identification information is different, the same frontage ID may be associated, which indicates that multiple products are stored in one frontage. Since one frontage has a certain degree of width, multiple products may be stored depending on the size of the product. In addition, when multiple products are stored in one frontage, at least one of multiple items included in the attribute information may be stored in a combination based on any rule, such as products with the same item, products that are likely to be shipped together, or products with different appearances. When products are stored in a frontage based on a certain rule, efficient picking may be possible when the products are shipped out.

[0028] In addition, if there is no particular rule for storing products in the entrance, the operator OP may store the products in the entrance without being aware of the relationship. In this case, the operator OP can store the products in the entrance that is easy to store, and therefore can efficiently perform the warehousing operation. Here, the item management device 1 stores information about which product is stored in which shelf and in which opening, so the operator OP does not need to remember the combination of the stored product and the shelf and opening.

[0029] FIG. 4B is a diagram showing an example of shelf storage location data stored in the storage unit 102. The shelf storage location data is data in which a shelf ID is associated with a location in the warehouse, and indicates the location where the shelf is stored in the warehouse. For example, it indicates that a shelf assigned with shelf ID "001" is stored at a location indicated by "X1, Y1" in the warehouse. That is, a shelf assigned with shelf ID "001" is stored at "X1, Y1" in the warehouse, transported to station ST by an automated guided vehicle AGV, and after a necessary operation is performed by an operator OP, the shelf is transported by the automated guided vehicle AGV to the location "X1, Y1" in the warehouse and stored there. The shelf storage location data may be map data in which the location where the shelf is located is associated with the shelf ID in map data in the warehouse.

[0030] FIG. 4C is a diagram showing an example of product data stored in the storage unit 102. The product data includes tag identification information, a product name, and attribute information. The product name is the name of the product. The attribute information indicates an attribute given to an item. The attributes can include items such as a category, a product model number, a product color, a product size, a weight, a capacity, a rating, and a best-before date (or a best-before date). Items used as attributes can be determined arbitrarily according to the product. For example, if the product is clothing, the category, the product model number, the product color, the product size, and a capacity (volume of the product) can be included, and the weight, the rating, and the best-before date can be excluded. In addition, if the product is food, the product category, the product model number, the product size (contents, etc.), the weight, and the best-before date can be included, and the capacity (volume of the product), the product color, and the rating can be excluded. In addition, if the product is food, if the type of the product is different, the product category, the product model number, the product size, the capacity (volume of the product), the weight, and the best-before date can be included, and the product color and the rating can be excluded. In this way, the attribute items included in the attribute information may differ depending on the category or model number of the product. Also, the attribute information may include a category for any product. The category indicates the classification of the product. Here, the product name of the product with tag identification information "1001" is "cut and sewn" and the attribute information includes "product number 211, blue, size M". In addition, when the items to be managed by the item management device 1 are delivered from a manufacturer, etc., an RFID tag is attached to each item, and the attached tag identification information is associated with the product name and attribute information and registered in the memory unit 102.

[0031] The shelf instruction output unit 103 outputs (transmits) to the robot control system RCS an instruction to call up a shelf corresponding to the operation instruction list including the item to be operated. The operation instruction list is data indicating information indicating whether the target operation is to enter or leave the warehouse, and the relationship with the product to be operated.

[0032] The shelf identification information acquisition unit 104 acquires, from the robot control system RCS, identification information of the shelf T that has been transported by the transport vehicle AGV of the robot control system RCS and arrived at the station ST in response to an instruction to call the shelf.

[0033] The tag data acquisition unit 105 acquires from the shelf reader Ra the opening detection result, in which the opening M of the shelf that has arrived at the station ST and is the object of an operation on the item, detected by the camera C, and the tag identification information of the RFID tag attached to the item that has been operated on the shelf that has arrived.

[0034] The operation management unit 106 writes the shelf identification information, the frontage detection result, and the tag identification information in the storage unit 102 in association with the operation content. The operation management unit 106 writes data in the storage unit 102 indicating that an article corresponding to the tag identification information has been removed from the frontage indicated by the frontage detection result, from among the shelves indicated by the shelf identification information. The operation management unit 106 writes data to the memory unit 102 indicating that an item corresponding to the tag identification information has been stored at the frontage indicated by the frontage detection result detected by camera C, among the shelves indicated by the shelf identification information.

[0035] The display control unit 107 identifies the frontage to be operated based on the operation instruction list, and displays information that allows the identified frontage to be understood by a display device (for example, a projector PJ) at a position that can be seen by the operator performing the operation. The visible position may be the screen SC or near the frontage (for example, in front of the shelf board). The display control unit 107 causes the projector PJ to display information that enables the user to grasp the frontage identified as the target from which the product is to be taken out (picked). The display control unit 107 causes the projector PJ to display information that allows the user to grasp the selected frontage.

[0036] The operations include picking, which is taking an item from a shelf, and storing, which is storing an item on a shelf.

[0037] The opening specification unit 108 specifies the opening in which the item to be taken out is stored, based on the operation instruction list and the items stored in each opening on the shelf to be taken out.

[0038] The opening selection unit 109 selects an opening into which the item to be stored is to be inserted, based on the operation instruction list and the items stored in each opening on the shelf to be stored. The frontage selection unit 109 selects the frontage to be stored according to the relationship between the attribute information corresponding to the tag identification information of the item to be operated and the attribute information of the item already stored in the frontage. The opening selection unit 109 selects an opening for inserting another item into, based on the operation instruction list and the items stored in each opening on the shelf to be stocked, so long as it is within the range of storage capacity, even if an item is already stored in the opening.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the operation instruction list when the target operation is "warehousing." This operation instruction list is data in which data indicating that the target operation is "warehousing" is associated with the product to be stored.

[0040] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an operation instruction list when the target operation is "leaving." This operation instruction list is data in which data indicating that the target operation is "remove from warehouse" is associated with the product to be stored.

[0041] Next, we will explain the operation of the article management system S. The operation of the article management system S is roughly divided into three parts: warehousing, picking, and inventory.

[0042] The shelf instruction output unit 103, shelf identification information acquisition unit 104, tag data acquisition unit 105, operation management unit 106, display control unit 107, frontage identification unit 108, frontage selection unit 109, and control unit 110 may be composed of a processing device such as a CPU (central processing unit) or a dedicated electronic circuit.

[0043] 《In stock》 Preparation Stage When an operation related to warehousing is performed, the goods to be stored are transported from outside. For each of the openings Msrt of the sorting shelf SrT, an operation instruction list corresponding to each of the goods to be stored is generated in the upper system 2 and transmitted to the goods management device 1.

[0044] <Stocking operation> FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the goods management device 1 when a storage operation is performed. The communication unit 101 of the item management device 1 receives a list of operation instructions related to warehousing from the higher-level system 2. Here, for example, an operation instruction list as shown in FIG. 5 is received. When the control unit 110 of the item management device 1 receives the operation instruction list, it identifies the target operation based on whether the target operation included in the operation instruction list indicates "warehousing" or "removal." If the target operation is "warehousing," the control unit 110 executes processing based on "warehousing" (processing shown in FIG. 6). Here, the operation instruction list may be received collectively for either the "warehousing" or "removal" operations. In this case, the warehousing operation or the removal operation can be performed successively.

[0045] When a process based on warehousing is executed, the shelf instruction output unit 103 refers to the operation instruction list to identify the shelf to be stored (step S101), and outputs (transmits) an instruction to call up the shelf corresponding to the product included in the operation instruction list to the robot control system RCS (step S102). Here, not only can the shelf be specified, but also the orientation in which the shelf is to be set up when it arrives at the station ST can be specified.

[0046] Also, here, the shelf ID of a shelf where the same product as the product included in the operation instruction list or a product with attribute information related to the product included in the operation instruction list is already stored may be retrieved by referring to the item storage data in the storage unit 102, and an instruction to specify and call up the shelf ID may be output. In this case, the same product or products with related attribute information can be stored on the same shelf, so related products can be stored on one shelf in a concentrated manner as much as possible. This makes it possible to reduce the occurrence of the same product or related products being stored separately on different shelves.

[0047] Furthermore, the shelf instruction output unit 103 may retrieve the shelf ID of a shelf with an open frontage by referencing the item storage data in the storage unit 102, regardless of the products included in the operation instruction list, and output an instruction to specify the shelf ID and call it up. In this case, the open frontage can be utilized.

[0048] When the robot control system RCS receives an instruction to call a shelf, it identifies the location where the received shelf ID is stored by referencing the shelf storage location data in the memory unit 102, and transmits an instruction to the transport vehicle AGV to specify its coordinates and transport the shelf to station ST. When the transport vehicle AGV receives this instruction, it travels to the specified coordinates and transports the specified shelf to station ST.

[0049] When the transport vehicle AGV arrives at the station ST, it transmits an arrival signal indicating that it has arrived at the station ST to the robot control system RCS. For example, the transport vehicle AGV detects that it has arrived at the station ST by reading a two-dimensional barcode affixed to the floor surface of the station ST, and transmits an arrival signal indicating that it has arrived at the station ST to the robot control system RCS. When the robot control system RCS receives the arrival signal, it obtains the shelf ID of the shelf T by reading the two-dimensional barcode affixed to the shelf T, and notifies the article management device 1 that the target shelf has arrived at the station ST together with the shelf ID. The shelf ID is affixed to the underside of the bottom plate of the shelf, and may be read by the transport vehicle AGV using a camera and transmitted to the robot control system RCS.

[0050] When the communication unit 101 receives a notification indicating the arrival of the target shelf and the shelf ID of the target shelf from the robot control system (step S103), the display control unit 107 projects a message indicating the arrival of the target shelf and prompting the operator OP to perform a warehousing operation on the screen SC. This allows the operator OP to perform a warehousing operation based on the content displayed on the screen SC.

[0051] Moreover, here, the upper system 2 transmits an instruction to open the door D of the entrance Msrt of the sorting shelf SrT that corresponds to the operation instruction list transmitted to the article management device 1, among the multiple entrances Msrt of the sorting shelf SrT. In response to this instruction, the door D provided at the entrance Msrt of the received sorting shelf SrT opens. This enables the operator OP to know that it is only necessary to remove the product stored in the entrance Msrt of the sorting shelf SrT whose door D is open, and store it on a shelf at the station ST. Moreover, the entrance Msrt of this sorting shelf SrT already contains the same product as the product included in the operation instruction list.

[0052] The operator OP takes out one product from the opening Msrt of the sorting shelf SrT and brings the RFID tag of the taken-out product close to the work reader Rb to read the tag identification information. The work reader Rb reads the tag identification information from the RFID tag brought close enough to be readable (step S104).

[0053] The display control unit 107 reads out an image corresponding to the tag identification information of the RFID tag read by the work reader Rb from the storage unit, and causes the projector PJ to project the image onto the screen SC (step S105). The displayed image may be, for example, an image showing the appearance of the product corresponding to the tag identification information, the product name, and information corresponding to the attributes (if the product is clothing, text data such as size, color, etc.). Data such as images to be displayed may be stored in advance as product master data in the storage unit 102 in association with the product name and attribute information. By projecting an image of a product corresponding to the tag identification information of the RFID tag read by the work reader Rb onto the screen SC, the operator OP can check the product he or she has taken out. For example, even if the product is wrapped and the size, color, etc. cannot be directly confirmed from the outside, the operator OP can check from the content projected onto the screen SC. Incidentally, step S105 may be executed as necessary.

[0054] The opening selection unit 109 selects the opening M to accommodate the product. Then, the display control unit 107 projects a mark indicating the opening M of the input destination onto the shelf board corresponding to the selected opening M (step S106). This allows the operator OP to confirm that the product whose RFID tag has been read by the work reader Rb should be placed in the opening M onto which the mark is projected, and the operator OP places the product in that opening M.

[0055] Here, the method by which the frontage selection unit 109 selects the frontage to accommodate the product may be specified according to any rule. For example, it may be specified based on any of the following methods (1) to (3). Which method to follow may be determined in advance. (1) Priority is given to openings that do not contain products when selecting them for insertion. In this case, since it is possible to avoid storing multiple products in one opening as much as possible, when the opening M to be removed is specified at the time of retrieval, it is easy to specify the product to be removed. For example, when only one product is stored in one opening, it is only necessary to remove that one product, so once the opening to be removed is determined, it is easy for the operator OP to remove the product because it is determined which product to remove. Also, even if there are multiple products in one opening, the products are stored so that the number of products stored is as small as possible, so the options for selecting products can be narrowed down.

[0056] (2) Identification is based on attribute information of the products already stored in the entrance and attribute information of the products to be stored. In this case, the frontage selection unit 109 refers to the item storage data stored in the memory unit 102, and identifies the already stored products for each frontage of the shelf in the station ST based on the tag identification information, identifies the attribute information of the product corresponding to the identified tag identification information by referring to the product data stored in the memory unit 102, and identifies the attribute information of the target product to be stored by referring to the product data stored in the memory unit 102. The frontage selection unit 109 may select the products to be stored in the same frontage even if the attribute information of the product stored in the frontage and the attribute information of the target product to be stored in the same category are different in other items such as product number and size. In addition, when a product whose attribute information includes a best-before date is stored in the frontage, the frontage selection unit 109 may select the product to be stored in the same frontage if the best-before date of the product to be inserted is within a certain period of time. In addition, if there is a low correlation between the attribute information of the product stored in the entrance and the attribute information of the product to be stored, the entrance selection unit 109 may select a different entrance (e.g., an open entrance) to store the product.

[0057] (3) Identify based on the shipping frequency of the products already stored in the space and the shipping frequency of the products to be stored in the space. The shipping frequency indicates the number of times a product has been shipped in a certain period of time in the past (e.g., one month, three months, etc.). The frontage selection unit 109 selects the same frontage when the value indicating the shipping frequency of the product already stored in the frontage is within a predetermined range, and selects a different frontage when the value is not within the range. Such shipping frequencies may be calculated for each product by the control unit 110 when the counting period arrives, and stored in the storage unit 102.

[0058] Camera C captures an image of the operator OP placing the product in the opening, and recognizes the position where the hand holding the product is placed (step S107). Camera C is able to track the position of the operator OP's hand by performing an analysis process for analyzing the operation of the operator OP based on the captured image data, and is also able to individually recognize each opening assigned to the shelf by performing a shape recognition process based on the image data. Camera C then recognizes the position where the operator OP's hand is placed in the opening.

[0059] Then, the camera C identifies which of the multiple frontages assigned to the shelf corresponds to the frontage corresponding to the position where the hand was inserted (step S108). For example, the feature amount of the image is calculated based on the image data captured by the camera C, and the shelf row and row are recognized based on the calculated feature amount, and the frontage where the hand was inserted can be identified. In addition, since the frontage ID is assigned to the frontages arranged on the shelf according to a predetermined rule, the frontage ID can also be identified by identifying the position where the frontages are arranged on the shelf. For example, the frontage ID of the first row of the first row is frontage ID "011", the frontage ID of the second row of the first row is frontage ID "012", the frontage ID of the first row of the second row is frontage ID "021", and the frontage ID of the second row of the second row is frontage ID "022". In this way, the frontage ID may be assigned to different digits of the frontage ID according to the number of the row or row, and the frontage ID may be assigned to the digit according to the number of the row or row. The camera C transmits the entrance ID of the identified entrance to the item management device 1 as an entrance detection result.

[0060] When the operation management unit 106 of the item management device 1 acquires the entrance detection result (entrance ID) detected by camera C via the communication unit 101, it associates the entrance ID and tag identification information with the shelf ID of the shelf currently located at station ST and stores them as item storage data in the memory unit 102 (step S109).

[0061] Here, the operation management unit 106 cannot identify the product to be stored if the operator OP does not perform the read operation of the RFID tag of the product to be stored in step S104, or if the read operation is performed but the tag identification information cannot be normally obtained due to a read error or the like. In such a case, if the camera C detects that the operator OP has put his / her hand into the opening while the tag identification information has not been obtained, the operation management unit 106 may output an alert indicating that the tag identification information has not been read. For example, when the operation management unit 106 obtains the opening detection result (opening ID) detected by the camera C via the communication unit 101, it may determine whether or not the tag identification information has been obtained from the reader Rb, and if the tag identification information has been obtained, execute the process of step S109, and if the tag identification information has not been obtained, output an alert.

[0062] As an alert, the operation management unit 106 may send a message to the projector PJ to read the RFID tag of the product. This causes the projector PJ to project a message such as "Please read the RFID tag of the product again" onto the screen SC. This allows the operator OP to read the RFID tag of the product just placed again using the reader Rb. When the alert is output, the control unit 110 shifts the process to step S104. This allows the process to be restarted from reading the RFID tag.

[0063] The alert may be output by sound, not just by projection from the projector PJ. For example, a speaker may be connected to the item management device 1, and the operation management unit 106 may output an alert sound or a voice message such as "Please re-read the RFID tag of the item" from the speaker.

[0064] This makes it possible to easily register which shelf and which frontage the product was placed in when placed in the frontage by the operator OP. In addition, since the shelves are transported from the warehouse to the station ST and operated by an operator OP, at least one camera C, reader Ra, and reader Rb are needed to manage the warehousing operation, so even if there are a large number of shelves, the number of sensors (here, as examples, camera C, reader Ra, and reader Rb) does not increase.

[0065] Next, the control unit 110 judges whether or not the operation to store has been performed for all the products included in the operation instruction list, i.e., whether or not the input has been completed (step S110). If there are any products remaining among the products included in the operation instruction list for which the storage operation has not been performed, the control unit 110 shifts the process to step S104 (step S110-NO), and if the operation to store has been performed for all the products included in the operation instruction list, the control unit 110 judges that the process for the operation instruction list currently being operated is to be completed (step S110-YES). After that, if there is another operation instruction list, the control unit 110 executes the process according to the operation instruction list.

[0066] <Delivery operation> 8A and 8B are flowcharts showing the operation of the article management device 1 when a retrieval operation is performed. The communication unit 101 of the item management device 1 receives a list of operation instructions related to leaving from the higher-level system 2. Here, for example, an operation instruction list as shown in Fig. 6 is received. Upon receiving the operation instruction list, the control unit 110 of the item management device 1 executes processing based on "leaving" (processing shown in Figs. 8A and 8B) based on the fact that the target operation included in the operation instruction list indicates "leaving". The control unit 110 identifies that the received operation instruction list is a list of items to be picked based on the fact that the list is "out of stock" (step S201), and the shelf instruction output unit 103 identifies tag identification information corresponding to the product name and attribute information described in the identified operation instruction list by referring to the product data, identifies the shelf ID associated with the identified tag identification information by referring to the item storage data (step S202), and outputs (transmits) an instruction to the robot control system RCS to specify the identified shelf ID and transport the shelf to the station ST (step S203). Here, not only can the shelf be specified, but also the orientation in which the shelf is to be installed when it arrives at the station ST can be specified.

[0067] When the robot control system RCS receives an instruction to call a shelf, it identifies the location where the shelf indicated by the received shelf ID is stored by referencing the shelf storage location data in the memory unit 102, and then transmits an instruction to the transport vehicle AGV to specify its coordinates and transport the shelf to station ST. When the transport vehicle AGV receives this instruction, it travels to the specified coordinates and transports the specified shelf to station ST. When the transport vehicle AGV arrives at station ST, it transmits an arrival signal indicating that it has arrived at station ST to the robot control system RCS. When the robot control system RCS receives the arrival signal, it reads the two-dimensional barcode attached to the shelf T to obtain the shelf ID of the shelf T, and notifies the article management device 1 that the target shelf has arrived at station ST together with the shelf ID.

[0068] The communications unit 101 waits to receive from the robot control system the shelf ID of the target shelf and a notification indicating arrival (step S204). If no notification is received, the communications unit 101 executes the processing of step S204 again after a certain waiting time has elapsed (step S204-NO). If a notification is received (step S204-YES), the communications unit 101 sends the received shelf ID and a notification indicating arrival to the control unit 110. The control unit 110 causes the display control unit 107 to project on the screen SC a message indicating that the target shelf has arrived and prompting the user to perform a take-out operation. This allows the operator OP to perform a take-out operation based on the content displayed on the screen SC.

[0069] Next, the display control unit 107 reads out the product name, attribute information, and quantity of the product to be picked from the operation instruction list, and causes the projector PJ to project the product name, attribute information (text data such as size and color if the product is clothing), and quantity onto the screen SC (step S205). For example, the product registered first among the products arranged in order in the operation instruction list is specified as the product to be picked. Here, since it is sufficient to display information that can identify the product to be taken out from the frontage, some of the items included in the attribute information may be displayed, or none of the attribute information may be displayed. For example, when only one product is stored in the frontage, the product to be taken out may be identified based on the product name without displaying the attribute information. In addition, the display control unit 107 may display an appearance image that represents the appearance of the product to be taken out, instead of the product name and attribute information. For example, the image to be displayed may be read and projected by referring to the product master data stored in the storage unit 102. This allows the operator OP to identify the product to be taken out from the frontage by checking the image projected on the screen SC.

[0070] Next, the frontage specification unit 108 refers to the operation instruction list and the item storage data, and specifies the frontage ID in which the product to be picked (to be removed from the warehouse) is stored by reading the frontage ID associated with the tag identification information of the product. Then, the display control unit 107 projects a mark indicating the frontage M of the input destination onto the shelf board of the frontage M corresponding to the specified frontage ID (step S206). The mark may be a graphic arrow pointing to the frontage M.

[0071] The camera C captures the action of the operator OP and identifies which opening the product was taken out of based on the action of taking out the product from the opening. The reader Ra reads out the tag identification information from the RFID tag of each product stored on the shelf in the station ST. When the operation management unit 106 and the camera C identify the opening from which the product was taken out, the operation management unit 106 determines whether or not the tag identification information read by the reader Ra has a difference between the combination of the tag identification information read before the opening from which the product was taken out was identified and the combination of the tag identification information read after the opening from which the product was taken out was identified (step S207). For example, when the product is taken out of the opening, it is taken out of the range that the reader Ra can read, so that the tag identification information of the product cannot be read, and a difference occurs. If no difference occurs, the operation management unit 106 determines that the product has not been taken out (step S207-NO), and executes the process of step S207 again after a certain waiting time has elapsed.

[0072] Here, the operation management unit 106 may output an alert when it detects that the operator OP's hand has entered an opening different from the opening ID in which the product to be picked is stored, based on the detection result of the camera C. In this case, an alert can be output at a stage when the operator OP's hand enters the opening and before the product is taken out from the opening.

[0073] On the other hand, when the operation management unit 106 detects that a difference has occurred, it determines that the product has been taken out (step S207-YES), and identifies the tag identification information detected as the difference. Then, the operation management unit 106 determines whether the product taken out from the opening is the correct product to be taken out based on whether the identified tag identification information matches the tag identification information of the product to be picked this time in the operation instruction list (step S208). When the identified tag identification information matches the tag identification information of the product to be picked this time, the operation management unit 106 determines that the product is the correct product (step S208-YES), and moves the process to step S209. Here, the operation management unit 106 may notify the completion of one pickup operation by displaying a sound and a message in response to the correct removal of the product. On the other hand, if the specified tag identification information does not match the tag identification information of the product to be picked this time (step S208-NO), the operation management unit 106 causes the display control unit 107 to output an alert (step S209). For example, the display control unit 107 causes the projector PJ to project a message such as "The product you picked is incorrect" onto the screen SC. The operation management unit 106 may also cause the speaker to output an alert sound. After outputting the alert, the operation management unit 106 shifts the process to step S207.

[0074] Based on the output of the alert, the operator OP can recognize that the product he or she picked is incorrect, and can return the product to its original opening. The operator OP can then redo the picking process to pick the correct product. Here, if the tag identification information of the incorrect product can be read by the reader Ra, the control unit 110 detects that the product has been returned, and stops outputting the alert. Here, while the alert is being output, the opening from which the product is to be picked may be kept illuminated in step S205.

[0075] When it is determined that the correct product has been removed, the operation management unit 106 writes data indicating that the product indicated by the tag data has been removed from the frontage indicated by the frontage detection result, among the shelf indicated by the shelf identification information, to the storage unit 102. This updates the product storage data. Next, the control unit 110 determines whether or not all of the products in the operation instruction list that are to be picked from the shelf currently located at the station ST have been picked (step S210). For example, there are cases where all of the products described in the operation instruction list can be picked from one shelf, and cases where the products need to be picked from several shelves. If all items to be picked from the shelves currently at station ST have been picked (YES in step S210), the control unit 110 transitions the process to step S211. If there are still items that need to be picked up (NO in step S210), the control unit 110 transitions the process to step S205, identifies the next item to be picked up from the operation instruction list, and reads out the item name, attribute information, and quantity.

[0076] On the other hand, if all the products to be picked from the current shelf have been picked up in step S210, the control unit 110 judges whether or not all the products included in the operation instruction list have been picked (step S211). If all the products included in the operation instruction list have been picked (step S211-YES), the control unit 110 ends the processing for the operation instruction list that was the target of this processing. Here, the control unit 110 may notify the user that the task of picking up from the current shelf has been completed by sound and displaying a message.

[0077] On the other hand, if there are any remaining products among the products included in the operation instruction list (step S211-NO), the control unit 110 transmits an instruction to the control system RCS to return the shelf currently at the station ST to the warehouse (step S212).Then, the control unit 110 shifts the process to step S202.As a result, the shelf instruction output unit 103 identifies the shelf ID that contains the products that have not yet been picked from the operation instruction list.

[0078] Inventory When an inventory is to be performed, the control unit 110 designates the shelf ID of the target for which stock is to be checked and transmits it to the robot control system RCS. When the shelf with the designated shelf ID arrives at the station ST, the control unit 110 causes the reader Ra to read the arriving shelf. This makes it possible to read the tag identification information of the RFID tag of each product stored on the shelf, and the read tag identification information is matched with a product list registered as stock (e.g., item storage data). By performing this process for each shelf, an inventory can be performed.

[0079] In the above-described embodiment, the case where the item is a commodity has been described as an example, but the item may be something other than a commodity. For example, the shelf may be a shelf that stores books in a library, and the item may be a book. In this case, the storage and retrieval of the book may be easily managed. Also, the shelf may be a shelf that stores tools or the like, and the item may be the tools. In this case, the storage and retrieval of the tools may be easily managed.

[0080] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the display device is a projector PJ, but it may be a liquid crystal display device.

[0081] The article management device 1 in the above-described embodiment may be realized by a computer. In that case, a program for realizing this function may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded in the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to realize the function. The term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. The term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. The term "computer-readable recording medium" may also include a medium that dynamically holds a program for a short period of time, such as a communication line when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, and a medium that holds a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory inside a computer system that is a server or client in that case. The above-described program may be a program for realizing a part of the above-described function, or may be a program that can realize the above-described function in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, or may be a program that is realized using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0082] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and designs that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1...Item management device, 2...Host system, 101...Communication unit, 102...Memory unit, 103...Shelf instruction output unit, 104...Shelf identification information acquisition unit, 105...Tag data acquisition unit, 106...Operation management unit, 107...Display control unit, 108...Frontage specification unit, 109...Frontage selection unit, 110...Control unit

Claims

1. a station having a tag reader for reading tag identification information from a tag attached to each article, and a sensor for detecting frontage identification information for individually identifying a frontage of a shelf to be operated; a shelf instruction output unit that outputs to a robot control system an instruction to call up a shelf corresponding to an operation instruction list including an item to be operated; a shelf identification information acquisition unit that acquires shelf identification information of a shelf that has been transported by a transport vehicle of the robot control system in response to the instruction and arrived at the station; an entrance detection result that is a result of detection by the sensor of entrance identification information of an entrance that is an object of operation of the item on the shelf that has arrived, and a tag data acquisition unit that acquires, from the tag reader, tag identification information from a tag attached to the item that has been operated on the shelf that has arrived; an operation management unit that writes the shelf identification information, the frontage detection result, and the tag identification information into a storage unit in association with operation content; An item management system having the above structure.

2. a display control unit that identifies an operation target frontage based on the operation instruction list, and displays information enabling the identified frontage to be grasped on a display device at a position visible to an operator performing the operation. The article management system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

3. the operation is picking the item from a shelf, The operation management unit writes data indicating that the article corresponding to the tag identification information has been taken out from the frontage indicated by the frontage detection result, of the shelf indicated by the shelf identification information, into a storage unit. The article management system according to claim 1 .

4. a frontage specifying unit that specifies a frontage at which the item to be removed is stored based on the operation instruction list and the item stored in each frontage of the shelf to be removed, The display control unit causes the display device to display information that enables the specified frontage to be grasped. The article management system according to claim 2.

5. the operation is a warehousing operation for storing the item on a shelf, The operation management unit writes data indicating that the article corresponding to the tag identification information has been stored in the frontage indicated by the frontage detection result, among the shelves indicated by the shelf identification information, into a storage unit. The article management system according to claim 1 .

6. a frontage selection unit that selects a frontage into which the item to be stored is to be put based on the operation instruction list and items stored in each frontage of the shelf to be stored, The display control unit causes the display device to display information that enables the selected frontage to be grasped. The article management system according to claim 2.

7. the storage unit stores attribute information indicating an attribute assigned to the item and the tag identification information; The frontage selection unit selects the frontage of the object to be stored according to a relationship between attribute information corresponding to tag identification information of the object to be operated and attribute information of the object already stored in the frontage. The article management system according to claim 6.

8. The opening selection unit selects, based on the operation instruction list and the items stored in each opening on the shelf to be stored, to input another item into the same opening if it is within the range of storage, even if an item is already stored in the opening. The article management system according to claim 7.

9. The sensor detects the motion of an operator to identify the frontage of an object on which the operator is to operate. The article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

10. In an item management system including a station having a tag reader that reads tag identification information from a tag that is individually attached to an item and a sensor that detects frontage identification information that individually identifies the frontage of a shelf to be operated, and an item management device, the item management device being a computer, The shelf instruction output unit outputs to the robot control system an instruction to call up a shelf corresponding to the operation instruction list including the item to be operated; a shelf identification information acquisition unit acquires shelf identification information of a shelf that has been transported by a transport vehicle of the robot control system in response to the instruction and arrived at the station; a tag data acquisition unit acquires, from the tag reader, an entrance detection result that is a result of detection by the sensor of entrance identification information of an entrance that is an object of operation of the item on the shelf where the item has arrived, and tag identification information from a tag attached to the item that has been operated on the shelf where the item has arrived; An operation management unit writes the shelf identification information, the frontage detection result, and the tag identification information in a storage unit in association with operation content. How to manage goods.

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