Sorting system and sorting method

Abstract

To provide a sorting system having a small facility scale while enabling sorting of a large number of conveyance objects.SOLUTION: A sorting system for sorting a plurality of conveyance objects in which shipping destinations and sorting classifications are associated with each other includes: a sorting unit having a plurality of conveyance lines, a circulation line for connecting each outlet of the plurality of conveyance lines to each inlet of the plurality of conveyance lines through a multidirectional conveyance device, and a multidirectional conveyance device that has a receiving part for receiving a plurality of conveyance objects from the circulation line, connects the receiving part with each optional inlet of the plurality of conveyance lines, and distributes conveyance objects supplied to a sorting unit through the receiving part to any one of the plurality of conveyance lines; and a control unit for controlling the sorting unit so that conveyance objects belonging to conveyance object groups in which at least one conveyance object among the plurality of conveyance objects out of the conveyance objects supplied to the sorting unit is combined on the basis of the shipping destination and the sorting classification are continuously arranged for each of the conveyance object groups in the sorting unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sorting system and a sorting method. [Background technology]

[0002] Products sold at stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores are delivered to each store from a distribution center in response to an order from each store, for example. Products to be delivered are delivered to a distribution center by the seller of each product, and then the products are picked and sorted by shipping destination at the distribution center. Products of a common category are stored in each of a plurality of containers so that the products can be displayed smoothly at the storefront. The sorted products are, for example, stored in containers (transported goods), loaded onto carts, etc., and delivered to the shipping destination by a delivery truck loaded with the container. Patent Document 1 discloses a sorting method that enables efficient display by grouping transported goods according to the characteristics and packaging form of each product at the time of shipment, and loading the grouped transported goods. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-233416 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the method described in Patent Document 1, in order to sort the transported items, the transported items included in a batch unit of shipment are divided into a set of transported items called a sequence group, which aims to make the sorting more efficient. In the method described in Patent Document 1, all of the transported items included in the batch need to be stored in the unit that performs the sorting when sorting, which results in a large facility scale. In addition, in the method described in Patent Document 1, in order to simplify and speed up the sorting process, it is necessary to perform sorting through multiple stages using units with different functions, which results in a large facility scale.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sorting system that is capable of sorting a large number of transported items while requiring a small facility scale. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A sorting system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a sorting system that sorts a plurality of transported items, each of which is associated with a shipping destination and a sorting classification, and includes a plurality of transport lines, a circulation line that connects the outlets of each of the plurality of transport lines to the inlets of each of the plurality of transport lines via a multi-directional transport device, a sorting unit having a receiving section that receives the plurality of transported items from the circulation line and connects the receiving section to any inlet of each of the plurality of transport lines and distributes the transported items supplied to the sorting unit through the receiving section to any of the plurality of transport lines, and a control unit that controls the sorting unit so that at least one of the plurality of transported items supplied to the sorting unit belongs to a transported item group organized based on a shipping destination and sorting classification, and is arranged consecutively in the sorting unit by transported item group.

[0007] The entrances of the multiple conveying lines are connected by a multi-directional conveying device. By using the multi-directional conveying device, it is possible to move the objects supplied to the multi-directional conveying device in a direction different from the circulation direction of the objects, for example. This increases the capacity of the objects that can be supplied to the entrances of the conveying lines, so that the equipment scale of the sorting unit relative to the amount of objects can be reduced.

[0008] In the above aspect, each of the multiple transport lines may merge with the circulation line at a right angle.

[0009] Since the outlet side of the conveying line is not bent along the direction of the circulation line, the equipment scale of the sorting unit can be reduced.

[0010] In the above-mentioned aspect, the sorting unit further includes a supply unit that supplies multiple transported items to the multi-directional conveying device through the receiving section, and the multi-directional conveying device distributes the transported items supplied to the sorting unit through the circulation line and the transported items supplied to the sorting unit through the supply unit to any of the multiple conveying lines.

[0011] The multi-directional conveying device can receive objects from multiple lines and can move objects to any of the conveying lines, increasing the number of objects that can be processed. This allows the equipment scale of the sorting unit to be reduced relative to the amount of objects to be conveyed.

[0012] A sorting method according to another aspect of the present invention is a sorting method for sorting a plurality of transported items, each of which is associated with a shipping destination and a sorting classification, and includes controlling the sorting unit so that at least one of the transported items supplied to the sorting unit, which has a plurality of transport lines, a circulation line connecting the outlets of each of the plurality of transport lines to the inlets of each of the plurality of transport lines via a multi-directional conveying device, and a receiving section that receives the plurality of transported items from the circulation line, connects the receiving section to any inlet of each of the plurality of conveying lines, and distributes the transported items supplied to the sorting unit through the receiving section to any of the plurality of conveying lines, is arranged consecutively in the sorting unit by transported item group, the sorting unit being configured to include a plurality of transported items. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sorting system that is capable of sorting a large number of transported articles and has a small facility scale. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a sorting system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sorting unit according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sorting unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a sorting system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a transported object DB according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a process performed by a control unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a process performed by a control unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the concept of sequence groups and subsequence groups according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating a transported item supply process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating a transported object alignment process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12A] 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining the alignment and supply of transported objects according to the first embodiment; [Figure 12B] 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining the alignment and supply of transported objects according to the first embodiment; [Figure 12C] 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining the alignment and supply of transported objects according to the first embodiment; [Figure 12D] 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining the alignment and supply of transported objects according to the first embodiment; [Figure 12E] 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining the alignment and supply of transported objects according to the first embodiment; [Figure 12F] 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining the alignment and supply of transported objects according to the first embodiment; [Figure 12G] 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining the alignment and supply of transported objects according to the first embodiment; [Figure 12H] 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining the alignment and supply of transported objects according to the first embodiment; [Figure 13A] 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining the alignment and supply of transported objects according to the first embodiment; [Figure 13B] 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining the alignment and supply of transported objects according to the first embodiment; [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a sorting system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a process performed by a control unit according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16A] 10A to 10C are diagrams for explaining the alignment and supply of transported objects according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16B] 10A to 10C are diagrams for explaining the alignment and supply of transported objects according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16C]10A to 10C are diagrams for explaining the alignment and supply of transported objects according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16D] 10A to 10C are diagrams for explaining the alignment and supply of transported objects according to the second embodiment. [Figure 17] 1 is a diagram illustrating the circulation of transported objects using a multi-directional transport device and their placement on a transport line. FIG. [Figure 18] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the circulation of transported objects and their placement on a transport line according to a reference example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals denote like or similar structures.

[0016] [First embodiment] A first embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a sorting system 10. The sorting system 10 is a system installed in, for example, a distribution center that distributes products to stores. In the sorting system 10, products stored in foldable containers after picking at the distribution center, or cartons (paper boxes) or cases (containers) in which a specified amount is packed are supplied as transported goods, and sorted so that the transported goods are classified by shipping destination and product category.

[0017] The sorted items are loaded onto a transport means such as a transport platform with casters, such as a cart or a basket vehicle, a dolly, a carrier, etc., and shipped. The items are delivered to the destination by, for example, a delivery truck.

[0018] The products are displayed or stored in each store to which they are delivered. To improve the efficiency of display and storage operations, it is required that the products be classified in advance into product categories or fixed units of display at the distribution center, packed into containers, and delivered loaded onto transport vehicles or transport means in accordance with the display or storage order at each store. In this specification, the product categories or fixed units of display are referred to as sorting and classification.

[0019] The concept of sorting in the sorting system 10 will be described. In the sorting system 10, the transported items are sorted according to the shipping destination and sorting classification in order to improve the efficiency of display and storage in the store. In this specification, at least one transported item that belongs to a common shipping destination and sorting classification is called a transported item group. In the sorting system 10, the transported items are rearranged (sorted) so that the transported items belonging to a certain transported item group are consecutively placed on a conveyor or the like in the sorting system 10. When the transported items are shipped, the transported items belonging to a certain transported item group are consecutively loaded onto a conveying means or the like.

[0020] The sorting system 10 includes a control unit 101 , sorting units 201 and 301 , a supply unit 401 , and a shipping unit 501 .

[0021] The control unit 101 is an information processing device such as a server that controls the shipping operation of the transported objects in the sorting system 10. The control unit 101 controls, for example, the supply of the transported objects to the sorting units 201, 301 through a supply unit 401 described later, the sorting of the transported objects in the sorting units 201, 301, and the supply of the transported objects from the sorting units 201, 301 to a shipping unit 501.

[0022] The control unit 101 controls, for example, the lines (conveyors) of the sorting units 201 and 301, a junction machine provided at a junction of the conveyors, a branch machine provided at a branching point of the conveyors, etc. The control unit 101 also executes allocation of the transported objects supplied to the sorting unit 201 or the sorting unit 301 by controlling the supply unit 401. The control unit 101 may also determine whether or not the transported objects can be supplied to the shipping unit 501 based on information of the transported objects supplied to the shipping unit 501, and control the sorting units 201 and 301 to supply the transported objects to the shipping unit 501.

[0023] The sorting unit 201 has a conveyor, a junction, and a branching machine that can position or move transported objects. Each line, junction, and transport machine communicates with the control unit 101 and has an information processing device that processes information to drive each device. The sorting unit 301 has a similar configuration to the sorting unit 201. The detailed configurations of the sorting units 201 and 301 will be described later.

[0024] The supply unit 401 is connected to the sorting unit 201 and the sorting unit 301 through a comparer, and supplies transported objects to the sorting units 201 and 301. Picked containers, cartons, or cases are supplied to the supply unit 401, and the supply unit 401 supplies the transported objects to the sorting unit 201 or the sorting unit 301 based on the control of the control unit 101. The supply unit 401 has, for example, a spiral conveyor and a control device for supplying the transported objects through the spiral conveyor. The control device of the supply unit 401 is connected to the control unit 101 so as to be able to communicate with it.

[0025] The shipping unit 501 is a device that receives the transported goods sorted by the sorting units 201 and 301 and shoots the transported goods onto a chute line in the transport center for loading onto a transport means.

[0026] The shipping unit 501 has a shipping device 5011 and a shipping device 5012. The shipping device 5011 is connected to the sorting unit 201 through a conveyor. The shipping device 5011 is supplied with transported goods sorted by shipping destination and sorting classification by the sorting unit 201. The shipping device 5011 has, for example, a chute area where the transported goods are loaded onto a transport means, and supplies the transported goods to the chute area. The shipping device 5011 has a shipping sorting device (sorter) for loading for shipment and a chute conveyor connected to the sorter. The sorting device is a device for loading containers onto a transport means such as a dolly at the end of the chute conveyor. Loading onto a dolly can be done manually or by automated stacking equipment.

[0027] The shipping device 5012 is supplied with the transported articles sorted by shipping destination and sorting classification by the sorting unit 301. The shipping device 5012 also has a chute area, and supplies the transported articles to the chute area.

[0028] 1, there is described an arrangement having two shipping devices that are independently connected to the sorting unit 201 and the sorting unit 301. However, the connection between the shipping unit 501 and the sorting unit 201 and the sorting unit 301 is not limited to this, and the sorting units 201 and 301 may be connected to shipping devices 5011 and 5012, respectively.

[0029] The classification of transport items in sorting in the sorting system 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The sorting and shipping of transport items is performed in batch units, which are predetermined divisions. In FIG. 2, batch 1 and batch 2 are shown as two batches. A batch includes, for example, multiple shipping destinations, and after the shipping work to each shipping destination is completed, the shipping work to multiple other shipping destinations belonging to other batches is performed. A predetermined time during the shipping work of the subsequent batch is the shipping constraint time, and the shipping work is performed so that the shipping of the previous batch (batch 1) is completed by that time. When the batch is divided into large units, such as morning and afternoon, the amount of transport items to be shipped also increases, and it takes time to sort to satisfy the state (shipping requirement) in which transport items belonging to a certain group of transport items are continuous.

[0030] For example, if one batch contains 50 shipping destinations and 10 sorting categories, 500 sorting categories will be required. If five transported items are loaded and shipped consecutively for one shipping destination and one sorting category, all of the transported items to be shipped must be temporarily stored in the sorting system 10 before they can be transported from the sorting system 10 to the loading line. Since an increase in the number of stored transported items increases the time required to combine the transported items so that they can be shipped, it is preferable to have a small amount of transported items to be sorted in one sorting run.

[0031] Therefore, in the sorting system 10, the transported items are sorted based on sequence groups (SG) obtained by further dividing batches and subsequence groups (SSG) obtained by further dividing sequence groups.

[0032] A batch includes multiple shipping destinations, and sequence groups SG1, SG2, and SG3 are sets of transport items grouped based on sorting classification in one batch. For example, sequence group SG1 has subsequence groups SSG1 and SSG2, which are groups of transport items further subdivided based on sorting classification. Similarly, sequence group SG2 has subsequence groups SSG3 and SSG4, and sequence group SG3 has subsequence groups SSG5 and SSG6. Also, batch 2 has sequence groups SG4, 5, and 6, and subsequence groups SSG7, SSG8, SSG9, SSG10, SSG11, and SSG12.

[0033] As a specific example of sequence groups and subsequence groups, a case will be described in which there are 50 shipping destinations processed by multiple batches and there are 10 sorting categories. If the batch is divided into two for processing, batches 1 and 2 each contain 25 stores. In sorting system 10, for example, three of the sorting categories are assigned to sequence group SG1, the other three to sequence group SG2, and the remaining two to sequence group SG3. Furthermore, in sorting system 10, of the three sorting categories assigned to sequence group SG1, two are assigned to subsequence group SSG1, and the remaining one is assigned to subsequence group SSG2.

[0034] By doing this, when processing the entire batch 1 all at once, 500 sortings would be necessary, whereas when sorting for sequence group SG1, 150 sortings are sufficient, making sorting more efficient. Furthermore, when sorting for subsequence group SSG1, 100 sortings are sufficient, and when sorting for subsequence group SSG1, 50 sortings are sufficient, making sorting even more efficient. In sorting system 10, sorting and shipping of transported items in sorting units 201, 301 are performed in sequence group SG or subsequence group SSG units.

[0035] In addition, information on the shipping destination and sorting classification of each sequence group may be stored as data for picking work before sorting, for example, as subdivision picking data, case picking data, or carton picking data.

[0036] The number of sequence groups included in each batch and the number of subsequence groups included in each sequence group can be changed according to management needs. The process for defining sequence groups will be described later.

[0037] The sorting unit 201 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The sorting unit 201 has a multi-directional conveying device 2011, conveying lines 2012a, 2012b, 2012c, and 2012d, a circulation line 2013, a connection line 2014, a sub-circulation line 2015, a junction 2016, a splitter 2017, and a splitter 2018. When there is no need to distinguish between the conveying lines 2012a, 2012b, 2012c, and 2012d, the conveying lines 2012a, 2012b, 2012c, and 2012d are collectively referred to as conveying lines 2012.

[0038] The multi-directional conveying device 2011 is connected to the supply unit 401 through a conveyor. The multi-directional conveying device 2011 is provided with a plurality of turntables each having a roller, and is capable of moving an object on a base in any direction. The multi-directional conveying device 2011 has a receiving section that receives a plurality of objects from the circulation line 2013, connects the receiving section to any inlet of the conveying line 2012, and distributes the objects supplied to the sorting unit 201 through the receiving section to any one of the conveying lines 2012. The multi-directional conveying device 2011 distributes the objects to any one of the inlets of the conveying lines 2012a, 2012b, 2012c, and 2012d by moving the objects in an oblique direction. The multi-directional conveying device 2011 can move the objects in a vertical linear movement, a horizontal linear movement, or in a diagonal direction of 30 degrees or 45 degrees by combining the rotation directions of the turntables.

[0039] The conveying lines 2012 are conveyors on which the transported objects C supplied from the multi-directional transport device 2011 are placed. The conveying lines 2012 have a common transport length L1. The transport length L1 is, for example, 30 m. In addition, the number of conveying lines 2012 is four in the example of FIG. 3, but the number of conveying lines can be increased or decreased depending on the design of the maximum amount of transported objects that the sorting unit 201 can process. In addition, the transport length L1 of the conveying lines 2012 can be set arbitrarily depending on the amount of objects.

[0040] An article C is placed on the conveying line 2012. The conveying line 2012 functions as a buffer for retaining the article in the sorting unit 201. An outlet of the conveying line 2012 is connected to a circulation line 2013 described below. The article C is supplied from an inlet of the conveying line 2012 on the multi-directional conveying device 2011 side, and is supplied to the circulation line 2013 from an outlet on the opposite side.

[0041] The circulation line 2013 is a conveyor on which the transported goods C supplied from the multi-directional transport device 2011 or the transport line 2012 are placed. The circulation line 2013 connects each outlet of the transport line 2012 to each inlet of the transport line 2012 through the multi-directional transport device 2011. As shown in Fig. 3, the circulation line 2013 is formed so as to surround the periphery of the transport line 2012. The transported goods C move on the circulation line 2013 in a counterclockwise direction.

[0042] The connection line 2014 is a conveyor that connects the circulation line 2013 and the shipping device 5011 .

[0043] The sub-circulation line 2015 has a circular path branching off from the line connecting the circulation line 2013 and the shipping device 5011, and is a conveyor on which the article C is placed. The article C moves on the sub-circulation line 2015 in a clockwise direction.

[0044] The junction machine 2016 is provided at the junction of the circulation line 2013 and the sub-circulation line 2015, and is a device that supplies the transported goods C from the sub-circulation line 2015 to the circulation line 2013.

[0045] The branching machine 2017 is provided at a branching point of the circulation line 2013 and the connection line 2014, and supplies the conveyed article C circulating on the circulation line 2013 to the multi-directional conveying device 2011 or the connection line 2014.

[0046] The branching machine 2018 is provided at a branching point of the connection line 2014 and the sub-circulation line 2015, and supplies the goods C traveling on the connection line 2014 to the shipping device 5011 or the sub-circulation line 2015.

[0047] The conveying line to which the multi-directional conveying device 2011 supplies the conveyed object C is determined by processing by the control unit 101. In addition, the driving of the conveyors in the conveying line 2012, the circulation line 2013, the connection line 2014, and the sub-circulation line 2015, and the merging or branching of the conveyed object by the junction 2016, the branching machine 2017, and the branching machine 2018 are controlled by processing by the control unit 101.

[0048] In the sorting unit 201, for example, if 1.5 transported articles can be placed per meter of the transport line 2012, 45 transported articles can be stored on one transport line 2012. In addition, the maximum inventory amount of the sorting unit 201 is 180 articles.

[0049] The sorting unit 301 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The sorting unit 301 has a multi-directional conveying device 3011, conveying lines 3012a, 3012b, 3012c, and 3012d, a circulation line 3013, a connection line 3014, a sub-circulation line 3015, a junction 3016, a splitter 3017, and a splitter 3018. When there is no need to distinguish between the conveying lines 3012a, 3012b, 3012c, and 3012d, the conveying lines 3012a, 3012b, 3012c, and 3012d are collectively referred to as conveying lines 3012.

[0050] The multi-directional conveying device 3011 is connected to the supply unit 401 through a conveyor. The multi-directional conveying device 3011 is a device with a base provided with multiple rollers, and capable of moving the object on the base in any direction. The multi-directional conveying device 3011 is connected to each inlet of the conveying lines 3012. The multi-directional conveying device 3011 distributes the object C to one of the inlets of the conveying lines 3012a, 3012b, 3012c, and 3012d. The multi-directional conveying device 3011 performs the same movement control as the multi-directional conveying device 2011.

[0051] The conveying lines 3012 are conveyors on which the transported objects C supplied from the multi-directional transport device 3011 are placed. The conveying lines 3012 have a common transport length L2. The transport length L2 is, for example, 15 m. Although the number of conveying lines 3012 is four in the example of FIG. 4, the number of conveying lines can be increased or decreased depending on the design of the maximum amount of transported objects that the sorting unit 301 can process. The transport length L2 of the conveying lines 3012 can be set arbitrarily to a value shorter than the transport length L1, which is set depending on the amount of material.

[0052] An article C is placed on the conveying line 3012. The conveying line 3012 functions as a buffer for retaining the article in the sorting unit 301. An outlet of the conveying line 3012 is connected to a circulation line 3013 described below. The article C is supplied from an inlet of the conveying line 3012 on the multi-directional conveying device 3011 side, and is supplied to the circulation line 3013 from an outlet on the opposite side.

[0053] The circulation line 3013 is a conveyor on which the transported goods C supplied from the multi-directional transport device 3011 or the transport line 3012 are placed. The circulation line 3013 connects each outlet of the transport line 3012 to each inlet of the transport line 3012 through the multi-directional transport device 3011. As shown in Fig. 3, the circulation line 3013 is formed so as to surround the periphery of the transport line 3012. The transported goods C move on the circulation line 3013 in a clockwise direction.

[0054] The connection line 3014 is a conveyor that connects the circulation line 3013 and the shipping device 5011 .

[0055] The sub-circulation line 3015 has a circular path branched off from the line connecting the circulation line 3013 and the shipping device 5011, and is a conveyor on which the transported goods C are placed. The transported goods C moves clockwise on the sub-circulation line 3015. The length of the path of the sub-circulation line 3015 is shorter than the length of the path of the sub-circulation line 2015.

[0056] The junction 3016 is provided at the junction of the circulation line 3013 and the sub-circulation line 3015, and is a device that supplies the conveyed goods C from the sub-circulation line 3015 to the circulation line 3013.

[0057] The branching machine 3017 is provided at a branch point of the circulation line 3013 and the connection line 3014, and supplies the conveyed article C circulating on the circulation line 3013 to the multi-directional conveying device 3011 or the connection line 3014.

[0058] The branching machine 3018 is provided at the branching point of the connection line 3014 and the sub-circulation line 3015, and supplies the goods C traveling on the connection line 3014 to the shipping device 5011 or the sub-circulation line 3015.

[0059] The conveying line to which the multi-directional conveying device 3011 supplies the conveyed object C is determined by processing by the control unit 101. In addition, the driving of the conveyors in the conveying line 3012, the circulation line 3013, the connection line 3014, and the sub-circulation line 3015, and the merging or branching of the conveyed object by the junction 3016, the branch 3017, and the branch 3018 are controlled by processing by the control unit 101.

[0060] In the sorting unit 301, for example, if 1.5 transported articles can be placed per meter of the transport line 3012, 22 transported articles can be stored on one transport line 3012. In addition, the maximum inventory amount of the sorting unit 301 is 88 articles.

[0061] In the sorting system 10, the sorting unit 201 and the sorting unit 301 are connected to a common supply unit 401. Fig. 5 shows the connection state of the sorting unit 201 and the sorting unit 301 in the sorting system 10.

[0062] Here, in the sorting system 10, the sorting unit 201 and the sorting unit 301 may be configured so that an article can be moved from the sorting unit 301 to the sorting unit 201 via a connection line 3019.

[0063] Sorting system 10 performs sorting using sorting unit 201 having conveying line 2012 of conveying length L1 and sorting unit 301 having conveying line 3012 of conveying length L2 shorter than conveying length L1. Sorting system 10 enables efficient sorting by sorting items belonging to sequence groups or subsequence groups with large amounts of material and requiring larger buffers by sorting unit 201, and sorting items belonging to sequence groups or subsequence groups with relatively small amounts of material by sorting unit 301 with a relatively small buffer capacity.

[0064] The configuration of the control unit 101 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The control unit 101 has a communication unit 1011, a storage unit 1012, a transported item DB 10121, a transported item sorting unit 1013, and a sorting unit control unit 1014. Each unit of the control unit 101 can be realized in a server device by a communication device, a storage device, and a processor that executes a program stored in the storage device.

[0065] The communication unit 1011 controls communication between the control unit 101 and external information processing devices including the sorting units 201 and 301 and the supply unit 401 .

[0066] The storage unit 1012 stores various information used for processing in the control unit 101. The storage unit 1012 has a transported goods DB 10121. An example of transported goods information stored in the transported goods DB 10121 is shown in FIG.

[0067] The delivery item information has the fields "Delivery item ID," "Shipping destination," "Sorting classification," "Sequence group," and "Sub-sequence group." The "Delivery item ID" field stores identification information that identifies the delivery item. The "Shipping destination" field stores information on the shipping destination of each delivery item.

[0068] The "sorting classification" item stores information on the sorting classification of each transported item. The sorting classification indicates, for example, a category into which the type of product is subdivided or a certain unit of display or storage in a store. The sorting classification includes, for example, product category (food, beverage, daily necessities, etc.), in-store division (temporary storage in a back room or in-store display without temporary storage), display aisle, display shelf, display order, classification of raw materials and finished products, product storage temperature zone (for example, frozen, refrigerated, room temperature), upper and lower position classification based on product weight, packaging shape (container, carton, or case) classification, etc.

[0069] The "sequence group" field stores information indicating the sequence group to which each item belongs. The "subsequence group" field stores information indicating the subsequence group to which each item belongs.

[0070] In FIG. 7, for example, a parcel with a parcel ID of "C001" or "C002" has a shipping destination of "Store A," a sorting classification of "Classification A," and is assigned a sequence group of "SG1" and a subsequence group of "SSG1."

[0071] Furthermore, items with item IDs "C003" to "C005" have a shipping destination of "Store A," a sorting classification of "Classification B," and are assigned a sequence group of "SG1" and a sub-sequence group of "SSG2."

[0072] A parcel with a parcel ID of "C006" has a shipping destination of "Store A" and a sorting classification of "Category C," and is assigned a sequence group of "SG1" and a sub-sequence group of "SSG3."

[0073] The sequence groups and subsequence groups can be assigned by shipping destination and by sorting classification. For example, among the items with item IDs "C030" to "C032" shipped to "Store D", items with a sorting classification of "Classification A" are assigned the sequence group "SG2" and the subsequence group "SSG10". Similarly, among the items shipped to "Store D", items with a sorting classification of "Classification A" are assigned the sequence group "SG2" and the subsequence group "SSG11".

[0074] The article classifier 1013 performs a process of allocating sequence groups and sub-sequence groups to each article. The process performed by the article classifier 1013 will be described later.

[0075] The sorting unit control unit 1014 controls the movement of the transported objects by controlling the multi-directional transport devices, conveyors, junctions, and diverters in the sorting units 201 and 301, and controls the supply of the transported objects to the sorting units 201 and 301 through the supply unit 401. The processing by the sorting unit control unit 1014 will be described later.

[0076] 8 shows an overview of the processing by the control unit 101. In step S801, the transported object sorting unit 1013 assigns a sequence group and a subsequence group to the transported object. In step S802, the sorting unit control unit 1014 supplies the transported object from the supply unit 401 to the sorting unit 201 or the sorting unit 301 based on the sequence group or the subsequence group. In step S803, the sorting unit control unit 1014 performs a transported object sorting process for controlling the sorting of the transported objects in the sorting unit 201 and the sorting unit 301 so that the transported objects belonging to a certain sequence group or subsequence group are lined up consecutively.

[0077] The goods classification process will be described with reference to Fig. 9. In step S901, the goods classification unit 1013 refers to the goods DB 10121 and acquires the shipping destination and classification of each goods.

[0078] In step S902, the transported item sorting unit 1013 acquires a frontage parameter indicating a constraint condition of the shipping frontage from the storage unit 1012. The frontage parameter is a value obtained by multiplying the shipping destination of the transported item to be sorted by the sorting system 10 by the sorting classification of the transported item. For example, if the shipping destination is 10 stores and the sorting classification is 10 classifications, the frontage is 100. The transported item sorting unit 1013 assigns a sequence group to the transported item so that the shipping destination and the sorting classification fall within the frontage parameter, for example.

[0079] In step S903, the transport item classification unit 1013 generates work parameters indicating at least one of work productivity, work amount, number of workers, shipping constraint time, and work time zone in a sorting classification unit for the amount of transport items to be shipped. The transport item classification unit 1013 generates the work parameters using a trained model that is machine-learned using a pair of the amount of transport items shipped in the past and the actual values ​​of the work parameters that were actually required during the shipping work, for example.

[0080] In step S904, the goods sorting unit 1013 assigns a sequence group to each goods based on the shipping destination, the sorting classification, the frontage parameters, and the work parameters.

[0081] In step S905, the goods sorting unit 1013 assigns a sub-sequence group to each goods based on the shipping destination, the sorting classification, the frontage parameters, and the work parameters.

[0082] The transported item classification unit 1013 assigns sequence groups using a learned model that has been machine-learned using pairs of actual values ​​of shipping destinations, sorting classifications, frontage parameters, and work parameters from past shipping operations and actually generated sequence groups.

[0083] The goods classification unit 1013 assigns subsequence groups using, for example, a trained model that has been machine-learned based on past performance. The subsequence group assignment can be performed, for example, on a sequence group basis as follows. The quantity of goods for each shipping destination and sorting category of the target sequence group is acquired. Next, the actual value of the number of containers generated by each shipping destination and sorting category and its fluctuation (fluctuation in each sorting) are acquired from the past sorting performance DB of the corresponding sequence group. Next, the quantity of the target sequence group is compared with the increase / decrease amount and the rate of increase / decrease of the quantity of the corresponding sequence group in the past. Finally, the comparison result and parameters based on the fluctuation are used to predict the number of containers generated by each shipping destination and sorting category in the target sequence group, and the subsequence group is assigned.

[0084] 10, a supply process of the transported object by the control unit 101 will be described. In step S1001, the sorting unit control unit 1014 refers to the storage unit 1012 and acquires information on the transported object to be supplied to the supply unit 401.

[0085] In step S1002, the sorting unit control unit 1014 calculates the number of articles belonging to each subsequence group included in the sequence group to be sorted.

[0086] In step S1003, the sorting unit control unit 1014 determines whether the calculated number is greater than a threshold value.

[0087] If the determination in step S1004 is affirmative, that is, if a subsequence group with a large amount of material is to be sorted, the sorting unit control unit 1014 controls the supply unit 401 to supply the transported items belonging to that subsequence group to the sorting unit 201.

[0088] If a negative determination is made in step S1004, that is, if a subsequence group with a relatively small amount of items is to be sorted, the sorting unit control unit 1014 controls the supply unit 401 to supply the items belonging to that subsequence group to the sorting unit 301.

[0089] 11 and 12A to 12H, a process of rearrangement of transported objects in the sorting unit 201 by the sorting unit control unit 1014 will be described. Here, the process in the sorting unit 201 will be described as an example, but similar control is also possible for the sorting unit 301.

[0090] In step S1101, the sorting unit control unit 1014 supplies the transported objects supplied from the supply unit 401 to the transport line 2012 via the multi-directional transport device 2011. When placing the transported objects on the transport line 2012 before rearranging the transported objects, the sorting unit control unit 1014 may place the transported objects on the transport line 2012 in a predetermined order.

[0091] FIG. 12A shows an example of when transported goods are arranged on transport line 2012. The numbers attached to each transported goods indicate the shipping destination, and the letters indicate the sorting classification. In FIG. 12A, the transported goods are arranged on transport line 2012a in the order of "1A, 1A, 2C, 1B, 2A, 1B". The transported goods are arranged on transport line 2012b in the order of "1B, 1A, 1A". The transported goods are arranged on transport line 2012c in the order of "2B, 1A". The transported goods indicated as "1C" are arranged on transport line 2012d.

[0092] In step S1102, the sorting unit control unit 1014 judges whether or not the transported items belonging to a certain transported item group are arranged consecutively on a certain transport line so that they can be shipped. For example, the sorting unit control unit 1014 judges whether or not the five transported items indicated by "1A" are arranged consecutively on a certain transport line 2012. Here, the state in which the items are available for shipment is, for example, a state in which a predetermined number of transported items belonging to a certain transported item group are consecutive. For example, if the total amount of transported items belonging to a certain transported item group is 10, and if it is set so that the items can be shipped if there are five transported items consecutively, the judgment of whether or not the items can be shipped is made by judging whether or not there are five transported items consecutively. The number of transported items used in this judgment is not limited to five, and can be set by the administrator of the sorting system 10.

[0093] If a negative determination is made in step S1102, then in step S1103, the sorting unit control unit 1014 determines whether or not to rearrange the transported objects in the sub circulation line. The determination in step S1103 is made, for example, based on a flag that is set when the total amount of transported objects supplied to the sorting unit 201 is large. If the flag is on, a positive determination is made, and processing from step S1107 onwards, which will be described later, is performed. Here, it is assumed that a negative determination is made in step S1103.

[0094] If a negative determination is made in step S1103, in step S1104, the sorting unit control unit 1014 acquires the position of each transported object on each transport line. The position of each transported object may be acquired based on information from a sensor that detects the transported object on the transport line 2012, or may be acquired based on information obtained by simulating the arrangement situation in the control unit 101.

[0095] In step S1105, the sorting unit control unit 1014 identifies the transport line to which the transported object is to be supplied, and performs control to supply the transported object from the transport line 2012 through the circulation line 2013 to the multi-directional transport device 2011.

[0096] For example, when control based on step S1105 is performed from the situation of FIG. 12A, the transported objects are moved as shown in FIG. 12B and FIG. 12C. As shown in FIG. 12B, the transported objects indicated by "1A" or "1C" on the transport line 2012c, the transported objects indicated by "1B" or "1A" on the transport line 2012a, and the transported objects indicated by "1A", "1A", or "2C" on the transport line 2012b are supplied from each transport line 2012 to the circulation line 2013. The other transported objects remain arranged on the transport line 2012. The sorting unit control unit 1014 controls the diverter 2017 so that the transported objects moving on the circulation line 2013 are circulated to the multi-directional transport device 2011.

[0097] The circulated transported objects are distributed to each transport line 2012 through the multi-directional transport device 2011 by the processing of step S1101 based on the processing of step S1104. In addition to the circulated transported objects, new transported objects supplied from the supply unit 401 may also be supplied in parallel to the multi-directional transport device 2011 and distributed to the transport lines 2012. In the example of FIG. 12C, illustration of other transported objects newly supplied by the processing of step S1101 is omitted. The same applies to the following explanation.

[0098] Fig. 12C shows the arrangement of the transported objects after circulation. In Fig. 12C, the transported objects are arranged on transport line 2012a in the order of "1B, 2A, 1B, 1B, 2C". The transported objects are arranged on transport line 2012b in the order of "1A, 1A, 1A, 1A, 1A". The transported object designated "2B" is arranged on transport line 2012c. The transported object designated "1C" is arranged on transport line 2012d.

[0099] As a result of the process in step S1105, the article indicated by "1A" is continuously placed on the transport line 2012b, and therefore, in the process in step S1102, a positive determination is made for the article indicated by "1A."

[0100] In step S1106, the sorting unit control section 1014 supplies, to the shipping unit 501, an article belonging to a group of articles arranged successively on the transport line 2012.

[0101] FIG. 12D shows a state in which transported articles are supplied to the shipping unit 501. The sorting unit control unit 1014 continuously supplies transported articles indicated by "1A" from the transport line 2012b to the circulation line 2013. The sorting unit control unit 1014 controls the diverters 2017 and 2018 so that these transported articles are supplied to the shipping device 5011 through the connection line 2014. After that, the group of transported articles indicated by "1A" in which the articles are aligned passes through the shipping facility and is loaded onto the conveying means. The sorting unit control unit 1014 repeatedly executes such a transport process, and supplies the transported articles to the shipping device 5011 in a state in which the articles are aligned by group.

[0102] 12E to 12H, a description will be given of a process for rearranging the transported articles using the sub circulation line 2015. Fig. 12E shows the arrangement of the transported articles after the process of Fig. 12D has been performed. In step S1101, another transported article is supplied (not shown).

[0103] In step S1102, the sorting unit control unit 1014 determines whether or not items with the same shipping destination and sorting classification are arranged consecutively on a certain transport line so that they can be shipped. For example, the sorting unit control unit 1014 determines whether or not three items indicated by "1B" are arranged consecutively on a certain transport line 2012.

[0104] If a negative determination is made in step S1102, then in step S1103, the sorting unit control section 1014 determines whether or not to rearrange the objects in the sub circulation line. Here, a description will be given assuming that a positive determination is made in step S1103.

[0105] If an affirmative determination is made in step S1103, the sorting unit control section 1014 continuously supplies some of the articles belonging to the common article group to the sub circulation line 2015 in step S1107.

[0106] The example of Figure 12E shows a situation in which, among the transported items arranged on transport line 2012a in the order of "1B, 2A, 1B, 1B," one of the transported items indicated by "1B" is supplied from transport line 2012a to circulation line 2013 in order to align the transported item indicated by "1B" on sub-circulation line 2015.

[0107] The sorting unit control unit 1014 controls the supply of the transported item indicated by "1B" from the conveying line 2012a to the circulation line 2013, and controls the branching machine 2017 and the branching machine 2018 so that the transported item indicated by "1B" is supplied from the circulation line 2013 to the sub-circulation line 2015 via the connection line 2014.

[0108] In step S1108, the sorting unit control unit 1014 supplies other objects of the group of objects to be rearranged to the sub circulation line 2015. As shown in FIG. 12F, the sorting unit control unit 1014 supplies the objects arranged in the order of "2A, 1B, 1B" on the conveying line 2012a to the circulation line 2013. The sorting unit control unit 1014 controls the diverter 2017 so that the object indicated by "2A" is circulated and arranged on the conveying line 2012 through the multi-directional conveying device 2011. In addition, the sorting unit control unit 1014 controls the diverter 2017 and the diverter 2018 so that two objects indicated by "1B" are supplied from the circulation line 2013 to the sub circulation line 2015 through the connection line 2014. FIG. 12G shows the situation after the process of step S1108 is performed.

[0109] In step S1109, the sorting unit control unit 1014 determines whether or not the objects belonging to the target group of objects are arranged consecutively in the sub circulation line so as to be ready for shipment. If a negative determination is made in step S1109, the sorting unit control unit 1014 repeats the process from step S1108 to supply other objects of the group of objects to the sub circulation line.

[0110] If an affirmative determination is made in step S1109, the sorting unit control section 1014 supplies, in step S1106, the articles belonging to the group of articles arranged in succession on the sub circulation line 2015 to the shipping unit 501.

[0111] FIG. 12H shows a state in which the transported objects are supplied from the sub circulation line 2015 to the shipping unit 501. The sorting unit control unit 1014 continuously supplies the transported objects indicated by "1B" from the sub circulation line 2015 to the shipping device 5011. The sorting unit control unit 1014 controls the junction machine 2016, the diverter machine 2017, and the diverter machine 2018 so that these transported objects are supplied to the shipping device 5011 through the circulation line 2013 and the connection line 2014. After that, the group of transported objects indicated by "1B" in which the transported objects are aligned passes through the shipping facility and is loaded onto the conveying means. The sorting unit control unit 1014 repeatedly executes such a conveying process, and supplies the transported objects to the shipping device 5011 in a state in which the transported objects are aligned by group.

[0112] As described above, the sorting unit 201 rearranges the transported objects belonging to the transported object groups divided into subsequence groups, and supplies them to the shipping device 5011. In the sorting unit 201, rearrangement of each transported object group is performed in parallel using the multi-directional transport device 2011, the transport line 2012, the circulation line 2013, and the sub circulation line 2015. For example, when attempting to align the transported objects by providing a transport line 2012 for each transported object group, the number of transport lines 2012 needs to be provided for each transported object group, which leads to an increase in the scale of the facility. On the other hand, by rearranging the transported objects so that the transported objects circulate on the transport line 2012 and the circulation line 2013, as in the sorting in the sorting unit 201, the required number of transport lines 2012 can be reduced, and the scale of the facility can be reduced even when sorting the same amount of transported objects.

[0113] In the sorting system 10, sorting control of the transported objects can also be performed for the sorting unit 301. With reference to Figures 13A and 13B, sorting control of the transported objects using the sorting unit 201 and sorting unit 301 in the sorting system 10 will be described.

[0114] 13A shows a situation in which, as a result of the above-mentioned transported item rearrangement process, eight transported items belonging to a certain transported item group are successively placed on transport line 2012b in sorting unit 201, and two transported items belonging to another transported item group are successively placed on transport line 3012a in sorting unit 301. The example in FIG. 13A shows transported items that belong to a common shipping destination but are allocated to sorting unit 201 and sorting unit 301 by the transported item supply process because the numbers of transported items included in the transported item groups are different.

[0115] 13B shows a situation in which the transported items rearranged in the sorting unit 201 and the sorting unit 301 are supplied to the shipping device 5011. The sorting unit control unit 1014 executes a transported item rearrangement process and controls the transported items to be supplied to the shipping device 5011 from the transport line 3012a. The sorting unit control unit 1014 controls the diverters 3017 and 3018 so that the target transported item is supplied to the shipping device 5011 from the transport line 3012a via the circulation line 3013, the connection line 3014, and the connection line 3019. The sorting unit control unit 1014 also controls the transported item to be supplied to the shipping device 5011 from the transport line 2012b. The sorting unit control unit 1014 controls the diverters 2017 and 2018 so that the target transported item is supplied from the transport line 2012b through the circulation line 2013 and the connection line 2014 to the shipping device 5011.

[0116] In this way, by using sorting unit 201 and sorting unit 301 having conveying lines with different conveying lengths, for example, by sorting products with a small amount of material in sorting unit 301 having a conveying line with a short conveying length, the control process can be simplified. In addition, the movement time of the conveyed goods can be shortened, so the rearrangement process time can be shortened.

[0117] [Second embodiment] A second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, a description of matters common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and only the differences will be described. Fig. 14 shows the connections of a sorting unit 201A, a sorting unit 301, a supply unit 401, a shipping device 5011, and a shipping device 5012 in a sorting system 10A according to the second embodiment.

[0118] In the sorting system 10A according to the second embodiment, the sub-circulation line 2015 and the sub-circulation line 3015 are connected so that the transported objects can move from the sorting unit 201A to the sorting unit 301. In the sorting system 10A, as the sorting in the sorting unit 301 and the supply to the shipping device 5012 progresses, the amount of objects to be sorted by the sorting unit 301 decreases, and as a result, the sub-circulation line 3015, which is not in use for rearranging the transported objects, is used to sort the transported objects supplied to the sorting unit 201.

[0119] The sorting unit 201A further has a connection line 2019 and a branching machine 2020 in addition to each element of the sorting unit 201. The sorting unit 201A and the sorting unit 301 are connected via the connection line 2019. In the sorting system 10A, the transported article can be moved from the conveyor line 2012 and the sub-circulation line 2015 to the sub-circulation line 3015. In addition, the sorting unit 301 has a branching machine 3020 at the junction with the connection line 2019, and supplies the transported article from the connection line 2019 to the sub-circulation line 3015 via the connection line 3014.

[0120] 15 and 16A to 16D, a process of rearranging the articles supplied to the sorting unit 201 using the sub-circulation line 2015 and the sub-circulation line 3015 in combination will be described.

[0121] In step S1501 in FIG. 15, the sorting unit control unit 1014 acquires the number of articles that have not yet been placed on the sub circulation line 2015, among the articles that belong to the group of articles to be rearranged on the sub circulation line 2015.

[0122] In step S1502, the sorting unit control unit 1014 judges whether the number of incomplete transported objects satisfies a predetermined condition. The predetermined condition is set in advance as a condition under which the transported objects of the sorting unit 201A can be rearranged in the sub circulation line 3015, and is stored in the storage unit 1012. The condition is, for example, a condition as to whether half of the transported objects to be aligned in the sub circulation line 2015 have been supplied to the sub circulation line 2015. More specifically, in a case where the total amount of transported objects supplied to the sub circulation line 2015 is 50 objects (containers, cases, or cartons), a positive judgment is made in step S1502 when half of the transported objects, that is, 25 objects, have been arranged on the sub circulation line 2015. The condition can be appropriately changed by the administrator of the sorting system 10A.

[0123] If a negative decision is made in step S1502, the process returns to step S1501 and the process is repeated. During this time, the sorting unit 201A and the sorting unit 301 each perform the transported object rearrangement process as described in the first embodiment.

[0124] FIG. 16A shows a situation where some of the transported objects belonging to the group of transported objects on the sub-circulation line 2015 are arranged in succession, and one remaining transported object belonging to the group of transported objects is arranged on the transport line 2012c. In such a situation, the transported objects arranged on the transport line 2012a may be rearranged efficiently by using the sub-circulation line 2015. In such a case, if the remaining one transported object on the transport line 2012c is supplied to the sub-circulation line 2015 and is waited for to be aligned on the sub-circulation line 2015, the transported objects may be repeatedly circulated, and the waiting time may increase. Also, at this time, it is assumed that the sorting is proceeding in the sorting unit 301, and the sub-circulation line 3015 is vacant. In the sorting system 10A, in such a situation, the transported objects on the sub-circulation line 2015 are rearranged by the sorting unit 301. At this time, in addition to the process of step 1502, the sorting unit control unit 1014 may perform a process of determining whether or not the sub-circulation line 3015 is available based on the operation rate of the sorting unit 301 (for example, the number of transported articles currently being sorted by the sorting unit 301 relative to the total number of transported articles to be sorted by the sorting unit 301). This allows the sub-circulation line 3015 to be utilized without causing a delay in sorting of the transported articles supplied from the supply unit 401 to the sorting unit 301.

[0125] If an affirmative decision is made in step S1502, the sorting unit control section 1014 moves the article on the sub-circulation line 2015 onto the sub-circulation line 3015 in step S1503.

[0126] In step S1504, the sorting unit control section 1014 arranges and rearranges the articles belonging to the other article groups on the sub circulation line 2015. The state of the articles after the movement and rearrangement through the processes in steps S1503 and S1504 is shown in FIG. 16B.

[0127] In step S1505, the sorting unit control unit 1014 moves the articles remaining in the sorting unit 201 among the articles belonging to the target group of articles to the sub circulation line 3015 via the connection line 2019. The status of the articles during movement is shown in FIG. 16C.

[0128] In step S1505, the sorting unit control unit 1014 supplies the transported objects on the sub circulation line 3015 to the shipping device 5011. The status of the transported objects to be shipped is shown in FIG. 16D. The transported objects from the sub circulation line 3015 are supplied to the shipping device 5011 through the diverter 3018 and the connection line 3019.

[0129] In sorting system 10A, sorting is performed by connecting sub circulation line 2015 and sub circulation line 3015 so as to enable the movement of transported objects from sorting unit 201A to sorting unit 301. As a result, as the rearrangement of the transported objects in sub circulation line 2015 progresses, the inefficiency of transport caused by the decrease in the transported objects remaining on transport line 2012 or circulation line 2013 in sorting unit 201 is eliminated, and the time required for the rearrangement process is shortened.

[0130] [Other variations] In the sorting system 10, 10A, the sorting units 201, 201A and the sorting unit 301 may be connected so that the transported objects can be moved between the circulation line 2013 and the circulation line 3013. As a result, for example, in the case where the sorting unit 301, which has a smaller total amount of transported objects that can be sorted than the sorting unit 201, is delayed in rearrangement of the transported objects and many transported objects are supplied to the sorting unit 301, the sorting unit control unit 1014 can temporarily shift the transported objects from the sorting unit 301 to the sorting unit 201. As the sorting in the sorting unit 301 progresses and the amount of transported objects remaining in the sorting unit 301 decreases, the sorting unit control unit 1014 can return the transported objects from the sorting unit 201 to the sorting unit 301. As a result, the sorting system 10, 10A can smoothly sort the transported objects.

[0131] [Multi-directional conveying device] The advantages of using the multi-directional conveying devices 2011 and 3011 in the first and second embodiments will be described.

[0132] 16 is a schematic diagram showing the movement of an article C in the sorting unit 201. In the sorting unit 201, by using a multi-directional conveying device 2011, it is possible to circulate a large number of articles from the circulation line 2013 to the conveying line 2012 in a smaller occupied area.

[0133] As shown in FIG. 18, when a circulation line 1801 is provided with a splitter 1803a to a splitter 1803c and a junction 1804a to a junction 1804c to circulate the transported objects on the transport lines 2012a to 2012c, there are problems with the processing capacity of the transported objects and the occupied area. In terms of processing, the transport capacity when circulating the transported objects as in the sorting systems 10 and 10A is restricted by the performance of the splitter and the junction. For example, the performance of a general splitter and junction is such that the sorting unit 201 can process about 2,000 to 3,000 transported objects per hour. Therefore, in order to improve the performance of the sorting unit 201, it was necessary to take measures beyond the sorting process of the transported objects, such as providing more transport lines.

[0134] In addition, each transfer line 1802 had to be curved in order to branch off and merge with the circulation line 1801. As a result, a gap D (e.g., 1 m) was generated between each transfer line 1802, which caused a problem of the transfer line occupying a large area.

[0135] In the sorting unit 201, the transported objects are supplied from the supply unit 401 through a plurality of lines. By using the multi-directional transport device 2011, it is possible to move the transported objects supplied to the multi-directional transport device 2011 in a direction different from the circulation direction of the transported objects (for example, the direction opposite to the circulation direction). This increases the capacity of the transported objects that can be supplied to the entrance side of the transport line 2012. For example, the supply unit 401 has two spiral conveyors, each of which has a transport capacity of 3000 transported objects per hour. The multi-directional transport device 2011 can accept transported objects from a plurality of lines and can further move the transported objects to any of the transport lines 2012, so the number of transported objects that can be processed increases. For example, when the multi-directional transport device 2011 is used, it is possible to sort about 4000 to 4500 transported objects per hour.

[0136] Furthermore, when the multi-directional conveying device 2011 is used, since the multi-directional conveying device 2011 can supply the transported object from the circulation line 2013, there is no need to bend the entrance side of the conveying line 2012. Furthermore, since the multi-directional conveying device 2011 can change the direction of the transported object, there is no need to specify the direction of the transported object at the exit side of the conveying line 2012. Therefore, the conveying line 2012 and the circulation line 2013 are made to join at a right angle, and the transported object from the conveying line 2012 is allowed to be supplied so that it can be placed on the circulation line 2013. As a result, there is no need to bend the exit side of the conveying line 2012. This makes it possible to reduce the area occupied by the conveying line 2012.

[0137] In this way, by using the multi-directional conveying device 2011, the multi-directional conveying device 3011, it is possible to increase the total amount of conveyed objects that can be processed by the sorting unit 201 or the sorting unit 301. Furthermore, since the intervals between the conveying lines 2012 can be reduced, it is possible to increase the number of conveying lines 2012 and conveying lines 3012 per unit area. This makes it possible to perform the sorting process more efficiently.

[0138] The above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The elements of the embodiments, as well as their arrangements, conditions, shapes, sizes, etc., are not limited to those illustrated, and can be changed as appropriate. In addition, configurations shown in different embodiments can be partially substituted or combined with each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0139] 10, 10A... sorting system, 101... control unit, 201, 201A, 301... sorting unit, 401... supply unit, 501... shipping unit, 1013... conveyed object sorting section, 1014... sorting unit control section, 2011, 3011... multi-directional conveying device, 2013, 3013... circulation line, 2014, 3014... connection line, 2015, 3015... sub-circulation line

Claims

1. A sorting system for sorting a plurality of transported items each associated with a shipping destination and a sorting classification, A plurality of conveying lines; a circulation line connecting each of the outlets of the plurality of conveying lines to each of the inlets of the plurality of conveying lines through the multi-directional conveying device; a multi-directional conveying device having a receiving section that receives the plurality of conveyed objects from the circulation line, the receiving section being connected to any of the inlets of the plurality of conveying lines, and distributing the conveyed objects supplied to the sorting unit through the receiving section to any of the plurality of conveying lines; A sorting unit having a control unit that controls the sorting unit so that, among the transported items supplied to the sorting unit, at least one of the plurality of transported items belongs to a transported item group that is organized based on the shipping destination and the sorting classification, the transported items are successively arranged in the sorting unit for each transported item group; A sorting system comprising:

2. 2. The sorting system of claim 1, A sorting system, wherein each of the plurality of conveying lines merges with the circulating line at a right angle.

3. 2. The sorting system of claim 1, A supply unit that supplies the plurality of conveyed objects to the multi-directional conveying device through the receiving unit, A sorting system in which the multi-directional conveying device distributes the transported objects supplied to the sorting unit through the circulation line and the transported objects supplied to the sorting unit through the supply unit to any one of the multiple conveying lines.

4. A method for sorting a plurality of transported items each associated with a shipping destination and a sorting classification, comprising the steps of: a multi-directional conveying device having a receiving section that receives the plurality of transported objects from the circulation line, the multi-directional conveying device connecting the receiving section to any of the inlets of the plurality of conveying lines, and distributing the transported objects supplied to the sorting unit through the receiving section to any of the plurality of conveying lines, the multi-directional conveying device controlling the sorting unit so that among the transported objects supplied to the sorting unit, at least one of the plurality of transported objects belongs to a transported object group organized based on the shipping destination and the sorting classification, is arranged in the sorting unit consecutively for each transported object group.

Images