Article processing system and article processing method

Abstract

To convey and efficiently load articles greater in number than those within a prescribed range.SOLUTION: This article processing system comprises: a plurality of rows of storages that store articles; a first conveyor that is provided for each storage and that conveys the articles shipped from the storages; a conveyance unit that conveys the articles stored in the storages to the first conveyor corresponding to the storages; a second conveyor that is provided on the conveying downstream side of the first conveyor and that combines the articles conveyed on the first conveyor to convey them; a transfer device that loads articles within a prescribed range on the second conveyor on a loading unit; a calculation unit that calculates the loading order of the articles on the loading unit and divides the articles loaded on the loading unit into groups by the number of articles within the prescribed range in the loading order on the basis of the calculation result; and a control unit that controls the conveyance unit so as to convey the articles of each group from the storages to the second conveyor on the basis of the calculated group loading order.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] As an invention for stacking items transported by a conveyor on a pallet, for example, there is a stacking system disclosed in Patent Document 1. This stacking system has a robot that places items transported by the conveyor on a pallet, an imaging unit that captures a predetermined range on the conveyor within which the robot can move the items, and an image sensor that recognizes the state of the items stacked on the pallet. In this system, the size of the items on the conveyor captured by the imaging unit is recognized, and based on the recognized size and the stacking state on the pallet recognized by the image sensor, it is calculated which item on the conveyor should be optimally stacked at which position on the pallet. Then, based on the calculation result, the robot picks one item from the items within the predetermined range and stacks the item on the pallet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7235648 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When loading items onto a pallet, there are cases where more items than are within a given range are transported by a conveyor and loaded onto one pallet. In the case of the loading system of Patent Document 1, since the loading is optimized only within a given range, there are cases where the loading efficiency is lower than when loading calculations are performed for all items to be loaded.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and has an object to transport and efficiently stow more articles than the number of articles within a given area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The item processing system of the present invention comprises: a plurality of rows of storage sections for storing items; a first conveyor provided for each of the plurality of rows of storage sections and for transporting items released from the corresponding storage section; a transport section provided for each of the plurality of rows of storage sections and for transporting items stored in the storage section to the first conveyor corresponding to the storage section; a second conveyor provided downstream in the transport direction of the first conveyor and for joining and transporting items transported by the plurality of rows of the first conveyor; a transfer device that stacks the items that are within a predetermined range on the second conveyor to a stacking section; a calculation section that calculates the stacking order of the plurality of items stored in the storage section to the stacking section and groups the items to be stacked in the stacking section in order of the number of items that fall within the predetermined range based on the calculation result; and a control section that controls the transport section so that items belonging to each group are transported from the storage section to the second conveyor based on the stacking order of the groups calculated by the calculation section.

[0007] The item processing method of the present invention is an item processing method in an item processing facility including multiple rows of storage sections for storing items, a first conveyor provided for each of the multiple rows of storage sections and transporting items released from the corresponding storage section, a transport section provided for each of the multiple rows of storage sections and transporting items stored in the storage section to the first conveyor corresponding to the storage section, a second conveyor provided downstream in the transport direction of the first conveyor and merging and transporting items transported by the multiple rows of first conveyors, and a transfer device that stacks the items within a predetermined range on the second conveyor to a stacking section, the method including a calculation step in which a calculation unit calculates the loading order of the multiple items stored in the storage section to the stacking section, and based on the calculation result, groups the items to be stacked in the stacking section in order of loading by the number of items that fall within the predetermined range, and a control step in which a control unit controls the transport section so that items belonging to each group are transported from the storage section to the second conveyor based on the loading order of the groups calculated in the calculation step. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an article processing system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process executed by the control device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the merging of cases on a conveyor. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an article processing system according to a modified example. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an article processing system according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below. In addition, in the description of the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are appropriately given the same reference numerals. Furthermore, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the dimensional relationship of each element may differ from the actual one. There may be parts in which the dimensional relationship and ratio are different between the drawings. In addition, an orthogonal coordinate system of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis is appropriately shown in the drawings, and the directions are explained using this. In the space shown in the orthogonal coordinate system, the direction in which the X component increases is called the +X direction, and the direction in which the X component decreases is called the -X direction. Similarly, the Y and Z components are defined as the +Y direction, the -Y direction, the +Z direction, and the -Z direction. Note that, for convenience of explanation, the +Z direction may be rephrased as the upward direction, and the -Z direction as the downward direction.

[0010] [Embodiment] (Configuration of the embodiment) 1 is a schematic diagram of an article processing system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The article processing system 1000 includes an automated warehouse 10, conveyors 41, 61, a palletizer 70, and a code reader 81. The article processing system 1000 also includes a control device 100 that controls each part of the article processing system 1000. The configuration of the control device 100 will be described later. The article processing system 1000 is a system that palletizes cases A stored in the automated warehouse 10 onto pallets P and removes the cases from the warehouse.

[0011] Case A, which is an example of an item, is a cardboard box that contains multiple products sold in a store. The size of case A varies depending on the products stored therein. A barcode is printed on the side of case A to identify the product name of the product stored therein. Pallet P, which is an example of a loading portion, is a flat pallet on which cases A are stacked. Multiple cases A are stacked on pallet P before being shipped out.

[0012] The automated warehouse 10, which is an example of a storage section according to the present invention, includes a storage shelf 11, a stacker crane 20, and conveyors 31 and 32. The storage shelf 11 is a shelf that includes multiple storage compartments 12 for storing cases A in the left-right direction (X-axis direction), and is installed in multiple tiers in the up-down direction (+Z direction). The automated warehouse 10 includes multiple storage shelves 11 spaced apart. The conveyor 31 is a conveyor that transports the case A stored in the storage compartment 12 from the conveyor 41 to the vicinity of the storage shelf 11. The conveyor 32, which is an example of a first conveyor according to the present invention, is a conveyor that transports the case A that is taken out of the storage compartment 12 and stacked on the pallet P to the conveyor 41. The conveyors 31 and 32 include a transport mechanism that transports the case A and a drive unit such as a motor that drives the transport mechanism. The transport mechanism is, for example, a roller conveyor or a chain conveyor, but is not limited to these conveyors.

[0013] A stacker crane 20, which is an example of a conveying section according to the present invention, includes a rail 21 and a transfer machine 22. The rail 21 is installed in a work passage between the storage shelves 11. The transfer machine 22 is configured to be movable parallel to the storage shelves 11 along the rail 21 and to be movable in the vertical direction. The transfer machine 22 takes in a case A from the conveyor 31 and stores the taken-in case A in the storage section 12. The transfer machine 22 also takes in a case A from the storage section 12 and places the taken-in case A on the conveyor 32. Note that the mechanism for conveying the case A between the storage section 12 and the conveyors 31 and 32 is not limited to the stacker crane 20, and may be configured to include, for example, a self-propelled cart provided for each tier of the storage shelves 11 and a lifter for conveying the case A between the self-propelled cart of each tier and the conveyors 31 and 32.

[0014] Conveyor 41, which is an example of a second conveyor according to the present invention, has a conveying mechanism that conveys case A, and a drive unit such as a motor that drives the conveying mechanism. Conveyor 41 conveys case A that is depalletized from pallet P and stored in storage section 12. Conveyor 41 also conveys case A that is removed from storage section 12 and palletized onto pallet P, to palletizer 70.

[0015] A code reader 81 is installed near the conveyor 41. The code reader 81 is a device that reads barcodes printed on cases A transported to a picking area AR, which will be described later, by the conveyor 41. The code reader 81 is installed in the width direction of the conveyor 41, reads barcodes printed on the side of the case A facing the width direction of the conveyor 41, and outputs information representing the read code to the control device 100.

[0016] The conveyor 61 is a conveyor that conveys a pallet P on which the cases A are stacked. The conveyor 61 has a conveying mechanism that conveys the pallet P and a drive unit such as a motor that drives the conveying mechanism. The conveying mechanism is, for example, a conveyor such as a roller conveyor or a chain conveyor, but is not limited to these conveyors.

[0017] The palletizer 70, which is an example of the transfer device according to the present invention, is, for example, a gantry-type palletizer. The palletizer 70 includes slide shafts 71a, 71b, and 71c and a holder 72. The two slide shafts 71a are installed parallel to the Y axis across the conveyor 41 and the conveyor 61. The slide shaft 71b is hung between the two slide shafts 71a and moves in the Y axis direction. The slide shaft 71c is provided on the slide shaft 71b and moves the holder 72 in the vertical direction. The holder 72 is provided at the lower end of the slide shaft 71 and holds the case A conveyed by the conveyor 41 and places the held case A on the pallet P. The palletizer 70 can hold the case A within the picking area AR on the conveyor 41 where the holder 72 can hold the case A, and holds the cases A one by one from the picking area AR and places them on the pallet P on the conveyor 61. The palletizer 70 is not limited to a gantry-type palletizer, and may be, for example, a robot equipped with an articulated arm and a robot hand.

[0018] 2 is a block diagram of a control device 100 that controls the article processing system 1000. The control device 100 is a computer device, and has an arithmetic processing unit 101, a main memory unit 102, an auxiliary memory unit 103, and an interface 104.

[0019] The interface 104 outputs signals to control the stacker crane 20, the drive units 31a, 32a, 41a, 61a, and the palletizer 70. The drive units 31a, 32a, 41a, 61a have motors and the like that drive the transport mechanisms of the conveyors 31, 32, 41, 61. The drive units 31a, 32a, 41a controlled by the control device 100 drive the transport mechanisms, so that the conveyors 31, 32, 41 transport the cases A. Furthermore, the drive unit 61a controlled by the control device 100 drives the transport mechanism, so that the conveyor 61 transports the pallet P.

[0020] The main memory unit 102 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) and is composed of a volatile memory. The main memory unit 102 serves as a working space when the arithmetic processing unit 101 performs arithmetic processing, and stores the results of the arithmetic processing of the arithmetic processing unit 101. The auxiliary memory unit 103 is composed of an auxiliary storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a non-volatile memory. The ROM of the auxiliary memory unit 103, which is an example of a storage unit, stores a program executed by the arithmetic processing unit 101 to perform arithmetic processing. The non-volatile memory of the auxiliary memory unit 103 stores data used by the arithmetic processing unit 101 to perform arithmetic processing.

[0021] The arithmetic processing unit 101 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which reads out a program from the auxiliary storage unit 103 and executes the program using the main storage unit 102 as a work space. The functions of the arithmetic processing unit 101 are realized by the arithmetic processing unit 101 reading out and executing the program, and in this embodiment, a calculation unit 101a and a control unit 101b are realized. The calculation unit 101a performs calculations for efficient stacking of a plurality of cases A on a pallet P, and determines the stacking order, stacking position, and orientation of the cases A for each case A. The calculation unit 101a also groups the cases A to be stacked on the pallet P in the stacking order based on the number of cases that can fit in the picking area AR. The control unit 101b controls the conveyor 32 so that the cases A merge with the conveyor 41 in the order of the groups, based on the groups calculated by the calculation unit 101a.

[0022] (Example of operation of embodiment) Next, an example of the operation of the article processing system 1000 will be described. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the control device 100 when palletizing a case A onto a pallet P by the palletizer 70. When an instruction to palletize a case A stored in the automated warehouse 3 is received, the control device 100 performs a stowage calculation for the case A.

[0023] Specifically, when the control device 100 acquires outgoing data including the name of a product to be shipped and the number of cases A storing the product of that product name, the control device 100 acquires the dimensions of the case A storing the product of that product name for each product name included in the outgoing data from the dimensional data stored in the auxiliary storage unit 103 (step S1). The dimensional data is stored in advance in the auxiliary storage unit 103, and the product name is associated with the dimensions of the length, width, and height of the case A storing the product of that product name. The control device 100 performs a loading calculation for the case A storing the product of the product name included in the outgoing data using the acquired dimensions, and determines the position, order, and orientation of the case A to be loaded onto the pallet P for each case A to be loaded (step S2).

[0024] Next, the control device 100 divides the cases A to be loaded into groups (step S3). Here, the control device 100 divides the cases into groups based on the number of cases A that can fit within the picking area AR. For example, in the picking area AR shown in FIG. 1, four cases A can fit within the picking area AR, so the control device 100 divides the cases into groups with four cases A included in each group. If the total number of cases A to be loaded onto one pallet P is 12, the cases are divided into a first group including the cases A to be loaded first through fourth, a second group including the cases A to be loaded fifth through eighth, and a third group including the cases A to be loaded ninth through twelfth.

[0025] Next, the control device 100 controls the stacker crane 20 and the drive unit 32a based on the results of the loading calculation and grouping, and transports the cases A containing the products with the product names specified in the warehousing data to the conveyor 41 in the order of groups (step S4). Here, the control device 100 controls so that the cases A are transported to the conveyor 41 in the order of case A belonging to the first group, case A belonging to the second group, case A belonging to the third group, and case A belonging to the fourth group. In addition, when the cases A are caused to join the conveyor 41 from the conveyor 32, the control device 100 controls so that the case A that has arrived at the conveyor 32 earliest within one group joins the conveyor 41 first.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the joining of case A on the conveyor 41. In FIG. 4, the numbers in case A indicate the order of stacking on the pallet P. In the example shown in FIG. 4, when the ninth to twelfth cases A included in the fourth group are controlled to be lined up on the conveyor 41 in the order of stacking on the pallet P, the tenth case A has to wait to join until the ninth case A passes in front of it, which takes time to join. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the cases are joined to be lined up on the conveyor 41 in the order of 10th, 11th, 9th, and 12th, and are controlled to join in random order within one group, rather than being lined up on the conveyor 41 in the order of stacking on the pallet P. Therefore, the case A does not have to wait when joining, and can be transported efficiently.

[0027] The control device 100 controls the drive unit 41a to transport the case A to the picking area AR on the conveyor 41 (step S5). The code reader 81 reads the barcode printed on the case A entering the picking area AR on the conveyor 41, and outputs information representing the read code to the control device 100. The control device 100 acquires the information output from the code reader 81 (step S6).

[0028] Next, the control device 100 determines the order of stacking of each of the cases A that entered the picking area AR based on the information acquired from the code reader 81 and the result of the stacking calculation (step S7). For example, if the product name identified by the first acquired barcode is the product name stored in the case A that is to be stacked third, the control device 100 determines that the case A that passed first is the case A that is to be stacked third, as shown in FIG.

[0029] Next, the control device 100 controls the palletizer 70 to stow the cases A in the picking area AR onto the pallet P based on the order identified in step S7 and the positions and orientations calculated in the stowage calculation (step S8). For example, if case A is in the picking area AR as shown in Fig. 4, the control device 100 stows the cases A onto the pallet P in the following order: case A entered the picking area AR third, case A entered the picking area AR second, case A entered the picking area AR first, and case A entered the picking area AR fourth.

[0030] Next, the control device 100 judges whether all of the cases A to be loaded onto one pallet have been loaded based on the information acquired from the code reader 81 (step S9). If the product name identified by the code represented by the acquired information for the case A loaded onto the pallet P by the palletizer 70 is not the product name to be loaded onto the pallet P last (No in step S9), the control device 100 returns the process flow to step S5. If the product name identified by the code represented by the acquired information for the case A loaded onto the pallet P by the palletizer 70 is the product name to be loaded onto the pallet P last (Yes in step S9), the control device 100 controls the drive unit 61a to transport the pallet P on which the case A is loaded, and transports the empty pallet P to a position where the case A will be placed by the palletizer 70 (step S10).

[0031] As described above, according to this embodiment, when multiple cases A to be loaded onto a pallet P are removed from parallel storage shelves 11, the multiple cases A are divided into groups and controlled so that within each group they join the conveyor 41 in random order, so that the cases A do not have to wait when joining, and can be transported efficiently. In other words, the items to be loaded onto a pallet are divided into groups, the items for each group are removed from multiple rows of storage sections and joined, and the transfer device loads the items onto the pallet by group, so that more items than the number of items within a predetermined range that can be picked can be loaded efficiently.

[0032] [Variations] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment and can be implemented in various other forms. For example, the above-mentioned embodiment may be modified as follows to implement the present invention. The above-mentioned embodiment and the following modifications may be combined with each other. The present invention also includes a configuration in which the components of the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications are appropriately combined. Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by a person skilled in the art. Therefore, the broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment and modifications, and various modifications are possible.

[0033] 5 is a schematic diagram of an article processing system 1000A according to a modified example of the present invention. The article processing system 1000A differs from the article processing system 1000 in that the article processing system 1000A further includes conveyors 51-54, which are an example of a second conveyor. The conveyors 51-54, which branch off into multiple rows from the conveyor 41, are installed within a movable range of the holder 72 of the palletizer 70 when viewed from above, and include a conveying mechanism for conveying the cases A, and a drive unit such as a motor for driving the conveying mechanism. The conveyors 51-54 convey the cases A conveyed by the conveyor 41 in the -Y direction.

[0034] In the case of the article processing system 1000A shown in Fig. 5, the picking area AR is an area in which conveyors 51-54 are arranged in addition to a portion of the conveyor 41. In the article processing system 1000A, the number of cases A contained in the picking area AR is 12, and when grouping is performed in step S3, the number of cases A contained in one group is greater than the number in the above-mentioned embodiment. In this case, the 12 cases A contained in one group can be merged in random order when merging from the conveyor 32 to the conveyor 41, and since the number of cases A that are merged in random order is increased, the cases A can be transported efficiently.

[0035] 6 is a schematic diagram of an article processing system 1000B according to a modified example of the present invention. Article processing system 1000B differs from article processing system 1000 in that it has a palletizer 70B instead of palletizer 70, and a conveyor 41B instead of conveyor 41. Palletizer 70B is a multi-jointed robot that has a multi-jointed arm and a robot hand that holds case A. Palletizer 70B is controlled by control device 100, and holds case A placed on conveyor 41B, and places the held case A on a pallet P.

[0036] The shape of the conveying path included in the picking area AR of the conveyor 41B is different from that of the conveyor 41, and the conveyor 41B is curved in an arc shape within the picking area AR. In the article processing system 1000B, since the conveyor 41B is curved in an arc shape within the picking area AR, the number of cases A included in the picking area AR increases, and therefore, when grouping is performed in step S3, the number of cases A included in one group increases compared to the number in the embodiment. In this case, the cases A included in one group can be merged in random order when merging from the conveyor 32 to the conveyor 41B, and since the number of cases A that are merged in random order increases, the cases A can be transported efficiently. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 10 Automated Warehouse 11 Storage Shelves 12 Storage Section 20 Stacker Crane 21 Rail 22 Transfer machine 31, 32, 41, 41B, 61 Conveyor 31a, 32a, 41a, 61a Drive unit 70 Palletizer 81 Code Reader 100 Control device 101 Processing unit 101a Calculation section 101b Control section 102 Main memory 103 Auxiliary storage 104 Interface 1000, 1000A, 1000B Material Handling System

Claims

1. a storage section having a plurality of rows for storing items; a first conveyor provided for each of the plurality of rows of storage units and configured to transport an article removed from the corresponding storage unit; a conveying unit provided for each of the plurality of rows of storage units, the conveying unit conveying the articles stored in the storage units to the first conveyor corresponding to the storage units; a second conveyor provided downstream of the first conveyor in a conveying direction, for merging and conveying the articles conveyed by the first conveyor in a plurality of rows; A transfer device that stacks the items within a predetermined range on the second conveyor onto a stacking section; a calculation unit that calculates a loading order of the plurality of items stored in the storage unit onto a loading area, and based on a calculation result, groups the items to be loaded onto the loading area into groups according to the number of the items that falls within the predetermined range; a control unit that controls the transport unit so that articles belonging to each group are transported from the storage unit to the second conveyor based on the stacking order of the groups calculated by the calculation unit; An article processing system comprising:

2. The second conveyor branches into multiple rows. The article processing system of claim 1 .

3. The second conveyor has an arcuate path within the predetermined range. The article processing system of claim 1 .

4. The articles belonging to the group join the second conveyor in random order for each group. The article processing system of claim 1 .

5. a storage section having a plurality of rows for storing items; a first conveyor provided for each of the plurality of rows of storage units and configured to transport an article removed from the corresponding storage unit; a conveying section provided for each of the plurality of rows of storage sections, the conveying section conveying the articles stored in the storage sections to the first conveyor corresponding to the storage sections; a second conveyor provided downstream of the first conveyor in a conveying direction, for joining and conveying the articles conveyed by the first conveyor in a plurality of rows; A transfer device that stacks the items within a predetermined range on the second conveyor onto a stacking section; An article processing method in an article processing facility comprising: a calculation step of calculating a loading order of the plurality of items stored in the storage section into a loading section, and grouping the items to be loaded into the loading section into groups in a loading order based on a calculation result, the number of the items falling within the predetermined range; a control step of controlling the conveying unit so that the articles belonging to each group are conveyed from the storage unit to the second conveyor for each group based on the stacking order of the groups calculated in the calculation step by the control unit; An article processing method comprising:

Images