Automated warehouse

Abstract

To provide an automated warehouse capable of increasing the number of storable articles and improving the retrieval capacity.SOLUTION: Sorting machines 2A, 2B have a higher processing capacity than storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B. The sorting machines 2A, 2B can perform item matching with a high processing capacity. A determination unit 22 can determine whether items 50 can be matched within a predetermined time. A transport processing unit 23 transports the items 50 determined not to be matched by the determination unit 22 to the storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B via a circulation path 4. The transport processing unit 23 allows the items 50 that take a long time to match and therefore occupy a space in the storage warehouse for a long time to be stored in the storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B which have a low processing capacity. The sorting machines 2A, 2B with a high processing capacity can quickly match the newly received items 50, while storing a large number of items 50 in the storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B which have a low retrieval capacity and low costs.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automated warehouse. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional logistics system is described in Patent Document 1. This logistics system includes a picking station that picks received articles, and a sorting machine that sorts the received articles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-011330 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, an automated warehouse that stores received items, consolidates the items, and then releases them, like the above-mentioned sorting machine, has the following problem. That is, depending on the items received in the automated warehouse, it may take a long time until consolidation is complete. In such cases, it is necessary to continue storing the items until consolidation is complete. Therefore, an automated warehouse is required to be able to store a large number of items. On the other hand, an automated warehouse is also required to have a high retrieval capacity for high-speed retrieval. There is a problem that increasing the number of items stored in a warehouse with high retrieval capacity increases costs.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an automated warehouse that can increase the number of items that can be stored while improving the retrieval capacity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An automated warehouse according to one embodiment of the present invention is an automated warehouse that stores received items and can release the items when specified retrieval conditions are met, and includes a first storage warehouse, a second storage warehouse having a lower retrieval capacity than the first storage warehouse, a circulation path that circulates the items between the first storage warehouse and the second storage warehouse, and a control unit that controls the flow of items in the first storage warehouse and the second storage warehouse.The control unit includes a loading processing unit that loads items received in the first storage warehouse so that the retrieval conditions are satisfied, a determination unit that determines whether the items can be loaded within a specified time period, and a transport processing unit that transports items determined by the determination unit to be unable to be loaded to the second storage warehouse via the circulation path.

[0007] In the automated warehouse, the item matching processing unit matches items received in the first storage warehouse so as to satisfy the retrieval conditions. The first storage warehouse has a higher processing capacity than the second storage warehouse. Therefore, the first storage warehouse can perform item matching at a high processing capacity. On the other hand, the determination unit can determine whether the items can be matched within a predetermined time. The transport processing unit transports items that are determined by the determination unit not to be matched to the second storage warehouse via a circulation path. As a result, the transport processing unit allows items that take up a long time for matching and therefore occupy space in the storage warehouse for a long time to be stored in the second storage warehouse with a low processing capacity. As a result, the first storage warehouse with a high processing capacity can quickly match newly received items, while the second storage warehouse with a low retrieval capacity and low cost can store a large number of items. As described above, the retrieval capacity can be improved while increasing the number of items that can be stored.

[0008] The first and second storage cabinets may be stacked vertically, and the circulation path may have a vertical conveyor that conveys the items vertically. In this case, the height of the storage cabinet increases vertically. Therefore, the number of items that can be stored can be increased while suppressing an increase in the occupied land area. In addition, the present invention can be easily applied by placing the other storage cabinet above an existing storage cabinet.

[0009] The first and second storage cabinets may be arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, and the circulation path may have a conveyor that transports articles in the horizontal direction, with one end of the conveyor connected to the outgoing side of the first storage cabinet and the other end of the conveyor connected to the incoming side of the second storage cabinet. In this case, by arranging the first and second storage cabinets side by side in the horizontal direction, the degree of freedom in layout can be improved.

[0010] The first storage facility has a stacked structure of two or more levels, and has vertical conveyors on both the incoming and outgoing sides. The stacked structure has a normal operation level that conveys items from the incoming side to the outgoing side, and a circulation level that conveys items in the opposite direction to the normal operation level. The circulation level may return items that have not been matched to the normal operation level. In this case, the circulation level can be used to circulate items within the first storage facility. Therefore, items that do not need to be circulated to the second storage facility can be quickly rematched in the normal operation level. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an automated warehouse that can increase the number of items that can be stored while improving the retrieval capacity. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a logistics system including an automated warehouse according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the automated storage warehouse. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control unit. [Figure 6] 13 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of a control unit. [Figure 7] 13 is a table showing the IDs and inventory quantities of items. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an automated warehouse according to a comparative example. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an automated warehouse according to a comparative example. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an automated warehouse according to a modified example. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a side view showing an automated warehouse according to a modified example. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an automated warehouse according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a logistics system 100 including an automated warehouse 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The logistics system 100 includes a pallet warehouse 101, a bucket warehouse 102, a storage warehouse 103, bucket warehouses 104A and 104B, a picking area 106, a box former 107, the automated warehouse 1, and a loading area 108.

[0014] The pallet warehouse 101 is a crane-type automated warehouse that stores received goods on a pallet basis. The bucket warehouse 104A is a crane-type automated warehouse that receives goods from the pallet warehouse 101, transfers them from the pallet to a bucket, and stores them. The bucket warehouse 104B is a multi-cart automated warehouse that receives goods from the bucket warehouse 104A and stores them. The picking area 106 is an area that receives goods from the bucket warehouse 104B and picks the goods according to shipping information. The storage warehouse 103 is an in-shelf product storage warehouse that is provided in parallel with the pallet warehouse 101 and stores received goods. The storage warehouse 103 sends goods to the bucket warehouse 104B or the picking area 106. The goods picked in the picking area 106 are either shipped as they are as they are as they do not require matching, or sent to the automated warehouse 1 for matching. The box former 107 provides boxes to the picking area 106. The automated warehouse 1 is a warehouse that stores received goods and allows goods to be shipped out when certain shipping conditions are met. The automated warehouse 1 sends the goods that have been combined to the loading area 108. The loading area 108 loads the goods that have come to the same shipping destination into one. The loading area 108 returns empty boxes to the bucket warehouse 104B.

[0015] Next, the configuration of the automated warehouse 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2 to Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 2, the automated warehouse 1 according to this embodiment includes sorters 2A, 2B (first storage warehouses), storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B (second storage warehouses), a circulation path 4, and a control unit 20. In this embodiment, the sorters 2A, 2B and storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B are stacked vertically.

[0016] Specifically, the storage automated warehouse 3A is stacked on top of one sorting machine 2A. The storage automated warehouse 3B is stacked on top of the other sorting machine 2B. The combination of the sorting machine 2A and the storage automated warehouse 3A may be referred to as a storage unit 10A. The combination of the sorting machine 2B and the storage automated warehouse 3B may be referred to as a storage unit 10B. The storage units 10A and 10B are arranged in two rows adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction (see Figures 3 and 4).

[0017] The sorting machines 2A and 2B are devices that sort the received items 50, combine them, and deliver them from the warehouse. The sorting machines 2A and 2B combine the received items 50 from the receiving section 6, and deliver them from the delivery section 7. The sorting machines 2A and 2B have a stacked structure composed of two or more stages of conveying sections 11. Note that "combining" in the logistics system 100 including the automated warehouse 1 means storing items 50 that meet specific conditions (≒ aligned and delivered at the same time) until a planned number of items are collected, and then delivering them under specific conditions (≒ the order in which each item is delivered). The specific conditions are, for example, storing items 50 that are aligned and delivered at the same time in the storage unit 10A until a planned number of items are collected.

[0018] The storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B are warehouses with a lower retrieval capacity than the sorters 2A, 2B. The storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B store the articles 50 sent from the sorters 2A, 2B via the circulation path 4. The storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B have a stacked structure composed of conveying sections 12 on two or more levels.

[0019] Incidentally, the outgoing capacity may be defined as the maximum outgoing amount that can be outgoing per hour in a configuration in which the transport units 11, 12 and the lifting device are combined, for example. The sorting machines 2A, 2B have a transport mechanism using a conveyor, and can perform outgoing at a higher speed than the shuttle-type automated storage warehouses 3A, 3B. Therefore, the outgoing capacity of the transport unit 11 per shelf of the sorting machines 2A, 2B is higher than the outgoing capacity of the transport unit 12 per shelf of the automated storage warehouses 3A, 3B.

[0020] The circulation path 4 is a path for circulating the article 50 between the sorters 2A, 2B and the storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B. In this embodiment, the circulation path 4 has first vertical conveyors 13A, 13B and second vertical conveyors 14A, 14B that convey the article 50 in the vertical direction. The first vertical conveyor 13A is provided on the unloading section 7 side of the storage unit 10A. The first vertical conveyor 13B is provided on the unloading section 7 side of the storage unit 10B. The second vertical conveyor 14A is provided on the receiving section 6 side of the storage unit 10A. The second vertical conveyor 14B is provided on the receiving section 6 side of the storage unit 10B.

[0021] The first vertical conveyors 13A, 13B connect the outgoing side of each conveyor section 11 of the sorters 2A, 2B of the storage units 10A, 10B to the incoming side of each conveyor section 12 of the storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B in the vertical direction. The second vertical conveyors 14A, 14B connect the incoming side of each conveyor section 11 of the sorters 2A, 2B of the storage units 10A, 10B to the outgoing side of each conveyor section 12 of the storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B in the vertical direction. This allows the sorters 2A, 2B to convey the items 50 that could not be combined to the storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B by lifting them using the first vertical conveyors 13A, 13B. The storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B can convey the stored items 50 to the sorters 2A, 2B by lowering them using the second vertical conveyors 14A, 14B.

[0022] The sorters 2A and 2B also include third vertical conveyors 16A and 16B and fourth vertical conveyors 17A and 17B for vertical movement between each stage. The third vertical conveyors 16A and 16B are provided on the unloading section 7 side of the sorters 2A and 2B. The third vertical conveyors 16A and 16B lower the articles 50 toward the unloading section 7 when unloading from the conveying section 11 of each stage. The fourth vertical conveyors 17A and 17B are provided on the receiving section 6 side of the sorters 2A and 2B. The fourth vertical conveyors 17A and 17B raise the articles 50 from the receiving section 6 toward the conveying section 11 of each stage when distributing the articles 50 received from the receiving section 6 to the conveying sections 11 of each stage of the sorters 2A and 2B.

[0023] Here, the detailed configuration of the sorters 2A and 2B will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the conveying section 11 per stage of the sorters 2A and 2B. The sorters 2A and 2B include storage conveyors 31 and 32 and a conveying conveyor 33. The conveyors 31, 32, and 33 are arranged in three rows in parallel. The conveying conveyor 33 is provided between the pair of storage conveyors 31 and 32. The storage conveyors 31 and 32 are conveyors that receive and store the stored items 50. After receiving the items 50, the storage conveyors 31 and 32 store the items 50 so that they are packed toward the unloading section 7 side. The control unit 20 grasps at which position on the storage conveyors 31 and 32 each item 50 is stored. When unloading the items 50, the conveying conveyor 33 receives the items 50 from the storage conveyors 31 and 32 and conveys them to the unloading section 7 side. In addition, a pusher (not shown) is provided on the outer side of the storage conveyors 31, 32 in the width direction, and pushes the article 50 toward the transport conveyor 33 (arrow D1).

[0024] In this embodiment, the fourth vertical conveyors 17A, 17B are provided on the receiving section 6 side of the storage conveyor 31. The third vertical conveyors 16A, 16B are provided on the unloading section 7 side of the storage conveyor 31. The second vertical conveyors 14A, 14B are provided on the receiving section 6 side of the storage conveyor 32. The first vertical conveyors 13A, 13B are provided on the unloading section 7 side of the storage conveyor 32. In addition, the conveyor of the receiving section 6 is connected to the storage conveyor 31. The conveyor of the unloading section 7 is connected to the storage conveyor 31.

[0025] Due to the above-mentioned connection relationship, the article 50 performs the following operations. The article 50 received from the receiving section 6, or the article 50 transported from another stage of the sorters 2A, 2B and raised from the fourth vertical conveyor 17A, 17B, is supplied to the storage conveyor 31 (arrow D2). The supplied article 50 may be stored in the storage conveyor 31 as it is, or may be moved to the storage conveyor 32. The article 50 from the storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B is supplied to the storage conveyor 32 via the second vertical conveyors 14A, 14B of the circulation path 4 (arrow D3). The supplied article 50 may be stored in the storage conveyor 32 as it is, or may be moved to the storage conveyor 31.

[0026] When the article 50 stored on the storage conveyors 31 and 32 is to be delivered from the delivery section 7, the article 50 is transported by the transport conveyor 31 to the branch section 34, and is supplied to the delivery section 7 at the branch section 34 (arrow D4). The article 50 on the upper stage of the transport section 11 is lowered by the first vertical conveyors 16A and 16B, and is then supplied to the delivery section 7. When the article 50 stored on the storage conveyors 31 and 32 is to be transported to the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B, the article 50 is transported by the transport conveyor 31 to the branch section 34, and is then supplied to the first vertical conveyors 13A and 13B of the circulation path 4 at the branch section 34 (arrow D5). The article 50 then rises on the first vertical conveyors 13A and 13B, and is supplied to the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B.

[0027] Next, the detailed configuration of the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the conveying section 12 per shelf of the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B. The storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B include storage shelves 41 and 42 and a conveying lane 43. The sections 41, 42, and 43 are arranged in parallel in three rows. The conveying lane 43 is provided between a pair of storage shelves 41 and 42. The storage shelves 41 and 42 are shelves that receive and store the circulated items 50. When the storage shelves 41 and 42 receive the items 50, they store them there. The control unit 20 grasps the position of each item 50 in the storage shelves 41 and 42. The conveying lane 43 uses a shuttle 44 to take in and take out the items 50 from the storage shelves 41 and 42. When taking in or taking out the items 50, the shuttle 44 moves to the position of the target storage shelves 41 and 42. When the article 50 is supplied from the first vertical conveyors 13A, 13B, the article 50 is supplied to the transfer section 46 (arrow D6). The shuttle 44 receives the article 50 at the transfer section 46 and transfers the article to a predetermined position on the storage shelves 41, 42 (arrow D7). When supplying the article 50 to the sorters 2A, 2B, the shuttle 44 receives the article 50 from a predetermined position on the storage shelves 41, 42 (arrow D8). The shuttle 44 moves to the transfer section 47 and transfers the article 50 to the transfer section 47. As a result, the article 50 descends the second vertical conveyors 14A, 14B on the circulation path 4 and is supplied to the sorters 2A, 2B (arrow D9).

[0028] Next, the control unit 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. The control unit 20 is a device that controls the flow of the articles 50 in the sorters 2A, 2B and the storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B. The control unit 20 includes an ECU [Electronic Control Unit] that performs overall management of the automated warehouse 1. The ECU is an electronic control unit that includes a CPU [Central Processing Unit], a ROM [Read Only Memory], a RAM [Random Access Memory], and a communication circuit such as a CAN [Controller Area Network]. For example, the ECU loads a program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes the program loaded into the RAM with the CPU to realize various functions. The control unit 20 includes a goods matching processing unit 21, a determination unit 22, and a transport processing unit 23.

[0029] The goods matching processing unit 21 matches the goods 50 stored in the sorting machines 2A and 2B so that the goods 50 satisfy the delivery conditions. The delivery conditions are determined by the destination of the goods 50 and the required number of goods. For example, when the delivery conditions are set as "destination: X, number Y", the goods matching processing unit 21 stores the goods 50 with "destination: X" that were previously stored in the sorting machines 2A and 2B until "Y" of the goods 50 with "destination: X" are collected. Then, the goods matching processing unit 21 determines that the goods matching is complete when "Y" of the goods 50 with "destination: X" stored in the sorting machines 2A and 2B are collected. The goods matching processing unit 21 controls the goods 50 for which the goods matching has been completed to be shipped from the sorting machines 2A and 2B.

[0030] The determination unit 22 determines whether the items 50 can be combined within a predetermined time. The determination unit 22 may determine whether the items can be combined by actually measuring the time required for the combination. Alternatively, if it is possible to estimate in advance that the amount of time required for the combination will be long, the determination unit 22 may determine whether the items can be combined by referring to the estimation result.

[0031] The transport processing unit 23 transports the items 50 determined by the determination unit 22 as not being able to be combined to the storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B via the circulation path 4. In addition, if the combination of the items 50 in the sorters 2A, 2B and the items 50 in the storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B satisfies the release conditions, the transport processing unit 23 transports the items 50 from the storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B via the circulation path 4.

[0032] Next, the contents of the control process of the control unit 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6(a) is a flowchart showing the contents of the process when the control unit 20 controls the sorters 2A and 2B. FIG. 6(b) is a flowchart showing the contents of the process when the control unit 20 controls the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B. As shown in FIG. 6(a), the item matching processing unit 21 performs a process of matching items 50 for a specific destination so that items to be stored in the sorters 2A and 2B satisfy the retrieval conditions (step S10). Next, the determination unit 22 determines whether the target item 50 cannot be matched within a predetermined time (step S20). If it is determined that the target item 50 can be matched within the time, the item matching processing unit 21 continues to perform the matching process for the target item 50. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S20 that the target item 50 cannot be matched within the time, the transport processing unit 23 transports the target item 50 to the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B via the circulation route 4 (step S30). When articles 50 destined for multiple destinations are mixed, the process of FIG. 6(a) is executed for each of the articles 50 destined for each destination.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 6(b), the determination unit 22 determines whether the timing of leaving the warehouse is approaching, taking into consideration whether the items 50 for a specific destination can be combined within a predetermined time by combining the items 50 stored in the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B with the items 50 stored in the sorters 2A and 2B. The determination unit 22 determines whether the items 50 in the storage automated warehouses 3A and 2B are necessary for combination (step S120). If it is determined that the combination still takes time and is not necessary, the items 50 continue to be stored in the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S120 that it is necessary, the transport processing unit 23 transports the items 50 stored in the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B to the sorters 2A and 2B via the circulation path 4.

[0034] Next, an example of an optimization algorithm for the circulation function of the goods 50 using the circulation route 4 will be described. As an example, the control unit 20 identifies goods 50 that are known to have a small amount of logistics (warehousing) and to be difficult to obtain in the required number. The control unit 20 may then adopt an algorithm that allows the sorting machines 2A and 2B to be reduced in size by circulating the target goods 50 to the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B. FIG. 7 is a table showing the relationship between the IDs of the goods 50 and the planned number of goods 50 corresponding to those IDs. In FIG. 7, the number of goods 50 with the name "m1" and the number of goods 50 with the name "m5" that are planned to be stored are very large. Therefore, since "m1" and "m5" are stored frequently, it can be estimated that the goods are quickly matched. On the other hand, the number of goods 50 with other IDs is small, and it can be estimated that the goods are time-consuming to match. Therefore, the control unit 20 does not circulate the items 50 with "m1" and "m5" to the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B, but controls them to be promptly removed from the warehouse once they have been combined by the sorters 2A and 2B. On the other hand, the control unit 20 temporarily circulates the items 50 other than "m1" and "m5" to the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B. Then, when the items 50 with the same ID are collected, the control unit 20 transports the target item 50 from the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B to the sorters 2A and 2B in accordance with the scheduled time for completing the combination. It is preferable that the control unit 20 distributes the combination time so that the timing of removal does not overlap for each ID.

[0035] As another example, the control unit 20 identifies the items 50 that are stored in the sorters 2A and 2B in small numbers even after a certain time has passed, making it difficult to assemble the required number. The control unit 20 may then employ an algorithm that allows the high-speed sorters 2A and 2B to be reduced by circulating the items 50 identified as difficult to assemble to the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B. For example, assume that a delivery condition is set such that when 20 items 50 for a specific destination are assembled, the items are delivered, stored in a basket cart, and loaded onto a truck. In this case, if less than 10 items 50 are assembled in 30 minutes, the control unit 20 circulates all of those items 50 to the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B. The control unit 20 also circulates the subsequent target items 50. When 20 items are assembled in the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B, the control unit 20 collects the items 50 in the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B and delivers them to the sorters 2A and 2B. The control unit 20 controls the items 50 for which 10 or more items have been collected within 30 minutes not to be circulated, and controls the other items 50 to be released after circulation.

[0036] As another example, the control unit 20 analyzes various information on conditions for assembling items at any time to identify items 50 that are difficult to assemble in the required number. The control unit 20 may employ an algorithm that allows the high-speed sorting machines 2A and 2B to be reduced in size by circulating the identified items 50 to the automated warehouses 3A and 3B for storage. For example, assume that a shipping condition is set such that when 20 items 50 for a specific destination are assembled, they are shipped out, stored in a basket cart, and loaded onto a truck. At this time, the control unit 20 acquires various conditions and status information, such as warehousing transport information, picking plans in the previous process, and warehousing frequency records. Based on that information, the control unit 20 identifies items 50 that are difficult to assemble and circulates them. The control unit 20 does not circulate unidentified items 50, but ships them out as soon as they are assembled. When 20 items are collected in the storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B, the control unit 20 collects the items 50 in the storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B and sends them to the sorters 2A, 2B for removal.

[0037] Next, the operation and effect of the automated warehouse 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0038] In the picking process, which is the process preceding the consolidation of goods in an automated warehouse, or in packages delivered from each region, they are randomly (or with an emphasis on the efficiency of the previous process) put into the automated warehouse before shipping without considering the shipping sorting destination, depending on the convenience of the previous process. Therefore, it takes time for the goods (= packages) for each shipping destination to be gathered. Since the goods are temporarily stored in the automated warehouse until they are gathered, the automated warehouse must be of a size appropriate to the amount of storage. In addition, logistics centers must deal with various irregular events. For example, goods to be shipped the next day may be picked the day before, and if the final process before shipping is unable to operate due to a problem, it may be necessary to temporarily store goods put in from the previous process in the automated warehouse without consolidating and shipping them out. When designing a logistics center, it is necessary to design the maximum storage capacity of the automated warehouse for consolidation before shipping, taking such irregularities into account. In other words, it is necessary to design and introduce an automated warehouse with a storage capacity significantly larger than the storage capacity required for normal consolidation. Furthermore, when a high-speed automated warehouse for cargo matching (a sorting machine as shown in Fig. 3) is adopted, the storage location may be constructed with efficient equipment such as conveyors, as opposed to a shelf structure as in the storage automated warehouse shown in Fig. 4. When introducing a high-speed sorting machine as shown in Fig. 3, designing a large storage capacity poses the problem of high initial costs for the equipment at the time of introduction.

[0039] As a means of solving the above-mentioned problems, it would be good to realize the requirements of "an automated warehouse that can effectively combine goods" and "an automated warehouse that has a high retrieval capacity and can handle temporary storage at low cost." However, since the retrieval capacity of existing automated warehouses is low, there is no way to do anything but arrange the goods in the front process, and there is a problem that the number of bases must be increased to achieve a high retrieval capacity, which is expensive. In addition, when using a sorting machine 2 capable of high-speed sorting as shown in Figure 3, an increase in the storage volume directly leads to an increase in costs. Therefore, in an automated warehouse using a high-speed sorting machine 2 as shown in Figure 3, it was required to ensure the storage volume in irregular cases while maintaining the necessary high retrieval capacity and eliminating the high cost. In other words, in the past, there was a problem that "there was no mechanism for effectively combining multiple items for the shipping destination by itself." In an automated warehouse with only the storage automated warehouse 3 as shown in Figure 4, since the storage / retrieval capacity is low, there is a problem that when goods are poorly arranged, the storage / retrieval function cannot be used for another function. In an automated warehouse with only high-speed sorters as shown in Fig. 3, the storage / retrieval capacity is high, but there is no structure that allows the storage / retrieval function to be used effectively for another function, resulting in an issue of excessive equipment. There is also the issue that "there is no mechanism for high-speed sorting (=packaging) other than increasing the number of units or increasing the number of units stored using expensive equipment." In other words, in an automated warehouse with only storage automated warehouses 3 as shown in Fig. 4, the number of units must be increased to increase speed, resulting in an issue of large-scale, expensive equipment. In an automated warehouse with only high-speed sorters as shown in Fig. 3, the storage / retrieval capacity is high, but there is an issue that the storage equipment is expensive, resulting in expensive equipment when a large number of units is required.

[0040] For example, as Comparative Example 1, an automated warehouse is prepared that includes a number of storage automated warehouses 3 that correspond to the required retrieval capacity, as shown in FIG. 8. Here, three storage automated warehouses 3 are provided, with an retrieval capacity of 400 units / h per unit. Next, the required storage volume is estimated from various perspectives, and is allocated by dividing it by the number of bases. However, the storage automated warehouses 3 used in Comparative Example 1 have low retrieval capacity and large variation in storage / retrieval capacity. Therefore, in Comparative Example 1, it becomes necessary to ensure high retrieval capacity by increasing the number of bases, although this will increase costs, and to leave some leeway in the storage volume.

[0041] In contrast, as Comparative Example 2, as shown in FIG. 9, an automated warehouse using a high-speed sorting machine 2 with a high storage / retrieval capacity is adopted. In FIG. 9(a), a high-speed sequential sorting machine 2 is adopted to reduce the number of bases and reduce costs and make effective use of space. However, in the form of FIG. 9(a), although the introduction cost can be reduced by reducing the number of bases, there is a problem that the storage capacity is insufficient. In FIG. 9(b), the number of bases is set to three to ensure the storage capacity, but the cost increases and the storage / retrieval capacity is also excessive. In FIG. 9(c), three bases are combined into one, but there is a problem that the cost increases and it is difficult to secure the installation space. In this way, when a high-speed sequential sorting machine 2 is configured alone, there is little benefit due to the poor balance between high storage / retrieval capacity and low storage capacity, and on the contrary, many problems arise.

[0042] In response to the above problem, in the automated warehouse 1 according to this embodiment, the item matching processing unit 21 matches the items 50 entering the sorters 2A and 2B in the sorters 2A and 3B so that the items 50 satisfy the outgoing conditions. The sorters 2A and 2B have a higher processing capacity than the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B. Therefore, the sorters 2A and 2B can perform item matching at a high processing capacity. Meanwhile, the determination unit 22 can determine whether the items 50 can be matched within a predetermined time. In addition, the transport processing unit 23 transports the items 50 that are determined by the determination unit 22 not to be matched to the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B via the circulation path 4. As a result, the transport processing unit 23 allows the items 50 that take a long time to match and therefore occupy space in the storage warehouse for a long time to be stored in the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B, which have a low processing capacity. As a result, the sorters 2A, 2B with high processing capacity can quickly sort newly received articles 50, while the automated storage warehouses 3A, 3B with low retrieval capacity and low cost can store a large number of articles 50. As a result, it is possible to increase the number of storable articles 50 while improving retrieval capacity.

[0043] The sorters 2A, 2B and the storage automated warehouses 3A, 3B are stacked vertically, and the circulation path 4 may have vertical conveyors 13A, 13B, 14A, 14B that convey the items 50 vertically. In this case, the height of the automated warehouse 1 increases in the vertical direction. Therefore, it is possible to increase the number of storable items 50 while suppressing an increase in the occupied land area. In addition, by arranging the other storage warehouse above an existing storage warehouse, it becomes possible to easily apply the automated warehouse 1 according to this embodiment.

[0044] As described above, the automated warehouse 1 according to this embodiment utilizes the high-speed loading and unloading performance of the sorters 2A, 2B to control the state of efficiently arranging the items 50 in a way that makes it easy to align them, and for a group of items that cannot be aligned, they are temporarily unloaded and circulated again, efficiently aligning the items 50 that are easy to align. In addition, for items 50 that do not need to be aligned and require temporary storage, the cost of the entire facility can be reduced by effectively combining and linking inexpensive automated warehouses 3A, 3B for storage separately from the expensive, high-speed sorters 2A, 2B.

[0045] In the automated warehouse according to this embodiment, the sorter 2 with a high surplus capacity for outgoing goods is fully utilized without waste, so that a high-speed and continuous circulation (outgoing goods + re-entering goods) function can be realized (Effect 1). In addition, a circulation optimization algorithm can be adopted that can minimize the storage volume of the expensive high-speed sorter 2 for matching goods (Effect 2). In addition, by integrating the sorter 2 for matching goods and the automated warehouse 3 for storage on the lower and upper levels, a highly space-efficient integrated structure can be realized (Effect 3). In particular, the above-mentioned "Effect 2" makes it possible to design the minimum storage volume with an average value (or best value), whereas the storage volume design is usually huge due to the ingoing pattern for the variation based on the worst value from the previous process, and it is possible to utilize the automated warehouse 3 for storage that is prepared for a different reason to deal with the worst value. In addition, in "Effect 3," a typical automated warehouse for storage will be used on the upper floor (mezzanine level), and the structure will be designed so that it can be lowered to the lower floor (first floor), solving the issue of having to install a separate elevator to unload and take out goods from the upper floor.

[0046] At first glance, the automated warehouse 1 according to this embodiment may appear to be a simple combination of multiple automated warehouses, but without the "ultra-high-speed sorter 2" as a prerequisite, it will simply result in a decline in outgoing capacity, and it will be difficult to establish flexibly with only conventional technology. Also, while incorporating such a circulation process into the transport flow of a logistics facility may seem wasteful (or inefficient) at first glance, when merging (or connecting) facilities with significantly large capacity differences, the method of "circulation" functions effectively and beneficially along with "distribution" and "merging".

[0047] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0048] For example, an automated warehouse 1 as shown in FIG. 10 may be adopted. In the automated warehouse 1 shown in FIG. 10, the sorting machine 2 and the storage automated warehouse 3 are arranged so as to be aligned in the horizontal direction. The circulation path 4 has conveyors 54, 55 that transport the article 50 in the horizontal direction. One end of the conveyor 54 is connected to the delivery side of the sorting machine 2, and the other end of the conveyor 54 is connected to the receiving side of the storage automated warehouse 3. One end of the conveyor 55 is connected to the receiving side of the sorting machine 2, and the other end of the conveyor 55 is connected to the delivery side of the storage automated warehouse 3. Specifically, the delivery section 7 and one end of the conveyor 54 are connected to the transport conveyor 33 of the sorting machine 2. The other end of the conveyor 54 is connected to the delivery section 46 on the receiving side at a position corresponding to the storage shelf 41 of the storage automated warehouse 3. The receiving section 6 and one end of the conveyor 55 are connected to the transport conveyor 33 of the sorting machine 2. The other end of the conveyor 55 is connected to a delivery section 47 on the delivery side at a position corresponding to the storage shelf 41 of the storage automated warehouse 3. In this case, the sorter 2 and the storage automated warehouse 3 are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, which improves the freedom of arrangement.

[0049] In addition, the following points can be cited as advantages of placing the sorting machine 2 and the storage automated warehouse 3 horizontally. For example, a circulation function can be configured even in an installation location with a low ceiling height. In the case of a vertical orientation, the second storage warehouse must have equipment with a lifting device, but this is not necessary when placed horizontally. This makes it possible to deploy various types of storage equipment. For example, a typical crane-type automated warehouse does not have a lifting device and is usually not capable of lifting and transporting items below the lowest level, so it cannot be used as a second storage warehouse in the vertical orientation.

[0050] The automated warehouse 1 shown in FIG. 11 may be adopted. As shown in FIG. 11, the sorting machine 2 has a stacked structure 60 of two or more stages, and has vertical conveyors 16A, 16B, 17A, and 17B on the storage side and the delivery side, respectively. The stacked structure 60 has a normal operation stage 61 that transports the article 50 from the storage side to the delivery side, and a circulation stage 62 that transports the article 50 in the opposite direction to the normal operation stage 61. The circulation stage 62 may return the article 50 that has not been matched to the normal operation stage 61. The article 50 returned to the normal operation stage 61 is stored again at one of the positions of the sorting machines 2A and 2B. In this case, the circulation stage 62 can be used to circulate the article 50 within the sorting machines 2A and 2B. Therefore, it is possible to quickly re-match the article at the normal operation stage 61 for the article that does not need to be circulated to the storage automated warehouses 3A and 3B. The circulation stage 62 may be utilized as a circulation conveyor line with high density storage capacity.

[0051] The characteristics and effects of the return circulation stage 62 as described above will be further explained. The normal operation stage 61 for matching has a structure that regulates the arrangement (spacing) of the luggage in the stage in order to select and send out the items 50, grasps what is in what position, and pushes it to the central outgoing conveyor. However, the return circulation stage 62 has the same function as the second storage, so there is no need to match the luggage. When matching the luggage, it is done after returning it to the normal operation stage 61. Therefore, it has the following characteristics to increase the storage quantity. First, all three conveyors including the central conveyor can be used as the same equivalent storage conveyors. Second, it does not have a push function to push out the items 50 with a pusher to the central conveyor. Third, since there is no need for the second item, the arrangement (spacing) of the items 50 is not regulated, and the items 50 are brought into contact with each other and packed forward. Due to these characteristics, the return circulation stage 62 has the effect of realizing more than twice the storage quantity compared to the normal operation stage 61.

[0052] An automated warehouse 1 as shown in FIG. 12(a) may be adopted. The automated warehouse 1 shown in FIG. 12(a) includes one sorting machine 2 and two storage automated warehouses 3. The storage warehouses are arranged horizontally. In addition, two storage automated warehouses 3 are connected to one sorting machine 2 via a circulation path 4 that can transport in the horizontal direction. This automated warehouse 1 can reduce costs compared to the comparative example shown in FIG. 9(b). Furthermore, since the required number of storage units is excessive in the automated warehouse 1 in FIG. 12(a), the required number of storage units may be reduced by adopting FIG. 12(b). In the automated warehouse 1 in FIG. 12(b), the scale of one storage automated warehouse 3 is reduced, and the reduced-scale sorting machine 2 and storage automated warehouse 3 are stacked vertically.

[0053] In addition, various general automated warehouses may be adopted as the second storage for circulation, depending on the customer's operation and required capacity. There are also methods for reducing the required storage volume in the surrounding area. For example, buffer conveyors with a certain length are installed around the equipment in the logistics center, such as a "buffer conveyor before input" and a "delivery conveyor when input luggage is abnormal". These buffer conveyors may be used as the second storage for circulation. In addition, by transmitting (obtaining) information about the items to be input into the automated warehouse 1 at the timing of the completion of picking in the previous process, it is possible to create a circulation algorithm that includes a prediction of incoming goods, or to create a structure in which mismatched goods are directly stored in the storage warehouse. In addition, the "optimal selection algorithm" for the luggage to be once removed and then re-entered by the circulation function is not limited to the content of this embodiment, and can be realized by various algorithms or certain fixed rules. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 2...sorting machine (first storage facility), 3...automated storage facility (second storage facility), 4...circulation path, 20...control unit, 21...packaging processing unit, 22...judgment unit, 23...transport processing unit, 13, 14, 16, 17...vertical conveyors, 54, 55...conveyors, 60...stacked structure, 61...normal operation stage, 62...circulation stage.

Claims

1. An automated warehouse that stores received goods and allows them to be taken out when a predetermined retrieval condition is met, A first repository; A second storage facility having a lower retrieval capacity than the first storage facility; a circulation path for circulating the item between the first storage facility and the second storage facility; A control unit that controls the flow of the items in the first storage unit and the second storage unit, The control unit is a matching processing unit that matches the items received in the first storage facility so as to satisfy the outgoing condition; A determination unit that determines whether the items can be packed together within a predetermined time; a transport processing unit that transports the item determined by the determination unit to be unable to be combined to the second storage facility via the circulation route.

2. The first storage and the second storage are stacked vertically, The automated warehouse according to claim 1 , wherein the circulation path has a vertical conveyor that conveys articles in the vertical direction.

3. The first storage and the second storage are arranged side by side in a horizontal direction, the circulation path includes a conveyor that transports the articles in a horizontal direction, The automated warehouse according to claim 1 , wherein one end of the conveyor is connected to an outgoing side of the first storage facility and the other end of the conveyor is connected to an incoming side of the second storage facility.

4. The first storage facility has a stacked structure of two or more stages and has a vertical conveyor on each of the receiving side and the outgoing side, The laminate structure is a normal operation stage in which the item is transported from the receiving side to the outgoing side; a circulation stage that transports the articles in a direction opposite to that of the normal operation stage; The automated warehouse according to claim 1 , wherein the circulation tier returns the items for which no matching has been achieved to the normal operation tier.

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