Method of improving item layout, and improvement device

Abstract

To achieve efficiency in picking operations at a warehouse.SOLUTION: The method for improving item layout relates multiple corridor groups that correspond to multiple aisles that can be traversed during picking, dividing numerous slots where items are arranged, including: a first search step for searching for isolated items that are positioned in isolated locations among the multiple items indicated in the picking list, among these corridor groups assigned to a picking list indicating multiple items to be picked; a second search step for searching for a corridor group that is to be the replacement location for the isolated items among the corridor groups assigned to the picking list; a third search step for searching for a slot that is to be the replacement location for the isolated items from the slots belonging to the corridor group that is the replacement destination; and a replacement step where the isolated items and the items positioned in the replacement slot are exchanged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an article layout improvement method and an improvement device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the widespread popularity of internet shopping has led to an increase in demand for home delivery, resulting in a labor shortage in warehouses. One of the tasks involved in shipping within a warehouse is "picking," which involves gathering products from within the warehouse that have been instructed to be shipped. As picking is a time-consuming and labor-intensive task, there is a demand to reduce operational costs by making it more efficient.

[0003] Conventionally, in order to improve the efficiency as described above, methods have been considered for optimizing problems from various perspectives such as product placement in a warehouse, movement paths, and generation of pick lists. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 proposes a method using a local search-based algorithm that uses an objective function called PF / PA. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Monika Kofler, “Optimising the storage location assignment problem under dynamic conditions”, [online], May 2015, [Retrieved November 10, 2023], Internet <URL:https: / / www.researchgate.net / publication / 280157450_Optimising_the_storage_location_assignment_problem_under_dynamic_conditions> Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure has been devised in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and aims to realize efficient picking work in warehouses. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure provides a method for improving an item layout, comprising: a first search step of searching for an isolated item that is located in an isolated position among a plurality of items specified in a pick list, in a plurality of aisle groups that are obtained by dividing a plurality of slots in which items are placed into a plurality of aisle groups corresponding to a plurality of aisles that can be passed through during picking; a second search step of searching for an aisle group that will be a replacement destination for the isolated item, from among the aisle groups assigned to the pick list; a third search step of searching for a slot that will be a replacement destination for the isolated item, from among slots belonging to the replacement destination aisle group; and a replacement step of replacing the isolated item with the item located in the replacement destination slot.

[0007] The present disclosure also provides an item layout improvement device having: a first search unit that searches for an isolated item that is placed in an isolated position among a plurality of items specified in a pick list, the plurality of items being specified in a pick list, among a plurality of aisle groups obtained by dividing a plurality of slots in which items are placed into a plurality of aisle groups corresponding to a plurality of aisles that can be passed through when picking; a second search unit that searches for an aisle group that will be a replacement destination for the isolated item, among the aisle groups assigned to the pick list; a third search unit that searches for a slot that will be a replacement destination for the isolated item, among the slots belonging to the replacement destination aisle group; and a replacement unit that replaces the isolated item with the item placed in the replacement destination slot. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to realize efficient picking operations in warehouses. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device that can be used in a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a picking operation according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an improvement in a picking operation according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a picking operation according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a table showing an example of the configuration of order information and a pick list according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] Conceptual diagram to explain the objective function using the conventional PF / PA score [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a product layout and paths in a warehouse according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a product layout and paths in a warehouse according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining grouping according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of grouping according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 11A] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an improvement according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11B] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an improvement according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12A] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an improvement according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12B] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an improvement according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12C] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an improvement according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12D]FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an improvement according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13A] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an improvement according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13B] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an improvement according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13C] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an improvement according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 1 is a flowchart of an improvement process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 1 is a flowchart of a search process for a replacement product according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] (Background to this disclosure) In an actual warehouse, some constraints arise in relation to the configuration and operation of the shelves that contain and store the goods to be shipped and the transport vehicles that transport the goods. Therefore, it is required to solve the optimization problem for the picking work by taking such constraints into consideration. For example, if the local search-based algorithm using the PF / PA score shown in Non-Patent Document 1 is directly applied to the optimization problem in a warehouse of a certain size or larger, problems arise in the calculation time and the reduction rate of the moving distance of the picker in the picking work. Therefore, there is a further demand for a method of improving the layout of goods that takes into account the configuration inside the warehouse for the conventional optimization problem.

[0011] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings as appropriate, each embodiment specifically disclosing the configuration and operation of the article layout improvement method and improvement device according to the present disclosure will be described in detail. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanation of already well-known matters and duplicate explanation of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Note that the attached drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0012] <Embodiment 1> [Equipment configuration example] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device 10 capable of executing a method for improving an item layout according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The information processing device 10 may be installed as an on-premise device in a warehouse where picking work is performed, and configured as part of a system (hereinafter also referred to as a "warehouse system") that manages the warehouse. Alternatively, the information processing device 10 may be configured as a cloud-based device connected to the warehouse system via a network. In the following description, items to be shipped are described as "products", but this is not intended to limit the targets of improvement of the layout in the warehouse.

[0013] A warehouse system may include, for example, a warehouse management system, a warehouse operations management system, a warehouse control system, an automated warehouse, and a guided vehicle. The various systems and devices included in a warehouse system are configured to be able to communicate with each other via wired / wireless networks. A warehouse management system is a system that manages and controls the logistics within a warehouse, and, for example, manages the inventory of items within the warehouse, as well as the entry and exit (receiving and shipping) and movement of items. A warehouse management system may also be called a Warehouse Management System (WMS).

[0014] A warehouse operations management system is a system that manages and controls work in a warehouse, and is, for example, subordinate to a warehouse management system. A warehouse operations management system may also be called a Warehouse Execution System (WES). For example, a warehouse operations management system comprehensively controls the work content of various work entities in a warehouse and the equipment in the warehouse.

[0015] A warehouse control system manages and controls each of the various pieces of equipment in a warehouse. A warehouse control system is sometimes called a Warehouse Control System (WCS).

[0016] The automated warehouse includes, for example, a plurality of shelves as described below, and a storage case (not shown) is installed in each of a plurality of spaces (hereinafter referred to as "slots") provided on the shelves. One or more products of one type or a plurality of types are stored in one storage case. For ease of explanation, it is assumed here that one storage case provided in a slot stores one or a plurality of products of one type. The automated warehouse is also configured so that products can be moved, stored, and kept in each slot under the control of the warehouse system. The movement of products in the automated warehouse may be configured to be executable by a specified device, or may be achieved by manual work.

[0017] The transport vehicle is operated by a worker (hereinafter also referred to as a "picker") and moves to the position of a slot on a shelf where a desired product (a product to be picked) is stored, and is used when picking the desired product. The configuration of the transport vehicle is not particularly limited. For example, a forklift or the like may be used as the transport vehicle, or a cart on which a collection box (not shown) in which the picked product is stored may be mounted. The transport vehicle is not limited to being driven by a worker, and may be configured to automatically travel along a transport route described later. For example, an Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV) or an Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) may be considered. The picking work may be performed by a human worker, or may be automatically performed by a robot or the like installed on the transport vehicle. For the sake of simplicity, an example of picking using a transport vehicle will be described below, but a configuration may also be used in which a human worker picks products along a transport route described later without using a transport vehicle.

[0018] The information processing device 10 according to the present embodiment includes a processing device 11, a storage device 12, a communication device 13, an input device 14, a display device 15, and an external interface 16. Each part is configured to be able to communicate with each other via an internal interface 17. The processing device 11 may be configured using, for example, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Graphical Processing Unit (GPU), a Micro Processing Unit (MPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), or a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The processing device 11 realizes various functions, which will be described later, by, for example, referring to various databases (hereinafter, referred to as DB) stored in the storage device 12 or reading out programs. The storage device 12 is a storage unit for storing various data, programs, and the like, and may be configured from, for example, a volatile / non-volatile storage device such as a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), or a Hard Disk Drive (HDD).

[0019] The communication device 13 is an interface for communicating with an external device via the network 35. There is no particular limitation on the communication standard that the communication device 13 can support, and it may be wired or wireless. In addition, the communication device 13 may be capable of supporting multiple communication standards. Therefore, the network 35 may be configured by combining networks based on multiple communication standards.

[0020] The input device 14 accepts operations and instructions from users of the warehouse (e.g., a manager or a picker). The input device 14 may be composed of a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel display, etc. The display device 15 displays various user interfaces to the user. The display device 15 may be composed of a liquid crystal display, a touch panel display, a lamp, etc. The external interface 16 is an interface for communicating with the external system 20. The external system 20 may be communicatively connected via the communication device 13 and a network 35. The external system 20 is not limited to the systems and devices that constitute the warehouse system, but may be other systems or devices.

[0021] [Picking work] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a picking operation according to the present embodiment. Here, in order to simplify the explanation, an example of a warehouse 300 viewed from above is shown. A plurality of shelves 400 are installed in the warehouse 300, and here, four shelves 400a to 400d are arranged. Each shelf 400 has 2×9 slots 401. Note that, although the height direction is omitted in the example of FIG. 2, an actual shelf may also have a plurality of slots in the height direction.

[0022] In this example, the start position (i.e., the start point of the transport path) and the end position (i.e., the end point of the transport path) of the picking operation by the transport vehicle 200 are specified in advance. A series of picking operations are performed by circulating in front of the slot in which the product to be picked is stored and collecting the product. The transport path that the transport vehicle 200 can pass through is specified along the shelf 400. In other words, the transport path that the transport vehicle 200 can pass when performing the picking operation is composed of one or more aisles, and one aisle is specified along one or two shelves. At this time, as a constraint on the operation of the transport vehicle 200, the transport vehicle 200 can only move in one direction. For example, this is to prevent the transport vehicle 200 from moving backward to pass each other in the same aisle or from causing a collision accident when there are multiple transport vehicles. Also, in the example of FIG. 2, each shelf has two rows of slots, but products cannot be picked across the slots, and products can be picked by positioning in front of the slots in each row.

[0023] Furthermore, there may be empty slots among the multiple slots included in shelf 400. For example, a certain percentage of empty slots may be provided in consideration of when a new type of product arrives or when replenishing or rearranging products.

[0024] In the example of Fig. 2, five products 402a to 402e are to be picked. Product 402a (p3) and product 402b (p1) are stored on shelf 400a. Product 402c (p5) and product 402d (p7) are stored on shelf 400b. Product 402e is stored on shelf 400c. When a picking operation is performed with the five products arranged in this way as the picking targets, a transport route 410 is defined.

[0025] Consider an improvement process for improving the article layout to improve the efficiency of the picking operation, that is, to reduce the conveying distance, for the conveying route 410 shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an example of the improvement process.

[0026] For example, suppose that product 402e (p8) placed on shelf 400c is moved to shelf 400b. As a result, the transport route for collecting all picking targets changes, and becomes transport route 411. When transport route 410 and transport route 411 are compared, transport route 411 has a shorter distance.

[0027] In this embodiment, multiple orders corresponding to multiple shipping operations are acquired as order information. In each piece of order information, products to be picked are specified. One piece of order information is divided into one or multiple pick lists. An example of division will be described later with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 4 shows an example of product placement and transport routes corresponding to each of multiple pick lists.

[0028] In a warehouse, products p1 to p9 are arranged as shown in Fig. 4. Furthermore, in picklist A, five products p3, p1, p5, p7, and p8 are specified as items to be picked. In picklist B, three products p3, p1, and p9 are specified as items to be picked. In picklist C, four products p1, p2, p6, and p4 are specified as items to be picked. In this case, products p1 and p3 are duplicated in multiple picklists.

[0029] 4, the transport routes corresponding to pick lists A, B, and C are transport routes 421, 422, and 423. The order of the products specified in pick lists A, B, and C corresponds to the order in which the products are picked.

[0030] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of order information and a pick list according to this embodiment. Order information 500 is generated in response to a shipping request from an orderer of a product. Order information 500 may be generated by any of the systems constituting the warehouse system, or may be acquired from an external system. Order information 500 includes an order ID for uniquely identifying an order, a customer name for uniquely identifying an orderer, a date indicating the date of order, and a product name indicating the item to be ordered (i.e., the item to be picked). Note that the configuration of order information 500 is just an example, and other items may be included.

[0031] In this embodiment, one or more picklists are generated from one piece of order information based on the arrangement of products in a warehouse, predefined picking conditions, etc. A picklist includes a picklist ID for uniquely identifying the picklist, and a product name indicating the product to be picked. Note that the structure of the picklist is just an example, and other items may be included.

[0032] Pick list 510 shows an example of four pick lists generated based on the order ID "order001" of the order information 500 shown in FIG. 5. Fifteen products p01 to p15 are specified in the order information of the order ID "order001". In generating a pick list, first, the products specified in the order information of interest are rearranged based on the product layout in the warehouse. For example, the products may be rearranged in the order of products arranged on the shelf closest to the starting point. Furthermore, the rearranged multiple products are divided according to predefined picking conditions. The picking conditions may be defined based on, for example, the upper limit of the volume, the upper limit of the weight, the urgency, etc. of the products that can be stored in the transport vehicle in one picking operation.

[0033] In the generated picklist 510, picklist ID "Picklist A" specifies four products: p15, p14, p13, and p12. Picklist ID "Picklist B" specifies six products: p11, p10, p09, and p08. Picklist ID "Picklist C" specifies three products: p05, p04, and p03. Picklist ID "Picklist D" specifies two products: p02 and p01. The order of the products specified in picklists A to D corresponds to the order in which they will be picked.

[0034] [Warehouse information] Examples of various information handled in this embodiment (hereinafter collectively referred to as "warehouse information") are shown below. Note that the warehouse information shown below is an example and is not limited to this. The warehouse information according to this embodiment includes slot arrangement information, product storage information, intersection information, entrance information, exit information, product information, picking rule information, etc.

[0035] The slot arrangement information indicates information about slots that constitute shelves in a warehouse. The slot arrangement information includes a slot name for uniquely identifying the slot, the position coordinates (x, y, z) of the slot in the warehouse, an aisle ID for uniquely identifying the aisle to which the slot belongs, a pick route number indicating the order of picking in the aisle to which the shelf to which the slot belongs is located, and a zone ID for uniquely identifying the zone to which the shelf to which the slot belongs (for example, a refrigerated area or a freezer area). In this example, the position coordinates are shown as an example in an absolute coordinate system (three axes: X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis) in the warehouse, but are not limited to this. For example, they may be shown in a relative coordinate system for each area in the warehouse.

[0036] The product storage information indicates information about the products stored on the shelf. The product storage information includes a product ID for uniquely identifying the stored product, a storage slot name for uniquely identifying the slot in which the product is stored, and the like.

[0037] The intersection information indicates information about the intersection of the passages defined around multiple shelves in the warehouse. The intersection information includes an intersection ID for uniquely identifying the intersection, intersection coordinates (x, y) indicating the coordinates of the intersection in the warehouse, and intersection details (entrance / exit) indicating the position of the intersection on the transport route.

[0038] The entrance information indicates the coordinates (x, y) of the entrance in the warehouse, i.e., the start point of the transport route. The exit information indicates the coordinates (x, y) of the exit in the warehouse, i.e., the end point of the transport route.

[0039] The product information indicates information related to the characteristics of each product, including the volume and weight of the product.

[0040] The picking rule information indicates conditions related to the picking work of products. The picking rule information is used, for example, when generating a pick list as described above, when determining a transport route, when determining the processing order of each order information, etc. The picking rule information may be defined based on, for example, the maximum load volume of a transport vehicle, the maximum load weight of a transport vehicle, pick list division conditions, etc.

[0041] [Local search based algorithm using PF / PA score] In this embodiment, a method for further improving the item layout is proposed based on the local search-based algorithm using the PF / PA score shown in Non-Patent Document 1. Here, the local search-based algorithm will be briefly described.

[0042] Figure 6 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the optimization of product layout by the method described in Non-Patent Document 1. This is an optimization algorithm based on the policy of arranging products with high order frequency near the entrance and exit, and arranging products with high co-sale rates (probability of being purchased at the same time) close to each other. The symbols in Figure 6 indicate the following: A,B1,B2,C:Product I / O: Entrance / exit PF: Order frequency x distance of product from entrance / exit PA: Concurrent sales rate x distance between products

[0043] PF and PA can be calculated by the following formulas (1) and (2). Then, optimization is performed by searching for a product placement that minimizes the PF / PA score, which is expressed as α·PF+β·PA. Here, α and β are weights. Details of each parameter included in formulas (1) and (2) are described in Non-Patent Document 1, so they will not be repeated here.

[0044]

number

[0045] When calculating the above formulas (1) and (2), the order frequency, the concurrent sales rate, and the distance are calculated in a matrix as shown in the following formulas (3) to (12). Each variable is defined as follows. p:Product s:slot N: Total number of items M: Total number of slots O: Total number of orders F: An N×1 frequency matrix, showing the percentage of shipments of a certain product. A: N×N cross-selling matrix. Shows the proportion of a certain product and a certain product that are placed in the same order (cross-selling rate). D: M × M distance matrix. Shows the distance between two slots. X: N×M decision variable matrix, where elements take values ​​0 or 1. n(p i ,p j ):Product p i and product p j The number of orders that include both

[0046]

number

[0047]

number

[0048]

number

[0049] Here, each row of the decision variable matrix X corresponds to a product p1, p2, . . . and each column corresponds to a slot s1, s2, .

[0050]

number

[0051]

number

[0052] In the decision variable matrix X shown in the above formula (7), “1” indicates the position (slot) of the product. For example, 1 Slot s 2 When changing the product placement, the rows in the decision variable matrix X that correspond to the positions before and after the change are swapped. Also, dist(s k ,s l ) is the position s when moving along the passage k and position s l Therefore, the distance from the position s k and position s l This is different from the straight-line distance.

[0053] In formula (11) for calculating the PF score, items with high shipping frequency are placed in slots closer to the entrance / exit by making the value smaller. In formula (12) for calculating the PA score, items with high concurrent sales rates are placed closer to each other by making the value smaller.

[0054] FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a change in the distance of the conveying path due to a change in the arrangement of the products according to the present embodiment. Here, five aisles 701a to 701e are taken as an example for explanation. Also, it is assumed that the start point of the conveying path is on the upper side of the aisle 701a, and the end point of the conveying path is on the lower side of the aisle 701e. As shown in the upper right of FIG. 7, shelves are arranged on at least one of the actual aisles. Here, for the sake of simplicity, the shelves are omitted, and the products arranged on the shelves on the left and right of the aisle are arranged on the aisle for explanation. By passing through the aisle, it is possible to pick up the products located on the shelves on both sides. In the example in the upper right of FIG. 7, the products to be picked are arranged on both the right shelf and the left shelf, but the same simplified expression may be adopted even when the products to be picked are arranged on only one of the shelves. This is because the products that can be picked up from the aisle are the same whether they are distributed and arranged on the shelves on both sides or only on one shelf.

[0055] In the example arrangement shown at the top of Fig. 7, products 702a and 702b to be picked are arranged in aisle 701c. In the case of the arrangement shown at the top of Fig. 7, by proceeding along conveyance route 703a, the picking work can be performed in the order of product 702b and product 702a.

[0056] In the example arrangement shown at the bottom of Fig. 7, product 702a to be picked is placed in aisle 701c, and product 702b is placed in aisle 701d. In the arrangement shown at the bottom of Fig. 7, by proceeding along conveyance route 703b, the picking work can be performed in the order of product 702a and product 702b.

[0057] In the two layout examples shown in Fig. 7, the conventional optimization algorithm using PF / PA scores gives the lower side a lower score, i.e., it is evaluated as being more optimized. This is because the distance on the conveyance path between product 702a and product 702b in the lower layout is shorter than the distance on the conveyance path between product 702a and product 702b in the upper layout.

[0058] However, when comparing the transport route 703a and the transport route 703b, the total route distance is shorter on the upper side of Fig. 7. This is due to the constraints on the transport of the transport vehicle (the passages are one-way). Therefore, in the case of the arrangement example shown in Fig. 7, it is expected that the conventional optimization algorithm using the PF / PA score will not perform appropriate optimization.

[0059] This embodiment has a configuration for dealing with the phenomenon described in FIG. 7. In the conventional method, the distance between slots is used. In contrast, in this embodiment, the distance between the aisles to which the slots belong is defined, and further improvements are made. More specifically, the units for calculating the distance are specified by grouping each slot by the aisle, and the distance between the aisles is defined by taking into account the transport route through the aisle.

[0060] 8 is a conceptual diagram for explaining grouping according to this embodiment. Here, five aisles are taken as an example for explanation. Here, the aisle length of each aisle is indicated by l, and the distance between the aisles is indicated by w. Product 801a is placed in aisle 1, and product 801b is placed in aisle 5.

[0061] In this embodiment, the distance between the aisles to which the slots belong is used instead of the distance between the slots. For example, the transport route 802a indicates the transport route for picking up the product 801a, and the distance is (l+4w). The transport route 802b indicates the transport route for picking up the products 801a and 801b, and the distance is (3l+4w). These distances are calculated at the time when the transport route is specified. By using such distances per aisle, it is possible to reflect the constraints (characteristics) in an actual warehouse, that is, the cost of the picking work, i.e., the distance value, increases when crossing aisles due to the arrangement of the products.

[0062] 9 and 10 are diagrams for explaining an example of grouping of each slot on a shelf. In FIG. 9, three rows of shelves 903a to 903c are shown, and each shelf is composed of 2×4 slots. In addition, above and below each shelf, passage entrances 901a to 901c and passage entrances 902a to 902c are defined based on layout information such as intersections in the warehouse information. Based on this information, a passage group for each slot is set. In this example, four passage groups are set. As an example, a passage group 905 is set. This corresponds to the passage indicated by the entrance 901c and the exit 902c, and is composed of a slot row 904e of shelf 903b and a slot row 904f of shelf 903c. A passage ID for unique identification is assigned to each passage group.

[0063] Grouping can be defined as the same group when the distance from the entrance to the product to the exit is constant. Therefore, it can be applied to any arrangement where the slots are arranged consecutively in the vertical or horizontal direction.

[0064] Fig. 10 shows another example of grouping. Slots in the same group are represented by the same hatching, etc. In layout 1000, six shelves, each having 2 x 3 slots, are arranged. In this case, eight aisle groups are set. In layout 1010, six shelves, each having 4 x 2 slots, are arranged. In this case, eight aisle groups are set.

[0065] Layout 1020 shows an example of inappropriate grouping. In layout 1020, four aisle groups are set. In this case, the shortest transport route for picking up product A, product B, and product C is transport route 1112. Also, the shortest transport route for picking up product A and product C is transport route 1112. In this case, even though the same aisle group is used, the distance is not uniquely determined. In contrast, by defining it as in layout 1030, it becomes possible to uniquely determine the distance. In layout 1030, eight aisle groups are set. The distance is uniquely determined for transport route 1131 and transport route 1132 by using different aisle groups.

[0066] When using such grouping, path groups are assigned instead of slots on the horizontal axis shown in the above formula (7). Also, by substituting the number of path groups instead of the number of slots, the number of elements in the matrix is ​​reduced, and the amount of calculation is also reduced.

[0067] [Improvement example] 11A to 13C, an improvement in the item layout according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0068] In the example of a warehouse layout 1100 shown in FIG. 11A, eleven aisles 1101a to 1101j are shown. In aisle 1101d, product group 1102 and product group 1103 are arranged. Product group 1102 is a product group to be picked as specified by picklist A. Product group 1103 is a product group to be picked as specified by picklist B. Furthermore, product group 1104 is arranged in aisle 1101j. Product group 1104 is a product group to be picked as specified by picklist B. Furthermore, product 1105 is arranged in aisle 1101h. Product 1105 is a product specified in both picklist A and picklist B.

[0069] For example, in a conventional optimization method such as Non-Patent Document 1, a product that belongs to multiple pick lists, such as product 1105, is placed in a location such as the middle position of each pick list based on the PA score. That is, as shown in Fig. 11A, it is placed in a location such as aisle 1101h, which is in the middle position between aisle 1101d and aisle 1101j. In such a placement, it becomes necessary to pass through the middle position when picking up a product from each pick list, which may increase the overall length of the conveyance route.

[0070] Therefore, in the improvement method according to the present embodiment, among the products arranged in the above-mentioned aisle groups, products that have few products belonging to the same pick list (hereinafter referred to as "isolated products" or "isolated items") are identified, and the position of the products is changed to another aisle group. In this example, it is assumed that 11 aisles are defined as 11 aisle groups by the method described using Figures 9 and 10.

[0071] For example, in Fig. 11B, assume that products 1105 and 1107 are isolated products and belong to the same pick list as product group 1102. In this case, product 1105 is moved to slot 1106 in the aisle where product group 1102 is located. Furthermore, product 1107 is moved in the same manner. Note that it is assumed that a product may already be placed in slot 1106, and the processing in this case will be described later.

[0072] First, it is determined whether all products placed are isolated products. For a certain product specified in a pick list, it is determined whether the number of other products specified in the same pick list is small in the aisle group to which the slot in which the product is placed belongs. Here, the number may be a large / small number, which may be determined based on a preset threshold value or the number of slots included in the aisle group or the number of products in the pick list to be generated.

[0073] In the case of specifying according to the number of slots, for example, a product with a number less than a predetermined ratio of the number of slots may be determined to be a product with a small number of products. The choice of whether to use a threshold value to determine whether the number of products is small or not, or a default value according to the number of slots, may be determined according to the warehouse situation and the user's judgment. In the configuration using a threshold value, the criterion for determining whether a product is an isolated product can be intuitively understood, but in this configuration, it is difficult to reuse the setting between warehouses with different numbers of slots included in the aisle group. For example, if the number of products is three, it is better to determine that the number of products is small if the number of slots is 100, but it is better to determine that the number of products is large if the number of slots is five. On the other hand, in the configuration of determining whether the number of products is small or not according to a default value according to the number of slots, the number of products determined to be small changes depending on the number of slots included in the aisle group, so it is difficult to intuitively understand how many products are determined to be a product with a small number of products, but it is possible to set the criterion for determining that the number of products is small for warehouses and aisle groups with different numbers of slots at once.

[0074] When the definition is based on the number of items in the picklist, for example, a statistical value (average value or median value) of the number of items in the picklist group generated in the target warehouse may be calculated, and an item with a number less than a predetermined percentage of the statistical value may be determined to be an item with a small number of items. In this configuration, the settings can be reused between warehouses with different numbers of items in the picklist due to differences in orders and product characteristics. For example, if the number of items is three, it is better to determine that the number of items is small if the average number of items in the picklist is 100, but it is better to determine that the number of items is large if the average number of items in the picklist is five. Note that multiple isolated items may be identified depending on the threshold settings, the definition based on the number of slots, and the content of the definition based on the number of items in the picklist.

[0075] The flow of the improvement process according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 12A to 12D. Figs. 12A to 12D also show an example of 11 aisles, and "1" to "11" are assigned from the left to indicate the aisle groups. Fig. 12A shows an example of an isolated product. In the example shown, an isolated product 1202 arranged in aisle group "9" and other products 1203 arranged in aisle group "5" are arranged in a group of products specified by one pick list A. There is no product belonging to the same pick list as the isolated product 1202 in aisle group "9". In the case of the arrangement shown in Fig. 12A, the transport route for picking all the products specified by pick list A is set as the transport route 1201. That is, the transport route becomes long in order to pick the isolated product 1202. Here, it is assumed that the isolated product 1202 is also specified as a picking target in pick list B.

[0076] FIG. 12B shows an example of identifying an aisle to which an isolated product will be replaced. In the aisle group "5", all of the product groups designated by the two pick lists A to which the isolated product 1202 belongs are arranged. The product group 1203 is a product group designated by the pick list A, and the product group 1204 is a product group designated by the pick list B. In the aisle group "11", the product group 1205 designated by the pick list B is arranged. In this case, the aisle group "5" is identified as the destination aisle 1220 for the isolated product 1202. In the example of FIG. 12B, when focusing on the pick list A, the only aisle group in which other products belonging to the same pick list A as the isolated product 1202 are arranged is the aisle group "5". In this case, when there are multiple aisle groups, the destination aisle may be determined based on the number of other products belonging to the same pick list arranged. For example, the aisle group with the most arranged products may be determined as the destination aisle group.

[0077] FIG. 12C shows an example of a slot to be replaced in an aisle identified as a replacement destination. In the aisle group "5", the product group 1203 and the product group 1204 are specified in the same pick lists A and B as the isolated product 11202, so the slot in which they are placed is excluded from the replacement destination candidates. Therefore, any of the slot groups in which the product groups 1203 and 1204 are not placed is the replacement destination candidate. It is assumed that such a replacement destination candidate contains a product at that time. In this case, a replacement destination candidate is extracted so that the product contained in the replacement destination candidate does not become an isolated product even if a replacement is performed. For example, the product stored in the slot 1206 in the aisle group "5" is specified in a pick list different from that of the isolated product 1202. Therefore, the slot 1206 is identified as a replacement destination, and the product stored in the slot 1206 is replaced with the isolated product 1202.

[0078] 12D shows an example of repetition for an isolated product. Suppose that isolated product 1202 is moved in aisle group "9" and product 1207 is determined to be an isolated product. In this case, by repeating the above-mentioned process, product 1207 is also swapped to another aisle group. Furthermore, product 1208 is a product specified in pick list C, which is different from pick lists A and B, and is identified as an isolated product. By performing the same process on product 1208, the isolation is resolved.

[0079] The process is repeated to eliminate the orphaned products. The process may be repeated a predetermined number of times, or may end when the number of orphaned products becomes zero or stops decreasing.

[0080] 13A to 13C are diagrams for explaining an example of a change in a transport path due to the improvement process for an article layout according to the present embodiment.

[0081] As shown in Fig. 13A, five aisles 1302a to 1302e will be used for explanation. The upper side of aisle 1302a is the start position of the conveyance path, and the lower side of aisle 1302e is the end position of the conveyance path. Product 1301 is arranged in aisle 1302. Products 1303a to 1303c are arranged in aisle 1302c. Products 1303d to 1303f are arranged in aisle 1302d.

[0082] Here, three transport routes corresponding to three pick lists are shown. Transport route 1304a shows the transport route when the picking targets are product 1301, product 1303a, product 1303b, and product 1303c. Transport route 1304b shows the transport route when the picking targets are product 1303a, product 1303b, product 1303c, product 1303f, product 1303e, and product 1303d. Transport route 1304c shows the transport route when the picking targets are product 1301, product 1303a, product 1303b, product 1303c, product 1303f, product 1303e, and product 1303d.

[0083] Focus on product 1301 on conveyance routes 1304a to 1304c corresponding to three picklists. Product 1301 is identified as an isolated product because other products specified in the same picklist do not belong to the same aisle 1302b. It is assumed that by moving product 1301, the distance of conveyance routes 1304a to 1304c can be shortened.

[0084] The order of picklist selection when determining isolated products is not particularly limited, but may be selected, for example, in ascending order of the distance of the transport route. This is because the longer the distance of the transport route, the more likely it is that the route will include a passageway that can shorten the transport route by eliminating the isolation of the product. Also, for example, picklists may be selected in the order of order information with higher priority. This is because products in picklists corresponding to order information with higher priority are picked more frequently or more reliably, and therefore the improvement effect is greater if the transport route is shortened by eliminating the isolation. Alternatively, the picklist of interest may be selected randomly, or according to other criteria.

[0085] Next, the aisle into which the isolated product will be replaced is identified. In this embodiment, this is identified based on the following two conditions. Condition A1: The aisle to which the products in the same picklist belong Condition A2: Picking isolated items in an aisle that does not affect the picking operations of other pick lists

[0086] In this example, aisles 1302a and 1302e do not belong to the same product specified in the pick list as product 1301. Therefore, aisles 1302a and 1302e are excluded from candidates due to the above condition A1. Furthermore, if product 1301 is moved to aisle 1302d, the distance of transport path 1304c can be shortened, but it will be necessary to add aisles 1302d and 1302e to transport path 1304a, which will have an impact. Therefore, aisle 1302d is excluded from candidates due to the above condition A2. As a result, aisle 1302c is identified as the destination aisle for replacement.

[0087] Next, a slot (product) to be replaced is identified from the identified passage. In this embodiment, the identification is performed based on the following two conditions. Condition B1: Slots that belong to the specified passage Condition B2: A slot in which an isolated product is located that will not affect the picking operations of any picklists even if the product is moved to a slot in which an isolated product is located.

[0088] For example, even if product Q in slot 1311a of passage 1302c is replaced with product 1301, which is an isolated product, it does not affect transport route 1304a, which is the picking target. Therefore, slot 1311a satisfies the above conditions B1 and B2, and is identified as a replacement candidate. In this case, by performing the replacement, transport route 1304c can be shortened to transport route 130e. In other words, the distance of transport route 1304c can be shortened by the distance of route 1304d.

[0089] Also, product Q' in slot 1311b of passage 1302c is a product that is not specified as a picking target in any of the three transport routes shown in FIG. 13A. Therefore, there is no pick list that would be affected even if the position of product Q' is changed. Therefore, slot 1311b satisfies the above conditions B1 and B2 and is identified as a replacement candidate. When multiple replacement candidates are identified, such as slots 1311a and 1311b, any one of them may be selected. In this case, it may be determined randomly or in consideration of any condition (for example, the distance between the products to be replaced) or the cost required for replacing the products.

[0090] Another example of the above condition B2 is shown in FIG. 13C. First, a pick list that passes through both the replacement source (isolated product) and the replacement destination (replacement destination candidate) of the product is identified. In the case of FIG. 13C, a pick list corresponding to the transport route 1304a is identified. In the pick list corresponding to the transport route 1304a, the product A located in the slot 1321a of the aisle 1302c and the product B located in the slot 1321b of the aisle 1302b are the picking targets. When there are multiple pick lists that pass through both, it is possible to preferentially select either a pick list in which more products are arranged in the replacement source aisle (in this example, aisle 1302b) or a pick list in which fewer products are arranged in the replacement destination aisle (in this example, aisle 1302c). By selecting in this way, it is possible to arrange products together in a certain aisle and shorten the transport route corresponding to the pick list.

[0091] Then, a slot (product) in which a product is placed that is an aisle included in the transport route corresponding to the selected picklist, belongs to the already selected aisle (in this example, aisle 1302c), and does not affect the picking work of picklists other than the transport route 1304a even if the product is moved to a slot in which an isolated product is placed is specified as a replacement destination. If there are multiple replacement destination candidates, one may be determined based on, for example, a priority defined based on order information. In the example of FIG. 13C, product A located in slot 1321a and product B located in slot 1321b are picked only by the picklist corresponding to the transport route 1304a, and product A located in slot 1321a of the passage 1302c is specified as a replacement destination. Note that if product A located in slot 1321a of the passage 1302c is replaced with product 1301, both product A and product B will be placed in passage 1302b. Therefore, the conveyance route 1304a is modified so as not to pass through the passage 1302c, and this route can also be shortened. In other words, by replacing the product once, two conveyance routes can be shortened.

[0092] [Processing flow] 14 is a flowchart of the improvement process of the item layout according to this embodiment. This process flow may be realized, for example, by the processing device 11 of the information processing device 10 reading and executing programs and data stored in the storage device 12 to control each component of the information processing device 10. This process flow may be started when a user of the information processing device 10 instructs the start of the improvement process of the item layout according to this embodiment. Furthermore, the movement of goods within the warehouse may be performed for each predetermined area within the warehouse, or may be performed during a predetermined time period.

[0093] The information processing device 10 acquires order information corresponding to the shipping request (step S1401). The order information here is acquired by a configuration as shown in FIG. 5. The order information may be automatically transmitted from an external system, or may be acquired by the information processing device 10 making an inquiry. The order information will be described assuming that order information to be shipped in the future is used. However, this is not limited to this, and in addition to order information to be shipped in the future, order information that has already been processed in the past may be included. For example, past order information may be used when performing statistical processing in the processing described later.

[0094] The information processing device 10 acquires predefined warehouse information (step S1402). The warehouse information includes various types of information as described above.

[0095] The information processing device 10 performs slot grouping as described with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 based on the warehouse information acquired in step S1402 (step S1403).

[0096] Based on the order information acquired in step S1401, the information processing device 10 generates a pick list as described with reference to Fig. 5 (step S1404). Note that in step S1401, the information processing device 10 may be configured to acquire a pick list instead of or in addition to the order information. In this case, this step may be omitted.

[0097] The information processing device 10 assigns an aisle group to each of one or more pick lists generated in step S1404 (step S1405). Through this process, a transport route is set for each pick list.

[0098] The information processing device 10 searches for isolated products based on the allocation result in step S1405 (step S1406). The search for isolated products here is performed by the method described with reference to Figs. 11A to 12D.

[0099] The information processing device 10 determines whether or not there are any unprocessed isolated products among the isolated products searched for in step S1406 (step S1407). If no isolated products are detected in step S1406, there are no unprocessed isolated products. If there are unprocessed isolated products (step S1407: YES), the processing of the information processing device 10 proceeds to step S1408. On the other hand, if there are no unprocessed isolated products (step S1407: NO), the processing of the information processing device 10 proceeds to step S1415.

[0100] The information processing device 10 focuses on one of the unprocessed isolated products among the isolated products searched for in step S1406 (step S1408).

[0101] The information processing device 10 searches for an aisle to which the isolated product focused on in step S1407 will be replaced (step S1409). The search for an aisle to which the isolated product will be replaced is performed by the method described with reference to Figs. 11A to 12D.

[0102] The information processing device 10 determines whether or not there is an aisle to be used as a replacement destination as a result of the search in step S1408 (step S1410). If there is an aisle to be used as a replacement destination (step S1410: YES), the process of the information processing device 10 proceeds to step S1411. On the other hand, if there is no aisle to be used as a replacement destination (step S1410: NO), the process of the information processing device 10 proceeds to step S1414.

[0103] The information processing device 10 searches for a replacement product from among the products arranged in the slots belonging to the replacement passage (step S1411). Details of this processing step will be described later with reference to Fig. 15. After that, the process of the information processing device 10 proceeds to step S1412.

[0104] The information processing device 10 determines whether or not a replacement product is available as a result of the processing of step S1411 (step S1412). If a replacement product is available (step S1412: YES), the processing of the information processing device 10 proceeds to step S1413. On the other hand, if a replacement product is not available (step S1412: NO), the processing of the information processing device 10 returns to step S1409 to search for another replacement aisle, and the processing is repeated.

[0105] The information processing device 10 swaps the position of the isolated product focused on in step S1408 with the replacement product searched for in step S1411 (step S1413). Then, the process of the information processing device 10 proceeds to step S1414.

[0106] The information processing device 10 determines whether the number of repetitions of the process related to the improvement process exceeds a predetermined threshold (step S1414). If the number of repetitions exceeds the predetermined threshold (step S1414: YES), this processing flow is terminated. In other words, if the number of repetitions exceeds the predetermined number, the improvement process is terminated even if orphaned products remain at that point. This is to keep the processing time of the improvement process within a certain range. On the other hand, if the number of repetitions does not exceed the predetermined number (step S1414: NO), the information processing device 10 returns to step S1407 and repeats the process for unprocessed orphaned products. The number of repetitions of the process may be determined by counting each time this step is executed.

[0107] The information processing device 10 judges whether or not the pick list needs to be updated due to the replacement of the product (step S1415). For example, the position of the product may be replaced, and the picking order may be changed accordingly. As a result, the number or size of the products that can be stored in the transport vehicle may be exceeded, and in such a case, the pick list needs to be regenerated. Note that, depending on the size of the warehouse and the type of the products, it may not be necessary to regenerate the pick list, and in that case, this step may be omitted. Note that, if the product replacement has not occurred, it may be judged that the update is not necessary. If the pick list needs to be updated (step S1415: YES), the process of the information processing device 10 returns to step S1404, and the pick list is generated based on the updated information (particularly, the updated product storage information). On the other hand, if the pick list does not need to be updated (step S1415: NO), the process of the information processing device 10 proceeds to step S1416.

[0108] The information processing device 10 determines whether the allocation of aisle groups to the pick list needs to be updated in response to the replacement of products (step S1416). The transport route changes as the product positions are replaced. In such a case, in order to determine an improved transport route, it is necessary to reassign the aisles included in the transport route, i.e., the aisle groups. Note that if no product replacement has occurred, it may be determined that no update is required. If the allocation of aisle groups needs to be updated (step S1416: YES), the information processing device 10 returns to step S1405 and repeats the process. On the other hand, if the update of the aisle groups is not required (step S1416: NO), this processing flow ends.

[0109] (Replacement product search process) FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the search process for a replacement product according to this embodiment, and corresponds to the process of step S1411 in FIG.

[0110] The information processing device 10 extracts the product arranged in the passage to be replaced (step S1501).

[0111] The information processing device 10 identifies replacement candidate products from the products extracted in step S1501 (step S1502).

[0112] The information processing device 10 determines whether the number of replacement candidates identified in step S1502 is 0 (step S1503). If the number of replacement candidates is 0, that is, if no replacement candidates could be identified (step S1503: YES), this processing flow is terminated, and the information processing device 10 proceeds to step S1412 in Fig. 14. If the number of identified replacement candidates is not 0 (step S1503: NO), the information processing device 10 proceeds to step S1504.

[0113] The information processing device 10 determines whether the number of replacement candidates identified in step S1502 is 1 (step S1504). If the number of replacement candidates is 1 (step S1504: YES), the information processing device 10 proceeds to step S1505. If the number of replacement candidates identified is not 1 (step S1504: NO), the information processing device 10 proceeds to step S1506.

[0114] The information processing device 10 determines one replacement candidate identified in step S1502 as a replacement destination product (step S1505). Then, this processing flow ends, and the processing of the information processing device 10 proceeds to step S1412 in FIG.

[0115] The information processing device 10 selects one replacement candidate from the multiple replacement candidates identified in step S1502 based on a predetermined condition, and determines it as a replacement destination product (step S1506). The predetermined condition here may be defined based on, for example, a priority determined based on order information, as described using Figures 13A to 13C. Then, this processing flow ends, and the processing of the information processing device 10 proceeds to step S1412 in Figure 14.

[0116] The above-mentioned item layout improvement process may be performed after deriving an initial layout based on the method described in Non-Patent Document 1. The initial layout may be a layout in which products are randomly arranged or in which products are arranged in order of arrival, without considering the efficiency of picking up. Regardless of the initial layout, if the isolation is eliminated by the process of this embodiment, the layout of the products will be improved. After the layout corresponding to the unprocessed pick list is corrected by the item layout improvement process of this embodiment, the position of each product is moved. Then, after the arrangement of each product is completed, the picking work is started. In addition, if the warehouse is of a certain size or more, the area in the warehouse may be divided into multiple areas, and the above-mentioned improvement process may be performed for each area. In this case, it is possible to perform the picking work and the layout improvement process in parallel in the warehouse.

[0117] As described above, in the method for improving the item layout according to the present embodiment, among the multiple slots in which items are arranged, which are divided into multiple aisle groups corresponding to multiple aisles through which items can be picked, an isolated item arranged in an isolated position among the multiple items designated by the pick list is searched for in the multiple aisle groups assigned to the pick list items indicating the multiple items to be picked, an aisle group to which the isolated item will be replaced is searched for from among the aisle groups assigned to the pick list, a slot to which the isolated item will be replaced is searched for from among the slots belonging to the replacement aisle group, and the isolated item is replaced with the item arranged in the replacement slot. This configuration makes it possible to improve the item layout in order to improve the efficiency of picking work in a warehouse. In particular, by eliminating the isolated item, it is possible to shorten the transport path.

[0118] In addition, in the method for improving an item layout according to the present embodiment, if a first item among a plurality of items specified in a pick list is placed in an aisle group in which the number of other items among the plurality of items placed is equal to or less than a predetermined number, the first item is identified as an isolated item. The predetermined number is a predetermined threshold. The predetermined number is determined according to the number of slots included in the aisle group. This makes it possible to identify an isolated item based on the placement of the plurality of items specified in the pick list in the aisle group.

[0119] In addition, in the method for improving an item layout according to the present embodiment, an aisle group to which an orphaned item is to be replaced is identified from among the aisle groups in which multiple items specified in a pick list are arranged. Also, when a search is performed for a first pick list among multiple pick lists specifying the same item, if the same item is an orphaned item, an aisle group to which the orphaned item is to be replaced is identified so that the aisle groups assigned to the other pick lists among the multiple pick lists are not changed. With this configuration, even if there are overlapping items in multiple pick lists, it is possible to eliminate the orphaned item without affecting the transport routes corresponding to the other pick lists.

[0120] In addition, in the method for improving the item layout according to the present embodiment, the aisle group in which the largest number of items specified in the pick list are arranged among the aisle groups assigned to the pick list is identified as the aisle group to which the isolated item is to be replaced. With this configuration, it is possible to improve the layout so that items specified in the same pick list are grouped together in the same aisle. As a result, it is possible to perform picking operations for more items on one aisle, and it is also possible to shorten the overall transport route.

[0121] In addition, in the method for improving the item layout according to the present embodiment, among the slots belonging to the destination passage group, a slot in which an item that will not become an isolated item in multiple pick lists due to the replacement is placed is identified as the destination slot. With this configuration, among the items placed in the destination passage, an item that will not become a new isolated item due to the replacement can be identified as the item to be replaced. Therefore, it is possible to prevent new isolated items from being generated and to prevent an increase in the distance of the conveying route.

[0122] In addition, in the method for improving an item layout according to the present embodiment, for each of a plurality of picklists, information is obtained that indicates a transport route consisting of a plurality of passage groups for picking a plurality of items corresponding to the picklist, and the search process is performed in the order of the longest transport route among the plurality of picklists. With this configuration, it is possible to apply the improvement process in the order of picklists that have the highest possibility or effectiveness of shortening the transport route.

[0123] In the method for improving an item layout according to the present embodiment, a plurality of pick lists are obtained, and the search process is performed in the order of priority in the plurality of pick lists. With this configuration, it is possible to apply the improvement process in the order of priority of the picking operations.

[0124] (Other variations) The result of eliminating product isolation in this embodiment is not necessarily the optimal result among all possible layouts. However, it can be said that by eliminating isolation using the idea of ​​this embodiment, the layout is at least improved. In other words, the method according to this embodiment only needs to be a method for improving the layout, and is not necessarily an optimization method. In other words, "optimization" in this specification is intended to include the fact that it may be a method for finding an optimal solution at a certain point in time, or a solution that is relatively improved under certain conditions.

[0125] In addition, in this embodiment, the timing of the actual product replacement after the decision to replace the products may be arbitrary. For example, the products already in the slots may not be replaced, and only newly received products may be replaced, or the products in the slots may be replaced as needed. In the latter case, the effect of the product replacement may not be immediate, but as the warehouse entry and exit operations progress, the results of the improvement process according to this embodiment will eventually be reflected in the warehouse layout.

[0126] In addition, the product layout that is the basis for improvement in this embodiment may be a product layout arranged in a real warehouse, or a virtual product layout. When a virtual product layout is used, the processing according to this embodiment may be performed for purposes such as simulation when the layout of a real warehouse is first determined.

[0127] In addition, in this embodiment, the layout improvement method for a warehouse that handles products has been described, but the target of layout improvement does not have to be limited to products. The idea of ​​this embodiment can also be applied to warehouses that handle various items such as prototypes that are not subject to commercial distribution, materials, and parts.

[0128] In addition, in the present invention, a program or application for realizing the functions of one or more of the above-mentioned embodiments can be supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, etc., and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device can read and execute the program, thereby making it possible to realize the present invention.

[0129] Moreover, it may be realized by a circuit that realizes one or more functions (for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA)).

[0130] In the present embodiment, the terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish from other elements for convenience. Therefore, these terms should not be interpreted as being limited to specific elements, but may be appropriately interpreted in accordance with changes in components, etc.

[0131] Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications, corrections, substitutions, additions, deletions, and equivalents within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the components in the various embodiments described above may be arbitrarily combined within the scope of the invention.

[0132] (Additional Note) The above-described embodiments disclose the following techniques. (Technology 1) a first search step of searching for isolated items located in isolated positions among the multiple items designated by a pick list in a plurality of aisle groups, the aisle groups being obtained by dividing a plurality of slots in which items are located into a plurality of aisle groups corresponding to a plurality of aisles through which items can be passed during picking, the plurality of aisle groups being assigned to a pick list item that designates the multiple items to be picked; a second search step of searching for an aisle group to which the isolated item is to be replaced from among the aisle groups assigned to the pick list; a third search step of searching for a slot to be a replacement destination of the isolated item from among slots belonging to the replacement destination passage group; a replacement step of replacing the isolated item with an item disposed in the replacement slot; The method for improving the layout of an article includes the steps of:

[0133] (Technology 2) The method for improving an item layout described in Technology 1, wherein in the first search step, if the number of other items among the plurality of items indicated in the pick list that are placed in an aisle group in which a first item among the plurality of items is placed is equal to or less than a predetermined number, the first item is identified as an isolated item.

[0134] (Technology 3) The method for improving an article layout according to Technology 2, wherein the predetermined number is a predetermined threshold value.

[0135] (Technology 4) The method for improving an article layout according to Technology 2, wherein the predetermined number is defined according to the number of slots included in the passage group.

[0136] (Technology 5) The method for improving an article layout according to any one of Technology 1 to Technology 4, wherein in the second search step, an aisle group to which the isolated article is to be replaced is identified from among the aisle groups in which the articles indicated in the pick list are arranged.

[0137] (Technology 6) The method for improving an item layout described in Technology 5, wherein when the second search step is performed for a first pick list among a plurality of pick lists indicating the same item, if the same item is the isolated item, an aisle group to which the isolated item will be replaced is identified so that the aisle groups assigned to other pick lists among the plurality of pick lists are not changed.

[0138] (Technology 7) The method for improving an item layout according to Technology 6, wherein in the second search step, an aisle group in which the largest number of the items specified in the pick list are arranged among the aisle groups assigned to the pick list is identified as an aisle group to which the isolated item will be replaced.

[0139] (Technology 8) The method for improving an item layout according to any one of Technology 1 to Technology 7, wherein in the third search step, a slot in which an item that will not become an isolated item in a plurality of pick lists is placed as a slot to be replaced among the slots belonging to the passage group to be the replacement destination is identified as the slot to be the replacement destination.

[0140] (Technology 9) The method further includes an acquisition step of acquiring, for each of a plurality of pick lists, information indicating a conveying route including a plurality of passage groups for picking a plurality of items corresponding to the pick list; The method for improving an article layout according to any one of Techniques 1 to 8, wherein the processes after the first search step are performed in the order of the longest transport paths in the plurality of pick lists.

[0141] (Technology 10) The method further includes acquiring a plurality of pick lists; The method for improving an article layout according to any one of Technology 1 to Technology 8, wherein the processes after the first search step are performed in descending order of priority in the plurality of pick lists.

[0142] (Technology 11) a first search unit that searches for isolated items that are located in isolated positions among the multiple items specified in a pick list in a plurality of aisle groups that are obtained by dividing a plurality of slots in which items are placed into a plurality of aisle groups corresponding to a plurality of aisles through which items can be passed when picking, in the plurality of aisle groups that are assigned to a pick list that specifies the multiple items to be picked; a second search unit that searches for an aisle group to which the isolated item is to be replaced from among the aisle groups assigned to the pick list; a third search unit that searches for a slot that is a replacement destination for the isolated item from among slots that belong to the replacement destination passage group; A replacement unit that replaces the isolated item with an item disposed in the replacement slot; The article layout improvement device has the following configuration. [Industrial Applicability]

[0143] The present disclosure is useful as an improvement method and an improvement device for improving item layout in picking operations in a warehouse. [Explanation of symbols]

[0144] 10...Information processing device 11... Processing equipment 12...Storage device 13...Communication equipment 14...Input device 15...Display device 16...External interface 20…External system 35…Network 200…Transport vehicle 300…Warehouse 400…Shelf 401...Slots

Claims

1. a first search step of searching for isolated items located at isolated positions among the multiple items designated by a pick list in a plurality of aisle groups, the plurality of aisle groups being obtained by dividing a plurality of slots in which items are located into a plurality of aisle groups corresponding to a plurality of aisles through which items can be passed during picking, the plurality of aisle groups being assigned to a pick list item indicating the multiple items to be picked; a second search step of searching for an aisle group to which the isolated item is to be replaced from among the aisle groups assigned to the pick list; a third search step of searching for a slot to be a replacement destination of the isolated article from among slots belonging to the replacement destination passage group; a replacement step of replacing the isolated item with an item disposed in the replacement slot; The method for improving the layout of an article includes the steps of:

2. 2. The method for improving an item layout according to claim 1, wherein in the first search step, if a number of other items among the plurality of items indicated in the picklist are placed in an aisle group in which a first item among the plurality of items is placed is equal to or less than a predetermined number, the first item is identified as an isolated item.

3. The method for improving an article layout according to claim 2 , wherein the predetermined number is a predetermined threshold value.

4. The method for improving an article layout according to claim 2 , wherein the predetermined number is defined according to the number of slots included in the passage group.

5. 2. The method for improving an article layout according to claim 1, wherein in the second search step, an aisle group into which the isolated article is to be replaced is identified from among the aisle groups in which the plurality of articles designated by the pick list are arranged.

6. 6. The method for improving an item layout according to claim 5, wherein when the second search step is performed for a first pick list among a plurality of pick lists indicating the same item, if the same item is the isolated item, an aisle group into which the isolated item will be replaced is identified so that the aisle groups assigned to other pick lists among the plurality of pick lists are not changed.

7. 7. The method for improving an article layout according to claim 6, wherein in the second search step, an aisle group in which the largest number of the articles indicated in the pick list are arranged among the aisle groups assigned to the pick list is identified as an aisle group into which the isolated article will be replaced.

8. 2. The method for improving an item layout according to claim 1, wherein in the third search step, a slot belonging to the destination aisle group in which an item is placed that will not become an isolated item in multiple pick lists as a result of the replacement is identified as the destination slot.

9. The method further includes an acquisition step of acquiring, for each of a plurality of pick lists, information indicating a conveying route including a plurality of passage groups for picking a plurality of items corresponding to the pick list; 2. The method for improving an article layout according to claim 1, wherein the processes after the first search step are performed in the order of the longest transport path in the plurality of pick lists.

10. The method further includes acquiring a plurality of pick lists; 2. The method for improving an article layout according to claim 1, wherein the processes after the first search step are performed in descending order of priority in the plurality of pick lists.

11. a first search unit that searches for isolated items that are located in isolated positions among the multiple items specified in a pick list in a plurality of aisle groups that are obtained by dividing a plurality of slots in which items are placed into a plurality of aisle groups corresponding to a plurality of aisles through which items can be passed during picking, in the plurality of aisle groups that are assigned to a pick list that specifies the multiple items to be picked; a second search unit that searches for an aisle group to which the isolated item is to be replaced from among the aisle groups assigned to the pick list; a third search unit that searches for a slot that is a replacement destination for the isolated item from among slots that belong to the replacement destination passage group; A replacement unit that replaces the isolated item with an item disposed in the replacement slot; The article layout improvement device has the following configuration.

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