Article shipping system

Abstract

To supply a shipping container of a size suited for the total size of articles related to order information at an appropriate timing and simplify load aligning work.SOLUTION: A container molding device 1 molds a shipping container 91 of a size necessary for storing articles in storing order determined through a storing order determination process as a target shipping container 91 which is a shipping container 91 related to target order information. A control system H controls a conveyance system T so that one or more target conveyance containers 92 storing articles related to the target order information can arrive at a load aligning work area 3 in the storing order determined through the storing order determination process and the target shipping container 91 can arrive at the load aligning work area 3 before the arrival of the target conveyance containers 92.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article shipping system that accommodates the specified types of articles and the type-specific specified quantities included in the order information in a shipping container based on order information including the specified types of articles designated for each shipping destination and the type-specific specified quantities of the articles designated for each of the specified types.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Japanese Patent No. 7264702 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique for forming a container that matches the size of an article during the conveyance process of the article within a facility. The article is accommodated in the container immediately after forming. For example, the container is used for shipping the accommodated article.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in a facility that handles multiple order information specifying the types and quantities of articles, various types of articles with different sizes are subject to shipment, and there are also various combinations of multiple articles that are grouped together for shipment. Therefore, when applying the technology described in Patent Document 1 to such a facility, it is necessary to mold a shipping container of a size that conforms to the combination of multiple articles related to the order information. Further, even if such a shipping container can be molded, there is a constraint that a packing operation for accommodating an article group related to specific order information in the shipping container must use the shipping container molded for that order information. Therefore, it becomes difficult to adjust the timing of transporting the article group and the shipping container to the area where the packing operation is performed, and the packing operation may be complicated.

[0005] In view of the above actual situation, it is desired to realize a technology capable of supplying a shipping container of a size that conforms to the total size of an article group related to order information at an appropriate timing and simplifying the packing operation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An article shipping system that accommodates the articles of the specified types and the type-specific specified quantities included in the order information in a shipping container based on order information including the specified types that are the types of articles specified for each shipping destination and the type-specific specified quantities that are the quantities of the articles specified for each of the specified types, comprising: A container molding device that processes a material to mold the shipping containers of a plurality of sizes; An accommodation work area where an article accommodation operation of accommodating one article of the specified type in one target container is performed with at least one of the shipping container and the transport container as the target container based on one or more pieces of the order information; A packing work area where a packing operation of accommodating the type-specific specified quantities of the articles of all the specified types included in one piece of the order information in the shipping container is performed; A transport system that transports the shipping container and the transport container; A control system that controls the container forming device and the conveying system, The control system executes an accommodation order determination process that determines, for each of the plurality of order information as target order information, the accommodation order into the shipping container for each specified type for all the articles related to each specified type included in the target order information, The container forming device forms, as a target shipping container that is the shipping container related to the target order information, a shipping container of a size required when accommodating the articles in the accommodation order determined in the accommodation order determination process, The control system, When transporting the target shipping container and the target transport container, which is the transport container in which the articles related to the target order information are accommodated, to the loading work area, The control system controls the conveying system such that one or more of the target transport containers in which the articles related to the target order information are accommodated arrive at the loading work area in the order corresponding to the accommodation order determined in the accommodation order determination process, and the target shipping container arrives at the loading work area before the arrival of one or more of the target transport containers.

[0007] According to this configuration, when the loading operation of a plurality of articles related to the target order information is performed in the loading work area, the articles accommodated in the target transport containers that arrive later are simply accommodated in the target shipping container that arrives at the loading work area first in the order of arrival of the transport containers, and the loading operation related to the target order information can be completed. And since the target shipping container is formed to the size required when accommodating the articles in the determined accommodation order, it is easy to suppress the dead space in the target shipping container in the state where the loading operation is completed and all the articles related to the target order information are accommodated in the target shipping container. Therefore, highly efficient accommodation can be realized. As described above, according to this configuration, it is possible to supply a shipping container of a size suitable for the total size of the article group related to the order information at an appropriate timing and to simplify the loading operation.

[0008] Further features and advantages of the technology according to the present disclosure will become clearer from the following description of exemplary and non-limiting embodiments described with reference to the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] The article shipping system is a system that accommodates articles of the specified types included in the order information and the specified number of articles for each specified type in a shipping container based on the order information including the specified types of articles designated for each shipping destination and the specified number of articles for each specified type. Hereinafter, embodiments of the article shipping system will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] 〔First Embodiment〕 First, a first embodiment of the article shipping system will be described.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, in the article shipping system 100, a transport container 92 and a shipping container 91 are transported between processes. The same type of article 8 (see FIG. 3) is accommodated in the transport container 92. A plurality of types of articles 8 accommodated in a plurality of transport containers 92 are collectively accommodated in the shipping container 91. The plurality of types of articles 8 accommodated in the shipping container 91 are shipped to a designated shipping destination. The plurality of types of articles 8 collectively accommodated in one shipping container 91 are determined by the order information Ia (see FIG. 3).

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the article shipping system 100 includes a container forming device 1, a housing work area 2, a loading work area 3, a conveying system T, and a control system H.

[0014] The container forming device 1 is configured to process a material to form shipping containers 91 of a plurality of sizes. The container forming device 1 deforms a rigid sheet-like material or plate-like material into a container shape. This becomes the shipping container 91. The formed shipping container 91 is, for example, a cardboard box.

[0015] The size of the shipping container 91 formed by the container forming device 1 is variable. The size of the shipping container 91 is determined so that all the articles 8 related to the order information Ia can be accommodated. Further, the size of the shipping container 91 is set to a size approximate to the total size of all the articles 8 related to the order information Ia. Thereby, it is easy to reduce the dead space in the shipping container 91 when all the articles 8 related to the order information Ia are accommodated in the shipping container 91. Therefore, highly efficient accommodation can be realized. Although details will be described later, the container forming device 1 acquires size information Ic (see FIG. 2) from the control system H and forms the shipping container 91 based on the size information Ic.

[0016] The housing work area 2 is an area where an article housing operation is performed to house one specified type of article 8 in one target container, with at least one of the shipping container 91 and the transport container 92 as the target container, based on one or more order information Ia.

[0017] In the present embodiment, in the housing work area 2, an article housing operation is performed using the transport container 92 as the target container. That is, among the shipping container 91 and the transport container 92, only the transport container 92 is used as the target container. The transport container 92 is used for the article housing operation, and the article 8 is housed in the transport container 92 by this article housing operation. In the present embodiment, the shipping container 91 is not used for the article housing operation.

[0018] In the storage operation area 2, a plurality of types of articles 8 supplied from, for example, an automated warehouse (not shown) are arranged. Here, "arranged" means being placed in the storage operation area 2 until at least the article storage operation is completed. The article storage operation is performed in units of one order information Ia. In other words, one transport container 92 is used for the article storage operation related to one order information Ia. When the article storage operation related to other order information Ia is performed, another transport container 92 is used.

[0019] Also, in the article storage operation, one type of article 8 among the specified types related to the order information Ia is stored in the transport container 92. By the article storage operation, one or a plurality of the same type of articles 8 are stored in the transport container 92. In the illustrated example, the article shipping system 100 includes a plurality of storage operation areas 2. The article storage operation is performed in each storage operation area 2. Although details will be described later, the storage operation area 2 (specifically, a control device that manages the area, etc.) acquires work information Id from the control system H. Based on this work information Id, the article storage operation is performed. Note that the article storage operation is performed by an operator or a robot, or both.

[0020] The packing operation area 3 is arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction by the transport system T with respect to both the container molding device 1 and the storage operation area 2. In the packing operation area 3, the shipping container 91 molded by the container molding device 1 and the transport container 92 in which the article 8 is stored by the article storage operation in the storage operation area 2 are transported by the transport system T.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, in the packing operation area 3, a packing operation is performed in which the specified number of articles 8 of each of all the specified types included in one order information Ia are stored in the shipping container 91. In the present embodiment, the packing operation is performed by an operator.

[0022] In the illustrated example, all the specified types included in the order information Ia are "Article A, Article B, Article C". And for each of the specified types, the number of Article 8 (the specified number by type) is set. In the illustrated example, the order information Ia is "Article A: 1 piece, Article B: 2 pieces, Article C: 3 pieces". In the loading operation, all these Articles 8 related to the order information Ia are accommodated in the shipping container 91 formed by the container forming device 1. As described above, the dead space in the shipping container 91 in which all the Articles 8 related to the order information Ia are accommodated is kept small.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, in the loading work area 3, a work instruction output device 30 for outputting an instruction for the loading work to the operator is installed. For example, the work instruction output device 30 is provided with a monitor, and displays (outputs) an instruction for the loading work on the monitor. Although details will be described later, the work instruction output device 30 acquires work information Id from the control system H and outputs the work information Id. The operator performs the loading work based on the work information Id output by the work instruction output device 30.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transport system T is configured to transport the shipping container 91 and the transport container 92. The transport system T mainly includes a conveyor. However, the transport system T may be provided with a transport device other than a conveyor, such as an automated guided vehicle.

[0025] In this embodiment, the transport system T includes a temporary storage device Ta for temporarily storing the transport container 92.

[0026] The temporary storage device Ta has a function of unloading the stored transport container 92. The temporary storage device Ta can unload any number of transport containers 92 at once in a state where they are arranged in an arbitrary order. The temporary storage device Ta is provided with a transport device such as a conveyor or a transport cart. Although details will be described later, the temporary storage device Ta acquires order information Ib (see FIG. 2) from the control system H and unloads the transport container 92 based on the order information Ib.

[0027] In this embodiment, the transport system T includes a first transport system T1, a second transport system T2, and a third transport system T3. In this example, the transport system T includes a fourth transport system T4 in addition to the above transport systems.

[0028] The first transport system T1 transports the shipping container 91 formed by the container molding device 1. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the first transport system T1 transports the shipping container 91 along a path extending from the container molding device 1 to the loading work area 3.

[0029] The second transport system T2 transports the transport container 92 in which the article 8 is stored by the article storage operation in the storage work area 2. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the second transport system T2 transports the transport container 92 along a path extending from each storage work area 2 to the temporary storage device Ta.

[0030] The third transport system T3 transports a plurality of transport containers 92 that are stored in the temporary storage device Ta and are related to each other. The "plurality of transport containers 92 related to each other" means a plurality of transport containers 92 that contain the article 8 related to one order information Ia. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the third transport system T3 transports a plurality of transport containers 92 along a path extending from the temporary storage device Ta to the loading work area 3.

[0031] The fourth transport system T4 transports the transport container 92 that has been used in the loading operation and has become empty. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the fourth transport system T4 transports the empty transport container 92 along a path returning from the loading work area 3 to each process. For example, the fourth transport system T4 may be configured to transport the empty transport container 92 along a path extending from the loading work area 3 to the storage work area 2. According to this configuration, the empty transport container 92 transported by the fourth transport system T4 can be reused in the article storage operation in the storage work area 2.

[0032] The control system H is configured to control the container forming device 1 and the transport system T. The control system H can be configured using a plurality of hardware components and a plurality of software components. The control system H includes, for example, a processor such as a microcomputer and peripheral circuits such as a memory. Then, each function is realized by the cooperation of these hardware components and a program executed on a processor such as a computer.

[0033] Here, in this article shipping system 100, a plurality of order information Ia is handled. In this specification, when paying attention to a specific order information Ia among the plurality of order information Ia, the order information Ia is referred to as the target order information Ia. That is, in this specification, each of the plurality of order information Ia is used as the target order information Ia.

[0034] The control system H is configured to execute an accommodation order determination process for determining the accommodation order of the articles 8 related to all the specified types included in the target order information Ia in the shipping containers 91 for each specified type.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the accommodation order determination process is executed including the following steps. In the accommodation order determination process, the control system H acquires the order information Ia (step #1). In the present embodiment, the control system H acquires the order information Ia from the database DB (see FIG. 2).

[0036] After the process of step #1, the control system H generates order information Ib based on the acquired order information Ia (step #2). The "order information Ib" is information regarding the accommodation order of the articles 8 related to the target order information Ia in the shipping containers 91 for each specified type. The accommodation order is determined in an appropriate order by performing a simulation based on various conditions. Examples of the various conditions include "accommodate larger articles 8 first", "accommodate heavier articles 8 first", and "accommodate the same type of articles 8 tightly". The information regarding the determined accommodation order is generated as the order information Ib by the control system H.

[0037] In the example shown in FIG. 5, when the target order information Ia is "Item A: 1 piece, Item B: 2 pieces, Item C: 3 pieces", as a result of executing the accommodation order determination process, the first items to be accommodated in the shipping container 91 are 2 pieces of Item B, the next is 1 piece of Item A, and the last is 3 pieces of Item C.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 4, after the process of step #2, the control system H generates size information Ic based on the acquired order information Ia (step #3). The "size information Ic" is information regarding the size of the shipping container 91 to be formed by the container molding device 1. For example, the size of the shipping container 91 is determined by calculating a plurality of arrangement patterns of all the items 8 according to the order information Ia when accommodating them in the shipping container 91, and selecting the arrangement pattern with the smallest size of the shipping container 91 from among those arrangement patterns.

[0039] After the process of step #3, the control system H generates work information Id based on the acquired order information Ia (step #4). The "work information Id" is information regarding the item accommodation work in the accommodation work area 2 or information regarding the loading work in the loading work area 3. For example, the work information Id as information regarding the item accommodation work is information about the specified types of items 8 to be accommodated in the transport container 92 in the item accommodation work and the specified number by type in that specified type. Also, for example, the work information Id as information regarding the loading work is information about the accommodation order and accommodation position for all the items 8 according to the order information Ia to be accommodated in the shipping container 91 in the loading work.

[0040] Note that the processes of steps #2 to #4 described above do not have to be in the order shown in FIG. 4. Also, these processes of steps #2 to #4 can be performed simultaneously.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the control system H transmits the generated size information Ic to the container molding apparatus 1. The container molding apparatus 1 molds the shipping container 91 according to the size information Ic. That is, the container molding apparatus 1 molds the shipping container 91 having the size required when accommodating the article 8 in the accommodation order determined in the accommodation order determination process as the target shipping container 91 that is the shipping container 91 related to the target order information Ia. After molding the shipping container 91, the container molding apparatus 1 converts the target order information Ia that is the basis of the molding into a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code and attaches it to the shipping container 91. Examples of this attachment method include pasting and printing.

[0042] In this embodiment, the control system H transmits the generated order information Ib to the transport system T. The transport system T transports the shipping container 91 and the transport container 92 according to the order information Ib. Further, the transport system T transports the shipping container 91 so that the shipping container 91 arrives at the loading work area 3 before the transport container 92 containing the article 8 related to the target order information Ia arrives at the loading work area 3. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, when the control system H transports the target shipping container 91 and the target transport container 92 which is the transport container 92 containing the article 8 related to the target order information Ia to the loading work area 3, one or a plurality of target transport containers 92 containing the article 8 related to the target order information Ia arrive at the loading work area 3 in the order corresponding to the accommodation order determined by the accommodation order determination process, and the target shipping container 91 arrives at the loading work area 3 before the arrival of one or a plurality of target transport containers 92, the transport system T is controlled. In this example, the control system H controls the transport system T so that the target shipping container 91 related to the target order information Ia first arrives at the loading work area 3, and then a plurality of target transport containers 92 containing the article 8 related to the target order information Ia arrive at the loading work area 3 in the accommodation order determined by the accommodation order determination process. However, the arrival order of the plurality of target transport containers 92 at the loading work area 3 does not necessarily have to be in the above accommodation order. Within the range where all the articles 8 related to the target order information Ia can be accommodated in the target shipping container 91, these arrival orders may be reversed. The loading work is basically performed in the accommodation order determined by the accommodation order determination process, but in the above case, it may be performed in the arrival order of the plurality of target transport containers 92.

[0043] In this embodiment, the temporary storage device Ta stores the target transport containers 92 until all the target transport containers 92 related to the target order information Ia are complete. Then, the control system H controls the container forming device 1 so that the target shipping container 91 is formed after all the target transport containers 92 related to the target order information Ia are stored, and controls the transport system T so that the formed target shipping container 91 arrives at the loading work area 3 via a route that does not pass through the temporary storage device Ta. In this example, the target transport containers 92 are transported to the loading work area 3 using the second transport system T2 and the third transport system T3. On the other hand, the target shipping container 91 is transported to the loading work area 3 using the first transport system T1, which is different from the above transport system.

[0044] Then, the control system H controls the transport system T so that the target transport containers 92 stored in the temporary storage device Ta are unloaded from the temporary storage device Ta toward the loading work area 3 in the order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process, and controls the transport system T so that the target shipping container 91 arrives at the loading work area 3 before the target transport containers 92 arrive at the loading work area 3.

[0045] In this embodiment, the control system H transmits work information Id, which is information related to the article storage work, to the storage work area 2. In the storage work area 2, the article storage work is performed according to the work information Id.

[0046] In this embodiment, the control system H transmits work information Id, which is information related to the loading work, to the loading work area 3. In the loading work area 3, the loading work is performed according to the work information Id.

[0047] As described above, in this embodiment, the work instruction output device 30 is installed in the loading work area 3. The work information Id transmitted by the control system H is output by the work instruction output device 30. That is, the work instruction output device 30 outputs at least a part of the content determined by the accommodation order determination process during the loading work related to the target order information Ia. The work information Id output by the work instruction output device 30 is displayed, for example, on a monitor used by an operator. The operator performs the loading work according to the work information Id. Note that the output of the work information Id includes outputting the accommodation order of the article 8 into the target shipping container 91 in a text-based manner, outputting in an image-based (accommodation position) manner, or including both.

[0048] As described above, in the article shipping system 100, the target shipping container 91 is formed in an appropriate size based on the target order information Ia. This target shipping container 91 arrives at the loading work area 3 earlier than the target transport container 92 that contains the article 8 related to the target order information Ia. Then, promptly, a plurality of target transport containers 92 that contain these articles 8 arrive at the loading work area 3 so that the articles 8 related to the target order information Ia are supplied to the loading work area 3 in the accommodation order determined by the accommodation order determination process. An operator in the loading work area 3 can complete the loading work related to the target order information Ia simply by accommodating the articles 8 contained in the target transport container 92 that arrives later into the target shipping container 91 that first arrives at the loading work area 3 in the order in which the transport container 92 arrives. Therefore, according to the article shipping system 100 described above, it is possible to supply a target shipping container 91 having a size suitable for the total size of the article group related to the target order information Ia at an appropriate timing and to simplify the loading work.

[0049] 〔Second Embodiment〕 Next, the second embodiment of the article shipping system will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. Regarding points not particularly described, they are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0050] FIG. 6 shows an outline of the article shipping system 100 according to the second embodiment.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 6, the conveyance system T is configured to convey the shipping container 91 formed by the container molding device 1 in an empty state to the temporary storage device Ta. In the present embodiment, the first conveyance system T1 is configured to convey the shipping container 91 in the path from the container molding device 1 to the temporary storage device Ta.

[0052] The temporary storage device Ta is configured to store the target shipping container 91 and the target conveyance container 92 until all the target shipping containers 91 and the target conveyance containers 92 related to the target order information Ia are complete.

[0053] After the target shipping container 91 stored in the temporary storage device Ta is carried out from the temporary storage device Ta toward the packing work area 3, the control system H controls the conveyance system T so that the target conveyance container 92 stored in the temporary storage device Ta is carried out from the temporary storage device Ta toward the packing work area 3 in the order according to the accommodation order determined in the accommodation order determination process.

[0054] In the present embodiment, the control system H controls the conveyance system T so that the target shipping container 91 and the plurality of target conveyance containers 92 are carried out from the temporary storage device Ta in a state of being arranged in series. Further, the conveyance system T carries out these containers from the temporary storage device Ta so that the target shipping container 91 is at the head and the plurality of subsequent target conveyance containers 92 are in the accommodation order determined in the accommodation order determination process (the control system H controls the conveyance system T in this way). In the illustrated example, three target conveyance containers 92 are arranged following the target shipping container 91 and carried out from the temporary storage device Ta. These containers are conveyed from the temporary storage device Ta toward the packing work area 3 by the third conveyance system T3.

[0055] 〔Third Embodiment〕 Next, regarding the third embodiment of the article shipping system, the points different from the first embodiment will be mainly described. For points not particularly described, they are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0056] FIG. 7 shows an overview of the article shipping system 100 according to the third embodiment.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 7, the conveyance system T is configured to convey the shipping container 91 formed by the container molding device 1 in an empty state to the storage work area 2. In the present embodiment, the first conveyance system T1 is configured to convey the shipping container 91 in the path from the container molding device 1 to the storage work area 2.

[0058] In the present embodiment, in the storage work area 2, article storage work is performed with both the shipping container 91 and the conveyance container 92 as target containers. That is, by the article storage work in the storage work area 2, the article 8 is stored not only in the conveyance container 92 but also in the shipping container 91.

[0059] The type of the article 8 stored in the shipping container 91 is a single type. This is the same even when the conveyance container 92 is the target. For example, when the specified types included in the target order information Ia are "article A, article B, article C", the article 8 related to one of these three types is stored in the shipping container 91. In this case, the article 8 of the type to be stored first in the storage order determined by the storage order determination process may be set as the storage target for the shipping container 91. Thereby, a part of the packing work originally performed in the packing work area 3 can be performed in the storage work area 2.

[0060] The temporary storage device Ta is configured to store the target shipping container 91 and the target conveyance container 92 until all of the target shipping container 91 and the target conveyance container 92 related to the target order information Ia are complete.

[0061] The control system H controls the transport system T so that the target shipping container 91 and the target transport container 92 stored in the temporary storage device Ta are carried out from the temporary storage device Ta to the packing work area 3 in the order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process.

[0062] In the present embodiment, the control system H controls the transport system T so that the target shipping container 91 and the plurality of target transport containers 92 are carried out from the temporary storage device Ta in a state of being arranged in series. Further, the transport system T carries out these containers from the temporary storage device Ta so that the target shipping container 91 is at the head, and the plurality of subsequent target transport containers 92 are in the storage order determined in the storage order determination process (the control system H controls the transport system T in such a manner). In the illustrated example, three target transport containers 92 are arranged following the target shipping container 91 and carried out from the temporary storage device Ta. These containers are transported from the temporary storage device Ta to the packing work area 3 by the third transport system T3.

[0063] 〔Other Embodiments〕 Next, other embodiments will be described.

[0064] (1) In the above embodiment, the article storage operation has been described for an example in which the operation is performed in units of one order information Ia. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example, and operations related to a plurality of order information Ia may be performed in one article storage operation. In this case, the articles 8 related to the plurality of order information Ia are mixed in one transport container 92. Therefore, in the subsequent process of the article storage operation, it is preferable that an operation of sorting the articles 8 in the transport container 92 for each of the plurality of order information Ia be performed.

[0065] (2) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the conveying system T includes a temporary storage device Ta for temporarily storing the conveying containers 92 has been described. However, without being limited to such an example, the conveying system T may not include the temporary storage device Ta. In this case, by the second conveying system T2, a plurality of target conveying containers 92 are conveyed to the loading work area 3 in an order corresponding to the loading order determined by the storage order determination process.

[0066] (3) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the loading work in the loading work area 3 is performed by an operator has been described. However, without being limited to such an example, the loading work may be performed by a robot, or by both a robot and an operator.

[0067] (4) Note that the configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments can also be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in other embodiments as long as no contradiction occurs. Regarding other configurations as well, all the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples in all respects. Therefore, various modifications can be appropriately made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0068] Summary of the present embodiment Hereinafter, the summary of the present embodiment will be described.

[0069] An article shipping system that stores the articles of the specified types and the type-specific specified quantities included in the order information in a shipping container based on order information including the specified types that are the types of articles specified for each shipping destination and the type-specific specified quantities that are the quantities of the articles specified for each of the specified types, a container molding device that processes a material to mold the shipping containers of a plurality of sizes, a storage work area in which an article storage operation of storing one article of the specified type in one target container is performed, with at least one of the shipping container and the conveying container as the target container, based on one or more pieces of the order information; An order fulfillment work area where the packing operation of accommodating the articles of the specified type in the specified quantity for each of all the specified types included in one said order information into the shipping container is performed, A transport system for transporting the shipping container and the transport container, A control system for controlling the container forming device and the transport system, and The control system executes an accommodation order determination process of determining the accommodation order into the shipping container for each specified type for all the articles related to all the specified types included in the target order information, with each of the plurality of said order information as the target order information, The container forming device forms a shipping container of a size required when accommodating the articles in the accommodation order determined in the accommodation order determination process, as a target shipping container which is the shipping container related to the target order information, The control system, When transporting the target shipping container and the target transport container which is the transport container in which the articles related to the target order information are accommodated to the order fulfillment work area, One or more of the target transport containers in which the articles related to the target order information are accommodated arrive at the order fulfillment work area in an order corresponding to the accommodation order determined in the accommodation order determination process, and the control system controls the transport system so that the target shipping container arrives at the order fulfillment work area before the arrival of one or more of the target transport containers.

[0070] According to this configuration, when the loading operation of a plurality of articles related to the target order information is performed in the loading operation area, the articles contained in the target transport container that arrives later are stored in the target shipping container that first arrives at the loading operation area in the order of arrival of the transport container, and thus the loading operation related to the target order information can be completed. And since the target shipping container is shaped to the size required when storing articles in the determined storage order, in the state where the loading operation is completed and all the articles related to the target order information are stored in the target shipping container, it is easy to reduce the dead space in the target shipping container. Therefore, highly efficient storage can be realized. As described above, according to this configuration, it is possible to supply a shipping container sized to fit the total size of the article group related to the order information at an appropriate timing, and to simplify the loading operation.

[0071] In the loading operation area, a work instruction output device for outputting an instruction for the loading operation to the operator is installed. It is preferable that the work instruction output device outputs at least a part of the content determined by the storage order determination process during the loading operation related to the target order information.

[0072] According to this configuration, the operator can easily perform the loading operation based on the instruction output by the work instruction output device.

[0073] In the storage operation area, the article storage operation is performed using both the shipping container and the transport container as the target container. The transport system includes a temporary storage device for temporarily storing the shipping container and the transport container. The temporary storage device stores the target shipping container and the target transport container until all of them related to the target order information are available. The control system It is preferable that the transport system is controlled so that the target shipping container and the target transport container stored in the temporary storage device are carried out from the temporary storage device toward the loading work area in an order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process.

[0074] According to this configuration, a plurality of articles related to target order information can be transported to the loading work area in an appropriate order corresponding to the storage order into the target shipping container. Also, according to this configuration, before the target shipping container arrives at the loading work area, that is, at a stage prior to the loading work, a part of the articles related to the target order information is stored in the target shipping container and can be transported to the loading work area. In other words, the target shipping container can also function as a transport container. With such a configuration, compared with the case of transporting an empty target shipping container used for the loading work to the loading work area, the number of containers involved in the loading work related to the target order information can be kept small, so it is easy to improve the transport efficiency in the transport system.

[0075] In the storage work area, the article storage work is performed using the transport container as the target container. The transport system includes a temporary storage device for temporarily storing the shipping container and the transport container, and transports the shipping container formed by the container forming device to the temporary storage device in an empty state. The temporary storage device stores the target shipping container and the target transport container until all of the target shipping container and the target transport container related to the target order information are complete. It is preferable that the control system controls the transport system so that after the target shipping container stored in the temporary storage device is carried out from the temporary storage device toward the loading work area, the target transport container stored in the temporary storage device is carried out from the temporary storage device toward the loading work area in an order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process.

[0076] According to this configuration, the target shipping container can be first arrived at the loading work area, and then a plurality of target transport containers can be arrived in an order according to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process. Therefore, in the loading work area, by simply performing the loading work in the arrival order of the containers, all the articles related to the target order information can be stored in the target shipping container.

[0077] In the storage work area, the article storage work is performed using the transport container as the target container. The transport system includes a temporary storage device for temporarily storing the transport container. The temporary storage device stores the target transport containers until all the target transport containers related to the target order information are assembled. The control system controls the container forming device so that the target shipping container is formed after all the target transport containers related to the target order information are stored, and controls the transport system so that the formed target shipping container arrives at the loading work area through a route that does not pass through the temporary storage device. The control system controls the transport system so that the target transport containers stored in the temporary storage device are carried out from the temporary storage device toward the loading work area in an order according to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process, and controls the transport system so that the target shipping container arrives at the loading work area before the target transport containers arrive at the loading work area, which is preferable.

[0078] According to this configuration, it is possible to bring closer the timing when the target shipping container is formed by the container forming device and the timing when the loading work is performed. Therefore, for example, when the order information is changed immediately before the loading work, the response ability of the formation of the target shipping container can be enhanced. And since the formed target shipping container passes through a route different from the route through which the target transport containers are transported to the loading work area, it is easy to make the target shipping container arrive at the loading work area earlier than the target transport containers.

Industrial Applicability

[0079] The technology according to the present disclosure can be used in an article shipping system that stores the specified types of articles and the specified number of articles for each type included in the order information in a shipping container based on order information including the specified types of articles designated for each destination and the specified number of articles for each specified type.

Explanation of Signs

[0080] 100: Article shipping system 1: Container forming device 2: Storage work area 3: Loading work area 30: Work instruction output device 8: Articles 91: Shipping container 92: Transport container H: Control system T: Transport system Ta: Temporary storage device Ia: Order information

Claims

1. An article shipping system that stores articles of the specified types and the type-specific specified quantities included in the order information in a shipping container based on order information including the specified types of articles specified for each shipping destination and the type-specific specified quantities of the articles specified for each of the specified types, comprising: A container molding device that processes a material to mold shipping containers of a plurality of sizes; An accommodation work area where an article accommodation operation is performed to accommodate one article of the specified type in one target container, with at least one of the shipping container and the transport container as the target container, based on one or more pieces of the order information; A packing work area where a packing operation is performed to store the articles of the type-specific specified quantities for each of all the specified types included in one piece of the order information in the shipping container; A transport system that transports the shipping container and the transport container; A control system that controls the container molding device and the transport system, The control system executes a storage order determination process that determines a storage order for the shipping container for each specified type for all the articles related to each of the plurality of pieces of order information as target order information; The container molding device molds a shipping container of a size required when storing the articles in the storage order determined in the storage order determination process as a target shipping container that is the shipping container related to the target order information; The control system, When transporting the target shipping container and a target transport container that is the transport container in which the articles related to the target order information are stored to the packing work area, One or more of the target transport containers containing the articles related to the target order information arrive at the loading work area in the order according to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process, and the target shipping container arrives at the loading work area before the arrival of one or more of the target transport containers. An article shipping system that controls the transport system.

2. In the loading work area, a work instruction output device for outputting an instruction for the loading work to an operator is installed. The work instruction output device outputs at least a part of the content determined by the storage order determination process during the loading work related to the target order information. The article shipping system according to claim 1.

3. In the storage work area, the article storage work is performed using both the shipping container and the transport container as the target containers. The transport system includes a temporary storage device for temporarily storing the shipping container and the transport container. The temporary storage device stores the target shipping container and the target transport container until all of the target shipping container and the target transport container related to the target order information are complete. The control system is The target shipping container and the target transport container stored in the temporary storage device are carried out from the temporary storage device to the loading work area in the order according to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process. The article shipping system according to claim 1 or 2, which controls the transport system.

4. In the storage work area, the article storage work is performed using the transport container as the target container. The transport system includes a temporary storage device for temporarily storing the shipping container and the transport container, and transports the shipping container formed by the container forming device to the temporary storage device in an empty state. The temporary storage device stores the target shipping container and the target transport container related to the target order information until all of them are complete, After the target shipping container stored in the temporary storage device is carried out from the temporary storage device toward the loading work area, the control system controls the transport system so that the target transport container stored in the temporary storage device is carried out from the temporary storage device toward the loading work area in an order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process. The article shipping system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. In the storage work area, the article storage work is performed using the transport container as the target container. The transport system includes a temporary storage device for temporarily storing the transport container. The temporary storage device stores the target transport container related to the target order information until all of them are complete. After all the target transport containers related to the target order information are stored, the control system controls the container forming device so that the target shipping container is formed, and controls the transport system so that the formed target shipping container arrives at the loading work area through a route that does not pass through the temporary storage device. The control system controls the transport system so that the target transport container stored in the temporary storage device is carried out from the temporary storage device toward the loading work area in an order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process, and controls the transport system so that the target shipping container arrives at the loading work area before the target transport container arrives at the loading work area. The article shipping system according to claim 1 or 2.

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