Goods management system, goods management method, and goods management program

Abstract

To provide a goods management system, goods management method, and goods management program capable of arranging picking target goods in optimal positions.SOLUTION: A management server 1 includes an acquisition processing unit 112 for acquiring individual picking processing times in cases where multiple goods are placed at each of multiple placement positions; a prediction processing unit 113 for acquiring picking prediction information for the goods; an evaluation processing unit 114 for evaluating combination picking processing times corresponding to multiple placement position combinations based on the individual picking processing times and picking prediction information; and a determination processing unit 115 for determining one placement position combination from the multiple placement position combinations based on the combination picking processing times.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for arranging items to be picked. [Background technology]

[0002] In warehouses and the like, a system has been introduced that, upon receiving a picking order, picks up an item placed on a shelf and transports it to a predetermined location. Furthermore, a technology has been proposed for optimizing the placement of items on shelves in the system. For example, a technology has been proposed that calculates a recommended item capacity value for each of a plurality of front spaces of a plurality of shelves based on a future demand forecast for the items placed in the front space, and determines a replacement pair for the front space (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-175977 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, conventional techniques allocate items based on demand forecasts and do not take into account factors such as the time required to pick items, making it difficult to allocate items in optimal locations.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an item management system, an item management method, and an item management program that are capable of placing items to be picked in optimal positions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An item management system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an item management system that determines placement position combinations of multiple items for multiple placement positions. The item management system includes an acquisition processing unit, a prediction processing unit, an evaluation processing unit, and a determination processing unit. The acquisition processing unit acquires individual picking processing times when each of the multiple items is placed at each of the multiple placement positions. The prediction processing unit acquires picking prediction information for the items. The evaluation processing unit evaluates combined picking processing times corresponding to multiple placement position combinations based on the individual picking processing times and the picking prediction information. The determination processing unit determines one placement position combination from the multiple placement position combinations based on the combined picking processing time.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides an item management method for determining a combination of locations for a plurality of items to be placed at a plurality of locations, wherein the item management method includes one or more processors executing the following steps: acquiring individual picking processing times when each of the plurality of items is placed at a respective one of the plurality of locations; acquiring picking prediction information for the items; evaluating combined picking processing times corresponding to a plurality of combinations of locations based on the individual picking processing times and the picking prediction information; and determining one combination of locations from the plurality of combinations of locations based on the combined picking processing time.

[0008] An item management program according to another aspect of the present disclosure is an item management program that determines a combination of placement positions for a plurality of items to be placed at a plurality of placement positions, the item management program causing one or more processors to execute the following steps: acquiring individual picking processing times when each of the plurality of items is placed at a respective one of the plurality of placement positions; acquiring picking prediction information for the items; evaluating combined picking processing times corresponding to a plurality of placement position combinations based on the individual picking processing times and the picking prediction information; and determining one placement position combination from the plurality of placement position combinations based on the combined picking processing time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an item management system, an item management method, and an item management program that are capable of placing items to be picked in optimal positions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an article management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a facility to which an article management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an external view showing an example of a storage shelf according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of product information used in the product management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of order information used in an article management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of transport information used in an article management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of history information used in an article management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of shipping amount information used in the article management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating rearrangement of items (products) in an item management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an arrangement state of items according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of calculation of ProcessTime of the objective function according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of calculation of the MoveTime of the objective function according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of calculation of ReplaceTime of the objective function according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a result of rearranging items according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the placement position determination process executed in the item management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure. Note that the following embodiments are examples that embody the present disclosure and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0012] [Management System 10] 1, a management system 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a management server 1 and an automatic traveling vehicle 2 (AGV, also referred to as an unmanned guided vehicle). The management server 1 and the automatic traveling vehicle 2 can communicate with each other via a communication network N1 such as a wireless LAN.

[0013] The management system 10 is a system that has multiple paths set up for the automated driving device 2 to travel, and that transports an item from a storage location to a destination location by specifying a path among the multiple paths for the automated driving device 2 to travel as a travel route. The management system 10 is applied to facilities such as factories and warehouses that store goods. For example, when the management system 10 receives a product order from a customer (customer terminal), it outputs a travel instruction (transport instruction) to the automated driving device 2. Upon receiving the travel instruction, the automated driving device 2 travels to the storage location (storage shelf) of the product, picks up the product, and transports the product to a shipping location (dispatch location). A customer can use an information processing device (customer terminal) such as a personal computer or smartphone to access a website (order page) operated by an order server (not shown) to place an order for a product.

[0014] The order server can accept orders for the products from each of a plurality of customer terminals, and aggregates the received order information and outputs it to the management server 1. The management server 1 manages the operation of each of a plurality of automated driving devices 2, and outputs driving instructions to each automated driving device 2 based on the order information. Based on the driving instructions, the automated driving device 2 autonomously drives along a predetermined driving route, picks up the products included in the order information from a storage shelf, and transports them to a shipping location. The method for autonomous driving of the automated driving device 2 is not particularly limited, and any well-known method, such as a method using magnetic tape installed on the floor and markers that define driving operations (control information), can be adopted.

[0015] Furthermore, the automated driving device 2 is equipped with, for example, multiple containers (storage units), and by storing customer-ordered products in each container, it is possible to transport multiple customer products together in a single picking run (running from a waiting area, circulating around each shelf, and moving to a shipping area). For example, if the automated driving device 2 is equipped with two containers, the automated driving device 2 can transport the ordered products of two customers together. The management server 1 outputs the driving instructions corresponding to the order information of one or more customers to each automated driving device 2.

[0016] FIG. 2 shows an example of a facility W1 to which the management system 10 is applied. The facility W1 shown in FIG. 2 has a plurality of storage shelves arranged to store products. FIG. 2 shows 20 storage shelves T1 to T20 as an example. Each of the storage shelves T1 to T20 has a position set for the automatic traveling device 2 to pick up products. As shown in FIG. 3, each storage shelf stores a plurality of products. For example, storage shelf T1 stores a plurality of products from the same product group.

[0017] Additionally, waiting locations for the automatic traveling devices 2 are set in the facility W1. For example, the facility W1 has set a waiting location P1 where AGV1 waits, a waiting location P2 where AGV2 waits, and a waiting location P3 where AGV3 waits. Each automatic traveling device 2 waits at a predetermined waiting location when it has not received a travel instruction from the management server 1.

[0018] Each automated driving device 2 moves from a waiting location to a storage shelf storing ordered items when it receives a driving instruction from the management server 1. For example, when the AGV 1 receives a driving instruction from the management server 1 that includes order information about an item on storage shelf T1, it moves to a picking position corresponding to storage shelf T1 according to a preset driving route, picks the ordered item at the picking position, or receives the ordered item from a worker in charge of picking, and then moves to a shipping location according to the preset driving route.

[0019] Here, in order to improve the efficiency of product picking work in facility W1, it is desirable to position each product in advance at a location that makes it easy to pick (a location where the product can be efficiently removed from the warehouse). The management system 10 according to this embodiment has a configuration that enables the items (products) to be picked to be positioned at optimal locations, as will be described below.

[0020] In this embodiment, the management system 10 corresponds to the item management system according to the present disclosure, but the item management system according to the present disclosure may be configured by the management server 1 alone, or may include one or more components of the management server 1 and the automatic driving device 2.

[0021] [Management Server 1] 1, the management server 1 is a server including a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an operation display unit 13, and a communication unit 14. The management server 1 is not limited to a single computer, but may be a computer system in which multiple computers operate in cooperation with each other. Furthermore, various processes executed by the management server 1 may be executed in a distributed manner by one or multiple processors.

[0022] The communication unit 14 is a communication interface that connects the management server 1 to the communication network N1 via a wired or wireless connection and performs data communication with one or more automatic driving devices 2 via the communication network N1 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

[0023] The operation display unit 13 is a user interface that includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays various information, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that accepts operations.

[0024] The storage unit 12 is a non-volatile storage unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory that stores various types of information. Specifically, the storage unit 12 stores data such as product information D1, order information D2, delivery information D3, and history information D4. The product information D1 includes information about products stored in the facility W1. The order information D2 includes information about customer orders. The delivery information D3 includes information about the storage location of products corresponding to customer orders. The history information D4 includes information about past picking operations for the products. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the product information D1, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the order information D2, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the delivery information D3, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the history information D4.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, the product information D1 includes information such as a corresponding "product ID," "product name," and "shelf ID" for each product. The product ID is identification information for the product, and the product name is the name of the product. The shelf ID is identification information for the storage shelf where the product is stored. In this embodiment, for example, "T1" indicating storage shelf T1, "T2" indicating storage shelf T2, "T3" indicating storage shelf T3, etc. are registered as the shelf ID.

[0026] The product information D1 is stored in advance in the storage unit 12 through a registration operation by, for example, the manager of the facility W1. The manager can also update the product information D1 as needed.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 5, the order information D2 includes, for each order, information such as the corresponding "unit order ID," "customer ID," "ordered item," "quantity," and "order date and time." The unit order ID is identification information for one order, and the customer ID is identification information for the customer who ordered the item. The ordered item is the name of the item ordered by the customer, and the quantity is the number of ordered items. The order date and time is information on the date and time when the order was received from the customer.

[0028] The order information D2 is registered by the control unit 11 every time the management server 1 (or the order server) receives an order from a customer.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 6, the transport information D3 includes information such as a corresponding "set order ID," "unit order ID," and "shelf ID" for each set order that combines unit orders. The set order ID is identification information for the set order that combines unit orders. The control unit 11 generates a set order by combining unit orders based on information such as the storage location of the product, the current location of the automatic driving device 2, and operation rules.

[0030] The transport information D3 is included in the travel instructions sent to the automatic driving device 2. For example, when the AGV1 receives a travel instruction including the transport information D3 for "SET1," the AGV1 moves to the location of the shelf ID "T3" included in the transport information D3. The AGV1 then picks up each of the products with the unit order IDs "O1," "O2," "O3," and "O4" from the storage shelf T3. The control unit 11 generates the transport information D3 (see FIG. 6) by referring to the product information D1 (see FIG. 4).

[0031] As shown in FIG. 7, the history information D4 includes, for each product, information on past picking processes. For example, the history information D4 includes, for each product, information such as the corresponding "location location," "picking process time," "location attribute," and "product attribute." The location location is identification information (shelf ID) of the storage shelf where the product was stored. The picking process time is the time it takes for the automated driving device 2 to transport the product from the time the product is removed from the storage shelf to the time the product is transported to the shipping location. The location attribute is information (characteristic information) about the location (storage shelf) where the product is located, such as the size and shape of the storage shelf, the width of the picking opening, the width of the storage space, and the width of the work space. The product attribute is information (characteristic information) about the type of product (food, daily necessities, electrical appliances, etc.), size, weight, etc.

[0032] The picking processing time varies depending on the placement location, the placement attribute, and the product attribute. Furthermore, since the placement location (storage shelf) of each product is not necessarily fixed, the product may be placed in a different placement location each time it is picked. Therefore, for example, for product A, the picking processing time when it is placed on storage shelf T1 may differ from the picking processing time when it is placed on storage shelf T3 to the picking processing time when it is placed on storage shelf T5. In this way, the history information D4 includes characteristic information (attributes) of the placement location and characteristic information (attributes) of the product. The control unit 11 registers picking processing performance information in the history information D4 each time it executes a picking process.

[0033] In another embodiment, some or all of the product information D1, order information D2, delivery information D3, and history information D4 may be stored in another server accessible from the management server 1 via the communication network N1. In this case, the control unit 11 of the management server 1 may acquire the information from the other server and execute various processes such as the placement position determination process (see FIG. 15) described below.

[0034] The storage unit 12 also stores control programs such as an arrangement position determination program for causing the control unit 11 to execute an arrangement position determination process (see FIG. 15) described below. For example, the arrangement position determination program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or a DVD, and is read by a reading device (not shown) such as a CD drive or a DVD drive provided in the management server 1 and stored in the storage unit 12.

[0035] The control unit 11 has control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various types of arithmetic processing. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit that pre-stores control programs such as a BIOS and an OS that cause the CPU to execute various types of arithmetic processing. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage unit that stores various types of information and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for the various types of processing executed by the CPU. The control unit 11 controls the management server 1 by having the CPU execute various control programs pre-stored in the ROM or the storage unit 12.

[0036] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 1, the control unit 11 includes various processing units such as a history processing unit 111, an acquisition processing unit 112, a prediction processing unit 113, an evaluation processing unit 114, and a decision processing unit 115. The control unit 11 functions as the various processing units by executing various processes in accordance with the driving program using the CPU. Some or all of the processing units may be configured with electronic circuits. The driving program may be a program for causing multiple processors to function as the processing units.

[0037] The control unit 11 executes a process for determining (optimizing) an optimal combination of locations (hereinafter referred to as "location location combination") for multiple products to be placed at multiple locations (storage shelves). FIG. 8 shows past changes in shipping volume (order volume) for each month and season for products A, B, and C. As such, there is a certain trend in changes in shipping volume for each product, such as periods of high shipping volume and periods of low shipping volume. In the example shown in FIG. 8, three patterns of trends can be seen: January to April (season t), May to August (season t+1), and September to December (season t+2). For this reason, it is appropriate to change (relocate) the location (storage location) for each product when the shipping volume trend changes.

[0038] For example, from January to April (season t), each product is arranged using product arrangement pattern 1, and at the end of April, each product is rearranged, and from May to August (season t+1), each product is arranged using product arrangement pattern 2, and at the end of August, each product is rearranged, and from September to December (season t+2), each product is arranged using product arrangement pattern 3, and at the end of December, each product is rearranged, and again from January to April (season t) each product is arranged using product arrangement pattern 1. As a result, if we focus on one product, for example, as shown in Figure 9, that product will be arranged on storage shelf T3 from January to April, on storage shelf T1 from May to August, and on storage shelf T5 from September to December, and thereafter the product will be rearranged in this cycle.

[0039] In this way, the efficiency of the picking process can be improved by rearranging each product according to the trend of the shipping volume. Specific processing of each processing unit that determines the above-mentioned combination of placement positions will be described below.

[0040] The history processing unit 111 acquires picking history information (history information D4 in FIG. 7) that records the past picking processing time of the product for each placement position. Specifically, the history processing unit 111 refers to the history information D4 to acquire the past picking processing time of the product for each storage shelf.

[0041] The acquisition processing unit 112 acquires the individual picking processing time when each of the multiple products is placed at each of the multiple placement positions. Specifically, the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires the individual picking processing time based on the history information D4.

[0042] For example, the acquisition processing unit 112 acquires combination determination target information including characteristic information (position attribute (shelf attribute)) of the placement position (storage shelf) that is the target for determining the placement position combination and characteristic information (product attribute) of the product. Furthermore, the acquisition processing unit 112 compares the picking history information (history information D4) with the combination determination target information to determine the identity or similarity of the characteristic information of the placement position and the identity or similarity of the characteristic information of the product, and acquires the individual picking processing time based on this determination result.

[0043] Specifically, as described above, the history information D4 includes information on past picking process results, such as information on how long the picking process took for which product when placed at which location (storage shelf), and further includes information on the attributes of the location (size of the location such as the work space and storage space, width of the picking opening, etc.) and the attributes of the product (type of product such as food, daily necessities, electrical appliance, etc., product size, product weight, etc.). The acquisition processing unit 112 calculates the picking process time (individual picking process time) when multiple products are placed at each of the locations by referring to the results of picking process times for products with the same or similar location attributes and product attributes.

[0044] The prediction processing unit 113 acquires product picking prediction information. Specifically, the prediction processing unit 113 acquires the order quantity (predicted order quantity) of each product predicted for the future. For example, the prediction processing unit 113 predicts the order quantity based on past order history. The prediction processing unit 113 predicts the order quantity based on the past order history for each product by season, month, day, or time, order quantity trends (see FIGS. 7 and 8), etc.

[0045] The evaluation processing unit 114 evaluates the combined picking processing time corresponding to a plurality of combinations of placement locations based on the individual picking processing time and the picking prediction information. The evaluation processing unit 114 does not evaluate the picking processing time for each product and each placement location (storage shelf), but performs evaluation for a plurality of placement location combinations. Specifically, the evaluation processing unit 114 calculates an objective function including an evaluation term for the combined picking processing time. For example, the evaluation processing unit 114 calculates the objective function E(x) using the following equation:

[0046]

number

[0047] For convenience of explanation, the above formula will be expressed as follows: E(X)= A1×SUM1 (MoveTime(s, D1 / D2)×X[i][j][t]) 1st term +A2×SUM2 (ProcessTime[i][j][t]×X[i][j][t])^2 ···Second term +A3×SUM3 (ReplaceTime[s,s'])^2 3rd term +A4×SUM4 (X[i][j][t]-1)^2 4th term

[0048] In the above formula, X[i][j][t] is a decision variable, and indicates that the same product group [i] is placed at the placement position [j] in the season [t].

[0049] The first term, "SUM1," indicates the travel time required to transport a product when it is removed from the warehouse, for example, the time required to transport the product from the storage location (shelf) to the shipping location. The first term, MoveTime(s, D1 / D2), indicates the travel time from the storage location s to the shipping locations D1 and D2. The second term, "SUM2," indicates the picking process time when the product is removed from the warehouse. The second term, "ProcessTime," indicates the processing time at the storage location (shelf), for example, the work time required to pick the product. The third term, "SUM3," indicates the travel time required to rearrange the product (the travel time from s to s'). The fourth term, "SUM4," indicates the required constraint (penalty) for product placement, for example, the condition that "each product is placed in only one location." In other words, the evaluation term for the constraint (the fourth term) is a function that increases the objective function when the same product is placed in two or more locations. A1 to A4 indicate weights related to importance.

[0050] The evaluation processing unit 114 calculates an objective function for each of the plurality of arrangement position combinations.

[0051] The determination processing unit 115 determines one placement position combination from among a plurality of placement position combinations based on the combination picking processing time. Specifically, the determination processing unit 115 determines the placement position combination from among the plurality of placement position combinations, which minimizes the objective function calculated by the evaluation processing unit 114.

[0052] Hereinafter, specific examples of determining the arrangement position combination will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0053] FIG. 10 shows storage shelves T1 to T4, with product A stored on storage shelf T1, product B stored on storage shelf T2, product C stored on storage shelf T3, and product D stored on storage shelf T4. FIG. 10 also shows the current locations of products A to D in season t. In response to an order, each product is picked from the storage shelf and transported to the shipping location by automatic traveling device 2. Here, when rearranging products A to D to appropriate locations in preparation for future orders, multiple combinations (arrangement position combinations) are possible. For example, product A is assigned to one of four storage shelves T1 to T4, product B is assigned to three locations excluding the storage shelf assigned to product A, product C is assigned to two locations excluding the storage shelves assigned to products A and B, and product D is assigned to the remaining one location. Therefore, there are 24 combinations for allocating (rearranging) products A to D to storage shelves T1 to T4. For this reason, the control unit 11 calculates the objective functions corresponding to the 24 arrangement position combinations, and determines the arrangement position combination that minimizes the objective function.

[0054] FIG. 11 shows a calculation example (cost function calculation result) of "ProcessTime" (process time), the second term of the above equation. "ST" in FIG. 11 indicates the placement location (storage shelf), and ST1 to ST4 indicate storage shelves T1 to T4, respectively (see FIG. 10). "ProcessTime" is calculated as ProcessTime[i][j][t] = Pos[i][j][t] × Orders[t]. Pos[i][j][t] represents the picking time required to pick an item from placement location ST. For example, when placing item A on storage shelf T3 (ST3), the cost of the picking time required to pick item A from storage shelf T3 is "100," and when placing item C on storage shelf T1 (ST1), the cost of the picking time required to pick item C from storage shelf T1 is "150." Note that the values ​​shown in FIG. 11 may also be expressed in seconds. Furthermore, the control unit 11 calculates ProcessTime by multiplying the picking operation time by the predicted order amount (Orders[t]). That is, the control unit 11 calculates ProcessTime based on the attributes (characteristics) of the product, the attributes (characteristics) of the storage shelf, the past picking processing time, and the predicted order amount.

[0055] FIG. 12 shows a calculation example (cost function calculation result) of the first term "MoveTime" in the above formula. "MoveTime" is calculated as MoveTime[i][j][t] = Dist1[i][j][t] × Orders[t]. Dist1[i][j][t] represents the transportation time required to remove a product from storage. For example, when placing product A on storage shelf T3 (ST3), the cost of the transportation time required to move product A from storage shelf T3 to the shipping location is "16." When placing product C on storage shelf T1 (ST1), the cost of the transportation time required to move product C from storage shelf T1 to the shipping location is "30." The control unit 11 also calculates MoveTime by multiplying the transportation time by the predicted order quantity (Orders[t]). That is, the control unit 11 calculates MoveTime based on the product attributes (characteristics), the storage shelf attributes (characteristics), the transportation time (transport time) at the time of past shipments, and the predicted order quantity.

[0056] FIG. 13 shows an example of calculation of "ReplaceTime" (the calculation result of the cost function), which is the third term in the above formula. "ReplaceTime" is calculated as ReplaceTime[s][s'] = Dist2[s][s'] × Orders[t]. Dist2[s][s'] represents the travel time required to move an item to its placement position. For example, this represents that the cost of the travel time required to move an item from storage shelf T1 (ST1) to storage shelf T3 (ST3) is "25," and the cost of the travel time required to move an item from storage shelf T3 (ST3) to storage shelf T1 (ST1) is "20." The control unit 11 also calculates ReplaceTime by multiplying the travel time by the predicted order quantity (Orders[t]). That is, the control unit 11 calculates ReplaceTime based on the travel distance between storage shelves and the predicted order quantity.

[0057] The control unit 11 calculates an objective function for all arrangement position combinations (24 combinations in the above example) based on the picking operation time (ProcessTime), transport time (MoveTime), and movement time (ReplaceTime) calculated as described above, and determines the arrangement position combination that minimizes the objective function. For example, as shown in Fig. 14, the control unit 11 determines an arrangement position combination in the next season t+1 in which product A is arranged (moved) to storage shelf T3, product C is arranged (moved) to storage shelf T1, and product B and product D are not moved and are arranged on storage shelves T2 and T4, respectively.

[0058] In the above example, the control unit 11 determines the placement position combination based on the picking operation time (ProcessTime), the transport time (MoveTime), and the movement time (ReplaceTime). However, in another embodiment, the control unit 11 may omit the movement time (ReplaceTime) and determine the placement position combination based on the picking operation time (ProcessTime) and the transport time (MoveTime).

[0059] Furthermore, the control unit 11 may determine the combination of placement positions taking into consideration the constraints. For example, if the constraint in the fourth term of the above formula is that "each product is placed in only one location," the control unit 11 increases the objective function when the same product is placed in two or more placement positions. This makes it possible to exclude combinations of placement positions that do not satisfy the constraints.

[0060] In this way, the control unit 11 determines the placement position combination of each product. The control unit 11 notifies the manager of the facility W1 or the like of information about the determined placement position combination (for example, by displaying it on the manager's terminal). The manager rearranges each product based on the information about the placement position combination. In another embodiment, the control unit 11 may output the information about the determined placement position combination to the automatic driving device 2. Upon acquiring the information about the placement position combination, the automatic driving device 2 executes a rearrangement process to change the placement position of each product. The rearrangement process may also be executed by an inventory robot that automatically stores and retrieves products from each storage shelf.

[0061] In addition to the above-described processes, the control unit 11 may be configured to execute a process of driving the automatic driving device 2. Specifically, the control unit 11 receives a transport request (picking order) for a product (transportation target) corresponding to the automatic driving device 2, and generates transport information. Furthermore, the control unit 11 sets a travel route from the current position of the automatic driving device 2 to a storage position (storage shelf) based on the transport request. For example, the control unit 11 performs an operation simulation for all the automatic driving devices 2, and sets a travel route and control information that minimizes the total transport time of all the automatic driving devices 2. Then, the control unit 11 outputs, to the automatic driving device 2, travel route information including the travel route and a travel instruction including control information.

[0062] [Placement position determination process] Hereinafter, the arrangement position determination process executed in the management system 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Specifically, in this embodiment, the control unit 11 of the management server 1 executes the arrangement position determination process.

[0063] The present disclosure can be understood as a disclosure of a placement position determination method that executes one or more steps included in the placement position determination process. Furthermore, one or more steps included in the placement position determination process described herein may be omitted as appropriate. The steps in the placement position determination process may be executed in a different order as long as the same operational effect is achieved. Furthermore, while the description here uses an example in which the control unit 11 executes each step in the placement position determination process, another embodiment of the placement position determination method may also be considered in which one or more processors execute each step in the placement position determination process in a distributed manner.

[0064] First, in step S1, the control unit 11 determines whether the time has come to rearrange the product. Specifically, the control unit 11 determines the rearrangement timing based on past trends in shipping volume (see FIG. 8). For example, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 11 determines the end of April, the end of August, and the end of December as the rearrangement timings. When the control unit 11 determines that the rearrangement timing has arrived (S1: Yes), it shifts the processing to step S2. The control unit 11 waits until the arrangement timing arrives (S1: No).

[0065] In step S2, the control unit 11 acquires picking history information. The control unit 11 registers picking process performance information in history information D4 (see FIG. 7) every time a picking process is executed. Then, when the time for rearrangement arrives, the control unit 11 acquires the history information D4 at that time.

[0066] Next, in step S3, the control unit 11 acquires the individual picking processing time. Specifically, the control unit 11 calculates the picking processing time (individual picking processing time) when each of the multiple products is placed at each of the placement locations by referring to the past picking processing times for products with the same or similar placement location attributes and product attributes.

[0067] For example, the control unit 11 acquires the picking operation time (Pos[i][j][t] shown in FIG. 11) when picking a product from the storage position ST and the transport time (Dist1[i][j][t] shown in FIG. 12) when retrieving the product. That is, the individual picking processing time includes the picking operation time and the transport time.

[0068] In another embodiment, the control unit 11 may acquire the picking operation time (Pos[i][j][t]), the transport time (Dist1[i][j][t]), and the travel time (Dist2[s][s'] shown in FIG. 13) when moving the product to the placement position. In other words, the individual picking processing time may include the picking operation time, the transport time, and the travel time.

[0069] Next, in step S4, the control unit 11 acquires picking prediction information (predicted order volume). Specifically, the control unit 11 predicts the order volume based on the past order history for each product by season, month, day, or time, and the trend of order volume (shipment volume) (see FIGS. 7 and 8). For example, the control unit 11 acquires Orders[t] (predicted order volume) shown in FIGS. 11 to 13.

[0070] Next, in step S5, the control unit 11 evaluates the picking processing time. Specifically, the control unit 11 evaluates the combined picking processing time corresponding to the plurality of arrangement position combinations based on the individual picking processing time and the picking prediction information.

[0071] For example, the control unit 11 calculates ProcessTime based on the picking operation time (Pos[i][j][t]) and the predicted order amount (Orders[t]), calculates MoveTime based on the transport time (Dist1[i][j][t]) and the predicted order amount (Orders[t]), and finds an objective function including ProcessTime and MoveTime. That is, the evaluation term for the combined picking processing time includes an evaluation term for the operation time required to pick the product at the placement location (the second term in the above formula), and an evaluation term for the transport time required to transport the product from the placement location to the specified shipping location (the first term in the above formula).

[0072] In another embodiment, for example, the control unit 11 may calculate ReplaceTime based on the movement time (Dist2[s][s']) and the predicted order volume (Orders[t]) and obtain an objective function including ProcessTime, MoveTime, and ReplaceTime. In other words, the objective function may include an evaluation term for the cost of changing the product location (the third term in the above equation).

[0073] In another embodiment, the objective function may include a constraint (for example, a condition that "each product is placed in only one location").

[0074] The control unit 11 calculates an objective function for each of a plurality of arrangement position combinations corresponding to a plurality of products, and evaluates the picking processing time (combined picking processing time) for each arrangement position combination.

[0075] Finally, in step S6, the control unit 11 determines one of the plurality of arrangement position combinations based on the combination picking processing time. Specifically, the control unit 11 determines the arrangement position combination that minimizes the calculated objective function from the plurality of arrangement position combinations.

[0076] The control unit 11 repeatedly executes the above-described steps S1 to S6 every time a rearrangement timing arrives.

[0077] As described above, the management system 10 according to this embodiment is an item management system that determines a combination of placement positions (storage shelves) for a plurality of items (products). The management system 10 acquires individual picking processing times when each of the plurality of items is placed at each of the plurality of placement positions, and acquires picking prediction information for the items. The management system 10 also evaluates combined picking processing times corresponding to a plurality of placement position combinations based on the individual picking processing times and the picking prediction information, and determines one placement position combination from the plurality of placement position combinations based on the combined picking processing time. For example, the management system 10 determines an optimal placement position combination (a placement position combination that minimizes the objective function E(x)) for a plurality of placement position combinations corresponding to a plurality of items using the objective function E(x).

[0078] According to the above configuration, the placement position of an item can be determined taking into consideration the time required for picking, such as the work time required to pick the item, making it possible to place the item to be picked in the most appropriate position. Furthermore, by using the shipping record (history information D4) that is updated periodically, the amount of calculation can be reduced, thereby speeding up the placement position determination process.

[0079] [Disclosure Note] The following is a summary of the disclosure extracted from the above-described embodiment. Note that the configurations and processing functions described in the following supplementary notes can be selected and combined as desired.

[0080] <Appendix 1> An item management system that determines a combination of placement positions of a plurality of items for a plurality of placement positions, an acquisition processing unit that acquires an individual picking processing time when each of the plurality of items is placed at each of the plurality of placement positions; a prediction processing unit that acquires picking prediction information of the item; an evaluation processing unit that evaluates combined picking processing times corresponding to a plurality of combinations of placement positions based on the individual picking processing times and the picking prediction information; a determination processing unit that determines one placement position combination from the plurality of placement position combinations based on the combination picking processing time; An article management system comprising:

[0081] <Appendix 2> a history processing unit that acquires picking history information that records past picking processing times for the items for each of the placement positions; The acquisition processing unit acquires the individual picking processing time based on the picking history information. Item management system as described in Appendix 1.

[0082] <Appendix 3> the picking history information includes characteristic information of the placement location and characteristic information of the item, the acquisition processing unit acquires combination determination target information including characteristic information of the placement positions of placement position combination determination targets and characteristic information of the items, and acquires the individual picking processing time based on identity or similarity of the characteristic information of the placement positions and identity or similarity of the characteristic information of the items in comparison between the picking history information and the combination determination target information. Item management system as described in Appendix 2.

[0083] <Appendix 4> the characteristic information of the placement position includes information about the size or shape of the placement position; The property information of the item includes information about the type, size, or weight of the item. Item management system as described in Appendix 3.

[0084] <Appendix 5> the evaluation processing unit calculates an objective function including an evaluation term for the combination picking processing time, the determination processing unit determines the arrangement position combination that minimizes the objective function. An article management system according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4.

[0085] <Appendix 6> The evaluation term for the combined picking processing time includes an evaluation term for the work time required for picking the item at the placement location, and an evaluation term for the transportation time included in the picking processing time, which is required to transport the item from the placement location to a predetermined shipping location. Item management system as described in Appendix 5.

[0086] <Appendix 7> the objective function includes an evaluation term for a cost of changing the placement position of the item; 10. An article management system as set forth in appendix 5 or 6.

[0087] <Appendix 8> the objective function includes an evaluation term for a constraint condition regarding the placement position of the item; An article management system according to any one of appendices 5 to 7.

[0088] <Appendix 9> The evaluation term of the constraint condition is a function that increases the objective function when the same item is placed at two or more placement positions. Item management system as described in Appendix 8. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 1: Management Server 2: Automatic driving device 10: Management System 11: Control section 12: Storage section 13: Operation display section 14: Communications Department 111: History processing section 112: Acquisition processing unit 113: Prediction processing unit 114: Evaluation processing unit 115: Decision processing unit D1: Product Information D2: Order Information D3: Delivery information D4: History information

Claims

1. An item management system that determines a combination of placement positions of a plurality of items for a plurality of placement positions, an acquisition processing unit that acquires an individual picking processing time when each of the plurality of items is placed at each of the plurality of placement positions; a prediction processing unit that acquires picking prediction information of the item; an evaluation processing unit that evaluates combined picking processing times corresponding to a plurality of combinations of placement positions based on the individual picking processing times and the picking prediction information; a determination processing unit that determines one placement position combination from the plurality of placement position combinations based on the combination picking processing time; An article management system comprising:

2. a history processing unit that acquires picking history information that records past picking processing times for the items for each of the placement positions; The acquisition processing unit acquires the individual picking processing time based on the picking history information. The article management system according to claim 1 .

3. the picking history information includes characteristic information of the placement location and characteristic information of the item, the acquisition processing unit acquires combination determination target information including characteristic information of the placement positions of placement position combination determination targets and characteristic information of the items, and acquires the individual picking processing time based on identity or similarity of the characteristic information of the placement positions and identity or similarity of the characteristic information of the items in comparison between the picking history information and the combination determination target information. The article management system according to claim 2 .

4. the characteristic information of the placement position includes information about the size or shape of the placement position; The property information of the item includes information about the type, size, or weight of the item. The article management system according to claim 3 .

5. the evaluation processing unit calculates an objective function including an evaluation term for the combination picking processing time, the determination processing unit determines the arrangement position combination that minimizes the objective function. The article management system according to claim 1 .

6. the evaluation item for the combined picking processing time includes an evaluation item for the work time required for picking the item at the placement location, and an evaluation item for the transport time required to transport the item from the placement location to a predetermined shipping location; The article management system according to claim 5 .

7. the objective function includes an evaluation term for a cost of changing the placement position of the item; The article management system according to claim 5 .

8. the objective function includes an evaluation term for a constraint condition regarding the placement position of the item; The article management system according to claim 5 .

9. the evaluation term of the constraint condition is a function that increases the objective function when the same item is placed at two or more placement positions; The article management system according to claim 8.

10. 1. An item management method for determining a combination of placement positions of a plurality of items to be placed at a plurality of placement positions, comprising: acquiring an individual picking processing time when each of the plurality of items is placed at each of the plurality of placement positions; acquiring picking prediction information for the item; Evaluating combined picking processing times corresponding to a plurality of combinations of placement positions based on the individual picking processing times and the picking prediction information; determining one placement position combination from the plurality of placement position combinations based on the combination picking processing time; The item management method is executed by one or more processors.

11. An item management program for determining a combination of placement positions of a plurality of items to be placed at a plurality of placement positions, acquiring an individual picking processing time when each of the plurality of items is placed at each of the plurality of placement positions; acquiring picking prediction information for the item; Evaluating combined picking processing times corresponding to a plurality of combinations of placement positions based on the individual picking processing times and the picking prediction information; determining one placement position combination from the plurality of placement position combinations based on the combination picking processing time; An item management program for causing one or more processors to execute the above.

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