Control device and control method

Abstract

To enable exclusive control of a material handling device by reservation of a section in an area where a plurality of material handling devices controlled by different WCS coexist.SOLUTION: A control device that controls an operation of a material handling device, the control device comprising: a computer including a processing unit that executes a predetermined process and a storage unit that is connected to the processing unit, the material handling device occupying a predetermined area through an operation, An area in which the material handling device is operable is divided into sections having a predetermined size, the storage unit stores area information in which a reservation status of a section included in the area in which the material handling device operates is recorded, and the control device specifies a section including the area in which the material handling device operates in a height direction according to a state of the material handling device, reserves the specified section with the area information, and controls an operation of the material handling device after the reservation is established.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device for controlling a material handling device. [Background technology]

[0002] In a mobile robot system, there is a technology for preventing collisions between mobile robots early and avoiding collisions. One example of a control method using a warehouse control system (WCS) that controls multiple material handling devices (e.g., mobile robots such as automated guided vehicles) is a technology that reserves at least a portion (one or more sections) of a planned movement route for a material handling device and performs exclusive control to prevent other material handling devices from moving into (entering) that section until the material handling device has passed through the reserved route. This exclusive control can, for example, prevent collisions between multiple material handling devices. Furthermore, by reserving a movement route for a material handling device in advance, the route can be reflected in the movement route planning of other material handling devices, improving movement efficiency.

[0003] The following prior art exists as background art in this technical field: Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 5-66831) describes a mobile robot system comprising a plurality of mobile robots and a control station for controlling these mobile robots, in which each mobile robot travels while detecting nodes provided on a travel path, the control station gives the mobile robots work instructions consisting of a destination node corresponding to a work point and a type of work to be performed at the work point, and the mobile robot to which the work instruction has been given requests the control station to make a travel reservation to the destination node if the destination node is within a certain distance from the node where the mobile robot is currently located or is to pass, or if the node where the mobile robot is currently located or is to pass is a branch node connected to a dead end and the destination node is within the dead end, and The present invention describes a mobile robot system characterized in that, if there is no destination node within a certain distance from the node to which the mobile robot is attempting to travel, the control station requests a travel reservation to the first branch node beyond the certain distance toward the destination node, and if the node for which the travel reservation is requested is the entrance or exit of a dead end and the destination node of the mobile robot requesting the travel reservation is within the dead end, the control station grants the travel reservation only if there are no other mobile robots within the dead end and the node for which the request is made is not a node that has granted a travel reservation to another mobile robot, and if the node for which the request is made is not the entrance or exit of a dead end, the control station grants the travel reservation only if the node for which the request is made is not a node that has granted a travel reservation to another mobile robot. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-66831 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The above-mentioned exclusive control is effective for multiple material handling devices controlled by the same WCS, but it is not effective for material handling devices not controlled by that WCS (material handling devices controlled by other WCSs, such as material handling devices from different vendors or different types of material handling devices). This creates constraints on the design of the moving area, such as the inability to mix (coexist) material handling devices controlled by the WCS in question with material handling devices not controlled by the WCS in question in the same moving area. Furthermore, when mixing material handling devices controlled by different WCSs, it is necessary to select material handling devices capable of different collision avoidance control, which places constraints on the selection of material handling devices.

[0006] Furthermore, for a transport vehicle that travels on the floor, as an example of a mobile device, the amount of space that must be secured in the vertical direction varies depending on whether or not it is carrying an object, and also on the height of the object. For example, if other material handling devices (such as overhead vehicles, drones, and robotic arms) were prohibited from operating above the transport vehicle regardless of the state of the object being carried by the mobile device, safety could be ensured from the perspective of collision avoidance, but the operation of the material handling devices would be excessively restricted, potentially reducing overall efficiency.

[0007] Therefore, there is a demand for optimizing the entire logistics center by, for example, improving the degree of freedom in designing movement areas and the degree of freedom in selecting material handling equipment.

[0008] The present invention aims to provide an operation control device and an operation control method that enable exclusive control of material handling devices by reserving sections in an area where multiple material handling devices controlled by different WCSs coexist. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A representative example of the invention disclosed in the present application is as follows: That is, a control device for controlling the operation of a material handling device is configured by a computer having a processing unit that executes predetermined processing and a memory unit connected to the processing unit, the material handling device occupies a predetermined area through its operation, the area in which the material handling device can operate is divided into sections of a predetermined size, the memory unit stores area information in which the reservation status of the sections included in the area in which the material handling device operates is recorded, the control device identifies the section in the height direction that includes the area in which the material handling device operates based on the state of the material handling device, reserves the identified section using the area information, and controls the operation of the material handling device after the reservation is established. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, in an area where multiple material handling devices controlled by different WCSs coexist, it is possible to exclusively control material handling devices by reserving sections. Other problems, configurations, and advantages will be clarified by the following description of the embodiment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a logistics system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a logistics system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3A] 1 is a perspective view of a material handling device according to a first embodiment, seen from above. [Figure 3B] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the material handling device of the first embodiment. [Figure 4A] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an area configuration according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4B] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an area configuration according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5A] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of area information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5B] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the configuration of area information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5C] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the configuration of area information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of device information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of order information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of inventory information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of motion space information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a process related to an operation instruction according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11A] 10 is a flowchart of an operation control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11B] 10 is a flowchart of another operation control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart of a reservation process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart of an operation control process after a reservation process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14A] 10 is a flowchart of a reservation cancellation process executed by the WCS of the first embodiment. [Figure 14B] 10 is a flowchart of another reservation cancellation process executed by the WCS of the first embodiment. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart of a reservation cancellation process executed by the integrated WCS of the first embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a logistics system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of conversion information according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The examples are illustrative of the present invention, and for clarity of explanation, appropriate omissions and simplifications have been made. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

[0013] In order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the position, size, shape, range, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may not represent the actual position, size, shape, range, etc. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the position, size, shape, range, etc. disclosed in the drawings.

[0014] Although various types of information may be described using the expression "tables" as an example, the various types of information may be data of any structure (for example, structured data or unstructured data), or may be a neural network that generates output for an input, or a learning model such as a genetic algorithm or random forest. For example, various types of information such as "XX table," "XX list," and "XX queue" may be referred to as "XX information." Furthermore, in the following description, the structure of each table is an example, and one table may be divided into two or more tables, or all or part of two or more tables may be one table.

[0015] Any information (for example, at least one of "ID," "name," and "number") may be adopted as information for identifying an element (identification information, identifier). When describing identification information, expressions such as "identification information," "identifier," "name," "ID," and "number" are used, but these are interchangeable.

[0016] When there are multiple components with the same or similar functions, they may be described using the same reference numeral with different subscripts. When there is no need to distinguish between these multiple components, the subscripts may be omitted.

[0017] In the following description, processing performed with a "program" as the subject may be described, but this processing is processing performed by executing a "program." Here, a computer executes the program using a processor (e.g., a CPU or a GPU) and performs processing defined by the program using storage resources (e.g., memory) and interface devices (e.g., communication ports). Therefore, the subject of processing performed by executing a program may be the processor. Similarly, the subject of processing performed by executing a program may be a controller, device, system, computer, or node having a processor. The subject of processing performed by executing a program may be any computing unit, and may include a dedicated circuit that performs specific processing. Here, the dedicated circuit may be, for example, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device).

[0018] A program may be installed on a computer from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory recording medium). When the program source is a program distribution server, the program distribution server may include a processor and storage resources for storing the program to be distributed, and the processor of the program distribution server may distribute the program to be distributed to other computers. In addition, in an embodiment, two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0019] A "processor" may refer to one or more processor devices. The at least one processor device may typically be a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also be other types of processor devices such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The at least one processor device may be single-core or multi-core. The at least one processor device may also be a processor core. The at least one processor device may also be a broader processor device such as a circuit that is a collection of gate arrays written in a hardware description language that performs part or all of the processing (e.g., an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

[0020] The "memory" refers to one or more memory devices, which are an example of one or more "storage devices," and may typically be a primary storage device. At least one memory device in the memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

[0021] The “persistent storage device” may be one or more persistent storage devices, which are an example of one or more “storage devices.” The persistent storage device may typically be a non-volatile storage device (e.g., an auxiliary storage device), and specifically may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a non-volatile memory express (NVMe) drive, or a storage class memory (SCM).

[0022] An "interface device" may be one or more interface devices, which may be at least one of the following:

[0023] One or more I / O (Input / Output) interface devices. The I / O interface devices are interface devices for at least one of the I / O devices and the display computer. The I / O devices may be user interface devices, for example, input devices such as a keyboard and a pointing device, or output devices such as a display device. The I / O interface device for the display computer may be a communication interface device.

[0024] One or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more homogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., one or more NICs (Network Interface Cards)), or two or more heterogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., a NIC and an HBA (Host Bus Adapter)).

[0025] The unit of "date and time" may be coarser or finer than the year, month, day, hour, minute.

[0026] Example 1 1 is a diagram showing a logistics system provided in a warehouse (logistics center) in which a material handling device controlled by a control device 1 of this embodiment operates. The logistics system may be, for example, a transport system using a transport device or the like.

[0027] The logistics system includes multiple material handling devices 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D operating in an area 40 within a warehouse (logistics center) and a control device 1 that remotely controls the operation of each of the material handling devices 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D. The material handling devices 9A to 9D are devices that operate within the warehouse, and include transport devices 9A and 9B that transport loads, a robot arm 9C that moves gripped or absorbed loads with its arm, and a conveyor device 9D that moves placed loads. Some of the conveyor devices 9D can bounce up the transport line, allowing loaded loads and people to pass through the bounced areas of the transport devices 9A and 9B or people. Examples of material handling devices 9 other than the transport devices 9A and 9B, the robot arm 9C, and the conveyor device 9D are shown with reference to FIG. 9. The "movement" of the material handling devices 9A and 9B refers to the general movement of the material handling devices 9A and 9B, regardless of whether they are loaded with loads. The "movement" of the material handling devices 9A and 9B may be rephrased as the "travel" of the material handling devices 9A and 9B. The "movement" of the material handling devices 9A and 9B when they are loaded with transported objects may be referred to as "transport." In this specification, when there is no need to distinguish between the material handling devices 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D, they may be referred to as the material handling device 9.

[0028] A warehouse is a storage facility used by, for example, mail-order companies or equipment manufacturing companies to store goods. The goods stored in a warehouse may be products or parts. In the following, we may use products as an example of goods stored in a warehouse.

[0029] Area 40 is a portion of the warehouse floor area, and is an area where material handling devices 9A and 9B can travel and where material handling devices 9C and 9D can operate. Area 40 has multiple areas. For example, area 40 includes a common area 40C and dedicated areas 40A and 40B (e.g., dedicated area A and dedicated area B). In each dedicated area 40A and 40B, for example, one or more items (e.g., products to be sold) may be stored in a predetermined location in a predetermined storage format. The common area may have, for example, a work station. For example, material handling devices 9A and 9B may load transported objects (e.g., items or item storage units that store items) in the dedicated area in response to a movement command from the control device 1, and move (transport) them to the work station in common area 40C. Part of area 40 is a height-direction interference area 40H, which requires a reservation in the height direction. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the height direction interference area 40H is provided in the common area 40C, but it may be provided in both or one of the dedicated areas 40A and 40B.

[0030] A work station (WS) may also be called a work station or a working station. A work station is a place where work such as picking is performed. Picking is an example of work. At a work station, work such as stocktaking, such as replenishing goods in a goods storage section (e.g., a shelf), and inventory may also be performed.

[0031] The material handling devices 9A, 9B are devices that move in accordance with a "movement instruction" from the control device 1, and may be, for example, an unmanned transport vehicle such as an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle). The material handling devices 9A, 9B may also be transport devices or transport vehicles. The "movement instruction" sent from the control device 1 to the material handling devices 9 includes information representing the movement tasks assigned to the material handling devices 9A, 9B. The information representing the movement tasks includes, for example, information about the route along which the material handling devices 9 will move (which may include, for example, information about the destination), and instructions for the material handling devices 9 to move or transport.

[0032] The transported objects transported by the material handling devices 9A and 9B are, for example, articles or article storage units that store articles. Examples of article storage units are trays, pallets, containers, or shelves that can be transported by the material handling devices 9A and 9B. The article storage units may also be called storage devices or loading platforms.

[0033] The material handling devices 9A, 9B are controlled by a control device 1. The material handling devices 9A, 9B may include not only multiple material handling devices 9A, 9B controlled by one control device 1, but also material handling devices 9A, 9B that are not controlled by one control device 1, i.e., material handling devices 9A, 9B controlled by different control devices 1 (for example, material handling devices 9 from different vendors, material handling devices 9 of different types, etc.).

[0034] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the dedicated area A is an area where a material handling device 9A (a material handling device classified as AGV-a) controlled by the WCS-a3 built into the control device 1 travels, and other material handling devices 9B do not travel. The dedicated area B is an area where a material handling device 9B (a material handling device classified as AGV-b) controlled by a WCS-b3 different from the WCS-a travels, and other material handling devices 9A do not travel. On the other hand, the common area is an area where both the material handling devices 9A and 9B controlled by different WCSs (e.g., WCS-a and WCS-b) travel. The size of the sections in each dedicated area may be the same as or different from that of the common area. The sections are set to reserve sections included in the routes traveled by the material handling devices 9 to avoid collisions between the material handling devices 9.

[0035] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a logistics system according to the first embodiment.

[0036] The logistics system includes a control device 1, multiple material handling devices 9A to 9D, and a network 100 (for example, a wireless communication line such as a wireless LAN (Local Area Network)). The control device 1 and the multiple material handling devices 9 can communicate with each other via the network 100. Each component of the logistics system may be singular (one) or multiple. The logistics system may also include terminals other than the material handling devices 9, for example, terminals at work stations.

[0037] The material handling device 9A has a drive device 91, a memory device 92, an interface device 93, a sensor 94, a battery (not shown), and a controller 90 connected to these. The material handling device 9B has the same configuration as the material handling device 9A.

[0038] The driving device 91 has driving wheels 96, auxiliary wheels 97, and an actuator (not shown) such as a motor for driving the driving wheels 96 to rotate.

[0039] The storage device 92 stores, for example, route information 920, device information 921, map information 922, measurement information 923, and performance information 924. The route information 920 includes, for example, a movement instruction received from the control device 1 and information representing the movement route specified in the movement instruction. The information representing the movement route may include information on the sections of the movement route. The device information 921 includes information on an ID for uniquely identifying the material handling device 9A, the current position (section) of the material handling device 9A, and the status of the material handling device 9A (for example, moving, vacant (waiting), etc.). The map information 922 includes information on a map of the area 40 and information representing the position of each section 41. The map information 922 may include information exemplified in FIG. 4A. The measurement information 923 includes information measured by the sensor 94. The information measured by the sensor 94 may be, for example, information read from the marker 42 (position information), information on the surrounding environment of the material handling device 9A, information on vibrations received by the material handling device 9A, information on the speed, acceleration, and direction of the material handling device 9A, and information on the weight and presence or absence of a load (transported object) carried by the material handling device 9A. The performance information 924 includes information on the movement performance, including the route and date and time traveled by the material handling device 9A.

[0040] The interface device 93 is a device for communicating with the control device 1 via the network 100 in accordance with a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be configured, for example, by a wireless LAN card.

[0041] The sensor 94 is a device for collecting information about the floor surface on which the material handling device 9A travels and various information related to the material handling device 9A. The sensor 94 can, for example, read information about markers 42 on the floor section 41. The sensor 94 may be, for example, a camera that captures an image of the markers 42, a sensor that acquires information about the environment surrounding the material handling device 9A, a vibration sensor that detects vibrations received by the material handling device 9A, a speed sensor that measures the speed of the material handling device 9A, an acceleration sensor that measures the acceleration of the material handling device 9A, a gyro sensor that measures the orientation of the material handling device 9A, or a weight sensor that measures the weight of the load (transported object) carried by the material handling device 9A.

[0042] The controller 90 controls the operation of the material handling device 9A in accordance with movement instructions from the control device 1, the charge state of the built-in battery, etc. The controller 90 includes, for example, a processor and a storage device (e.g., a memory). A control program 900 is stored in the storage device of the controller 90. The processor of the controller 90 executes the control program 900 to perform various controls of the material handling device 9A.

[0043] The control program 900 has a function (communication program) of exchanging commands and information with the control device 1 via the interface device 93. The control program 900 transmits at least some of the information among the route information 920, device information 921, map information 922, measurement information 923, and performance information 924 to the control device 1 in response to a request from the control device 1. The control program 900 may transmit each of these pieces of information to the control device 1 at regular or irregular intervals even without a request from the control device 1. The control program 900 has a function (movement control program) of controlling the movement of the material handling device 9A in response to a movement instruction received from the control device 1. The control program 900 controls the driving device 91 so that the material handling device 9A moves along the movement path specified in the movement instruction. The control program 900 has a function (measurement program) of setting the sensor 94 and storing the output (measurement result) of the sensor 94 in the measurement information 923. The control program 900 has a function (position estimation program) of estimating the position of the material handling device 9A based on information about the marker 42 acquired by the sensor 94 and the like.

[0044] The non-moving robot arm 9C has the same controller 90, memory device 92, and interface device 93, but the drive device 91 is provided with a motor that operates the arm instead of the drive wheels 96 and auxiliary wheels 97. The non-moving conveyor device 9D has the same controller 90, memory device 92, and interface device 93, but the drive device 91 is provided with a motor that sends packages on the conveyor line and a motor that bounces up the conveyor line or returns it to a horizontal position instead of the drive wheels 96 and auxiliary wheels 97.

[0045] The control device 1 has a processor 10, a memory 11, an auxiliary storage device 12, an input device 13, an output device 14, and an interface device 15. The processor 10 operates as a "processing unit", the memory 11 and the auxiliary storage device 12 as a "storage unit", the input device 13 as an "input unit", the output device 14 as an "output unit", and the interface device 15 as an "interface unit".

[0046] The control device 1 may be one or more physical computers having hardware such as a processor 10, a memory 11, an auxiliary storage device 12, an input device 13, an output device 14, and an interface device 15, or may be a system (e.g., a cloud computing system) implemented on one or more physical computers (e.g., a cloud platform). The control device 1 may also be a control system.

[0047] Each device included in the control device 1 may be located in one physical computer, or may be distributed across multiple physical computers. The programs and information stored in the auxiliary storage device 12 may be stored in one storage device, or may be stored separately in multiple storage devices. The control device 1 may be capable of inputting and outputting information via a client system that can communicate through the interface device 15.

[0048] The processor 10 is a device that executes a program to perform predetermined arithmetic processing and controls the overall operation of the control device 1. The processor 10 may be composed of a processing unit, an arithmetic unit, an arithmetic processing unit, and a controller. The memory 11 is a volatile storage area used as a work memory for the processor 10 and may include a non-volatile storage area for storing unchanging data. The input device 13 may be composed of, for example, a mouse or a keyboard, and is used by an operator to input necessary information and instructions into the control device 1. The output device 14 may be composed of a display device such as an LCD display. The interface device 15 is a device that communicates with the material handling device 9 via the network 100 according to a predetermined wireless communication method and may be composed of, for example, a wireless LAN card.

[0049] The auxiliary storage device 12 is a non-volatile storage medium that stores various programs and various information. For example, the auxiliary storage device 12 stores map information 4, area information 5 (FIG. 5), device information 6 (FIG. 6), order information 7 (FIG. 7), and inventory information 8 (FIG. 8). The map information 4 includes information on a map of the area 40 and information indicating the location of each section 41. The map information 4 may include the information exemplified in FIG. 4A. For example, the control device 1 may transmit the map information 4 to the material handling devices 9, and the map information 4 may be stored as map information 922 in each material handling device 9.

[0050] The control device 1 periodically or irregularly receives information about each material handling device 9 (for example, at least some of the route information 920, device information 921, map information 922, measurement information 923, and performance information 924) from the material handling device 9. The control device 1 also receives information about the progress of work input to a terminal at the work station. The control device 1 also appropriately updates the relevant portions of the map information 4, area information 5, device information 6, order information 7, and inventory information 8 based on the received information and at least some of the information input by the manager.

[0051] The auxiliary storage device 12 stores an integrated WCS (Warehouse Control System) program and multiple WCS programs. When the processor 10 executes the integrated WCS program, an integrated WCS2 is realized. When the processor 10 executes the WCS program, one or more WCS3s (three WCSs, WCS-a3, WCS-b3, and WCS-c3, are shown in the figure) are realized. Hereinafter, the integrated WCS program may be referred to as integrated WCS2, and the WCS program may be referred to as WCS3.

[0052] The integrated WCS 2 performs integrated control of a logistics system including various material handling devices 9 and various material handling facilities. The WCS 3 is a warehouse control device that controls the material handling devices 9. There are multiple different WCSs 3. In the illustrated example, WCS-a3 controls material handling device 9A, WCS-b3 controls material handling device 9B, and WCS-c3 controls the other material handling devices 9.

[0053] 3A and 3B are diagrams showing the appearance of material handling device 9A. Note that material handling device 9A shown in Figures 3A and 3B is an example of material handling device 9A, and a different type of material handling device 9A may be used. Furthermore, material handling device 9B may have the same configuration as material handling device 9A, or may have a different configuration from material handling device 9A.

[0054] 3A is a perspective view of the material handling device 9A as seen from above. The material handling device 9A is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. A disk-shaped loading device 95 that can be raised, lowered, and rotated is provided in the center of the upper surface of the material handling device 9A. The loading device 95 may also be called a lifting device, a rotating device, a lifting and rotating device, or a table.

[0055] 3B is a bottom view of the material handling device 9A. Drive wheels 96 for turning and moving forward are arranged on the underside (bottom) of the material handling device 9A, and auxiliary wheels 97 are arranged at the four corners of the underside of the material handling device 9A. The drive wheels 96 and auxiliary wheels 97 are the "wheels" of the material handling device 9A.

[0056] 3A and 3B rotates the drive wheels 96 to move to below the object (e.g., a shelf), then raises the loading device 95 to lift the object, and travels through the area 40 to transport the object while it is lifted. The material handling device 9A can change the orientation of the object by rotating the loading device 95 while the object is lifted. When the main body of the material handling device 9A rotates, the material handling device 9A can rotate the loading device 95 in the direction opposite to the rotating direction, thereby rotating the lifted object without rotating it, thereby changing the traveling direction of the material handling device 9A.

[0057] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing the configuration of the area 40 according to the first embodiment.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 4A, the control device 1 (integrated WCS 2 and WCS 3) divides an area (movement area) 40 in which a material handling device 9 moves into multiple rectangular sections 41 of a predetermined size and manages them. While FIG. 4A illustrates only one floor, in the height-direction interference area 40H, one or more sections 41 are stacked in the vertical Z direction. The set of multiple sections 41 on each floor may be the same or different combinations of sections 41. The sections 41 may be defined in a coordinate format, such as sections (α, β, γ). Here, α is the position in the x-coordinate (the section position along the x-direction, which is one horizontal direction), β is the position in the y-coordinate (the section position along the y-direction, which is perpendicular to the x-direction in the horizontal direction), and γ is the position in the z-coordinate (the area position in the height direction, which is perpendicular to the x- and y-directions). For example, if area 40 includes areas on multiple floors or areas above and below a mezzanine, the z-coordinate can be used to represent the heightwise position of each area. When area 40 spans multiple floors, transportation between floors, or transportation between the top and bottom of a mezzanine when a mezzanine is provided, may be performed by, for example, a vertical conveyor. In this case, the vertical conveyor may transport only the item, or the vertical conveyor may transport the item and the material handling device 9.

[0059] As will be described later, the control device 1 reserves sections 41 included in the travel paths of the material handling devices 9A and 9B and the operating ranges of the material handling devices 9C and 9D, and exclusively controls the movement of the material handling devices 9 to prevent other material handling devices 9 from moving into the reserved sections 41, thereby preventing collisions between the material handling devices 9. For example, the transport devices 9A and 9B reserve sections 41 on their travel paths. The sections 41 on their travel paths are three-dimensionally reserved within the height range of the transport devices 9A and 9B when unladen or loaded. The robot arm 9C reserves sections 41 in its three-dimensional operating range during operation, and the conveyor device 9D reserves sections 41 in the height direction at the point where the transport line is raised, and cancels the reservation of the section so that the transport devices 9A and 9B can pass through.

[0060] 4B, a marker 42 indicating the position of the section 41 using x and y coordinates may be provided at approximately the center of the floor of each section 41 that is in contact with the floor. The marker 42 may include information for identifying the position of the section, such as the section's position information or information associated with the section's position information (e.g., identification information for the section 41 that enables the section's position information to be identified). The marker 42 can be read by the sensor 94 of the material handling device 9A, 9B, and may be, for example, a one-dimensional code, a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark), an RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) ​​tag, or other information.

[0061] For example, the material handling devices 9A and 9B read markers 42 provided in sections 41 that they pass through. While moving (driving), the material handling devices 9A and 9B transmit information about the read markers 42, along with identification information (device IDs) of the material handling devices 9A and 9B, to the control device 1 via the network 100 (wireless communication network). For example, the material handling devices 9A and 9B may transmit, as information about the read markers 42, position information represented by the markers 42 or position information determined from the information represented by the markers 42, to the control device 1. The control device 1 (integrated WCS 2 and WCS 3) determines the position of the material handling devices 9A and 9B based on the information about the markers 42 received from the material handling devices 9A and 9B.

[0062] 5A, 5B, and 5C are diagrams showing configuration examples of the area information 5 according to the first embodiment.

[0063] The area information 5 stores information about the area 40 in which the material handling device 9 operates. The control device 1 (the integrated WCS 2 and the WCS 3) controls the operation of the material handling device 9 by referring to the area information 5.

[0064] The area information 5 has a record for each section 41 in the area 40. The area information 5 may also have a record for each device classification 54 of the material handling device 9 that can operate in each section 41.

[0065] Each record of the area information 5 includes information on location 50, partition setting 51, WS ID 52, area 53, device classification 54, reservation 55, no-movement flag 56, no-turn flag 57, and direction 58. Below, an example of one target partition of partition 41 will be explained.

[0066] The position 50 represents the position of the target section in the area 40, and may be represented, for example, by the three-dimensional coordinates (address) of the target section. In the illustrated example, the position 50 is represented by three-dimensional coordinates of x, y, and z.

[0067] The section setting 51 indicates the type of section set for the target section. The section setting 51 may be, for example, a "transport section," a "stopping section," a "temporary waiting section," or a "battery station." Here, the "transport section" indicates a section to which the material handling device 9 moves. The "stopping section" indicates a section that serves as a stopping position corresponding to the work station identified by the WS ID 52. The "temporary waiting section" indicates a section that serves as a temporary waiting position for the material handling device 9. The "battery station" indicates a section that serves as the location of a battery station where charging equipment capable of charging the material handling device 9 corresponding to the device classification 54 is installed.

[0068] When the section setting 51 of the target section is a "stop section," the WS ID 52 indicates the ID of the work station (WS) corresponding to the stop section.

[0069] Area 53 indicates the area classification (or area ID) of the target section. Area 53 is a classification corresponding to area 82 in inventory information 8 (FIG. 8). Area 53 records any of dedicated area A (40A), dedicated area B (40B), common area (40C), and height-direction interference area (40H) shown in FIG. 1. Height-direction interference area 40H is an area that is divided in the height direction and requires confirmation in the height direction when making a reservation. As described above, in this embodiment, height-direction interference area 40H is provided in common area 40C, but it may also be provided in part or all of dedicated area A (40A) or dedicated area B (40B).

[0070] The device classification 54 indicates the classification of the target device. The device classification 54 corresponds to the device classification 61 of the device information 6 (FIG. 6).

[0071] The reservation 55 indicates the reservation status of the target section. For example, if no material handling device 9 has reserved the target section, "vacant" is recorded in the reservation 55. In addition, there are cases where nothing is recorded in the reservation 55 (indicated by "-"). For example, the sections at positions (5,15,1) to (5,15,3) in the area information 5B (FIG. 5B) used by the WCS-a3 controlling the material handling device 9A are shared areas, so the reservation information of WCSs 3 other than the WCS-a3 (the WCS3 controlling the material handling device 9A) using the area information 5B is unknown. According to the area information 5C (FIG. 5C) used by the integrated WCS 2, the section at position (5,15,1) is reserved by the WCS-a3 (the WCS3 controlling the material handling device 9A) for the AGV-a2, which is the material handling device 9A. However, since this reservation information is unnecessary for the other WCSs 3, the reservation information for the AGV-a2 is not recorded in the area information 5C used by the other WCSs 3. When the integrated WCS2 (or the WCS3 that controls the material handling device 9) reserves a target section as a movement route for the material handling device 9, it records the device ID of the material handling device 9 in the reservation 55 of the target section. The integrated WCS2 (or WCS3) performs exclusive control to prevent other material handling devices 9 from moving into (entering) the section until the material handling device 9 has passed through the reserved section and the reservation for the section is released.

[0072] The non-movement flag 56 indicates whether the material handling device 9 corresponding to the device classification 54 can move (enter) the target area. Here, movement includes up and down or left and right movements of a robot arm, conveyor device, vertical transport machine, etc. If nothing is recorded in the non-movement flag 56 and the material handling device 9 can move to the area, the target area may be included in the movement path of the material handling device 9. On the other hand, if non-movement is recorded in the non-movement flag 56, the movement of the material handling device 9 is controlled by the integrated WCS2 (or WCS3) so that the movement path of the material handling device 9 does not include the target area.

[0073] In the examples shown in Figures 5A, 5B, and 5C, if the target area is movable, the immovable flag 56 is set to "-", meaning nothing is recorded. If the target area is not movable, the immovable flag 56 is set to "temporarily not possible" or "always not possible." Here, the integrated WCS2 (or WCS3) can change the immovable flag 56 to "-", indicating that the target area is movable, under certain conditions (e.g., if the target area is temporarily not movable due to maintenance, when the completion of maintenance for the target area is detected or when the administrator inputs that maintenance is complete). On the other hand, the integrated WCS2 (or WCS3) does not automatically change the setting to "-" or "temporarily not possible." For example, the target area is set to "always not possible" when the target area is a narrow passageway that cannot be used as a movement route for a material handling device 9 corresponding to device classification 54, and is therefore always a no-entry area.

[0074] The non-rotating flag 57 indicates whether the material handling device 9 corresponding to the device classification 54 can rotate (for example, the rotation of an AGV lifting a load, or the rotation of a load held by a robot arm) in the target area. If rotation is possible, the material handling device 9 may rotate in the target area. On the other hand, if rotation is not possible, the integrated WCS2 (or WCS3) controls the material handling device 9 so that it does not rotate in the target area.

[0075] In the examples shown in Figures 5A, 5B, and 5C, if rotation is possible, nothing is recorded in the rotation-prohibited flag 57, i.e., "-", and if rotation is not possible, "temporarily not possible" or "always not possible" is recorded in the rotation-prohibited flag 57. Here, the possibility of changing the setting of "temporarily not possible" or "always not possible" is the same as for the movement-prohibited flag 56. That is, "temporarily not possible" can be changed to "-" by the integrated WCS2 (or WCS3) under predetermined conditions. On the other hand, "always not possible" is changed to "-" indicating that movement is possible by a setting change by the administrator, but the integrated WCS2 (or WCS3) does not automatically change the setting to "- (movable)" or "temporarily not possible".

[0076] The direction 58 represents the direction in which a material handling device 9 corresponding to the device classification 54 can move from a target section when the material handling device 9 is present in the target section. For example, all or some of the +x direction, -x direction, +y direction, -y direction, +z direction, and -z direction may be set as the direction in which the material handling device 9 can move. Between sections 41, the material handling device 9 may be set to be movable in both directions, or may be set to be movable in only one direction. The direction 58 represents the direction in which a material handling device 9 corresponding to the device classification 54 can move from a target section when the material handling device 9 is present in the target section. For example, all or some of the +x direction, -x direction, +y direction, -y direction, +z direction, and -z direction may be set as the direction in which the material handling device 9 can move. Between sections 41, the material handling device 9 may be set to be movable in both directions, or may be set to be movable in only one direction.

[0077] The direction 58 may be set in advance or may be dynamically set and changed. For example, the control device 1 (integrated WCS 2 or WCS 3) may dynamically set or change the direction 58 based on the number and congestion of material handling devices 9 in the area 40, or the positions 50 and section settings 51 of each section 41. By setting some sections 41 to be movable in only one direction, it is possible to suppress or reduce congestion of material handling devices 9 and improve overall transport efficiency. Note that if there are many sections 41 that can only be moved in one direction, the movement route of the material handling devices 9 may become long.

[0078] Fig. 5A is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of area information 5 when it is used in common by the integrated WCS 2 and WCS 3. Since the area information 5 shown in Fig. 5A is used in common by the integrated WCS 2 and WCS 3, information on all sections (i.e., all areas) and all device classifications is recorded.

[0079] Figures 5B and 5C show examples of the configuration of area information 5 when the integrated WCS2 and WCS3 use different area information 5. Figure 5B shows an example of the configuration of area information 5 used by WCS-a3, which controls material handling device 9A, and Figure 5C shows an example of the configuration of area information 5 used by integrated WCS2. Area information 5B (Figure 5B) used by WCS-a3 includes information on dedicated area A and information on material handling device 9A in the common area, but does not include information on dedicated area B, where material handling device 9A does not move, or information on material handling devices 9 other than material handling device 9A in the common area. Furthermore, area information 5C (Figure 5C) used by integrated WCS2 includes information on common areas, but does not include information on dedicated areas that are not controlled by integrated WCS2.

[0080] In the examples shown in Figures 5B and 5C, area information 5B (Figure 5B) and area information 5C (Figure 5C) are configured in separate tables, but they may be configured in a single table, and two tables may be virtually configured by masking data that cannot be referenced by integrated WCS2 and WCS3.

[0081] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the device information 6 according to the first embodiment.

[0082] The device information 6 stores information about the material handling device 9 and has a record for each material handling device 9.

[0083] The record of the device information 6 includes information on a WCS 60, a device classification 61, a device ID 62, a remaining battery level 63, a device status 64, a location 65, a destination 66, and an expected arrival date and time 67. The following explanation will be given using one material handling device 9 (referred to as the "target device" in the explanation of FIG. 6) as an example.

[0084] The WCS 60 indicates the identification information of the warehouse control system (WCS) that controls the target device.

[0085] The equipment classification 61 indicates the classification of the target equipment. For example, multiple material handling equipment 9 controlled by the same WCS 3 may be in the same classification. On the other hand, material handling equipment 9 that is not controlled by the same WCS 3, i.e., material handling equipment 9 controlled by a different WCS 3 (for example, material handling equipment 9 from a different vendor or a different type of material handling equipment 9), is in a different classification.

[0086] The device ID 62 indicates the ID of the target device.

[0087] The remaining battery capacity 63 indicates the remaining battery capacity of the target device.

[0088] The equipment status 64 indicates the status of the target equipment. Examples of equipment status 64 include "moving," "parked," and "empty." Here, "moving" indicates a status in which the target equipment is moving. "parked" indicates a status in which the target equipment is stopped at a parking position (or a temporary waiting position). An example of "parked" is a status in which the target equipment is stopped at a parking position corresponding to a work station, and a worker at the work station is working on the target equipment (or a container or item loaded by the target equipment). "Empty" indicates that no movement instruction has been assigned to the target equipment, and the equipment is empty (standby).

[0089] The location 65 indicates the location (current location) of the target device. The location 65 may be expressed, for example, by the three-dimensional coordinates of the section in which the target device is located.

[0090] The destination 66 indicates the location of the target device. The destination 66 may be expressed, for example, by the coordinates of the section to which the target device is to be moved. Examples of the destination include a location where an item corresponding to an order is stored or a location from which the item is to be delivered, a stopping location corresponding to a work station, or a temporary waiting location.

[0091] The estimated arrival date and time 67 is the date and time when the target device is scheduled to arrive at the destination. The integrated WCS2 (or WCS3) may calculate the estimated arrival date and time 67 based on, for example, the route of the target device to the destination.

[0092] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the order information 7 according to the first embodiment.

[0093] The order information 7 stores various information related to orders from customers, and has, for example, a record for each type of item (item ID) of each order.

[0094] Each record of the order information 7 includes information on a status 70, an order ID 71, a shipping destination ID 72, an item ID 73, a quantity 74, a delivery date 75, a receipt date and time 76, and a work date and time. Below, an example of one order (referred to as the "target order" in the explanation of FIG. 7) will be explained.

[0095] The status 70 indicates the progress of the work (for example, picking work) for the item specified in the target order.

[0096] The order ID 71 indicates the ID of the target order (for example, a slip number).

[0097] The shipping destination ID 72 indicates the ID of the shipping destination of the item specified in the target order (for example, identification information of the store to which the item will be shipped).

[0098] The item ID 73 indicates identification information of an item (for example, a product) specified in the target order.

[0099] The quantity 74 indicates the number of items specified in the target order.

[0100] The delivery date 75 indicates the deadline for delivering the goods specified in the target order to the shipping destination.

[0101] The reception date and time 76 indicates the date and time when the target order was received.

[0102] The work date and time 77 indicates the date and time when the item specified in the target order will be transported to the work station and a specified work (for example, picking the item) will be performed at the work station. The integrated WCS2 (or WCS3) may calculate the work date and time 77 based on the delivery date 75 and the reception date and time 76. The integrated WCS2 (or WCS3) may also determine the timing of sending a movement instruction (an instruction to transport the item) to the material handling device 9 based on the work date and time 77.

[0103] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the inventory information 8 according to the first embodiment.

[0104] Inventory information 8 stores information about stored items (e.g., products), and has, for example, a record for each item. If the same item is stored in different areas or different locations, multiple records for that item may exist in inventory information 8. Also, if the same item is stored in different containers, or if the same item is stored in different locations within the same container, multiple records for that item may exist in inventory information 8.

[0105] Each record of the inventory information 8 includes information on an item ID 80, an inventory quantity 81, an area 82, a location 83, a container ID 84, and a location in the container 85. The following description will be given taking one item (the "target item" in the description of FIG. 8) as an example.

[0106] The item ID 80 indicates the identification information of the target item.

[0107] The stock quantity 81 indicates the stock quantity of the target item.

[0108] Area 82 indicates the classification of the area where the target item is stored (or area identification information).

[0109] The location 83 represents the location where the target item is stored (for example, a location within an area). The location 83 may be represented by, for example, the three-dimensional coordinates of the section where the target item is stored.

[0110] The container ID 84 represents identification information of the container (for example, shelf) in which the target item is stored.

[0111] The position in the container 85 indicates the position where the target item is stored in the container. For example, if the container is a shelf, "U3R2" means the third from the top and the second from the right.

[0112] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of the motion space information 20 according to the first embodiment.

[0113] The operating space information 20 defines the operating range of each state of the material handling device 9 for each classification of the material handling device 9 .

[0114] The equipment classification 21 indicates the type of material handling equipment 9. In addition to the transport equipment 9A, 9B, robot arm 9C, and conveyor equipment 9D exemplified above, the material handling equipment 9 in this embodiment also includes overhead traveling vehicles that travel while hanging from rails installed at the top of the warehouse, vertical transport machines that transport items in the vertical direction of the warehouse, and drones that fly at a predetermined height within the warehouse. Drones are used to transport goods while traveling, take images of goods using mounted cameras, and acquire RFID information, and the collected information is used for inventory.

[0115] Area 22 indicates the reservation method for the height direction interference area 40H. If area 22 is a "height direction interference area," the range in the z-axis direction in the height direction interference area 40H is reserved. If area 22 is "all areas," the height direction in the entire area is reserved.

[0116] A state 23 indicates an operating state in which each material handling device 9 reserves an area. For example, the range in the z-axis direction to be reserved for the transport device 9A differs between when the device is unloaded and when the device is loaded on a shelf.

[0117] The container type 24 indicates a container to be loaded by the material handling device 9A, which is a transport device. That is, since the heights of the loaded containers differ, the range in the z-axis direction to be reserved differs depending on the loaded container.

[0118] The x-axis 25, y-axis 26, and z-axis 27 represent the range to be reserved in three-dimensional space when the material handling device 9 is in the state defined by the state 23. If the x-axis 25, y-axis 26, and z-axis 27 are "-", this indicates that the range defined by the operation instructions (including movement instructions and flight instructions) for the material handling device 9 is reserved.

[0119] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process related to a movement instruction according to the first embodiment.

[0120] 10 is executed at a predetermined timing, such as when processing of an order stored in the order information 7 starts or when processing of the next order is executed, and is executed repeatedly until processing of all orders is completed. Note that the processing described below is performed by a program executed by the processor 10 of the control device 1, with the integrated WCS2 processing being performed by the integrated WCS program and the WCS3 processing being performed by the WCS program.

[0121] First, the integrated WCS 2 identifies the item ID of the item to be processed from one record identified from the order information 7 in order of earliest work date and time (S201), and then refers to the inventory information 8 to identify the area where the item related to the order is stored based on the identified item ID (S202). By referring to the inventory information 8, it is possible to know whether the item is stored in a shared area or a dedicated area.

[0122] Then, the integrated WCS 2 refers to the area information 5A or 5C and identifies the equipment classification of the material handling equipment 9 that can transport the item based on the acquired area information (S203). Note that in step S202, in addition to the storage location of the item that is the source of the transport, area information of the destination of the item may be acquired, and the equipment classification may be identified based on the area information of the destination.

[0123] The integrated WCS 2 then refers to the device information 6, and based on the identified device classification, identifies the WCS 3 that controls the material handling device 9 of that device classification (S204), and transmits a movement instruction (transport instruction) to the identified WCS 3 (S205). Note that the process of identifying the WCS 3 from the order information 7 may be a process with other procedures other than the process shown in steps S201 to S203.

[0124] When the WCS 3 receives a movement instruction from the integrated WCS 2, it determines the material handling device 9 that will perform the transport according to the movement instruction based on the device information 6 (S206), identifies drivable sections based on the map information 4 and area information 5A or 5B, and creates a movement route by connecting the drivable sections (S207).The WCS 3 then transmits the movement instruction to the material handling device 9 that will perform the transport, and controls the movement of the material handling device 9 (S208).The operation control process executed by the WCS 3 will be described later with reference to Figures 11A and 11B.

[0125] Furthermore, if, due to the characteristics of the material handling device 9, the WCS 3 that controls it is a system that does not have order information 7 or inventory information 8 (for example, an inter-process transport system used only to move goods within a warehouse), the processing shown in Figure 10 may omit S201 and S202 and start from any of S203, S204, or S205.

[0126] 11A and 11B are flowcharts of the motion control process of Example 1. In the motion control process of Fig. 11A, height processing is not performed by WCS3, but by integrated WCS2. On the other hand, in the motion control process of Fig. 11B, height processing is performed by WCS3.

[0127] 11A and 11B is executed by the WCS 3, for example, in step S208 of Fig. 10. In addition, the WCS 3 executes the operation control process when the material handling device 9 reserves the next route while moving along a route, when the area in which the material handling device 9 exists changes (for example, when entering a shared area), etc.

[0128] First, the operation control process shown in Fig. 11A will be described. The WCS 3 identifies one or more planned movement sections based on the position and movement route of the material handling device 9 (S211), and identifies the area of ​​the planned movement section by referring to the area information 5A or 5B (S212).

[0129] Then, the WCS 3 determines whether the identified area is a common area (S213). For example, if the area is a dedicated area for the device classification of the material handling device 9 controlled by the WCS 3 itself, the determination is "No."

[0130] If WCS3 determines that the identified area is a shared area, it requests a reservation from integrated WCS2 (S214). The reservation request sent to integrated WCS2 in step S214 does not include height information. In this embodiment, the shared area includes height-direction interference area 40H, but the operation control process shown in FIG. 11A does not perform height processing to reserve a section in the height direction in WCS3. When a reservation is requested from WCS3, integrated WCS2 performs reservation processing (FIG. 12) including height processing to reserve a section in the height direction.

[0131] On the other hand, if the WCS 3 determines that the identified area is not a common area, it refers to the area information 5A or 5B and determines whether or not the area can be reserved (S215).

[0132] If reservation is not possible (NO in S216), the WCS 3 waits for a predetermined time (S219), returns to step S215, and continues processing. The processing of step S219 may be executed a predetermined number of times. After executing the processing a predetermined number of times, the WCS 3 may change to another route.

[0133] If reservation is possible (YES in S216), the WCS3 records the device ID of the material handling device 9 in the reservation column 55 of the area information 5A or 5B, reserves the section (S217), and instructs the material handling device 9 traveling on the route to move to the section of the route for which the section is reserved (S218).

[0134] In addition, if the material handling device 9 controlled by WCS3 is a material handling device 9 in a dedicated area that does not require a reservation (for example, an AMR that moves autonomously to avoid collisions), the processing of steps 216 to 217 can be omitted and the material handling device 9 can be instructed to move in step S218.

[0135] Next, the operation control process shown in Fig. 11B will be described. The WCS 3 identifies one or more planned movement sections based on the position and movement route of the material handling device 9 (S211), and identifies the area of ​​the planned movement section by referring to the area information 5A or 5B (S212).

[0136] Then, the WCS 3 determines whether the identified area is a common area (S213). For example, if the area is a dedicated area for the device classification of the material handling device 9 controlled by the WCS 3 itself, the determination is "No."

[0137] Then, when the WCS 3 determines that the identified area is a common area, it determines whether the identified area is a height direction interference area (S221).

[0138] If the WCS3 determines that the identified area is a height-direction interference area, it requests a reservation from the integrated WCS2 (S222). For example, by referring to the operating space information 20, the WCS3 identifies information about the height-direction area to be reserved based on the operation schedule and status of the material handling device 9 related to the reservation request, and sends a reservation request including information about the identified area to the integrated WCS2. When a reservation is requested from the WCS3, the integrated WCS2 executes reservation processing (FIG. 13) including height processing to reserve a section in the height direction.

[0139] If WCS3 determines that the identified area is not a height-direction interference area, it requests a reservation from integrated WCS2 (S214). The reservation request sent to integrated WCS2 in step S214 does not include height information. In this embodiment, the shared area includes height-direction interference area 40H, but the operation control process shown in FIG. 11A does not perform height processing to reserve a height-direction section in WCS3. When a reservation is requested from WCS3, integrated WCS2 performs reservation processing (FIG. 12) including height processing to reserve a height-direction section.

[0140] On the other hand, if the WCS 3 determines that the identified area is not a common area, it refers to the area information 5A or 5B and determines whether or not the area can be reserved (S215).

[0141] If reservation is not possible (NO in S216), the WCS 3 waits for a predetermined time (S219), returns to step S215, and continues processing. The processing of step S219 may be executed a predetermined number of times. After executing the processing a predetermined number of times, the WCS 3 may change to another route.

[0142] If reservation is possible (YES in S216), the WCS3 records the device ID of the material handling device 9 in the reservation column 55 of the area information 5A or 5B, reserves the section (S217), and instructs the material handling device 9 traveling on the route to move to the section of the route for which the section is reserved (S218).

[0143] In addition, if the material handling device 9 controlled by WCS3 is a material handling device 9 in a dedicated area that does not require a reservation (for example, an AMR that moves autonomously to avoid collisions), the processing of steps 216 to 217 can be omitted and the material handling device 9 can be instructed to move in step S218.

[0144] FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the reservation process according to the first embodiment.

[0145] The reservation process shown in FIG. 12 is executed by the integrated WCS 2, for example, when a reservation request is received from a WCS to the integrated WCS (step S214 in FIG. 11, step S235 in FIG. 13).

[0146] First, the integrated WCS 2 refers to the area information 5A or 5C and determines whether the requested section is a height direction interference area (S231).

[0147] If the requested section is a height-direction interference area, the integrated WCS2 requests status information of the target device from the WCS3 that controls the target device (S232). WCS3 transmits the status information of the target device to the integrated WCS2. The integrated WCS2 then receives the status information of the target device (S233). Note that the integrated WCS2 may request status information from the target device and receive the status information from the target device, rather than from the WCS3 that controls the target device. Also, if height information is included in the reservation request, steps S232 and S233 are not executed.

[0148] The integrated WCS 2 then refers to the area information 5A or 5C and the operating space information 20 to determine whether the section requested in the three-dimensional coordinates can be reserved (S234), and the process proceeds to step S235.

[0149] On the other hand, if the requested section is not a height-direction interference area, the integrated WCS 2 refers to the area information 5A or 5C to determine whether the requested section can be reserved in two-dimensional coordinates (S238), and proceeds to step S235.

[0150] If the integrated WCS2 determines that the requested section cannot be reserved (NO in S235), it notifies the requesting WCS3 that the reservation is not possible (S239). Note that the integrated WCS2 may wait for a predetermined time, return to step S231, and notify the requesting WCS3 that the reservation is not possible if it has been determined that the reservation is not possible a predetermined number of times in step S234 or S238.

[0151] If the integrated WCS2 determines that the requested section can be reserved (YES in S235), it records the device ID of the material handling device 9 in the reservation field of the area information 5A or 5C and reserves the section (S236). In step S236, if the height direction is not specified when a reservation request is made for a height-direction interference area in a common area, the integrated WCS2 may reject the reservation request because the range to be reserved in the z-axis direction is not determined, but may reserve a specified area (for example, z1 to z5, which is the entire area from the floor to the ceiling). Then, the integrated WCS2 transmits reservation information to the requesting WCS3 (S237). The reservation information transmitted in step S237 includes the location of the reserved section and the device ID of the material handling device 9 that reserved the section.

[0152] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the operation control process according to the first embodiment.

[0153] The operation control process shown in FIG. 13 is executed by the WCS3, for example, when the WCS3 receives a response regarding the reservation from the integrated WCS2 (steps S237 and S239 in FIG. 12).

[0154] First, the WCS 3 determines whether the notification received from the integrated WCS 2 indicates that the reservation has been completed (S241).

[0155] When WCS3 receives a reservation completion notice from the integrated WCS2, it records the device ID of the material handling device 9 in the reservation column 55 of the area information 5B and updates the area information 5B (S242). Note that step S232 is a process that is executed when different area information 5B and 5C are used in the integrated WCS2 and WCS3, as shown in Figures 5B and 5C. When the same area information 5A is used in the integrated WCS2 and WCS3, as shown in Figure 5A, the area information 5A can be updated by the integrated WCS2.

[0156] Then, the WCS 3 instructs the material handling device 9 traveling along the route for the route portion for which the section is reserved to move (S243).

[0157] On the other hand, if WCS3 receives a notification from integrated WCS2 that reservation is not possible, it waits for a predetermined time (S244) and then requests reservation from integrated WCS2 (S245). The process of step S244 may be executed a predetermined number of times. After executing the process a predetermined number of times, it may change to another route and execute the operation control process (FIG. 11).

[0158] As described above, in the logistics system of the first embodiment of the present invention, the movement of the conveying devices 9A, 9B and the overhead traveling vehicle is controlled after a section within the range in the z-axis direction defined in the operation space information 20 on the travel route is reserved. Also, the operation of the robot arm 9C is controlled after a section within the range in the z-axis direction defined in the operation space information 20 within the operation range is reserved. The flip-up operation of the conveyor device 9D is controlled after an area within the range in the z-axis direction defined in the operation space information 20 within the flip-up operation range is reserved. The flight of the drone is controlled after an area within the range in the z-axis direction defined in the operation space information 20 on the flight route is reserved.

[0159] 14A and 14B are flowcharts of reservation cancellation processing in Example 1. In the reservation cancellation processing in Fig. 14A, height processing is not performed in WCS3, but is performed in integrated WCS2. On the other hand, in the reservation cancellation processing in Fig. 14B, height processing is performed in WCS3.

[0160] The reservation cancellation process shown in Figures 14A and 14B is executed, for example, when location information is received from the material handling device 9, when the material handling device 9 is moving along a route that includes the reserved section, at the time of the next reservation, or when the area changes (for example, when entering a shared area).

[0161] First, the reservation cancellation process shown in Fig. 14A will be described. The WCS 3 identifies the section for which the reservation is to be cancelled based on the position of the material handling device 9 (S251), and determines whether there is a section for which the reservation is to be cancelled (S252). For example, a section that the material handling device 9 has already passed on the route is a section for which the reservation is to be cancelled.

[0162] If there are no more partitions to be released from reservation, the WCS 3 ends the reservation release process.

[0163] On the other hand, if there is a section for which the reservation is to be cancelled, the WCS 3 refers to the area information 5A or 5B to identify the area of ​​the section for which the reservation is to be cancelled (S253), and determines whether the identified area is a common area (S254).

[0164] If the identified area is a common area, the WCS 3 requests the integrated WCS 2 to cancel the reservation (S255). The process executed by the integrated WCS 2 thereafter will be described with reference to FIG.

[0165] On the other hand, if the identified area is not a common area, the WCS 3 records "vacant" in the reservation column 55 of the area information 5A or 5B, cancels the reservation of the section (S256), and ends the reservation cancellation process.

[0166] Next, the reservation cancellation process shown in Figure 14B will be described. The WCS 3 identifies the section for which the reservation is to be cancelled based on the position of the material handling device 9 (S251), and determines whether there is a section for which the reservation is to be cancelled (S252). For example, a section that the material handling device 9 has already passed on the route is a section for which the reservation is to be cancelled.

[0167] If there are no more partitions to be released from reservation, the WCS 3 ends the reservation release process.

[0168] On the other hand, if there is a section for which the reservation is to be cancelled, the WCS 3 refers to the area information 5A or 5B to identify the area of ​​the section for which the reservation is to be cancelled (S253), and determines whether the identified area is a common area (S254).

[0169] If the identified area is not a common area, the WCS 3 records "vacant" in the reservation column 55 of the area information 5A or 5B, and cancels the reservation of the section (S256).

[0170] On the other hand, if the identified area is a common area, the WCS 3 determines whether the section for which the reservation is to be cancelled is an interference area in the height direction (S257).

[0171] If the section to be released from the reservation is not a height-direction interference area, the WCS3 requests the integrated WCS2 to release the reservation by specifying the section using two-dimensional coordinates (S255). The subsequent processing executed by the integrated WCS2 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0172] On the other hand, if the section to be cancelled is a height-direction interference area, WCS3 refers to the information on the status of the target device and the operating space information 20, and requests the integrated WCS2 to cancel the reservation by specifying the section in three-dimensional coordinates (S258). The subsequent processing executed by the integrated WCS2 will be described with reference to FIG. 15.

[0173] FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the reservation cancellation process executed by the integrated WCS 2 of the first embodiment.

[0174] The reservation cancellation process shown in FIG. 15 is executed by the integrated WCS2, for example, when a reservation cancellation request is received from the WCS3 to the integrated WCS2 (step S255 in FIG. 14A, steps S255 and S258 in FIG. 14B).

[0175] First, the integrated WCS 2 refers to the area information 5A or 5C to determine whether the section for which reservation cancellation has been requested is a height-direction interference area (S261).

[0176] If the section for which reservation cancellation is requested is not a height-direction interference area, the z-axis direction of the section is not divided and reserved, so the integrated WCS 2 refers to area information 5A or 5C to identify the section for which reservation is to be cancelled (S267) and proceeds to step S265. In step S265, in the section for which reservation cancellation is requested, the z-axis direction is the area reserved by the target device, and the reservation of a predetermined area (for example, z1 to z5, which is the entire area from the floor to the ceiling) is cancelled.

[0177] On the other hand, if the requested section is a height-direction interference area, the integrated WCS2 requests status information of the target device from the WCS3 that controls the target device (S262). WCS3 transmits the status information of the target device to the integrated WCS2. The integrated WCS2 then receives the status information of the target device (S263). Note that the integrated WCS2 may request status information from the target device and receive the status information from it, rather than from the WCS3 that controls the target device.

[0178] Then, the integrated WCS 2 refers to the operating space information 20 and identifies the section designated by the three-dimensional coordinates for which the reservation is to be cancelled (S264).

[0179] Then, in step S265, the integrated WCS 2 records "vacant" in the reservation column 55 of the identified section of the area information 5A or 5C, and cancels the reservation of that section (S265).

[0180] Then, the integrated WCS2 notifies the requesting WCS3 of the completion of the reservation cancellation (S266).

[0181] After that, when the requesting WCS3 receives the notification that the reservation has been released, it updates the area information 5 as necessary. In particular, if the integrated WCS2 and WCS3 use different area information 5 (FIGS. 5B and 5C), the requesting WCS3 needs to update the area information 5.

[0182] As described above, according to the logistics system of the first embodiment of the present invention, in a moving area where multiple material handling devices 9 controlled by different WCSs coexist, the multiple material handling devices 9 can be exclusively controlled by reserving sections. This allows, for example, increased freedom in designing the moving area and increased freedom in selecting material handling devices 9, thereby optimizing the entire logistics center.

[0183] <Example 2> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the partition used by integrated WCS2 and the partition used by WCS3 are the same size and in the same division, but in the second embodiment, if the partition used by integrated WCS2 and the partition used by WCS3 are different sizes, the partitions are converted and the reservation status is managed. In the second embodiment, differences from the first embodiment described above will be mainly described, and the same configurations and processes as those in the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

[0184] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a logistics system according to the second embodiment.

[0185] The logistics system includes a control device 1, multiple material handling devices 9A to 9D, and a network 100 (for example, a wireless communication line such as a wireless LAN (Local Area Network)). The control device 1 and the multiple material handling devices 9 can communicate with each other via the network 100. Each component of the logistics system may be singular (one) or multiple. The logistics system may also include terminals other than the material handling devices 9, for example, terminals at work stations.

[0186] The material handling device 9A has a drive device 91, a memory device 92, an interface device 93, a sensor 94, a battery (not shown), and a controller 90 connected to these. The material handling device 9B has the same configuration as the material handling device 9A.

[0187] The driving device 91, the storage device 92, the interface device 93, and the sensor 94 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0188] The controller 90 controls the operation of the material handling device 9A in accordance with movement instructions from the control device 1, the charge state of the built-in battery, etc. The controller 90 includes, for example, a processor and a storage device (e.g., a memory). A control program 900 is stored in the storage device of the controller 90. The processor of the controller 90 executes the control program 900 to perform various controls of the material handling device 9A.

[0189] The control program 900 transmits at least some of the information among the route information 920, device information 921, map information 922, measurement information 923, and performance information 924 to the control device 1 in response to a request from the control device 1 (or without a request). The control program 900 may transmit each of these pieces of information to the control device 1 periodically or irregularly. The control program 900 has a function (movement control program) for controlling the movement of the material handling device 9A in response to a movement instruction received from the control device 1. The control program 900 controls the drive device 91 so that the material handling device 9A moves along the movement path specified in the movement instruction. The communication program 901 exchanges commands and information with the control device 1 via the interface device 93. The measurement program 902 sets the sensor 94 and stores the output (measurement result) of the sensor 94 in the measurement information 923. The position estimation program 903 estimates the position of the material handling device 9A based on information such as the marker 42 acquired by the sensor 94.

[0190] The non-moving robot arm 9C has the same controller 90, memory device 92, and interface device 93, but the drive device 91 is provided with a motor that operates the arm instead of the drive wheels 96 and auxiliary wheels 97. The non-moving conveyor device 9D has the same controller 90, memory device 92, and interface device 93, but the drive device 91 is provided with a motor that sends packages on the conveyor line and a motor that bounces up the conveyor line or returns it to a horizontal position instead of the drive wheels 96 and auxiliary wheels 97.

[0191] The control device 1 includes a processor 10 , a memory 11 , an auxiliary storage device 12 , an input device 13 , an output device 14 , and an interface device 15 .

[0192] The control device 1 may be one or more physical computers having hardware such as a processor 10, a memory 11, an auxiliary storage device 12, an input device 13, an output device 14, and an interface device 15, or may be a system (e.g., a cloud computing system) implemented on one or more physical computers (e.g., a cloud platform). The control device 1 may also be a control system.

[0193] Each device included in the control device 1 may be located in one physical computer, or may be distributed across multiple physical computers. The programs and information stored in the auxiliary storage device 12 may be stored in one storage device, or may be stored separately in multiple storage devices. The control device 1 may be capable of inputting and outputting information via a client system that can communicate through the interface device 15.

[0194] The processor 10 is a device that controls the overall operation of the control device 1. The processor 10 may be composed of a processing unit, an arithmetic unit, an arithmetic processing unit, and a controller. The memory 11 is a volatile storage area used as a work memory for the processor 10 and may include a non-volatile storage area for storing unchanging data. The input device 13 may be composed of, for example, a mouse or a keyboard, and is used by an operator to input necessary information and instructions into the control device 1. The output device 14 may be composed of a display device such as an LCD display. The interface device 15 is a device that communicates with the material handling device 9 via the network 100 in accordance with a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be composed of, for example, a wireless LAN card.

[0195] The auxiliary storage device 12 is a non-volatile storage medium that stores various programs and information. For example, the auxiliary storage device 12 stores map information 4, area information 5 (FIG. 5), device information 6 (FIG. 6), order information 7 (FIG. 7), inventory information 8 (FIG. 8), and conversion information 30 (FIG. 17). The map information 4 includes information on a map of an area 40 and information indicating the location of each section 41. The map information 4 may include information exemplified in FIG. 4A. For example, the control device 1 may transmit the map information 4 to the material handling device 9, and the map information 4 may be stored as map information 922 in each material handling device 9.

[0196] The control device 1 periodically or irregularly receives information about each material handling device 9 (for example, at least some of the route information 920, device information 921, map information 922, measurement information 923, and performance information 924) from the material handling device 9. The control device 1 also receives information about the progress of work input to a terminal at the work station. The control device 1 also appropriately updates the relevant portions of the map information 4, area information 5, device information 6, order information 7, and inventory information 8 based on the received information and at least some of the information input by the manager.

[0197] The auxiliary storage device 12 stores an integrated WCS (Warehouse Control System) program and multiple WCS programs. The processor 10 executes the integrated WCS program to realize an integrated WCS2. The processor 10 executes the WCS program to realize one or more WCS3 (three WCSs, WCS-a3, WCS-b3, and WCS-c3, are shown in the figure).

[0198] The integrated WCS 2 performs integrated control of a logistics system including various material handling devices 9 and various material handling facilities. The WCS 3 is a warehouse control device that controls the material handling devices 9. There are multiple different WCSs 3. In the illustrated example, WCS-a3 controls material handling device 9A, WCS-b3 controls material handling device 9B, and WCS-c3 controls the other material handling devices 9.

[0199] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the conversion information 30. As shown in FIG.

[0200] The conversion information 30 stores information about sections for each area, including an integrated WCS-managed section location 31, a WCS-a-managed section location 32, a WCS-b-managed section location 33, and a WCS-c-managed section location 34. The location information for each section is associated and recorded. In this embodiment, the location of each section is represented by three-dimensional coordinates. The integrated WCS 2 and each WCS 3 set sections of their own size. In particular, if the size of the material handling device 9 varies depending on the device classification of the material handling device 9, the size of the section may differ for each device type of the material handling device 9, i.e., for each WCS 3. Furthermore, the integrated WCS 2 and each WCS 3 manage the sections within the area using their own coordinate systems, and the identification information for sections differ even at the same location. Therefore, the integrated WCS 2 and each WCS 3 manage different sections for which the movement of the material handling device 9 is managed.

[0201] In the conversion information 30 shown in Figure 17, the section managed by WCS-c3 is the largest, and the section managed by WCS-a3 is the smallest. That is, the sections of each WCS3 are related so that multiple sections managed by WCS-a3 are included in one section managed by WCS-b3, and multiple sections managed by WCS-b3 are included in one section managed by WCS-c3. The size of the section managed by the integrated WCS2 can be determined based on the largest or smallest section managed by the WCS3. Note that determining the size based on the smallest section makes it easier to reserve a section for a material handling device 9 that moves using the smallest section.

[0202] In the conversion information 30 shown in Fig. 17, the position information of the section is associated with each WCS, but the position information may also be associated with each equipment classification of the material handling equipment 9. Also, in the conversion information 30 shown in Fig. 17, the horizontal (x, y) position is associated with each WCS, but the size of the section in the height direction (z) differs for each WCS, so the height direction (z) position may also be associated.

[0203] When the integrated WCS2 receives a reservation request or reservation cancellation request from WCS3, it refers to the conversion information 30, converts the partition managed by the WCS3 that sent the request to a partition managed by the integrated WCS2, and processes the reservation request or reservation cancellation request received from WCS3. In other words, the integrated WCS2 handles reservations and reservation cancellations in the partition managed by the integrated WCS2. When responding to a reservation request or reservation cancellation request, the integrated WCS2 refers to the conversion information 30, converts the partition managed by the integrated WCS2 to a partition managed by WCS3, and sends a response to the reservation request or reservation cancellation request to WCS3.

[0204] As described above, the logistics system of the second embodiment of the present invention allows exclusive control by reserving sections even when the sections used by the integrated WCS 2 are different from the sections used by the WCS 3. In particular, exclusive control by reserving sections is possible even when the size of the sections included in the route of the material handling device 9 differs depending on the device classification of the material handling device 9, or when the integrated WCS 2 and each WCS 3 manage sections within their area using separate coordinate systems.

[0205] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes various modifications and equivalent configurations within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to configurations including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, part of the configuration of one embodiment may be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, the configuration of another embodiment may be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, part of the configuration of each embodiment may be added, deleted, or replaced with other configurations.

[0206] Furthermore, the aforementioned configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized in part or in whole in hardware, for example by designing them as integrated circuits, or may be realized in software by having a processor interpret and execute a program that realizes each function.

[0207] Information such as programs, tables, and files that realize each function can be stored in a storage device such as a memory, a hard disk, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or in a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

[0208] In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily represent all the control lines and information lines that are necessary for implementation. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0209] 1. Control device 2 Integrated WCS 3. WCS 4. Map information 5A, 5B, 5C Area Information 6 Device information 7 Order Information 8. Stock Information 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D Material handling equipment 10 processors 11. Memory 12 Storage device 13 Input Devices 14 Output Devices 15 Interface Device 30 Conversion Information 90 Controller 91 Drive unit 92 Storage device 93 Interface Device 94 Sensors 95 Loading device 96 Drive wheels 97 Training wheels 100 Network 900 Control Program 901 Communication Program 902 Measurement Program 903 Location Estimation Program 920 Route Information 921 Device information 922 Map Information 923 Measurement Information 924 Performance Information

Claims

1. A control device that controls the operation of a material handling device, The computer is configured with a processing unit that executes a predetermined process and a storage unit connected to the processing unit, The material handling device occupies a predetermined area by operation, The area in which the material handling device can operate is divided into sections of a predetermined size, The storage unit stores area information in which reservation statuses of sections included in an area in which the material handling device operates are recorded, The control device is characterized in that it identifies a vertical section that includes the area in which the material handling device operates based on the state of the material handling device, reserves the identified section using the area information, and controls the operation of the material handling device after the reservation is established.

2. The control device according to claim 1, A control device characterized by identifying a section in the vertical direction that includes the area in which the material handling device operates based on the state of the material handling device and the type of transported object the material handling device transports, reserving the identified section using the area information, and controlling the operation of the material handling device after the reservation is made.

3. The control device according to claim 2, The section is classified into either a normal area that is not divided in the height direction or a specific area that is divided in the height direction and in which a plurality of the material handling devices can operate, The control device When the material handling device operates in the normal area, depending on the state of the material handling device, a section including the area in which the material handling device operates is reserved using the area information without dividing it in the height direction, and the operation of the material handling device is controlled after the reservation is established; When the material handling device operates in the specified area, the control device identifies a section in the vertical direction that includes the area in which the material handling device operates based on the state of the material handling device and the type of object being transported by the material handling device, reserves the identified section using the area information, and controls the operation of the material handling device after the reservation is made.

4. 4. The control device according to claim 1, The material handling devices include a first material handling device operable in a first dedicated area and a common area, and a second material handling device operable in the common area; The control device includes an integrated control unit in which the processing unit refers to the area information and manages the operation of the material handling device in the common area, and an individual control unit in which the processing unit refers to the area information and manages the operation of the material handling device in the first dedicated area, When the material handling device operates in a specific area within the common area, the individual control unit requests the integrated control unit to reserve a section within the common area including the area in which the material handling device operates; In response to a reservation request from the individual control unit, the integrated control unit updates the area information of the section within the common area including the area in which the material handling device operates to a reserved state depending on the state of the material handling device and the type of transported object transported by the material handling device, and notifies the individual control unit of the success or failure of the reservation; The control device is characterized in that the individual control unit controls the operation of the material handling device after receiving a notification from the integrated control unit that the reservation has been made.

5. 4. The control device according to claim 1, The material handling devices include a first material handling device operable in a first dedicated area and a common area, and a second material handling device operable in the common area; The control device includes an integrated control unit in which the processing unit refers to the area information and manages the operation of the material handling device in the common area, and an individual control unit in which the processing unit refers to the area information and manages the operation of the material handling device in the first dedicated area, When the material handling device operates in a specific area within the common area, the individual control unit identifies a reservation for a section in the common area including the area in which the material handling device operates in a height direction based on the state of the material handling device and the type of transported object transported by the material handling device, and requests the integrated control unit to reserve the identified section; the integrated control unit updates the area information of the section related to the reservation request to a reserved state in accordance with the reservation request from the individual control unit, and notifies the individual control unit of the success or failure of the reservation; The control device is characterized in that the individual control unit controls the operation of the material handling device after receiving a notification from the integrated control unit that the reservation has been made.

6. The control device according to claim 1, The control device is characterized in that it identifies, in the vertical direction, the section where the operation of the material handling device has ended, depending on the state of the material handling device, and cancels the reservation of the identified section.

7. The control device according to claim 6, The control device is characterized in that it identifies the section in the vertical direction where the operation of the material handling device has ended based on the state of the material handling device and the type of transported item the material handling device is transporting, and cancels the reservation of the identified section using the area information.

8. The control device according to claim 7, The section is classified into either a normal area that is not divided in the height direction or a specific area that is divided in the height direction and in which a plurality of the material handling devices can operate, The control device Depending on the state of the material handling device operating in the normal area, the reservation is released using the area information without dividing the section in which the operation of the material handling device has ended in the height direction, A control device characterized by identifying the section in the vertical direction where the operation of the material handling device has ended based on the state of the material handling device operating in the specific area and the type of transported item the material handling device is transporting, and canceling the reservation of the identified section using the area information.

9. 9. A control device according to any one of claims 1, 6, 7 and 8, The material handling devices include a first material handling device operable in a first dedicated area and a common area, and a second material handling device operable in the common area; The control device includes an integrated control unit in which the processing unit refers to the area information and manages the operation of the material handling device in the common area, and an individual control unit in which the processing unit refers to the area information and manages the operation of the material handling device in the first dedicated area, The individual control unit requests the integrated control unit to cancel the reservation of the section in which the operation of the material handling device has ended, The integrated control unit, in accordance with a reservation cancellation request from the individual control unit, identifies the section in the vertical direction where the operation of the material handling device has ended based on the status of the material handling device operating in a specific area within the common area and the type of transported item the material handling device is transporting, cancels the reservation status of the area information of the identified section using the area information, and notifies the individual control unit of the completion of the reservation cancellation.

10. 9. A control device according to any one of claims 1, 6, 7 and 8, The material handling devices include a first material handling device operable in a first dedicated area and a common area, and a second material handling device operable in the common area; The control device includes an integrated control unit in which the processing unit refers to the area information and manages the operation of the material handling device in the common area, and an individual control unit in which the processing unit refers to the area information and manages the operation of the material handling device in the first dedicated area, The individual control unit identifies a section in the height direction within the common area including the area in which the material handling device operates, the section being reserved for cancellation, based on the state of the material handling device and the type of transported object transported by the material handling device, and requests the integrated control unit to cancel the reservation of the identified section; A control device characterized in that the integrated control unit, in accordance with a reservation cancellation request from the individual control unit, cancels the reservation status of the area information of the section related to the reservation cancellation request using the area information, and notifies the individual control unit of the completion of the reservation cancellation.

11. The control device according to claim 1, The material handling devices include a first material handling device operable in a first dedicated area and a common area, and a second material handling device operable in the common area; The control device includes an integrated control unit in which the processing unit refers to the area information and manages the operation of the material handling device in the common area, and an individual control unit in which the processing unit refers to the area information and manages the operation of the material handling device in the first dedicated area, The individual control unit When the material handling device operates in the common area, a request is made to the integrated control unit to reserve a section of the common area included in the operating area of ​​the material handling device; A control device characterized in that, when the first material handling device operates in the first dedicated area, the control device controls the operation of the first material handling device after reserving a section included in the area in which the first material handling device operates.

12. The control device according to claim 1, The material handling devices include a first material handling device operable in a first dedicated area and a common area, and a second material handling device operable in the common area; The control device includes an integrated control unit in which the processing unit refers to the area information and manages the operation of the material handling device in the common area, and an individual control unit in which the processing unit refers to the area information and manages the operation of the material handling device in the first dedicated area, The individual control unit When the material handling device operates in the common area, the integrated control unit is requested to reserve a section of the common area included in the operating area of ​​the material handling device, and after the reservation is established, the operation of the material handling device is controlled; A control device characterized in that, when the first material handling device operates in the first dedicated area, the control device controls the operation of the first material handling device without requesting the integrated control unit to reserve the section included in the area in which the first material handling device operates.

13. The control device according to claim 1, The material handling devices include a first material handling device operable in a first dedicated area and a common area, and a second material handling device operable in the common area; The control device includes an integrated control unit in which the processing unit refers to the area information and manages the operation of the material handling device in the common area, and an individual control unit in which the processing unit refers to the area information and manages the operation of the material handling device in the first dedicated area, The individual control unit When the material handling device operates in the common area, the integrated control unit is requested to reserve a section of the common area included in the operating area of ​​the material handling device, and after the reservation is established, the operation of the material handling device is controlled; A control device characterized in that, when the first material handling device operates in the first dedicated area, the control device controls the operation of the first material handling device after reserving a section included in the area in which the first material handling device operates.

14. The control device according to claim 11, The individual control unit When canceling a reservation for a partition included in the shared area, a request is made to the integrated control unit to cancel the reservation for the partition; When canceling a reservation for a partition included in the first dedicated area, the control device updates the area information for the partition to vacant and cancels the reservation.

15. The control device according to claim 11, the storage unit stores conversion information that records information on the partitions used by the integrated control unit and information on the partitions used by the individual control units in association with each other; a partition in the shared area managed by the integrated control unit and a partition in the shared area managed by the individual control unit are different, The integrated control unit When a reservation request for a partition in the shared area is received from the individual control unit, the conversion information is referenced to convert the partition managed by the individual control unit into a partition managed by the integrated control unit, and the area information of the converted partition is updated to reservation; A control device characterized in that, when it receives a request to cancel a reservation for a shared area from the individual control unit, it refers to the conversion information, converts the partition managed by the individual control unit to a partition managed by the integrated control unit, and updates the area information of the converted partition to vacant.

16. The control device according to claim 11, A control device, characterized in that information about partitions in the shared area used by the integrated control unit is the same as information about partitions in the shared area used by the individual control units.

17. A control method in which a control device controls the operation of a material handling device, the control device is configured by a computer having a processing unit that executes predetermined processing and a storage unit connected to the processing unit, The material handling device occupies a predetermined area by operation, The area in which the material handling device can operate is divided into sections of a predetermined size, The storage unit stores area information in which reservation statuses of sections included in an area in which the material handling device operates are recorded, The control method includes: A control method characterized in that the control device identifies a vertical section including the area in which the material handling device operates based on the state of the material handling device, reserves the identified section using the area information, and controls the operation of the material handling device after the reservation is established.

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