Order Dispatch Control System and Order Dispatch Control Method

Abstract

Achieve both improved work efficiency and improved transport efficiency. [Solution] The system is configured to perform order drop control to drop undropped orders in a staggered manner. In order drop control, the system determines which undropped orders to drop from one or more undropped orders based on (A) and (B) below. (A) Workload for each of multiple work stations based on one or more incomplete submitted orders. (B) The relationship between one or more scheduled-out storage containers that are assigned to one or more incomplete submitted orders and are inactive storage containers, the work station to which each of those scheduled-out storage containers is to be shipped, and the storage containers assigned to each of the one or more unsubmitted orders.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to order dropping control for articles that are shipped from a storage area, processed, and then conveyed by a conveying device.

Background Art

[0002] There is a logistics center or the like where the following processing is performed. That is, according to the dropped order, articles are shipped from a storage area (for example, a warehouse) to a work station, work (for example, picking) is performed on the articles at the work station, and the articles on which the work has been performed are conveyed by a conveying device.

[0003] It is desirable to reduce costs in a logistics center or the like. One of the factors related to costs is work efficiency. Improvement of work efficiency contributes to cost reduction. As technologies aimed at improving work efficiency, there are, for example, the technologies disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] There is a logistics area or the like where a plurality of work stations are provided, and the destination of the articles shipped from the storage area is uniquely determined to be one of the plurality of work stations. If the order of articles destined for a certain work station continues, the work load at that certain work station increases, while at another work station, the work may run out and waiting may occur. That is, the overall work efficiency may decrease.

[0006] These challenges can be expected to be resolved by implementing order distribution control in batches. However, implementing order distribution control in batches means that even if at least one conveyor is available and can be loaded with the completed items, the distribution control for undistributed orders will be delayed until a predetermined time has elapsed or a predetermined number of undistributed orders have accumulated. This can lead to a decrease in conveying efficiency. A decrease in conveying efficiency can lead to an increase in costs at logistics centers, etc.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to achieve both improved work efficiency and improved transport efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The system is designed to perform order drop control in order to drop undropped orders in a staggered manner. In order drop control, the system determines which undropped orders to drop from one or more undropped orders based on (A) and (B) below. (A) Workload for each of multiple work stations based on one or more incomplete submitted orders. (B) The relationship between one or more scheduled-out storage containers that are assigned to one or more incomplete submitted orders and are inactive storage containers, the work station to which each of those scheduled-out storage containers is to be shipped, and the storage containers assigned to each of the one or more unsubmitted orders. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve both improved work efficiency and improved transport efficiency. Other problems, configurations, and effects will be clarified by the following description of embodiments for carrying out the invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1]It is a diagram showing an overview of multiple types of areas in the first embodiment. [Figure 2] It is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the moving area. [Figure 3A] It is a diagram showing an example of loading on a conveying device and the conveying device. [Figure 3B] It is a diagram showing another example of loading on a conveying device and the conveying device. [Figure 4A] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a flat placement area. [Figure 4B] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an automated warehouse area. [Figure 4C] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a shelf conveying area. [Figure 4D] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a flow rack area. [Figure 5] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a packing area. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing a part of a specific configuration example of elements in a conveying system. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing the rest of a specific configuration example of elements in a conveying system. <L [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing a configuration example of an order table. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing a configuration example of an inventory table. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a storage area table. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a conveying device table. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a moving area table. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a shipping box table. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a loading operation management table. [Figure 15] It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a picking operation management table. [Figure 16] It is a flowchart showing a part of the order processing flow. [Figure 17] It is a flowchart showing a part of the order processing flow. [Figure 18] It is a flowchart showing a part of the order processing flow. [Figure 19] It is a flowchart showing a part of the order processing flow. [Figure 20] It is a flowchart showing a part of the order processing flow. [Figure 21] It is a flowchart showing a part of the order processing flow. [Figure 22] It is a flowchart showing the flow of the shipping box selection process. [Figure 23] It is a diagram showing a configuration example of an order list in the second embodiment. [Figure 24] It is a diagram showing a configuration example of an order detail list. [Figure 25] It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a picking instruction list. [Figure 26] It is a flowchart showing the flow of a process including order submission control. [Figure 27] It is a diagram schematically showing examples of several steps in FIG. 26. [Figure 28] It is a diagram showing an example of a management screen. [Figure 29] It is a diagram showing a configuration example of an inventory management list.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] In the following description, an "interface device" may be one or more interface devices. The one or more interface devices may be at least one of the following. • One or more I / O (Input / Output) interface devices. An I / O (Input / Output) interface device is an interface device to at least one of the following: an I / O device and a remote display computer. The I / O interface device to the display computer may be a communication interface device. The at least one I / O device may be either a user interface device, such as an input device like a keyboard and a pointing device, or an output device like a display device. • One or more communication interface devices. One or more communication interface devices may be one or more identical communication interface devices (e.g., one or more NICs (Network Interface Cards)) or two or more different communication interface devices (e.g., a NIC and an HBA (Host Bus Adapter)).

[0012] Furthermore, in the following explanation, "memory" refers to one or more memory devices, which are examples of one or more storage devices, and may typically be main memory devices. At least one memory device in memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

[0013] Furthermore, in the following explanation, "persistent storage device" may refer to one or more persistent storage devices, which are examples of one or more storage devices. Persistent storage devices are typically non-volatile storage devices (e.g., auxiliary storage devices), and specifically may be, for example, HDDs (Hard Disk Drives), SSDs (Solid State Drives), NVME (Non-Volatile Memory Express) drives, or SCMs (Storage Class Memory).

[0014] Furthermore, in the following explanation, "storage device" may also be "memory" and / or "persistent storage device".

[0015] Furthermore, in the following explanation, "processor" may refer to one or more processor devices. 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). At least one processor device may be single-core or multi-core. At least one processor device may be a processor core. At least one processor device may be a broad-sense processor device such as a circuit that is a collection of gate arrays according to a hardware description language that performs some or all of the processing (e.g., FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

[0016] Furthermore, in the following explanation, the term "xxx table" may be used to describe information from which an output is obtained for a given input. This information can be data of any structure (for example, structured or unstructured data), or it can be a neural network that generates an output for a given input, or a learning model such as a genetic algorithm or random forest. Therefore, "xxx table" can be referred to as "xxx information." Also, in the following explanation, the structure of each table is just an example; one table may be divided into two or more tables, or all or part of two or more tables may be a single table.

[0017] Furthermore, in the following explanation, the subject of the process may be "program," but since a program is executed by a processor and performs defined processes using memory and / or interface devices as appropriate, the subject of the process may also be the processor (or the computer, device, or system having that processor). A program may be installed from a program source into a device such as a computer. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a recording medium readable by a computer (e.g., a non-temporary recording medium). Also, in the following explanation, two or more programs may be implemented as a single program, or one program may be implemented as two or more programs.

[0018] Furthermore, any information (for example, at least one of "ID," "name," and "number") may be used as information to identify an element (identification information, identifier).

[0019] Furthermore, in the following explanation, when describing similar elements without distinction, the common reference code will be used, and when describing similar elements with distinction, the reference code will be used.

[0020] Furthermore, in the following explanation, the unit of "date and time" can be either coarser or finer than year, month, day, hour, and minute. [First Embodiment]

[0021] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the schematic of multiple types of areas in the first embodiment. The multiple types of areas shown in Figure 1 may be, for example, parts of a logistics facility (e.g., a warehouse or a distribution center). A logistics facility is, for example, a storage facility used by a mail-order company or a machinery manufacturer to store goods. The goods stored in the logistics facility may be, for example, products or parts.

[0022] The transport system comprises multiple transport devices 3 that travel within a mobile area 150, and a control device 4 that remotely controls the movement of each transport device 3. Shipping boxes 87 (see Figures 3A and 3B) are loaded onto the transport devices 3, and goods (e.g., products or parts) are placed into the shipping boxes 87. A "shipping box 87" is a container (e.g., a box) into which goods that will be packed into the same box (e.g., a cardboard box) as a shipping unit (packaging unit) are placed, and may also be called an "order container." Goods that will be packed into different boxes as shipping units are not placed in the same shipping box 87, but are placed in the corresponding shipping boxes 87 for each shipping unit. Once all the goods are in the shipping boxes 87, the goods in the shipping boxes 87 are inspected, packed, and then shipped. The goods in the shipping boxes 87 may be transferred to the shipping box (e.g., a cardboard box) by a worker or a robot, packed, and shipped. Alternatively, the shipping box 87 may be the shipping box itself.

[0023] The moving area 150 includes an inspection area 103, a charging area 104, a waiting area 105, and an abnormality response area 106. The inspection area 103 is the area where the goods in the shipping boxes 87 loaded on the conveying device 3 are inspected. The charging area 104 is the area where the conveying device 3 is charged. The waiting area 105 is the area where the conveying device 3 is on standby. The abnormality response area 106 is the area where any abnormalities in the conveying device 3 are addressed. At least one of areas 103 to 106 may be located outside the moving area 150. In addition, other areas may be provided inside or outside the moving area 150 in place of or in addition to at least one of areas 103 to 106. Furthermore, in this embodiment, inspection is performed when the conveying device 3 passes through the inspection area 103 within the moving area 150, but alternatively, it may be performed after the goods have been handed over to the packing area 102 (in this case, there may be no inspection area 103 in the moving area 150, and the packing area 102 may also serve as the inspection area).

[0024] Outside the moving area 150, there is a shipping box supply area 100, multiple storage areas 101, and a packing area 102. The shipping box supply area 100 is the area where shipping boxes 87 are supplied, and the shipping boxes 87 are loaded onto the conveying device 3. In this embodiment, it is assumed that empty shipping boxes 87 are supplied in the shipping box supply area 100, but shipping boxes 87 may be supplied with some items already inside, such as items acquired outside the conveying system, to be packed into the same box as a shipping unit. The storage area 101 is the area where items are stored (arranged). The packing area 102 is the area where shipping boxes 87 containing items are packed.

[0025] Multiple storage areas 101 differ in at least one of the following: storage method, retrieval method, or picking method. Examples of multiple storage areas 101 include the flat storage area 101A, the automated warehouse area 101B, the shelf transport area 101C, and the flow rack area 101D. Storage areas 101A to 101D will be described later.

[0026] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the movement area 150. For convenience, the two-dimensional directions are defined as the x-direction and the y-direction perpendicular to the x-direction.

[0027] The movement area 150 may be divided and managed into multiple rectangular sections 201 of a predetermined size. The sections 201 can be represented as sections (α, β). α is the x-coordinate (section position along the x-direction), and β is the y-coordinate (section position along the y-direction).

[0028] Furthermore, if the moving area 150 includes areas on multiple floors or areas above and below a mezzanine, the height position of each area can be represented by using the z-coordinate. In this case, the section 201 may be in a coordinate format such as section(α, β, γ). α is the x-coordinate (section position along the x-direction), β is the y-coordinate (section position along the y-direction), and γ is the z-coordinate (area position in the height direction). When the moving area 150 extends to multiple floors, transportation between floors, or transportation between the upper and lower parts of a mezzanine, if one is provided, may be performed by, for example, a vertical conveyor. In this case, the vertical conveyor may transport only the shipping boxes, or it may transport the conveying device 3 loaded with shipping boxes.

[0029] Each section 201 may have a marker (not shown) indicating its location. The marker only needs to contain information to identify the location of the section, which may be, for example, the location information of the section, or information associated with the location information of the section (for example, identification information for section 201). The marker is information that can be read by the sensor 14 (see Figure 6) of the transport device 3, and may be, for example, a one-dimensional code, a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark), or information such as an RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) ​​tag. For example, when the transport device 3 passes through each section 201, it reads the marker in that section 201. Each transport device 3 transmits the information of the read marker, along with the identification information of the transport device 3, to the control device 4. The control device 4 identifies the location of each transport device 3 based on the identification information of the transport device 3 and the marker information received from each transport device 3. Plate-like members are present throughout section 201, allowing movement from section 201 to another adjacent section 201, and the conveying device 3 may rotate within section 201.

[0030] The conveying device 3 and the shipping boxes 87 may be smaller than, for example, one of the compartments 201. There may be various variations in how the compartments are configured. Furthermore, there may be compartments that the conveying device 3 is not allowed to enter (for example, compartment (3,1)).

[0031] For each section 201 of the moving area 150, as illustrated by the arrows in Figure 2, the direction in which the transport device 3 can move within that section 201 is not restricted (for example, the transport device 3 can move in any of the +x, -x, +y, and -y directions). Furthermore, movement between sections 201 may be set to be bidirectional or unidirectional. For example, by setting some sections 201 to be unidirectional, it is expected that congestion of the transport device 3 can be suppressed or reduced, and the overall movement efficiency can be improved. Also, if there are many sections 201 that can only be moved in one direction, the movement path of the transport device 3 may become longer. Therefore, the direction in which the transport device 3 can move may be predetermined based on the number of transport devices 3 in the moving area 150, or the position of each section 201 or section setting 1202, etc., or such directions may be dynamically set or changed by the control device 4.

[0032] Refer to Figure 1 again. The conveying device 3 is a device that moves according to movement instructions from the control device 4, and is typically an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle). For example, the conveying device 3, in accordance with one or more movement instructions from the control device 4, starts moving from the shipping box supply area 100 with empty shipping boxes 87 loaded on it, moves to two or more (or one) storage areas 101, and arrives at the packing area 102 via the inspection area 103 with the items placed in the shipping boxes 87 from each of the two or more (or one) storage areas 101. Specifically, for example, the movement sequence of the conveying device 3A is as shown in the figure: shipping box supply area 100 → flat storage area 101A → automated warehouse area 101B → shelf conveying area 101C → inspection area 103 → packing area 102. Furthermore, the movement sequence of the conveying device 3B is as shown in the diagram: shipping box supply area 100 → flow rack area 101D → shelf conveying area 101C → flat storage area 101A → inspection area 103 → packaging area 102.

[0033] There are orders that specify multiple different items, and for each order, the control device 4 assigns one or more shipping boxes 87 to the order, and these one or more shipping boxes 87 are loaded onto one or more transport devices 3. For example, if all the items corresponding to a certain order are packed in the same box as a shipping unit, the order (all the items corresponding to the order) may be assigned to one shipping box 87, but if they do not all fit in the same shipping box 87, they may be assigned to multiple shipping boxes 87. The control device 4 prevents a single shipping box 87 from being assigned to multiple orders with different delivery destinations. The order of movement from the shipping box supply area 100 to the packing area 102 may be specified in a single movement instruction, or it may be determined by a combination of multiple movement instructions. The "movement instruction" transmitted to the transport device 3 is associated with information representing the movement task assigned to the transport device 3. In this embodiment, "movement" of the transport device 3 refers to the movement of the transport device 3 in general, regardless of whether or not there are transported items (shipping boxes 87 or the items inside the shipping boxes 87). The "movement" of the conveying device 3 may be rephrased as the "travel" of the conveying device 3. The "movement" of the conveying device 3 while it is carrying an object is sometimes specifically referred to as "conveying." A movement task is a task to move the conveying device 3 to the area specified in the movement task (movement instruction), and may include a task to have the conveying device 3 transport the shipping box 87 to the specified area. Information representing a movement task may include, for example, the movement path, which is the path the conveying device 3 travels, and the direction of movement of the conveying device 3.

[0034] As shown in Figure 3A, the conveying device 3 has a platform 85 on which the shipping boxes 87 are loaded. One conveying device 3 may have one shipping box 87 loaded on it, as shown in Figure 3A, or it may have multiple (two or more) shipping boxes 87 loaded on it, as shown in Figure 3B.

[0035] The transport device 3 is configured to automatically move to the charging area 104 and charge the battery (not shown) if its remaining charge falls below a predetermined value. For example, if the remaining charge of the transport device 3's battery falls below a predetermined value, the transport device 3 may request charging from the control device 4, and the control device 4 may respond to the charging request by instructing the transport device 3 to move to the charging area 104 and charge.

[0036] The following describes the multiple storage areas 101A to 101D. In this description, the "parking area" for each storage area 101 may be an area within the movement area 150 (for example, an area adjacent to storage area 101 and composed of one or more sections 201 of the movement area 150) or an area outside the movement area 150 (for example, an area inside storage area 101).

[0037] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram showing an example of a flat parking area 101A.

[0038] Area 101A is an example of an area where PTG (Person to Goods) is applied. According to PTG, a worker (Person) walks to storage location 2 for the goods (Goods) and picks them.

[0039] The flat storage area 101A includes an item area 400 and one or more work areas 163A, with each work area 163A having a parking area 164A adjacent to it. The item area 400 is an area equipped with storage locations 2 where items are laid flat. The item area 400 may have shelves as storage locations 2, and items may be placed on the shelves. The parking area 164A is an area where the conveying device 3 stops. In the work area 163A, according to work instructions from the control device 4, items picked from the storage locations 2 are placed (loaded) by workers into the shipping boxes 87 of the conveying device 3 parked in the parking area 164A adjacent to the work area 163A.

[0040] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram showing an example of automated warehouse area 101B.

[0041] Automated warehouse area 101B is an example of an area where GTP (Goods To Person) is applied. According to GTP, goods are transported by robots (or other devices) to the location of the picking worker.

[0042] The automated warehouse area 101B includes an automated warehouse 161B, one or more conveyors 162, and one or more work areas 163B, with each work area 163B having a parking area 164B adjacent to it. The automated warehouse 161B releases (deploys) goods to one of the conveyors 162 according to the dispatch instructions from the control device 4. The conveyors 162 transport the goods that have come out of the automated warehouse 161B to the work area 163B (destination WS and / or dispatch WS). The work area 163B is the area where workers pick the goods being transported by the conveyor 162. The parking area 164B is the area where the transport device 3 stops. The goods picked in the work area 163B are placed by workers into the shipping boxes 87 of the transport device 3 parked in the parking area 164B adjacent to the work area 163B.

[0043] The moving area 150 may or may not have a temporary waiting area 165 corresponding to each storage area 101. The temporary waiting area 165 corresponding to each storage area 101 may include a temporary waiting area 165 corresponding to each work area 163, a temporary waiting area 165 corresponding to each parking area 164, or multiple temporary waiting areas 165 corresponding to work areas 163 or parking areas 164. In this embodiment, a temporary waiting area 165 corresponding to the automated warehouse area 101B may be provided. The temporary waiting area 165 is an area where the conveying device 3 temporarily waits when moving to the parking area 164B. The temporary waiting area 165 may be provided near the parking area 164B. For example, if the conveying device 3 has already parked in all parking areas 164B, the conveying device 3 temporarily waits in the temporary waiting area 165. The temporary waiting area 165 may be provided in place of or in addition to the moving area 150, as well as in the automated warehouse area 101B and other storage areas 101. Furthermore, the temporary waiting area 165 may be located inside or outside the storage area 101. For example, the temporary waiting area 165 may be included within the waiting area 105.

[0044] Figure 4C is a schematic diagram showing an example of a shelf transport area 101C.

[0045] The shelf transport area 101C is an example of an area to which GTP is applied. The shelf transport area 101C has multiple shelves 5, and multiple items are placed on multiple shelves 5. In the shelf transport area 101C, the transport device 161C transports the shelves 5 according to the outbound instruction (movement instruction) from the control device 4. The shelf transport area 101C includes one or more work areas 163C, and each work area 163C has a parking area 164C adjacent to the work area 163C. The work area 163C is the area where items are picked by workers from the shelves 5 transported by the transport device 161C. The parking area 164C is the area where the transport device 3 stops. In the work area 163C, the picked items are placed by workers into the shipping boxes 87 of the transport device 3 which is parked in the parking area 164C adjacent to the work area 163C.

[0046] Figure 4D is a schematic diagram showing an example of a flow rack area 101D.

[0047] The flow rack area 101D includes a flow rack 450 and one or more work areas 163D, with each work area 163D having a parking area 164D adjacent to it. The flow rack 450 has trays arranged vertically, with goods placed in each tray. In the work area 163D, according to work instructions from the control device 4, a worker picks goods from the flow rack 450 and places the picked goods into a shipping box 87 of the conveying device 3 parked in the parking area 164D adjacent to the work area 163D.

[0048] Thus, the multiple storage areas 101A to 101D differ in at least one of the following: storage method, retrieval method, or picking method.

[0049] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a packing area 102.

[0050] The packing area 102 includes one or more conveyors 171, and each conveyor 171 includes a packing machine 172 and a work area 173. Additionally, each conveyor 171 has a stopping area 174. For example, separate stopping areas 174 may be provided for different shipping box sizes, such as large, medium, and small.

[0051] For each conveyor 171, the stopping area 174 is located near (e.g., adjacent to) the work area 173. In the work area 173, a worker transfers a shipping box 87 from the transport device 3 parked in the stopping area 174 to the conveyor 171. If the shipping box 87 is the box to be shipped (e.g., a cardboard box), the shipping box 87 being transported by the conveyor 171 is packed by the packing machine 172, the packed shipping box 87 is transported by the conveyor 171, and eventually shipped (delivered). Alternatively, the goods placed in the shipping box 87 may be transferred by a worker to the box to be shipped (e.g., a cardboard box), the box to be shipped may be transported by the conveyor 171, packed by the packing machine 172, the packed box may be transported by the conveyor 171, and eventually shipped (delivered).

[0052] The stopping area 174 may be an area within the moving area 150 (for example, an area adjacent to the packing area 102 and composed of one or more sections 201 of the moving area 150), or it may be an area outside the moving area 150 (for example, inside the packing area 102).

[0053] Figures 6 and 7 show specific configuration examples of the elements of the transport system in this embodiment.

[0054] The transport system comprises a control device 4, a transport device 3, material handling equipment 161, a station terminal 710, and a network 551 (for example, a wireless communication line such as a wireless LAN (Local Area Network)). Each component of the transport system may be one or more. The transport device 3, control device 4, material handling equipment 161, and station terminal 710 are each capable of communication via the network 551. The transport system may also be called a "logistics system."

[0055] The transport device 3 comprises a drive unit 11, a storage device 12, an interface device 13, multiple types of sensors 14, a battery, and a controller 10 connected thereto.

[0056] The controller 10 is responsible for controlling the operation of the transport device 3 according to movement instructions from the control device 4 and the charge status of the built-in battery. The drive device 11 includes drive wheels 20, auxiliary wheels 21, and actuators (not shown) such as motors for rotating the drive wheels 20.

[0057] The interface device 13 is a device for communicating with the control device 4 using a predetermined wireless communication method, and may consist of, for example, a wireless LAN card.

[0058] Sensor 14 is a device for collecting information about the floor surface on which the transport device 3 travels and various information about the transport device 3. For example, sensor 14 can read information about markers on the floor section 201. The transport device 3 may be equipped with multiple types of sensors 14, such as a camera for imaging the state of the section 201, a vibration sensor for detecting vibrations experienced by the transport device 3 while it is moving, a speed sensor for measuring the speed of the transport device 3, an acceleration sensor for measuring the acceleration of the transport device 3, a weight sensor for measuring the weight of the load (transported object), and a gyro sensor for measuring the orientation of the transport device 3.

[0059] The storage device 12 stores, for example, a route table 23, a device table 24, a map table 25, a measurement table 27, and a performance table 28. The controller 10 stores a communication program 29, a movement control program 30, a measurement program 31, and a position estimation program 32. The communication unit, the driving control unit, the measurement unit, and the position estimation unit are realized when the communication program 29, the movement control program 30, the measurement program 31, and the position estimation program 32 are executed by the controller 10.

[0060] The route table 23 is a table that stores the aforementioned movement instructions received from the control device 4 and information representing the movement route specified by the movement instructions (the information representing the movement route may include information about the sections of the movement route, etc.). The device table 24 is a table that stores the ID of the transport device 3, its current location (section), and its status (e.g., "standby", "moving", or "transporting"). The map table 25 is a table that stores information representing the location and attributes of each section (e.g., which area it belongs to). Note that the map table 25 may include information as illustrated in Figure 2. The measurement table 27 is a table that stores values ​​measured by multiple types of sensors 14 (e.g., speed, acceleration, rotation, weight, position (value read from marker), captured images of the section, etc.). The performance table 28 is a table that stores information representing the movement performance, including the route and date and time traveled by the transport device 3.

[0061] The communication program 29 is a program that has the function of exchanging commands and information with the control device 4 via the interface device 13. For example, the communication program 29 transmits information from at least some of tables 23-25, 27, and 28 to the control device 4 in response to a request from the control device 4 (or without a request). The communication program 29 of each transport device 3 may transmit each of these pieces of information to the control device 4 at regular or irregular intervals.

[0062] The movement control program 30 is a program that controls the movement of the transport device 3 in response to movement instructions received from the control device 4 via the communication program 29. For example, the movement control program 30 controls the drive device 11 to move along a specified movement path in accordance with the movement instructions from the control device 4.

[0063] The measurement program 31 registers the output (measurement result) of each sensor 14 in the measurement table 27. The position estimation program 32 estimates the position of the transport device 3 based on the markers (markers in section 201 of the movement area 150) detected through the sensors 14 of the transport device 3.

[0064] The control device 4 may be one or more physical computers having hardware such as a processor 40, memory 41, storage device 42, input device 43, output device 44, and interface device 45, or it may be a system implemented on one or more physical computers (e.g., a cloud infrastructure) (e.g., a cloud computing system). Furthermore, each device of the control device 4 may be located on a single physical computer, or it may be distributed across multiple physical computers. Each program and piece of information in the storage device 42 may be stored in a single storage device, or it may be divided and stored across multiple storage devices. Instead of the input device 43 and output device 44, information input and output may be possible via a client system that can communicate through the interface device 45.

[0065] The processor 40 is a device that controls the operation of the entire control unit 4. The memory 41 is used as the work memory of the processor 40. The storage device 42 stores programs and tables. The input device 43 consists of, for example, a mouse or keyboard, and is used by the operator to input necessary information and instructions to the control unit 4. The output device 44 may be a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The interface device 45 is a device for communicating with the transport device 3, material handling equipment 161, and station terminal 710 using a predetermined wireless communication method, and may consist of, for example, a wireless LAN card.

[0066] The storage device 42 stores, for example, a transport device table 53, an inventory table 54, an order table 55, a map table 56, a storage area table 57, a work management table 58 (a picking work management table 581 and a loading work management table 582), a shipping box table 59, and a moving area table 60. The map table 56 is information representing a map of the moving area 150 (and each stopping area) (for example, a table storing the location (coordinates) and attributes of each section) (this table 56 may be distributed to each transport device 3 and stored as a map table 25 in each transport device 3). The map table 56 may include information as illustrated in Figure 2.

[0067] The storage device 42 stores an integrated WCS program 51 and multiple WCS programs 50. The integrated WCS and WCS are realized when the integrated WCS program 51 and WCS programs 50 are executed by the processor 40. WCS stands for Warehouse Control System. The integrated WCS program 51 comprehensively controls the conveying device 3 and the material handling equipment 161. The WCS programs 50 control the material handling equipment 161 or the conveying device 3. For example, the first WCS program 50 controls the material handling equipment 161 in the automated warehouse area 101B (specifically, the automated warehouse 161B). The second WCS program 50 controls the shelf conveying area (specifically, the conveying device 161C). The third WCS program 50 controls the conveying device 3.

[0068] The material handling equipment 161 is located in the storage area 101 (typically a storage area to which GTP is applied) and is used for receiving, storing, or shipping materials from the storage area 101. The material handling equipment 161 is, for example, an automated warehouse 161B in the automated warehouse area 101B, or a conveying device 161C in the shelf conveying area 101C. The material handling equipment 161 includes, for example, an interface device 711, a storage device 713, a drive device 714, a sensor 715, and a processor 712 connected thereto.

[0069] The interface device 711 is a device for communicating with the control device 4 using a predetermined wireless communication method, and may consist of, for example, a wireless LAN card. The drive device 714 is a device for driving the material handling equipment 161. The sensor 715 may be a sensor for detecting the position of the material handling equipment 161, etc.

[0070] The storage device 713 stores an inventory table 760 and a goods receipt / issue table 761. The inventory table 760 may be a table containing at least some of the same information as the inventory table 54 held by the control device 4. The goods receipt / issue table 761 may be a table containing information regarding the receipt or issuance of goods. The processor 712 controls the operation of the entire material handling equipment 161 by executing a program in the storage device 713, for example, based on the inventory table 760 and the goods receipt / issue table 761.

[0071] The station terminal 710 is installed in the WS (work station (i.e., work area 163)) and is an information processing terminal that displays a work management table 770, which is an example of information related to a worker's work (e.g., picking work or loading work), and accepts input from the worker when the work is completed. Upon input of work completion, the work status of the target work is updated. The station terminal 710 has an interface device 731, a storage device 732, and a processor 733 connected thereto. The WS may also be called a Work Station or Working Station.

[0072] The interface device 731 is a device for communicating with the control device 4 using a predetermined wireless communication method, and may consist of, for example, a wireless LAN card. The storage device 732 stores the work management table 770. The work management table 770 may be a table from the work management tables 58 of the control device 4 that contains information corresponding to the work management table (WS). The processor 733 controls the operation of the entire station terminal 710 by executing a program in the storage device 732, for example, based on the work management table 770. The station terminal 710 may be equipped with an input device and an output device. The input device may receive input from the worker regarding work, such as the completion of work. The output device may output instructions to the worker regarding work.

[0073] Figure 8 shows an example of the configuration of the order table 55.

[0074] The order table 55 is a table that stores various information about customer orders. The order table 55 has a record for each item. Each record holds information such as status 601, invoice number 602, shipping box ID 603, store ID 604, item name 605, item ID 606, quantity 607, delivery date 608, received date and time 609, work date and time 610, priority flag 611, and station ID 612. Let's take one item as an example (referred to as the "item of interest" in the explanation of Figure 8). According to the example shown in Figure 8, if the invoice number 602 is the same, even if the type of item (for example, item name 605 and item ID 606) is different, it may be treated as one order.

[0075] Status 601 represents the work status for the item of interest. Document number 602 represents the order number (document number) in which the item of interest is specified. Note that document number 602 may include information representing the order status, as shown in the diagram.

[0076] Shipping box ID 603 represents the ID of shipping box 87 assigned to the item of interest. Store ID 604 represents the ID of the store that sells or manufactures the item.

[0077] Item Name 605 represents the name of the item of interest, Item ID 606 represents the ID of the item of interest, and Quantity 607 represents the number of items of interest (the number ordered).

[0078] The delivery date 608 represents the deadline by which the item in question will be delivered to the destination (typically the customer). The receipt date and time 609 represents the date and time when the order for the item in question was received. The work date and time 610 represents the date and time when a specific operation related to the item in question (e.g., picking, loading, inspection, packaging, etc.) is performed. In addition to or instead of this information, there may be information on work deadlines and shipping deadlines.

[0079] Priority flag 611 is assigned to orders (invoice number or shipping box group) that should be prioritized, such as sudden orders or orders with approaching deadlines. Orders with priority flag 611 are given higher priority than orders without it. Priority flag 611 may also represent a multi-level priority, such as "high," "medium," or "low."

[0080] Priority flag 611 may be automatically assigned, for example, when there is less than a specified time remaining until the work deadline, or when the order is an express order, or it may be assigned by input from the administrator and / or worker. It may also be assigned for the purpose of improving efficiency, such as preventing delays in goods related to an order, for example, when an order is divided into multiple shipping boxes, and the status 601 of some shipping boxes is picking complete, but the status 601 of the remaining shipping boxes is picking incomplete, by assigning priority flag 611 to the remaining shipping boxes.

[0081] Station ID 612 represents the ID of the workstation (WS) where work related to the item of interest is performed.

[0082] Figure 9 shows an example of the configuration of the inventory table 54.

[0083] The inventory table 54 is a table that stores information about items. The inventory table 54 has a record for each pair of item and storage area 101. The inventory table 54 may also have a record for each pair of item and location within storage area 101 705. Each record holds information such as item name 701, item ID 702, stock quantity 703, storage area 704, location within area 705, storage container ID 706, location within container 707, number of times issued 708, and item size and weight 709. Let's take one item as an example (referred to as the "item of interest" in the explanation of Figure 9).

[0084] Item Name 701 represents the name of the item of interest. Item ID 702 represents the ID of the item of interest. Stock Quantity 703 represents the stock quantity of the item of interest. Storage Area 704 represents the ID of storage area 101 where the item of interest is located. Location within Area 705 represents the location of the item of interest within storage area 101. Storage Container ID 706 represents the ID of the storage container located at the location indicated by Location within Area 705. Location within Container 707 represents the location of the item of interest within the storage container. Number of Issues 708 represents the number of times the item has been issued. Item Size / Weight 709 represents the size or weight of the item.

[0085] The configuration of information 705-707 differs depending on the storage area 101. For example, if storage area 101 is automated warehouse area 101B, the area location 705 consists of the ID of automated warehouse area 101B and a value representing the location within the automated warehouse (column, tier, row), the storage container ID 706 consists of a value representing the ID of the bucket, which is a storage container used in automated warehouse area 101B, and the container location 707 consists of a value representing the opening of the bucket. If storage area 101 is flat storage area 101A, the area location 705 consists of the ID of flat storage area 101A and a value representing the location within flat storage area 101A (for example, column, tier, row (or column, row)). If the storage area 101 is the shelf transport area 101C, the area position 705 consists of values ​​representing the storage compartment ID (or address) of the mobile shelf, the face of the mobile shelf, the level of the mobile shelf, and the opening of the mobile shelf; the storage container ID 706 consists of a value representing the ID of the mobile shelf; and the container position 707 consists of a value representing the position within the opening of the mobile shelf. If the storage area 101 is the flow rack area 101D, the area position 705 consists of a value representing the ID of the flow rack; and the container position 707 consists of a value representing the position within the flow rack.

[0086] Figure 10 shows an example of the configuration of the storage area table 57.

[0087] The storage area table 57 is a table that stores information about the storage area 101. The storage area table 57 has a record for each location within the area. Each record holds information such as the storage area 801, the method 802, the temporary waiting area 803, the location within the area 804, and the station ID 805. Let's take one location within the area as an example (referred to as "location of interest within the area" in the explanation of Figure 10).

[0088] Storage area 801 represents the type of storage area 101 located within the area of ​​interest. Method 802 represents the method of retrieval or picking.

[0089] The temporary waiting area 803 indicates the presence or absence of a temporary waiting area. The presence or absence of a temporary waiting area may be managed for each storage area 101, or for each WS (or WS group (two or more WS)). A temporary waiting area may be reserved for each WS, but multiple WS may share a temporary waiting area.

[0090] Area location 804 represents the location within the area of ​​interest. Station ID 805 represents the ID of the WS (available WS) corresponding to the area location.

[0091] Figure 11 shows an example of the configuration of the conveying device table 53.

[0092] The transport device table 53 is a table that stores information about each transport device 3. The transport device table 53 has a record for each transport device 3. Each record holds information such as device ID 1101, shipping box ID 1102, location 1103, battery level 1104, device status 1105, storage area 1106, destination location 1107, and expected arrival date and time 1108. Let's take one transport device 3 as an example (referred to as "Target Transport Device 3" in the explanation of Figure 11).

[0093] Device ID 1101 represents the ID of the focus transport device 3. Shipping box ID 1102 represents the ID of the shipping box 87 loaded onto the focus transport device 3. When multiple shipping boxes 87 are loaded onto the focus transport device 3, multiple IDs are recorded as the ID of the focus transport device 3. For example, in the example in Figure 11, the records with device ID 1101 "AGV04-R" and "AGV04-L" indicate that the shipping box with shipping box ID "B08" is loaded on the right side (R) of the front of the device with device ID "AGV04", and the shipping box with shipping box ID "B09" is loaded on the left side (L) of the front of the device with device ID "AGV04".

[0094] Position 1103 represents the coordinates of the section (i.e., the current section) where the focus transport device 3 is located. Battery level 1104 represents the remaining battery level of the focus transport device 3.

[0095] Device status 1105 represents the status of the focus transport device 3. "Moving" means that the focus transport device 3 is moving. "Empty" means that no shipping boxes are assigned to the focus transport device 3. "Stopped" means that the focus transport device 3 is stopped in the stopping area (or temporary waiting area).

[0096] The storage area 1106 represents the storage area to which the transport device 3 of interest will move. The target location 1107 represents the location to which the transport device 3 of interest will move, and may be a location related to the storage area 1106 or a location near the storage area 1106. For example, it may be the parking area in front of the WS (work area) of the storage area 1106, or a temporary waiting area.

[0097] The estimated arrival date and time 1108 is the estimated date and time when the transport device 3 is scheduled to arrive at its destination. The estimated arrival date and time 1108 may be, for example, a date and time calculated by the integrated WCS program 51 (or WCS program 50) based on the travel route of the transport device 3 to its destination.

[0098] Figure 12 shows an example of the configuration of the mobile area table 60.

[0099] The movement area table 60 holds information for each section within the movement area 150. The movement area table 60 has a record for each section. Each record holds information such as address 1201, section setting 1202, station ID 1203, unavailable flag 1204, rotation unavailable flag 1205, and direction 1206. Let's take one section as an example (referred to as the "section of interest" in the explanation of Figure 12).

[0100] Address 1201 represents the address (location information) of the area of ​​interest. Area setting 1202 represents how the area of ​​interest is set up. For example, “Movement Area” is the area on which the transport device 3 travels. “Stopping Area” is the area belonging to the stopping area. “Temporary Waiting Area” is the area belonging to the temporary waiting area. Station ID 1203 represents the ID of the WS corresponding to the area of ​​interest.

[0101] The unavailable flag 1204 indicates whether the area of ​​interest is unavailable (cannot be a component of the movement path). The rotation impossible flag 1205 indicates whether the area of ​​interest is unable to be rotated by the transport device 3. The direction 1206 indicates the direction in which the transport device 3 located in the area of ​​interest can move.

[0102] Furthermore, if a transport device such as an AGV travels within the storage area 101, a table similar to the movement area table 60 may be managed for that storage area 101. In this case, the WCS program 50, which primarily controls the transport device, may refer to or update this table.

[0103] Figure 13 shows an example of the configuration of the shipping box table 59.

[0104] The shipping box table 59 is a table that stores information about each shipping box. The shipping box table 59 has a record for each size category of shipping boxes. Each record holds information such as the size category 1301, loadable size 1302, loadable weight 1303, loadable quantity 1304, and shipping box ID 1305. Let's take one shipping box as an example (referred to as the "featured shipping box" in the explanation of Figure 13).

[0105] Size category 1301 represents the size category to which the featured shipping box belongs (e.g., large, medium, small). Loadable size 1302 represents the size of the items that can be loaded into the featured shipping box (e.g., width, depth, height). Loadable weight 1303 represents the weight of the items that can be loaded into the featured shipping box.

[0106] The loading capacity of 1304 represents the maximum number of shipping boxes belonging to the same size category as the featured shipping box that can be loaded onto the conveying device 3.

[0107] Shipping box ID 1305 represents the ID of the shipping box of interest. Specifically, for each size category, shipping box ID 1305 is a list of IDs of the shipping boxes of interest belonging to that size category. Note that the IDs included in shipping box ID 1305 may include all shipping boxes, or they may include only the IDs of shipping boxes that have not been assigned to a document number (i.e., empty shipping boxes) (i.e., if an ID of a shipping box to be assigned is selected from shipping box ID 1305, that ID may be deleted from shipping box ID 1305).

[0108] Furthermore, the shipping box table 59 may have a record for each shipping box, and in addition to the information 1301 to 1305 described above, it may also manage the allocation status of each shipping box (unassigned or assigned status, assigned slip number, assigned transport device 3 ID, etc.).

[0109] Figure 14 shows an example of the configuration of the loading operation management table 582.

[0110] The loading operation management table 582 is a table related to loading operations. The loading operation management table 582 has a record for each loading operation. Each record holds information such as station ID 1401, slip number 1402, device ID 1403, shipping box ID 1404, item ID 1405, quantity 1406, scheduled start date and time 1407, scheduled end date and time 1408, and work status 1409. Let's take a single loading operation as an example (referred to as "Featured Loading Operation" in the explanation of Figure 14).

[0111] Station ID 1401 represents the ID of the WS where the loading operation takes place. Slip number 1402 represents the slip number of the order corresponding to the loading operation. Device ID 1403 represents the ID of the conveying device 3 that transports the shipping box 87 containing (loaded) the goods to the WS during the loading operation.

[0112] Shipping box ID 1404 represents the ID of the shipping box in which the goods will be placed (loaded) during the loading operation; item ID 1405 represents the ID of the item; and quantity 1406 represents the number of the item to be loaded during the loading operation.

[0113] The scheduled start date and time 1407 represents the scheduled start date and time of the loading operation of interest. The scheduled end date and time 1408 represents the scheduled end date and time of the loading operation of interest. The scheduled start date and time 1407 may be calculated by the integrated WCS program 51 or WCS program 50 based on the scheduled arrival date and time of the conveying device 3 along the movement path to the WS, and the estimated time required for loading operations performed before the loading operation of interest (or the scheduled end date and time). The scheduled end date and time 1408 may be calculated by the integrated WCS program 51 or WCS program 50 based on the scheduled start date and time 1407 and the estimated time required for the loading operation of interest. The estimated time required for the loading operation may be calculated by the integrated WCS program 51 or WCS program 50 based on at least one of the following: the quantity of items to be loaded, the average time required for the loading operation, and the past loading operation history of the worker performing the loading operation. Note that the loading operation may be performed by a robot in place of or in addition to the worker.

[0114] Work status 1409 represents the status of the loading operation. "Before work" means that the loading operation has not yet started. "In progress" means that the loading operation has started but has not yet been completed. "Completed" means that the loading operation has been completed. Note that changes to work status 1409 may be made based on input from the operator of the loading operation, or automatically based on values ​​automatically detected regarding the loading operation.

[0115] Furthermore, the loading operation management table 582 may manage records for each WS, for example by creating a separate table for each WS, so that the loading status of each WS can be seen. The order of the records may be the order in which the conveying devices 3 (shipping boxes 87) arrived at each WS.

[0116] Figure 15 shows an example of the configuration of the picking work management table 581.

[0117] The picking work management table 581 is a table related to picking operations. The picking work management table 581 has a record for each picking operation. Each record holds information such as station ID 1501, slip number 1502, storage container ID 1503, item ID 1504, quantity 1505, scheduled start date and time 1506, scheduled end date and time 1507, and work status 1508. Let's take a single picking operation as an example (referred to as "focus picking operation" in the explanation of Figure 15).

[0118] Station ID 1501 represents the ID of the workstation (WS) where the picking operation is performed. Slip number 1502 represents the slip number of the order corresponding to the picking operation. Storage container ID 1503 represents the ID of the storage container containing the items to be picked in the picking operation.

[0119] Item ID 1504 represents the ID of the item to be picked in the featured picking operation, and quantity 1505 represents the number of items to be picked.

[0120] The scheduled start date and time 1506 represents the scheduled start date and time of the picking operation of interest. The scheduled end date and time 1507 represents the scheduled end date and time of the picking operation of interest. The scheduled start date and time 1506 may be calculated by the integrated WCS program 51 or WCS program 50 based on the scheduled arrival date and time of the storage container at the WS and the estimated time required (or scheduled end date and time) for picking operations performed prior to the picking operation of interest. The scheduled end date and time 1507 may be calculated by the integrated WCS program 51 or WCS program 50 based on the scheduled start date and time 1506 and the estimated time required for the picking operation. The estimated time required for the picking operation may be calculated by the integrated WCS program 51 or WCS program 50 based on at least one of the following: the quantity of items to be picked, the average time required for the picking operation, and the past picking history of the worker performing the picking operation. The picking operation may be performed by a robot in place of or in addition to a worker.

[0121] Work status 1508 represents the status of the picking task in question. "Before work" means that the picking task in question has not yet started. "In progress" means that the picking task in question has started but has not yet been completed. "Completed" means that the picking task in question has been completed. Note that changes to work status 1508 may be made based on input from the worker performing the picking task in question, or it may be made automatically based on values ​​automatically detected regarding the picking task in question.

[0122] Furthermore, the picking work management table 581 may be organized in a way that allows for tracking the picking status of each workstation, for example by creating a separate table for each workstation. The records may be arranged in the order in which the items (storage containers) arrived at each workstation.

[0123] Additionally, there is a slip number 1502 that represents multiple different slip numbers (e.g., "81" and "85"), which is related to the loading operation management table 582 (e.g., the record with slip numbers 1402 "81" and "85") and indicates that items from different orders with those slip numbers are picked together in a single picking operation.

[0124] The following describes an example of the processing performed in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the control device 4 receives information (for example, information including sensor measurements) periodically or irregularly from each transport device 3, each material handling equipment 161, and each station terminal 710, and the integrated WCS program 51 or WCS program 50 updates the relevant portion of tables 53 to 60 as appropriate.

[0125] Figures 16 to 21 are flowcharts showing the order processing flow. In the following explanation, "WCS program 50X" refers to the WCS program 50 corresponding to the material handling equipment 161 in the destination storage area 101. "WCS program 50Y" refers to the WCS program 50 corresponding to the conveying device 3.

[0126] As shown in Figure 16, in S1601, the integrated WCS program 51 selects one or more records from the order table 55 where the work date and time 610 corresponds to a predetermined work date and time. Orders with a priority flag 611 set to "yes" may be given priority in at least some of the following order processing steps compared to orders without a priority flag (for example, priority in the order in which items are dispatched from the material handling equipment 161 in the storage area 101, and in the order in which the conveying device 3 arrives at the stopping area 164 and / or in the waiting order).

[0127] In S1602, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to the order table 55 to identify the document number for which the shipping box ID 603 is unassigned, and performs the shipping box selection process (Figure 22). Here, for example, if all the items corresponding to the identified document number do not fit into one shipping box, it is decided that those items will be divided into multiple shipping boxes. Also, if there are multiple sizes of shipping boxes, the size of the shipping box is identified, and it is determined whether or not multiple shipping boxes will be loaded onto a single transport device 3 (if multiple shipping boxes are to be loaded, the number of shipping boxes to be loaded is determined). As a result of this S1602, information regarding shipping boxes for each of the records identified in S1601 (for example, some or all of the information such as the shipping box group ID, shipping box size, number of shipping boxes to be loaded onto the transport device 3, combination of shipping box groups, and shipping box ID corresponding to each record) is set (determined) and recorded in the order table 55.

[0128] In S1603, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to the transport device table 53.

[0129] In S1604, the integrated WCS program 51 identifies a transport device 3 for which no shipping boxes are assigned (device status 1105 is "empty").

[0130] In S1605, the integrated WCS program 51 sends a move request to the WCS program 50Y to move the identified transport device 3 to the supply WS (WS in the shipping box supply area 100). The move request specifies the device ID of the transport device identified in S1604 and the destination area (e.g., the stopping area at the destination).

[0131] In S1606, the WCS program 50Y transmits a move instruction to the designated transport device 3 to move to the supply WS, in accordance with the move request.

[0132] In S1607, WCS program 50Y receives notification from conveyor 3 that it has arrived at the supply WS and reports to the integrated WCS that conveyor 3 has arrived at the supply WS.

[0133] In S1608, Integrated WCS Program 51 receives a report of arrival completion.

[0134] As shown in Figure 17, in S1609, the integrated WCS program 51 sends a loading request for shipping boxes to the station terminal 710 of the supply WS. The loading request includes, for example, some or all of the information about the shipping boxes identified in S1602 (e.g., some or all of the information such as the shipping box group ID, the size of the shipping boxes, the number of shipping boxes to be loaded onto the conveying device 3, the combination of shipping box groups, and the shipping box ID).

[0135] In S1610, the station terminal 710 of the supply WS displays loading instructions for the shipping boxes based on the loading request. The displayed loading instructions are information about the shipping boxes to be loaded onto the transport device 3 that has arrived at the corresponding stopping area of ​​the supply WS, and include the information included in the loading request. Loading is performed according to the displayed loading instructions. For example, at the supply WS, a worker or work robot may input the information of the shipping box IDs to be loaded into the station terminal 710 by scanning (reading) the codes (e.g., including the shipping box ID) attached to the shipping boxes to be loaded using a scanning terminal such as a code reader, for the "shipping box size" and "number of shipping boxes" specified in the loading instructions. The worker or work robot loads the scanned shipping boxes onto the transport device 3 of the WS. If there are multiple shipping box sizes, the loading instructions display will include information about the size of the shipping boxes. The worker loads the shipping boxes of that size (i.e., one or more shipping boxes are loaded onto a single conveying device 3 according to the loading instructions).

[0136] As an alternative modification, the supply WS may be separated according to the size of the shipping box. In this case, the integrated WCS program 51 may send a move request to the WCS program 50Y to move the transport device 3 to the supply WS corresponding to the size of the shipping box. As another alternative modification, if there is a transport device 3 corresponding to the device status 1105 "empty", the shipping boxes may be loaded onto the supply WS first, and then an unassigned slip number (shipping box group) may be assigned to that shipping box.

[0137] In S1611, the station terminal 710 receives input from the worker indicating that loading is complete and reports the loading completion (including, for example, information about the shipping box ID) to the integrated WCS program 51.

[0138] In S1612, the integrated WCS program 51 receives a report that loading is complete and updates the conveyor table 53 (setting the ID of the loaded shipping box as shipping box ID 1102 for the target conveyor 3).

[0139] In S1613, the integrated WCS program 51 updates the order table 55. For example, the integrated WCS program 51 assigns the loaded shipping boxes to the target document number (shipping box group). If multiple shipping boxes are loaded on the same transport device, the integrated WCS program 51 assigns the loaded shipping boxes to each shipping box group corresponding to the target combination of shipping box groups. In the order table 55, the integrated WCS program 51 sets the ID of the loaded (assigned) shipping box as the shipping box ID 603 for each item record corresponding to each shipping box group.

[0140] As a variation, if a shipping box ID is set in S1602 (Figure 22), and the loading request in S1609 and the loading instruction in S1610 include information about the shipping box ID, the worker or robot may load the shipping box with the shipping box ID specified in the loading instruction onto the conveying device 3.

[0141] As shown in Figure 18, in S1614, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to the order table 55 and the inventory table 54 to identify the storage area 101 that stores the item corresponding to the relevant document number (the item whose status 601 indicates that picking or loading is incomplete).

[0142] In S1615, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to the work management table 58 (picking work management table 581 and loading work management table 582), the storage area table 57, the movement area table 60, and the conveying device table 53 (and also, for example, the inbound / outbound table 761 of each material handling equipment 161). From the referenced tables, the integrated WCS program 51 identifies the work status of each WS (e.g., work capacity and congestion), the location and movement status of each conveying device 3 (e.g., destination and expected arrival date and time), and the items scheduled for outbound, and determines (selects) the destination storage area and target location (e.g., the WS or temporary waiting area of ​​the destination storage area 101). Based on this determination, the integrated WCS program 51 determines the patrol sequence (all or some destinations, including at least the first destination). The integrated WCS program 51 updates the conveying device table 53 (e.g., device status 1105, storage area 1106, and target location 1107).

[0143] In S1616, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to the storage area table 57 and determines whether the destination storage area 101 is a GTP area (an area to which GTP is applied). If the result of the determination in S1616 is false (S1616: NO), the process proceeds to S1632 (Figure 20).

[0144] If the result of the determination in S1616 is true (S1616: YES), in S1617, the integrated WCS program 51 sends a move request to the WCS program 50Y to move the transport device 3 to the target position.

[0145] In S1618, the WCS program 50Y transmits a move instruction to the transport device 3 to move it to the target position in accordance with the move request.

[0146] In S1619, WCS program 50Y receives a completion notification from the transport device 3 that it has arrived at the destination location, and reports the arrival completion to integrated WCS program 51.

[0147] In S1620, Integrated WCS Program 51 receives a report of arrival completion.

[0148] As shown in Figure 19, at S1621, the integrated WCS program 51 sends a dispatch request to the WCS program 50X corresponding to the material handling equipment 161 in the destination storage area 101 to dispatch the goods (the goods corresponding to the relevant document number) from the destination storage area 101.

[0149] In S1622, the WCS program 50X transmits a dispatch instruction to the corresponding material handling equipment 161 to dispatch the items corresponding to the relevant document number in accordance with the dispatch request. The dispatch instruction may include, in part or in whole, information such as the dispatch destination WS in storage area 101, and the order and timing of the items' arrival.

[0150] For example, WCS program 50X refers to inventory table 54 to identify area location 705 corresponding to item name 701 and / or item ID 702 of the item to be issued. WCS program 50X refers to storage area table 57 to identify area location 804 corresponding to area location 705, identifies station ID 805 corresponding to area location 804, and identifies (determines) the WS (shipping destination WS, transport destination WS) to which the item will be issued.

[0151] If there are multiple station IDs, the WCS program 50X may refer to the picking work management table 581 and determine the WS to which the item will be shipped, taking into account the status of the picking work tasks at each WS so that the work tasks at each WS are leveled or optimized (based on the worker's work processing speed, etc.). Furthermore, if it is more efficient to pick the item together with other picking work tasks (picking work tasks for the same or different items, such as items corresponding to other slip numbers), the WCS program 50X may determine the destination WS so that the same WS is used for shipping, and may also determine the arrival order and / or timing of the items when they arrive at the destination WS.

[0152] In S1623, WCS program 50X receives status information from material handling equipment 161 representing the status of goods being issued and transported, and reports this status information to the integrated WCS. The status information may include, for example, information representing the destination WCS in storage area 101, and the order and timing of goods' arrival.

[0153] In S1624, the integrated WCS program 51 receives a report containing status information on outbound and transport status.

[0154] In S1625, the integrated WCS program 51 sends an output request (a request to display picking and loading work instructions) to the station terminal 710 of the storage WS (WS in the destination storage area 101), or sends a move request to the WCS program 50Y. Specifically, for example, the integrated WCS program 51 sends an output request to the station terminal 710 of the storage WS based on status information (for example, information on the destination WS and the order and timing of arrival of the items), or determines a move request such that the order and timing of arrival of the conveying device 3 at the parking area 164 corresponding to the storage WS is the same as the order and timing of arrival of the items at the destination WS, and sends it to the WCS program 50Y. The work instructions include information representing the items to be picked at the destination storage area 101 and loaded onto the conveying device 3, the number of items, and the location of the items (location within the area or location within the container).

[0155] In S1626, the WCS program 50Y transmits a movement instruction to the transport device 3 to its target location (WS in the storage area 101) in accordance with the movement request.

[0156] In S1627, WCS program 50Y receives completion notification from conveyor 3 that it has arrived at the destination location, and reports the arrival completion to integrated WCS program 51.

[0157] In S1628, the storage WS station terminal 710 displays picking and / or loading work instructions based on the output request.

[0158] In S1629, station terminal 710 receives input from the worker indicating that picking and / or loading is complete, and reports the completion of the work to the integrated WCS program 51.

[0159] In S1630, Integrated WCS Program 51 receives a report of arrival completion.

[0160] In S1631, the integrated WCS program 51 receives a report of picking completion and / or loading completion and updates the status 601 in the order table 55 (updating the status 601 of the item corresponding to the relevant document number to "completed" for picking and / or loading). After the status 601 for picking and loading is set to "completed", the process proceeds to S1640 (Figure 21).

[0161] In the case of S1616:NO in Figure 18, the process proceeds to S1632 in Figure 20, as described above. In S1632, the integrated WCS program 51 sends a move request to the WCS program 50Y to move the transport device 3 to the target location (storage WS) in the destination storage area 101.

[0162] In S1633, the WCS program 50Y transmits an instruction to the transport device 3 to move to the target position in accordance with the move request.

[0163] In S1634, WCS program 50Y receives completion notification from transport device 3 that it has arrived at the destination location, and reports the arrival completion to integrated WCS program 51.

[0164] In S1635, Integrated WCS Program 51 receives a report of arrival completion.

[0165] In S1636, the integrated WCS program 51 sends an output request to the storage WS station terminal 710, which is a request to display picking and loading work instructions. The work instructions include information indicating the items to be picked in the destination storage area 101 and loaded onto the conveying device 3, the number of items, and the location of the items (location within the area or location within the container).

[0166] In S1637, station terminal 710 displays picking and loading work instructions based on the output request.

[0167] In S1638, station terminal 710 receives input from the worker indicating the completion of picking and loading, and reports the completion of the work to the integrated WCS program 51.

[0168] In S1639, the integrated WCS program 51 receives a report of work completion and updates status 601 in the order table 55 (updating status 601 of the item corresponding to the relevant document number to "completed" for picking and / or loading). After the status 601 for picking and loading is set to "completed", the process proceeds to S1640 (Figure 21).

[0169] As shown in Figure 21, in S1640, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to the status 601 of each item in the order table 55 that corresponds to the relevant document number (and / or the relevant shipping box ID).

[0170] In S1641, the integrated WCS program 51 determines whether the status 601 of each item corresponding to the target document number (or target shipping box ID, or multiple shipping box IDs loaded onto the same transport device 3) is "completed" or not (i.e., whether all items corresponding to the target document number have been loaded into the shipping box). If the result of the determination in S1641 is false (S1641: NO), the process returns to S1614 in Figure 18. In other words, another destination storage area is identified, and the same process proceeds.

[0171] If the result of the determination in S1641 is true (S1641: YES), in S1642, the integrated WCS program 51 sends a move request to the WCS program 50Y to move the transport device 3 to the target position in the inspection area 103.

[0172] In S1643, the WCS program 50Y transmits a move instruction to the conveying device 3 to move it to the target location (inspection area 103) in accordance with the move request.

[0173] In S1644, WCS program 50Y receives completion notification from conveyor device 3 that it has arrived at the destination location, and reports the arrival completion to integrated WCS program 51.

[0174] At S1645, the integrated WCS program 51 receives a report of arrival completion and sends an inspection instruction to the inspection equipment (not shown) in the inspection area 103.

[0175] In S1646, the integrated WCS program 51 receives a report that the inspection is complete and sends a move request to the WCS program 50Y to move the conveying device 3 to its desired position in the packing area 102.

[0176] In S1647, the WCS program 50Y transmits a move instruction to the conveying device 3 to move it to the target location (packing area 102) in accordance with the move request.

[0177] In S1648, WCS program 50Y receives completion notification from conveyor 3 that it has arrived at the destination location, and reports the arrival completion to integrated WCS program 51.

[0178] In S1649, the integrated WCS program 51 receives a report of arrival completion and sends a request to the station terminal 710 of the WS in the packing area 102 to output a loading instruction to transfer the shipping boxes to the packing area 102. The integrated WCS program 51 updates the device status 1105 of the transport device 3 from which the shipping boxes have been removed to "empty" and sends a move request to the WCS program 50Y to move the transport device 3 to the next destination location (for example, the waiting area 105 or the shipping box supply area 100).

[0179] Figure 22 is a flowchart showing the flow of the shipping box selection process.

[0180] In S2201, the integrated WCS program 51 calculates the total size and / or weight (sum of size and / or weight) corresponding to the target document number (document number for which no shipping box has been assigned). Specifically, for example, the integrated WCS program 51 identifies the item name 605, item ID 606, and quantity 607 corresponding to the target document number from the order table 55. For each pair of item name 605 and item ID 606, the integrated WCS program 51 identifies the corresponding item size and weight 709 from the inventory table 54 and calculates the product of the identified item size and weight 709 and the corresponding quantity 607. The integrated WCS program 51 calculates the total size and weight corresponding to the target document number by summing up all the calculated products.

[0181] In S2202, the integrated WCS program 51 determines whether the total size weight calculated in S2201 is below a predetermined threshold.

[0182] If the result of S2202 is false (S2202:NO), in S2203, the integrated WCS program 51 divides the items corresponding to the relevant invoice number into multiple subgroups so that the total size and weight are below a predetermined threshold. A "subgroup" corresponds to a shipping box unit. In other words, S2202:NO means that it has been determined that the items corresponding to the relevant invoice number cannot fit into a single shipping box, and in this case, the integrated WCS program 51 decides to divide the items into multiple shipping boxes. If at least one item exceeds the total size and weight threshold, the integrated WCS program 51 may notify the administrator of an error (or a request for manual picking).

[0183] Here, a group (unit) of multiple items assigned to a single shipping box is sometimes called a "shipping box group (order container group)." For example, if the result of the S2202 check is false (S2202:NO), and the multiple items corresponding to the relevant invoice number are divided into multiple "subgroups," each "subgroup" becomes a "shipping box group." Also, if the result of the S2202 check is true (S2202:YES), and all items corresponding to the relevant invoice number are placed in the same shipping box, all items corresponding to that invoice number become the same "shipping box group." The integrated WCS program 51 assigns a unique identification information, a shipping box group ID, to each "shipping box group."

[0184] After S2203, or if the result of S2202 is true (S2202:YES), in S2204, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to the shipping box table 59 (for example, the column for size category 1301) and determines whether there are multiple sizes of shipping boxes.

[0185] If the result of S2204 is true (S2204:YES), in S2205, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to the shipping box table 59 and the inventory table 54 and, based on the loadable size 1302 and / or loadable weight 1303 and the item size weight 709 of each item, determines the size of the shipping box that can accommodate the total size weight of the target shipping box group.

[0186] After S2205, or if the result of S2204 is false (S2204: NO), in S2206, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to the shipping box table 59 and determines whether the size of the shipping box is such that multiple shipping boxes can be loaded onto the conveying device 3. Specifically, the integrated WCS program 51 determines whether the value of the number of boxes that can be loaded 1304 corresponding to the size category 1301 of the shipping box is "2" or greater.

[0187] If the result of the judgment in S2206 is true (S2206:YES), in S2207, the integrated WCS program 51 determines whether the time remaining until the work deadline (or shipping deadline) is greater than or equal to a threshold. Note that the information on the work deadline (and / or shipping deadline) corresponding to each order may be included in the order table 55, for example.

[0188] If the result of the judgment in S2207 is true (S2207:YES), in S2208, the integrated WCS program 51 decides to load multiple shipping boxes onto the conveying device 3 and determines the number of shipping boxes to be loaded onto the conveying device 3 (for example, the number of boxes that can be loaded corresponding to the size category 1301 of the shipping boxes, 1304).

[0189] Furthermore, when loading multiple shipping boxes onto the conveying device 3, the integrated WCS program 51 selects "other unassigned shipping box groups" to which the "target shipping box group" will be assigned to other shipping boxes loaded together on the same conveying device 3. For example, the integrated WCS program 51 also performs the shipping box selection process shown in Figure 22 for other unassigned slip numbers, identifies the size of the shipping box to be assigned to "other unassigned shipping box groups," and selects "other unassigned shipping box groups" that match the size of the other shipping box.

[0190] Furthermore, when multiple shipping boxes are loaded onto a single transport device 3, the integrated WCS program 51 selects (determines) a combination of shipping box groups to assign to the multiple shipping boxes in order to improve the efficiency of picking, loading, and / or transport. For example, the integrated WCS program 51 may refer to the order table 55 and, if there is another unassigned shipping box group with the same document number as the target shipping box group, select that other unassigned shipping box group. As the items with the same document number are gathered in each shipping box, they can be transported to the inspection area 103 and the packing area 102, thus improving the efficiency of transport, inspection, and packing.

[0191] For example, the integrated WCS program 51 may refer to the order table 55 and select "other unassigned shipping box groups" that have items with a high degree of overlap (redundancy), such as having items that are the same as or many of the same items as the items corresponding to the target shipping box group. By picking these same items together and loading them into the respective shipping boxes transported by the same conveyor 3, picking, loading, and / or transport can be made more efficient. Alternatively, for example, the integrated WCS program 51 may refer to the order table 55, inventory table 54, and storage area table 57 and select "other unassigned shipping box groups" that have items with a high degree of overlap (redundancy) in storage areas (or destination WSs) that are the same as or many of the items corresponding to the target shipping box group. This improves the movement efficiency of the conveyor 3, reduces waiting times for the conveyor 3 to arrive at destination WSs, and further reduces the accumulation of picked items at WSs, thus making picking and loading operations more efficient. In addition to or instead of the above selection criteria, the integrated WCS program 51 may refer to the order table 55, inventory table 54, storage area table 57, etc., and select "other unassigned shipping box groups" based on other selection criteria, such as ensuring that the transport time (including waiting time) of the transport device 3 is met in time for the work deadline (calculating the scheduled work completion date and time, and ensuring that the time from the scheduled work completion date and time to the work deadline is above a predetermined threshold), ensuring that the charge rate of the transport device 3 does not fall below a threshold (calculating the transport time, and ensuring that the transport time is within a predetermined range), and ensuring that the number of transport destinations in the storage area (destination WS) is below a predetermined threshold. The integrated WCS program 51 may also select "other unassigned shipping box groups" not only for the target shipping box group, but also to optimize the processing of all document numbers included in the work date and time.

[0192] The integrated WCS program 51 controls, in S1609 and S1610, to ensure that the shipping boxes assigned to the target shipping box group and the shipping boxes assigned to the selected "other unassigned shipping box group" are loaded onto the same conveyor 3 (requesting loading of shipping boxes, issuing loading instructions). The combination of the target shipping box group and the selected shipping box group is sometimes referred to as the "combination of shipping box groups".

[0193] The integrated WCS program 51 may record information about the shipping boxes (for example, shipping box group ID, shipping box size, number of shipping boxes to be loaded onto the conveying device 3, combination of shipping box groups, etc.) in the order table 55, corresponding to the target shipping box group.

[0194] If the result of the judgment in S2206 is false (S2206:NO), or if the result of the judgment in S2207 is false (S2207:NO), then in S2209, the integrated WCS program 51 decides to load one shipping box onto the conveying device 3. Specifically, for example, the integrated WCS program 51 records information about the shipping boxes (e.g., shipping box group ID, shipping box size, number of shipping boxes to be loaded onto the conveying device 3, etc.) in the order table 55, corresponding to the target shipping box group.

[0195] As an example, when setting a shipping box ID in the shipping box selection process shown in Figure 22, after S2208 and S2209, the integrated WCS program 51 may refer to the shipping box table 59 and set the IDs of the unassigned shipping boxes corresponding to the size identified in S2205, in the number identified in S2208 or S2209 (the number of shipping boxes to be loaded onto the conveying device 3), as the shipping box ID 603 corresponding to the target shipping box group, and record this in the order table 55.

[0196] In the process illustrated in Figure 22, at least S2207 may be optional. For example, when loading multiple shipping boxes corresponding to multiple invoice numbers onto a single conveyor 3, it takes time to collect goods for all of the shipping boxes. Therefore, if time takes priority in relation to deadlines, such as when the deadline for the relevant invoice number is approaching, the integrated WCS program 51 may decide to load only one shipping box. However, even if multiple shipping boxes are loaded onto the conveyor 3, the conveyor 3 may prioritize collecting goods from one of the shipping boxes and inspecting and packing that box first. After that, the conveyor 3 may sequentially move from the packing area 102 to one or more storage areas 101 to collect goods corresponding to the remaining shipping boxes that have not yet been packed. [Second Embodiment]

[0197] A second embodiment will be described. In this description, the differences from the first embodiment will be explained primarily, and the similarities with the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

[0198] Figure 23 shows an example of the order list structure. Figure 24 shows an example of the order details list structure. Figure 25 shows an example of the picking instruction list structure.

[0199] The order list 2300, order detail list 2400, and picking instruction list 2500 are information prepared based on the order table 55 (Figure 8) and the picking work management table 581 (Figure 15), and stored in the storage device 42. Lists 2300, 2400, and 2500 may all be tables. Lists 2300, 2400, and 2500 may be stored in the storage device 42 in place of or in addition to at least a part of the order table 55 and the picking work management table 581.

[0200] As shown in Figure 23, the order list 2300 has a record for each order. The record contains information such as the invoice number 2301 and the order status 2302. The invoice number 2301 represents the order number. The order status 2302 represents the status of the order. The invoice number 2301 and order status 2302 may be the same information as, for example, invoice number 602 in Figure 8.

[0201] As shown in Figure 24, the order details list 2400 has a record for each detail, which is a pair of order and goods. The record contains information such as detail number 2401, document number 2402, and item ID 2403. Detail number 2401 represents the detail number corresponding to the number of the detail (pair of order and goods). Document number 2402 represents the order number. Item ID 2403 represents the item ID. Document number 2402 may be the same as the information corresponding to document number 602. Item ID 2403 may be the same as the information corresponding to item ID 606.

[0202] As shown in Figure 25, the picking instruction list 2500 has a record for each picking instruction. The record has an item number 2501, a storage container ID 2502, a station ID 2503, and a status 2504. The item number 2501 represents the item number corresponding to the picking instruction. The storage container ID 2502 represents the ID of the storage container containing the item in the item. The station ID 2503 represents the ID of the work station as a work area 163 uniquely determined from the storage container 2502. The status 2504 represents the status of the picking instruction. The storage container ID 2502 may be the same as the information corresponding to the storage container ID 1503 (Figure 15). The station ID 2503 may be the same as the information corresponding to the station ID 1501 (Figure 15). The status 2504 may be the same as the information corresponding to status 601 (Figure 8) or work status 1508 (Figure 15). The storage container may also be called a stock box.

[0203] Storage container ID 2502 can be the ID identified from inventory table 54 (Figure 9) using item ID 2403 in the details as the key.

[0204] At least one storage area 101 has multiple work areas 163, which serve as multiple work stations. In this embodiment, the work stations, which serve as work areas 163, are picking stations. Which of the multiple picking stations receives the storage containers for which order's items is uniquely determined physically or logically by inventory allocation, which is the allocation of items (or storage containers containing items) to an order. "Uniquely determined physically" can occur, for example, when the storage area 101 is an automated warehouse area 101B, and more specifically, for example, when the automated warehouse area 101B has multiple warehouses and a picking station is uniquely determined for each warehouse (for example, the route for items to be shipped from the warehouse to the picking station is determined by a conveyor belt or the like). "Logically and uniquely determined" can occur, for example, when storage area 101 is a flat storage area 101A, and specifically, for example, it is predetermined that for each of the multiple storage containers in the multiple storage locations 2 of flat storage area 101A, it is predetermined which storage container will be delivered to which picking station (for example, it is predetermined which storage container a worker will carry to which picking station).

[0205] Furthermore, an "order" is an order related to the dispatch of goods (for example, goods specified by a customer for purchase, etc.), and may be an order for an action (for example, delivery) that should be carried out by the time indicated by delivery date 608 (see Figure 8). The order may specify the goods (or storage containers specified in the order) that have been allocated to the order in the inventory allocation. In addition, picking instructions may be associated with the order, for example through item numbers 2401 and 2501.

[0206] Information regarding an order may be input from the input device 43 or another source via the interface device 45 and stored in the storage device 42. For example, information regarding an order may be input via the interface device 45, and a new record corresponding to that order may be added to the order list 2300 by the integrated WCS program 51. In that record, the order status 2302 is set to "Not Posted". When the order is posted, the order status 2302 may be changed from "Not Posted" to "Processing" by the integrated WCS program 51. An order with an order status 2302 of "Not Posted" can be called an "unposted order," and an order with an order status 2302 other than "Not Posted" can be called a "posted order." Note that an order status 2302 of "Processing" may mean that the order has been posted but is not yet complete. An order status 2302 of "Completed" may mean that the order has been posted and is also completed.

[0207] Furthermore, inventory allocation may be performed by the integrated WCS program 51, resulting in the addition of a record representing the order-item pair to the order item list 2400, and a record corresponding to the picking instruction associated with the order (a record representing the order-storage container-picking station pair) to the picking instruction list 2500. Inventory allocation may be performed each time a new record is added to the order list 2300 (each time a new unfilled order arises).

[0208] In this embodiment, order submission control for unsubmitted orders is performed intermittently rather than in batches by the integrated WCS program 51. "Intermittent" may also be called "sporadically". Intermittently (sporadically) order submission control differs from batch order submission control, typically, order submission control performed after a certain period of time has elapsed since the most recent order submission control, or order submission control performed when a certain number of unsubmitted orders have accumulated. That is, in batch order submission control, there is regularity in the elapsed time since the most recent order submission control and the number of unsubmitted orders that accumulate, but there is no such regularity in intermittently (sporadically) order submission control. For example, with a drop-in order drop control system, order drop control is performed when a predetermined number (e.g., one) of the transport devices 3 become available (when the device status 1105 of the predetermined number of transport devices 3 becomes "available"), and / or when the number of dropped orders falls below a certain value (regardless of the number of undropped orders accumulated at that time).

[0209] Because order dropping control (dropping of undropped orders) is performed in a staggered manner, the possibility of undropped orders not being dropped despite the existence of a predetermined number of available transport devices 3 can be reduced, thereby improving transport efficiency. Furthermore, since undropped orders are dropped in a staggered manner, the possibility of picking stations becoming depleted of picking work can be reduced, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0210] However, there may be at least one of the following challenges regarding the intermittent order delivery control system. Depending on the order in which unplaced orders are placed, picking work may become concentrated at multiple picking stations, potentially leading to some picking stations becoming depleted of their picking capacity. Therefore, it is desirable to equalize the load across multiple picking stations. Depending on the order in which undelivered orders are delivered, the number of times goods are withdrawn from each of the multiple storage locations (e.g., warehouses) in storage area 101 may not be reduced. However, if undelivered orders to which the same storage container is assigned are delivered consecutively, the number of times goods are withdrawn from that storage container can be reduced.

[0211] Therefore, in this embodiment, in the staggered order distribution control, order distribution control is performed according to the compatibility between undistributed orders and incomplete distributed orders. Specifically, undistributed orders are extracted as distribution candidates, and undistributed orders are selected from the extracted distribution candidates to be distributed.

[0212] The following describes in detail an example of order submission control performed in this embodiment. In the following, the order with slip number "xxx" may be referred to as "order xxx".

[0213] Figure 26 is a flowchart showing the processing flow, including order placement control. Figure 27 is a schematic diagram illustrating some of the steps in Figure 26.

[0214] The integrated WCS program 51 determines whether the staggered drop conditions have been met (S2601). The "staggered drop conditions" are the conditions for the start of the staggered drop of undropped orders, and may be any of the following conditions, for example. • A predetermined number of empty conveying devices 3 exist. • The number of orders placed is below the threshold.

[0215] The determination in S2601 may be performed periodically (for example, at intervals sufficiently shorter than the time required from the submission to the completion of one order). If the result of the determination in S2601 is true (S2601:YES), the processing from S2602 onward, i.e., the staggered order submission control, is started.

[0216] In order drop control, the integrated WCS program 51 identifies the WS with the minimum amount of work in progress (S2602). Specifically, as illustrated in Figure 27, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to lists 2300, 2400, and 2500 to identify station ID 2503 and status 2504 of incomplete dropped orders (orders with order status 2302 "processing"). For each identified station ID 2503, the integrated WCS program 51 counts the number of picking instructions with status 2504 "not picked". This allows us to determine how many incomplete picking instructions there are at each WS for all dropped but incomplete orders. According to the order list 2300 illustrated in Figure 23, there are incomplete dropped orders 201 to 203. According to the order details list 2400 illustrated in Figure 24, the detail numbers for the submitted orders 201-203 are "1" to "5". Therefore, in the picking instruction list 2500, the records in rows 1 to 5 correspond to the submitted orders. In the example shown in Figure 27, there are three WSs, WS21-23. According to the records in rows 1 to 5 of the picking instruction list 2500, the number of picking instructions for WS21 and WS22 is "2", and the number of picking instructions for WS23 is "0". Therefore, WS23 is identified as the WS with the least amount of work in progress.

[0217] Next, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to lists 2300, 2400, and 2500 and extracts a group of unloaded orders to which storage containers are assigned to be dispatched to the smallest work-in-progress WS23 (S2603). According to the order list 2300 illustrated in Figure 23, there are unloaded orders 204 to 206. According to the order detail list 2400 illustrated in Figure 24 and the picking instruction lists 2500 illustrated in Figures 25 and 27, the detail numbers for unloaded orders 204 to 206 are "6" to "11", and among them, unloaded orders 205 and 206 are those whose dispatch destination WS is the smallest work-in-progress WS23. Undelivered order 205 corresponds to records with item numbers "8" to "10" in the picking instruction list 2500, and undelivered order 206 corresponds to record with item number "11" in the picking instruction list 2500. In this way, undelivered orders 205 and 206 are extracted as "a group of undelivered orders for which a storage container that can be issued to the WS23 with the smallest amount of work in progress has been assigned."

[0218] Next, the integrated WCS program 51 calculates for each undelivered order in the extracted group of undelivered orders the number of storage containers that are the same as those allocated to that undelivered order and are scheduled for dispatch, based on the unpicked instructions of the delivered orders (picking instructions with status 2504 being "unpicked") (S2603). In the example shown in Figure 27, according to the unpicked instructions of delivered orders 201-203, storage container C11 is scheduled for dispatch to WS21 and storage container C12 is scheduled for dispatch to WS22. On the other hand, according to undelivered orders 205 and 206, storage container C11 is scheduled for dispatch from among storage containers C11, C14, and C15 allocated to undelivered order 205, but none of the storage containers allocated to undelivered order 206 are scheduled for dispatch. Therefore, among the group of undelivered orders extracted in S2603, undelivered order 205 is the undelivered order to which the most scheduled storage containers for shipment have been allocated.

[0219] The integrated WCS program 51 will place an unplaced order 205, which has the largest number of storage containers scheduled for shipment (S2605). Specifically, the order status 2302 for this unplaced order 205 will be changed from "Unplaced" to "Processing".

[0220] Orders whose order status 2302 has been changed to "processing" become the dropped orders. Dropped orders are assigned to an available transport device 3. An order to be released for the storage container assigned to the dropped order is sent to the storage area containing the storage container (for example, an automated warehouse, or an information processing terminal for the control or management of the storage area), and in response to the order to be released, the storage container is released to the picking station to which it is to be released. The process shown in Figure 26 may be performed separately from the processes shown in Figures 16 to 22. For example, the order (record) selected in S1601 in Figure 16 may be an order whose order status 2302 has been changed to "processing" in the process shown in Figure 26.

[0221] Furthermore, the integrated WCS program 51 may display the management screen 2800, as illustrated in Figure 28, on an output device 44 (or a remote client computer connected to the control device 4) via, for example, an interface device 45. The management screen 2800 may be a GUI (Graphical User Interface). The management screen 2800 may consist of UIs (User Interfaces) 2801 to 2805. UI 2801 may be a UI that displays the order list 2300. UI 2802 may be a UI that displays the picking instruction list 2500. UI 2803 may be a UI that displays the scheduled storage containers for each WS. UI 2804 may be a UI that displays the time series of the workload (number of picking instructions) for each WS. UI 2805 may be a UI that displays the entire system, including each storage area 101, the moving area 150, and the multiple transport devices 3 in the moving area. Some of the UI elements from UI2801 to UI2805 do not need to be included in a single administration screen 2800, and may be displayed separately from administration screen 2800.

[0222] Although several embodiments have been described above, these are merely illustrative examples for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to these embodiments only. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms.

[0223] Furthermore, for example, the shape of the partition is not limited to a rectangle, but may be other shapes. Also, partitions of different sizes or shapes may be mixed together. In addition, the location of a partition may be identified by a method other than by markers on the partition.

[0224] Furthermore, for example, the integrated WCS program 51 and WCS program 50 may be executed by the transport device 3 instead of or in addition to the control device 4. Also, the transport device 3 may also function as the control device 4.

[0225] The above explanation can be summarized as follows, for example. The summary below may include supplementary explanations to the above explanation and descriptions of modifications of the above embodiments.

[0226] The order placement control system comprises an interface device (e.g., interface device 45), a storage device (e.g., storage device 42), and a processor (e.g., processor 40) connected to the interface device and the storage device. The order placement control system may be a computer system, for example, a physical computer system (one or more physical computers), or a logical computer system based on a physical computer system (e.g., a virtual machine, or a system on the cloud).

[0227] The storage device stores order information (e.g., order table 55, and lists 2300, 2400, and 2500) for each order, which includes the order ID, the order status, the ID of the storage container for the items specified in the order, and the status of the work to be performed on the storage container. When the processor receives information about a new order through the interface device, it adds the information about the new order to the order information. The source of information about the new order may be an input device such as a keyboard, a remote client computer, or a device for controlling or managing a storage area such as an automated warehouse.

[0228] The processor is configured to perform order drop control to drop undropped orders identified from order information in a staggered manner. When an undropped order is dropped, at the work station associated with the storage container of the item specified in the order, work is performed on the storage container that has been released to the work station according to the work instructions associated with the order, and the item is transported from the work station by the transport device to which the order is assigned. Note that the "work station associated with the storage container" may be any work station that is uniquely determined physically or logically from the storage container. An example of "uniquely determined" is as described in the second embodiment. If the storage area is an automated warehouse, the processor may control the material handling equipment of the automated warehouse according to the dropped order.

[0229] The items stored in a storage container may be of one type (e.g., items with the same item ID) or multiple types (e.g., multiple items with different item IDs). The relationship between an order and a storage container may be predetermined by inventory allocation or other means. For example, an order may be assigned to only one storage container, or it may be assigned to multiple storage containers. Specifically, if an order specifies multiple items, it may only require one storage container, or it may require multiple storage containers. If an order is assigned multiple storage containers, and the destinations for these containers are multiple work stations, then for that single order, the destinations for the storage containers are multiple work stations. Furthermore, if items with the same item ID are in two or more storage containers, inventory allocation or other means may result in different storage containers being assigned to two or more orders that specify the same items.

[0230] In order placement control, the processor determines which unplaced order to place based on (A) and (B) below, which are identified from the order information, and places the determined unplaced order. (A) Workload for each of multiple work stations based on one or more incomplete submitted orders. (B) The relationship between one or more scheduled-out storage containers that are assigned to one or more incomplete submitted orders and are inactive storage containers, the work station to which each of those scheduled-out storage containers is to be shipped, and the storage containers assigned to each of the one or more unsubmitted orders.

[0231] In this way, the undropped orders to be dropped are determined and dropped in the staggered order drop control system according to the workload at each work station and the compatibility between undropped orders and incomplete dropped orders. This makes it possible to achieve both improved work efficiency and improved transport efficiency. Note that "work" can be any work, such as picking, loading, storage, hoarding, transfer, or loading.

[0232] In order placement control, the processor may select one work station based on the workload of each of several work stations. For each unplaced order to which that work station is assigned a storage container that will be the destination for shipment, the processor may determine which unplaced order to place for placement based on the number of storage containers that are the same as the storage containers that are scheduled to be shipped. This allows the processor to start with a work station that is appropriate in terms of workload among several work stations and more appropriately reflect the compatibility between the workload at each work station and the unplaced orders and incomplete placed orders in determining which unplaced orders to place for placement. Note that "each of the unplaced orders to which that work station is assigned a storage container that will be the destination for shipment" may be a candidate for placement, i.e., an unplaced order that can be determined as a target for placement. Also, "one work station" may be the work station with the minimum workload. This stipulates the determination of unreleased orders to increase the workload at the work station with the minimum workload, thereby contributing to the equalization of workloads across multiple work stations and further improving work efficiency. Furthermore, the unreleased orders determined to be released may be those unreleased orders to which the work station with the minimum workload is assigned a storage container as the destination, and which have the most storage containers identical to the storage container scheduled for release. This reduces the number of times the same storage container is released, and therefore reduces the number of releases for the entire storage area, thereby contributing to cost reduction in the storage area (for example, by reducing the number of warehouses that make up the automated warehouse, or by reducing the area of ​​open storage areas, etc.).

[0233] The processor may perform order drop control when either (X) or (Y) below is satisfied. Both (X) and (Y) below may be start conditions for a staggered order drop control. (X) A predetermined number of empty conveying devices exist. (Y) The number of orders that have been submitted is below the threshold.

[0234] The processor may select one or more orders with relatively high priority from among multiple unsent orders as the one or more unsent orders (one or more unsent orders that could be candidates for sending). The priority of unsent orders may be determined from any perspective. For example, priority may be higher the shorter the delivery date associated with the unsent order (e.g., delivery date 608), higher the larger the number of storage containers assigned to the unsent order, or whether or not there is a priority flag associated with the unsent order (e.g., priority flag 611). This allows the group of unsent orders that can be determined as targets for sending to be narrowed down to an appropriate range.

[0235] For each of the multiple work stations, the workload may be the number of work orders, which is the number of work instructions that have not yet been performed on the storage container to which the work station is the destination, and which are associated with one or more incomplete submitted orders. This allows for an appropriate calculation of the workload. Note that "work instructions that have not yet been performed" may be, for example, work instructions with a work status of "not yet worked" (for example, status 2504 is "not picked").

[0236] The storage device may store outbound management information for each of the multiple storage containers, representing the scheduled outbound time for that storage container. For example, the storage device 42 may store the outbound management list 2900 illustrated in Figure 29. The outbound management list 2900 may have a record for each storage container. The record may contain information such as storage container ID 2901, storage area 2902, and scheduled outbound time 2903. Storage container ID 2901 represents the ID of the storage container. Storage area 2902 represents the storage area where the storage container is stored. Scheduled outbound time 2903 represents the scheduled outbound time of the storage container. The processor may exclude work instructions for storage containers whose scheduled outbound time falls within a predetermined future period from the current time from the work instructions that are counted as the number of work items as workload. The length of the "predetermined future period from the current time" may be determined based on the specifications of the storage area, etc., and may be the same as or shorter than the time required from when an order is placed until the container is issued. In other words, the length of the "predetermined future period from the current time" can be such that work can be carried out without issuing storage containers issued for already issued orders for unissued orders. This prevents unissued orders that do not contribute to reducing the number of issuances from being selected as targets for issuance. [Explanation of symbols]

[0237] 3: Conveying device, 4: Control device

Claims

1. It comprises an interface device, a storage device, and a processor, The storage device stores order information for each order, which includes the order ID, the order status, the ID of the storage container for the items specified in the order, and the status of the work to be performed on the said storage container. The processor is configured to add information about a new order to the order information when it receives information about a new order through the interface device. The processor is configured to perform order drop control in order to drop undropped orders identified from the order information in a staggered manner. When an unplaced order is placed, at one of the multiple work stations, the work station associated with the storage container of the item specified in the order will perform work on the storage container that has been dispatched to that work station, in accordance with the work instructions associated with the order, and the order will be transported from that work station by the transport device to which the order is assigned. In the order placement control described above, the processor determines which unplaced order to place from one or more unplaced orders based on (A) and (B) below identified from the order information, and places the determined unplaced order. (A) For each of the multiple work stations, the workload based on one or more incomplete submitted orders, (B) The relationship between one or more scheduled-to-ship storage containers that are assigned to one or more of the incompleted-to-shipped orders and are incomplete storage containers, the work station to which each of the one or more scheduled-to-ship storage containers is to be shipped, and the storage containers assigned to each of the one or more unshipped orders, Order placement control system.

2. In the order placement control described above, the processor, Based on the workload of each of the aforementioned work stations, one work station is selected. For each of the undropped orders to which the aforementioned work station is assigned a storage container as the destination for shipment, the undropped orders to be dropped are determined based on the number of storage containers that are the same as the storage containers scheduled for shipment. The order placement control system according to claim 1.

3. The processor is configured to perform the order placement control when either (X) or (Y) below is satisfied. (X) A predetermined number of empty conveying devices exist, (Y) The number of orders that have been submitted is below the threshold. The order placement control system according to claim 1.

4. The processor designates one or more orders with relatively high priority from among a plurality of unsent orders as the one or more unsent orders. The order placement control system according to claim 1.

5. For each of the aforementioned work stations, the workload is the number of work instructions for which work has not yet been performed on a storage container to which the work station is the destination, and which is associated with one or more of the aforementioned incomplete submitted orders. The order placement control system according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned work station is the work station with the minimum workload. The order placement control system according to claim 2.

7. The unreleased orders determined to be the target of the aforementioned release are those unreleased orders to which the work station with the minimum workload is assigned a storage container as the destination, and which have the largest number of storage containers that are the same as the storage containers scheduled for release. The order placement control system according to claim 6.

8. The storage device stores, for each of the multiple storage containers, outbound management information representing the scheduled outbound time of the storage container, The processor excludes from the work instructions counted in the number of work orders work instructions for storage containers whose scheduled departure time falls within a predetermined future period from the current time. The order placement control system according to claim 5.

9. When information regarding a new order is received, the information regarding the new order is added to the order information, which for each order includes the order ID, the order status, the ID of the storage container for the items specified in the order, and the status of the work to be performed on the storage container. The system performs order drop control to drop undropped orders identified from the aforementioned order information in a staggered manner. This is done by computer. When an unplaced order is placed, at the work station associated with the storage container for the item specified in the order, work is performed on the storage container that has been brought out to the work station according to the work instructions associated with the order, and the item is transported from the work station by the transport device to which the order is assigned. In the order placement control described above, based on (A) and (B) below identified from the order information, one or more unplaced orders are selected to be placed, and the selected unplaced orders are placed. (A) For each of the multiple work stations, the workload based on one or more incomplete submitted orders, (B) The relationship between one or more scheduled-to-ship storage containers that are assigned to one or more of the incompleted-to-shipped orders and are incomplete storage containers, the work station to which each of the one or more scheduled-to-ship storage containers is to be shipped, and the storage containers assigned to each of the one or more unshipped orders, Order placement control method.

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