Instruction generation device and instruction generation method

Abstract

The present invention provides a command generation device and command generation method for efficiently transporting multiple metal materials in arbitrary combinations. [Solution] The command creation device 10 includes an input unit 12 that receives a designation of target materials to be consolidated from the original pile to the consolidation pile using a transport device 20 capable of transporting two or more metal materials 51 simultaneously in a yard 30 having multiple piles 50 on which metal materials 51 are stacked, a calculation unit 14 that creates a transport command for consolidating the target materials to the consolidation pile, and an output unit that outputs the transport command. The calculation unit 14 performs an optimization calculation based on the stacking order constraints and simultaneous transport constraints of two or more metal materials to be transported simultaneously, and determines a simultaneous transport variable that determines whether to transport two or more metal materials together.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an instruction creation device and an instruction creation method for transporting metal materials stacked in a storage area.

Background Art

[0002] When storing plate-shaped metal materials in a metal manufacturing process in a warehouse or a factory, etc., they may be stacked in an address-managed storage area. In this case, in order to secure the space of the storage area or to increase the inventory capacity, the metal materials may be stacked high to increase the number of metal materials per stack. The stack of metal materials is also referred to as an aggregated stack. When the metal material is a semi-finished product such as a rolling slab, etc., slabs with the same rolling lot or the same storage area withdrawal attribute are stacked together in one stack. Alternatively, in order to improve the operation efficiency, the metal materials are stacked in consideration of the stacking order according to the order of loading into a rolling mill or a heating furnace. Also, when the metal material is a product such as a thick plate, etc., the metal materials are stacked according to the destination or the shipping order.

[0003] When loading metal materials into the storage area and stacking them, if the withdrawal order or attribute of the stacked metal materials is determined in advance, it is conceivable to determine the storage area for loading and stacking the metal materials considering the attribute at the time of loading. However, in reality, after loading the metal materials into the storage area and stacking them, the plan for rolling or shipping the metal materials, etc., or the attribute of the metal materials is often determined. In this case, it is necessary to appropriately re-stack the metal materials according to the plan or attribute determined after stacking the metal materials. The work of re-stacking the metal materials from one stack to another is also referred to as a reallocation work. The reallocation work is mainly carried out using a crane.

[0004] In the replacement operation, the conveyance order or conveyance lot of metal materials is determined based on the experience and intuition of the operator of the replacement operation. However, when the number of metal materials to be subjected to the replacement operation increases, the combination of commands for conveying the metal materials increases exponentially. Then, it is difficult for a human to create an optimal conveyance command only by thinking based on experience and intuition. Therefore, several methods for creating conveyance commands have been proposed.

[0005] In Patent Document 1, when re-stacking slabs stored in a storage yard in the order of withdrawal, an optimal stack shape of the aggregated stack is formulated as a combinatorial optimization problem considering the required replacement load or stacking constraints, and a method of calculating using tabu search, which is one of the approximate solution methods, is disclosed. Patent Document 2 discloses a method of simultaneously optimizing the number of aggregated stacks and the number of steel materials in which temporary storage occurs, that is, the number of conveyances of steel materials during re-stacking, within a time that can be used in actual operations. Patent Document 3 discloses a method of reducing, with respect to the storage yard management of metal materials, the command of conveying from the initial stack to the final stack allowing one-time temporary storage to a mathematical programming problem having, as a decision variable, the relative order of conveying the metal materials or the presence or absence of temporary storage, and having, as an objective function, minimizing the total number of conveyances and the total number of final stacks.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, in Patent Document 1, the transport order is determined after the aggregated slab shape is decided, and the transport order is not considered at the stage of determining the aggregated slab shape. Furthermore, Patent Documents 1 and 2 assume that all transported items are transported to the aggregated slab.

[0008] Patent Document 3 assumes that the order in which each steel material is transported is different, that is, that they are transported one by one. However, it is possible to transport multiple steel materials together using a slab lifter for slabs, or a lifting magnet crane for thick plates, and in actual operation, multiple steel materials are transported together, so a plan to transport them one by one is inefficient.

[0009] Furthermore, while Patent Document 2 describes handling multiple slabs, it specifies transporting predetermined groups of steel materials. However, in practice, it is necessary to consider transporting slabs that are not grouped, or transporting multiple groups of steel materials together.

[0010] In view of the above facts, this disclosure aims to provide a command generation device and command generation method for efficiently transporting multiple metal materials in arbitrary combinations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] (1) An instruction generation device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an input unit that receives a designation of target materials to be aggregated from a source pile to an aggregation pile using transport equipment capable of transporting two or more metal materials simultaneously in a yard having multiple piles of stacked metal materials, a calculation unit that creates a transport instruction for aggregating the target materials to the aggregation pile, and an output unit that outputs the transport instruction. The calculation unit performs an optimization calculation with a transport order variable that determines the order in which the target materials are transported from the source pile to the aggregation pile, and a simultaneous transport variable that determines whether two or more metal materials, including the target materials, are transported together, based on constraint conditions including a stacking order constraint for two or more metal materials transported simultaneously, a stacking constraint in the aggregation pile, and a simultaneous transport constraint for two or more metal materials transported simultaneously, an evaluation index for minimizing the number of transports of metal materials to the aggregation pile, and an evaluation index for maximizing the number of metal materials transported simultaneously to the aggregation pile. The calculation unit uses the transport order variable and the simultaneous transport variable determined by the execution of the optimization calculation to create a transport command that specifies the number of metal materials to be transported simultaneously with the source and destination piles. The calculation unit rearranges the commands included in the transport command based on the stacking order of the metal materials in the source pile.

[0012] (2) In the instruction creation device described in (1) above, the calculation unit may perform the optimization calculation based on the objective function which further includes an evaluation index for minimizing the number of times that non-target material that is not the target material is transported to a mountain that is neither the original mountain nor the aggregated mountain, and create a jumping instruction to transport the non-target material as the transport instruction.

[0013] (3) In the instruction creation device described in (2) above, the calculation unit may create the jumping instruction to transport the non-target material to the mountain that is closest to the original mountain among the mountains that are neither the original mountain nor the aggregated mountain and satisfy the stacking constraint.

[0014] (4) In the instruction generation device described in any one of (1) to (3) above, the calculation unit may perform the optimization calculation based on the constraint conditions which further include constraints on the order in which the target materials are stacked on the stack.

[0015] (5) In the instruction creation device described in any one of (1) to (4) above, the calculation unit may combine two or more instructions for transporting metal material from one source pile to two or more destination piles, or two or more instructions for transporting metal material from two or more source piles to one destination pile, into a single instruction.

[0016] (6) In the instruction generation device described in any one of (1) to (5) above, the calculation unit may consider the target materials that have been stacked in succession on the original pile in a manner that satisfies the stacking order constraint as already aggregated materials, and may exclude the already aggregated materials from the target materials before performing the optimization calculation.

[0017] (7) An instruction creation method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes receiving a designation of target materials to be consolidated from a source pile to a consolidation pile using a transport device capable of transporting two or more metal materials simultaneously in a yard having multiple piles of stacked metal materials, and performing an optimization calculation with a transport order variable that determines the order in which the target materials are transported from the source pile to the consolidation pile, and a simultaneous transport variable that determines whether two or more metal materials including the target materials are transported together, and including constraints on the stacking order of two or more metal materials to be transported simultaneously, stacking constraints in the consolidation pile, and simultaneous transport constraints for two or more metal materials to be transported simultaneously. The process includes: executing based on constraints, an objective function that includes an evaluation index for minimizing the number of times metal materials are transported to the aggregation pile, and an evaluation index for maximizing the number of metal materials transported simultaneously to the aggregation pile; creating a transport command that specifies the number of metal materials to be transported simultaneously to the source and destination piles as a transport command for aggregating the target materials to the aggregation pile, using the transport order variable and the simultaneous transport variable determined by the execution of the optimization calculation; rearranging the commands included in the transport command based on the stacking order of the metal materials in the source pile; and outputting the transport command. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the instruction generation device and instruction generation method described herein, instructions are generated for efficiently transporting multiple metal materials in arbitrary combinations. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] This block diagram shows an example configuration of the transport system related to this disclosure. [Figure 2A] This is a plan view showing an example of a metal materials yard configuration. [Figure 2B] This figure shows an example of the structure of a concentrated mountain. [Figure 3A] This diagram shows an example of using a crane to grasp slabs piled up on a stack. [Figure 3B] This figure shows an example of lifting a slab that has been gripped by a crane. [Figure 4A] This is a diagram illustrating an example of initial inventory. [Figure 4B] This is a diagram illustrating one possible future mountain shape. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the structure of a consolidated mountain, including the blade material. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of the procedure for creating an order related to this disclosure. [Figure 7A] This flowchart shows an example of a procedure for combining commands that are delivered to the same destination. [Figure 7B] Figure 7A illustrates an example of instructions that can be synthesized using the procedure example. [Figure 8A] This flowchart shows an example of a procedure for combining instructions from the same source. [Figure 8B] Figure 8A illustrates an example of instructions that can be synthesized using the procedure example. [Figure 9A] This figure shows an example of pre-assembled lumber without any wing material stacked on top. [Figure 9B] This figure shows an example of pre-assembled lumber with wing material stacked on top. [Figure 9C] This figure shows an example of pre-assembled lumber with the target material and wing material stacked on top. [Figure 9D] This figure shows an example of pre-assembled materials where the materials that are transported later are stacked. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] Embodiments of the command generation apparatus and command generation method relating to this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Each drawing is schematic and may differ from the actual one. Furthermore, the following embodiments are illustrative of an apparatus or method for realizing the technical idea of ​​this disclosure and do not limit the configuration to those described below. In other words, the technical idea of ​​this disclosure can be modified in various ways within the technical scope described in the claims.

[0021] (Example configuration of transport system 1) As shown in Figure 1, a transport system 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a command generation device 10 and a crane 20. The crane 20 transports metal materials stacked in a metal material yard 30, as illustrated in Figure 2A, to another location within the yard 30 or to outside the yard 30. The crane 20 also transports metal materials from outside the yard 30 into the yard 30. In the metal material yard 30, a pile 50 of metal materials 51 is formed, as illustrated in Figure 2B.

[0022] Furthermore, in the transport system 1 according to this disclosure, the crane 20 is a lifter that grips and lifts metal materials. As illustrated in Figure 3A, the crane 20 grips one or more metal materials 51 from the pile 50, and lifts the gripped metal materials 51A as illustrated in Figure 3B and transports them to another location within the yard 30 or outside the yard 30. The metal materials 51B that were not lifted remain as the pile 50.

[0023] The crane 20 is not limited to a lifter, but may be a conveying device that lifts metal materials using various other methods such as a lifting magnet.

[0024] <Instruction Generator 10> The instruction generation device 10 comprises an input unit 12, an arithmetic unit 14, a storage unit 16, and an output unit 18.

[0025] The input unit 12 may include an input device that receives information or data from an operator. The input device may include, for example, a touch panel or touch sensor, or a pointing device such as a mouse. The input device may also include physical keys. The input device may also include an audio input device such as a microphone. The input unit 12 may be configured to be connectable to an external input device. The input unit 12 may be configured to acquire information or data input to an external input device from the external input device.

[0026] The calculation unit 14 creates a transport order that combines one or more commands, specifying the location from which the metal material will be lifted (i.e., the source of transport), the location from which the metal material will be lowered (i.e., the destination of transport), and the number of metal materials to be transported. The operator of the crane 20 operates the crane 20 according to the transport order created by the command creation device 10 to transport the metal material within the yard 30. The crane 20 may be configured to operate automatically in response to the transport order to transport the metal material.

[0027] The arithmetic unit 14 may be configured to include one or more processors, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The processors constituting the arithmetic unit 14 may create instructions and transport instructions by reading and executing a program stored in the memory unit 16.

[0028] The storage unit 16 stores various information or data. The storage unit 16 may store, for example, a program executed in the arithmetic unit 14, or data or processing results used in processing executed in the arithmetic unit 14. The storage unit 16 may also function as the work memory of the arithmetic unit 14. The storage unit 16 may include, but is not limited to, semiconductor memory. For example, the storage unit 16 may be configured as the internal memory of the processor used as the arithmetic unit 14, or as a hard disk drive (HDD) accessible from the arithmetic unit 14. The storage unit 16 may be configured as a non-temporary readable medium. The storage unit 16 may be configured integrally with the arithmetic unit 14, or as a separate unit from the arithmetic unit 14.

[0029] The output unit 18 may be configured to include an output device that outputs information or data to the operator. The output device may include, for example, a display device that outputs visual information such as images, characters, or figures. The display device may include, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, an inorganic EL display, or a PDP (Plasma Display Panel). The display device is not limited to these displays and may include various other types of displays. The display device may include a light-emitting device such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or an LD (Laser Diode). The display device may include various other devices. The output device may include, for example, an audio output device such as a speaker that outputs auditory information such as sound. The output device is not limited to these examples and may include various other devices. The output unit 18 may be configured to be connectable to an external output device. The output unit 18 may be configured to output information or data to an external output device. The output unit 18 may also be configured to output transport commands to transport equipment.

[0030] (Example of operation of transport system 1) As an embodiment to which the transport system 1 and command creation device 10 according to this disclosure apply, an example of operation in which a command is created for transporting slabs in a slab yard in a steelmaking process is described. In other words, in the transport system 1 according to this disclosure, the metal material is assumed to be a slab. The crane 20 is assumed to be a slab lifter that grips and lifts the slab.

[0031] Yard 30 (see Figure 2A) is responsible for receiving the flat slabs cast in the steelmaking process and storing them until they are ready for the next process, such as finishing or rolling. When slabs are released from Yard 30, they may be loaded onto trolleys or trains and transported by trolleys or trains to the next process's storage area, factory entrance, or factory line. Alternatively, the slabs may be transported directly to the next process's factory line by transport equipment such as cranes 20.

[0032] Yard 30 may be divided into storage areas 40-1 to N, as shown in Figure 2A. The storage areas are managed by addresses assigned in the row and column directions. Slabs are stacked in each storage area. By stacking multiple slabs in one storage area, the number of slabs that can be stored in yard 30 increases. In other words, a buffer is secured. As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the crane 20 uses its opening and closing arms to grip and lift several slabs from the top of the stacked pile 50, and transports them to other storage areas or outside yard 30. When lifting slabs from the top in this way, it is not possible to perform so-called slab skipping, where only the slabs stacked in the lower layers are transported while the slabs stacked in the upper layers remain.

[0033] In the slab yard, cast slabs are received. When receiving slabs in the slab yard, they may be delivered from the casting line table in a piled state, or they may be transported to the slab yard loaded onto a train. In this example, it is assumed that the slabs are received loaded onto a train. Situations in which slabs are discharged from the slab yard include discharging unwanted material due to reasons such as canceled orders, discharging slabs to the next process such as a finishing plant, loading slabs onto a train when shipping slabs, and discharging slabs to a charging table for charging into a heating furnace. In addition, as preparation for discharging slabs from the slab yard, a rearrangement operation may be performed in which the slabs in the slab yard are rearranged in the order required by the destination.

[0034] When distributing unwanted slabs outside the factory, it is necessary to load as many unwanted slabs as possible efficiently into each train car. On the other hand, when loading slabs onto a train for shipment or delivery to a finishing plant, it is desirable to load the slabs in the order of shipment or finishing process.

[0035] Here, the pile 50 containing the inventory slabs to be dispensed, i.e., the source pile 50, is also called the original pile. The pile 50 at the loading location or vehicle is also called the consolidated pile. In order to stack the slabs on the consolidated pile, it is necessary to create crane orders to transport the slabs from each original pile. In this case, it is necessary to limit the number of slabs handled from each original pile so as to satisfy the lifting constraints of the crane 20, and to load them in a way that satisfies the stacking constraints of the consolidated pile.

[0036] The lifting constraints are information regarding the performance of the crane 20 used to transport the slabs, such as how many slabs the crane 20 can grasp at once, or the weight or external dimensions of the slabs that the crane 20 can transport, and are given, for example, as shown in Table 1.

[0037] [Table 1]

[0038] The stacking constraints include conditions such as whether the aggregated pile resulting from the transportation of the slabs will not be an unstable stack such as an inverted pyramid shape, and are given, for example, as shown in Tables 2 and 3.

[0039] [Table 2]

[0040] [Table 3]

[0041] The command generation device 10 may create commands to load slabs from the train into each storage area of ​​the slab yard when the train arrives at the slab yard. The command generation device 10 may also create commands to rearrange the inventory in the slab yard in order of discharge, as preparation for discharging the slabs currently loaded in the slab yard to the loading area. The inventory in the slab yard before rearrangement is also called the initial inventory.

[0042] The command generation device 10 may create a command to rearrange the inventory in the slab yard, for example, using the following procedure. The input unit 12 of the command generation device 10 may accept input specifying the slabs to be transported from the initial inventory. The slabs to be transported are also called target materials. The input unit 12 may accept input specifying the target materials to be grouped into one pile 50. The input unit 12 may accept input specifying the stacking order within the pile 50 when grouping the target materials into one pile 50. The input unit 12 may accept input specifying the desired inventory configuration in the slab yard.

[0043] The calculation unit 14 of the instruction creation device 10 creates an instruction to transport a slab in response to input regarding the target material. The calculation unit 14 creates one or more instructions, including instructions to transport multiple slabs simultaneously. If the calculation unit 14 has created multiple instructions, it creates a transport instruction by arranging the instructions in the order in which they will be executed. The output unit 18 of the instruction creation device 10 outputs an instruction or a transport instruction.

[0044] The calculation unit 14 may create a representation of the inventory in the slab yard, i.e., the future inventory configuration, as a result of executing a transport command. The output unit 18 may display the future inventory configuration.

[0045] Figure 4A illustrates the initial inventory. Of the slabs stacked in pile 50, the top four slabs are the target material 52 to be transported from pile 50. The bottom eight slabs are the non-target material 53 that remain without being transported from pile 50. Assume that the command illustrated in Table 4 is executed in the initial inventory pile 50. The initial inventory pile 50 is located in a storage area called A1. The command in Table 4 is configured to dispense two slabs from A1 in two separate transactions and to load three slabs into A1.

[0046] [Table 4]

[0047] Figure 4B illustrates the future state of the pile after the instructions in Table 4 have been executed. Of the slabs piled up on the pile 50, the bottom eight slabs are non-target materials 53 that were not transported and remained behind. The top three slabs are target materials 54 that were transported from outside the slab yard or from another storage area.

[0048] The following describes a specific example of how the arithmetic unit 14 creates instructions.

[0049] <Creating Constraints and Objective Function> The calculation unit 14 creates a constraint equation using decision variables and creates an objective function in order to create an instruction to transport the slab to be transported from the source stack to the aggregated stack. In the following description, assume that the set of slabs to be transported is represented by N. Assume that the set of storage locations for the destination is represented by L.

[0050] The decision variables are set as follows. x ij is set to 1 when slab i is transported before slab j, and set to 0 in other cases. y ij is set to 1 when slab i is stacked above slab j and slabs i and j are transported simultaneously, and set to 0 in other cases. z ij is set to 1 when slabs i and j are transported in a state where they are stacked vertically in such a way that slab i is on the upper stage and slab j is on the lower stage, and set to 0 in other cases. w il is set to 1 when slab i is stacked at storage location l, and set to 0 in other cases.

[0051] Next, the following sets are defined. E = [{i, j} ∈ N 2 , where slabs i and j are stacked on the same stack 50 and slab j is stacked above slab i. F = [{i, j} ∈ N 2 , where slabs i and j are stacked on different stacks 50, or slab j is stacked above slab i. G = [{i, j} ∈ N 2 , where slabs i and j are stacked on different stacks 50, or slabs i and j are not adjacent, that is, there is another slab stacked between slabs i and j. H = [{i, j} ∈ N 2 , where when lifting slabs i and j simultaneously with i above j, the lifting width difference criterion is not satisfied. I = [{i, j} ∈ N 2When stacking slab i above slab j, the stacking width difference criterion or length difference criterion is not met.

[0052] Set E includes combinations of i and j in the pile 50 where slab j is stacked higher than slab i. When transporting slabs from pile 50, it is not possible to transport only the slabs stacked lower while leaving the slabs stacked higher. In other words, if the combination of i and j is included in set E, slab i cannot be transported before slab j. Therefore, the decision variable x ij The following definition constraints are given for this. x ij =0 ∀i,j∈E

[0053] Set F includes combinations of slabs i and j when slabs i and j are stacked in different piles 50. During the optimization of slab transport, it is assumed that slabs stacked in different piles 50 are not transported at the same time. That is, given the combination of i and j in set F, slabs i and j cannot be transported simultaneously. Therefore, the decision variable y ij The following definition constraints are given for this. y ij =0 ∀i,j∈E

[0054] Set G includes combinations of slabs i and j when they are stacked in different piles 50, and combinations of slabs i and j when they are not adjacent. Slabs i and j stacked in different piles 50 cannot be transported stacked vertically in a continuous manner. Also, slabs i and j that are not adjacent cannot be transported stacked vertically in a continuous manner. In other words, when a combination of i and j is included in set G, slabs i and j cannot be transported stacked vertically in a continuous manner. Therefore, the decision variable z ij The following definition constraints are given for this. z ij=0 ∀i,j∈G

[0055] Here, the decision variable z ij This is set to 1 when transporting slabs stacked consecutively, i.e., adjacent slabs, simultaneously. In other words, the decision variable z ij The condition for setting to 1 is that the decision variable y ij This condition adds the condition that the slabs are adjacent to the condition that the variable is set to 1. Therefore, the decision variable z ij and the decision variable y ij The following relationship arises between them. z ij ≤y ij ∀(i,j)∈N 2

[0056] Next, when comparing slab i and slab j, if i = j, then slab i and slab j are the same slab, and therefore slab j cannot be stacked on top of slab i. Thus, the following definition constraint is given. x ij =0 ∀i,j∈N,i=j y ij =0 ∀i,j∈N,i=j

[0057] When a slab to be transported is lifted from a pile 50 at a certain storage area, it must be lowered to a storage area or onto a vehicle outside the yard 30. Therefore, the following constraints arise.

[0058]

number

[0059] Furthermore, if the order in which slab i and slab j are transported separately is uniquely determined, then if one is transported first, the other will always be transported later. Also, when slab i and slab j are transported simultaneously, one will always be stacked on top of the other. Therefore, the following relationship can be obtained. x ij +x ji +y ij +y ji ≤1 ∀(i,j)∈N2

[0060] Next, when slab i is being transported, it is obviously impossible to lower slab i to multiple locations simultaneously. Therefore, the following relationship is given.

[0061]

number

[0062] During the stage of optimizing transport, we assume that the destination is limited to one location. Therefore, when slab i and slab j are transported simultaneously, a simultaneous transport constraint arises that they must always be stacked on the same pile 50. The simultaneous transport constraint is defined by the following equation.

[0063]

number

[0064] From the stacking order and transport order of slabs i, j, and k in mountain 50, the following relationship can be obtained for three different slabs i, j, and k. x ij +x jk -1≦x ik {i,j,k}∈N 3 i≠j, j≠k, k≠i y ij +y jk -1≦y ik {i,j,k}∈N 3 i≠j, j≠k, k≠i x ij +y ik -1≦x kj {i,j,k}∈N 3 i≠j, j≠k, k≠i y ik ≤y ij {i,j,k}∈N 3 i≠j, j≠k, k≠i, and Slab i is stacked on top of slab j, and, When slab j is stacked on top of slab k

[0065] Next, considering the stacking order at the original site, and the fact that it is impossible to lift the slabs stacked in the lower layers without lifting the slabs stacked in the upper layers, i.e., that it is impossible to remove slabs from the middle, the slabs stacked in the upper layers must be transported. Therefore, the following relationship is obtained.

[0066]

number

[0067] As lifting constraints for crane 20, the following are given: weight constraint, thickness constraint, width difference constraint, and number constraint, as shown in Table 1 above.

[0068] The sheet count constraint is defined by the following formula, where MaxHandlingNum is the maximum number of sheets that can be lifted, which is the number defined as the number of sheets in Table 1, i.e., 4.

[0069]

number

[0070] The weight constraint is defined by the following equation, which includes information about the properties of the slab. Here, Weight i is the weight of slab i. MaxWeight is the maximum weight that crane 20 can lift, and is the number defined as weight in Table 1, i.e., 84000.

[0071]

number

[0072] The thickness constraint is similarly defined by the following equation: where Thickness i is the thickness of slab i. MaxThickness is the maximum thickness that the crane 20 can lift, and is the number defined as thickness in Table 1, i.e., 1100.

[0073]

number

[0074] Width difference constraints or length difference constraints are set to prevent the balance of the stacked slabs in the pile 50 from being disrupted due to the width of the slab stacked on top being greater than the width of the slab located in the lower layer, or to prevent the end of the slab stacked on top from overhanging the slab located in the lower layer and sagging downwards when stacking hot slabs. Width difference constraints or length difference constraints are constraints that occur only when slab i and slab j are transported simultaneously with slab i stacked on top of slab j, and can be defined by the following formula. Set H is the combination of i and j when the width difference between slab i and slab j exceeds the width difference criterion value defined as the width difference in Table 1, i.e., 100. y ij =0 ∀i,j∈H

[0075] The stacking constraint is defined for width difference constraints or length difference constraints by the following formula: x ji + w il + w jl ≤2 ∀{i,j}∈I、∀l∈L y ij =0 ∀{i,j}∈I

[0076] When adding more slabs to a storage area where slabs have already been stacked, the following additional constraints become necessary. w il =0 ∀i,l∈J

[0077] The set J is defined as follows: J=[{i,l}∈N 2 Compared to the minimum width or length of the aggregate pile l, the slab i does not meet the width difference criterion or length difference criterion for the pile.

[0078] The stacking height constraint is defined by the following equation.

[0079]

number

[0080] The constraints on the maximum and minimum slab lengths for each storage area, i.e., the maximum length and minimum length constraints, are defined by the following equations. w il =0 ∀i,l∈K

[0081] The set K used in the above equation is defined as follows: K=[{i,l}∈N 2 Compared to the maximum and minimum length constraints of the aggregated mountain l, the slab length of slab i does not fall within the constraints.

[0082] In setting the objective function, in order to transport as many slabs as possible to the pile 50 and efficiently consolidate the slabs, the aim in this disclosure is to maximize the number of slabs transported simultaneously. Furthermore, in order to reduce the load on the transport equipment when a transport command is executed, it is required to minimize the number of transports. In addition, in order to transport slabs that are not to be transported (hereinafter also referred to as "rejection slabs"), an additional transport command (hereinafter also referred to as "rejection command") is required to reject the slabs that are not to be transported, i.e., the rejection slabs, to another storage area. It is also necessary to determine the destination of the rejection slabs. Therefore, the aim is to minimize the number of rejection commands, with the occurrence of rejection commands being treated as a penalty. From the above, the objective function is given by the following equation.

[0083]

number

[0084] The first term of the objective function is an evaluation metric for maximizing the number of slabs transported. The second term is an evaluation metric for minimizing the number of transports, i.e., maximizing the number of times multiple slabs are transported simultaneously. The third term is a penalty term for slabs that require a jump command to be transported. addHandling j This is the minimum number of jump commands that must be executed to transport the slab j to be transported.

[0085] As shown in Figure 5, when the target material 55 and the wing material 56 are stacked on the pile 50, the minimum number of transports required for the wing material 56 to transport the target material 55 is predetermined for the slab j included in the target material 55. Here, the minimum number of transports is the number of transports required when transporting the maximum number of slabs that the crane 20 can lift in one go, based on the constraint that the slabs must be lifted sequentially from the top, i.e., the lifting constraint, with the maximum number of slabs that the crane 20 can lift in one go being considered as one handling. In the example in Figure 6, since the maximum number of slabs that the crane 20 can lift in one go is 4, 3 wing material 56A and 3 wing material 56B out of the 6 wing material 56 stacked on the top are transported in two separate trips. Also, after the 2 target material 55A stacked on the top of the target material 55 are transported, the 2 wing material 56C on the bottom are transported. Therefore, the minimum number of transports for the wing material 56 in the example in Figure 6 is 3.

[0086] However, an instruction to transport the feather material 56, which requires a feather command, at the same time as the target material 55 is called an add handling command. i It will not be counted twice.

[0087] Furthermore, the minimum number of transports is not limited to the number of transports based on the lifting constraints described above. The minimum number of transports may be set by imposing a penalty on the number of flapping materials 56 that are subject to the flapping command, or by considering the destination in advance. Also, a1 to a3 are the weighting coefficients for each term of the objective function.

[0088] When slabs are transported between storage locations, stacking constraints may be set on the stack 50 formed at the destination storage location. A stacking constraint is a constraint on the order in which slabs are stacked. The stacking constraint can be determined, for example, by the shipping order based on shipments, or by the finishing execution order. Here, it is assumed that each slab is associated with order information that restricts the order in which it is stacked on the stack 50. Below, an earlier stacking order means that the slab is stacked on the upper layer of the stack 50, and a later stacking order means that the slab is stacked on the lower layer of the stack 50. For example, if the stacking order of slab i is earlier than the stacking order of slab j, then slab i must be stacked on top of slab j.

[0089] When slab i and slab j are transported simultaneously, if slab i, which is stacked higher than slab j, is added to the destination pile 50 later than slab j, then slab i and slab j cannot be transported to the destination pile 50 simultaneously. This is because slab i will be stacked higher than slab j in the destination pile 50. Also, when slab i and slab j are transported separately to the same destination pile 50, the order in which the slab transported first must be later than the order in which the slab transported later. If slab i is transported later than slab j, and slab j is transported before slab i, then slab j will be stacked lower than slab i.

[0090] The constraint on the order of stacking, as described above, is defined by the following equation. y ij =0 ∀i,j∈M w il + w jl -1≦x ij +y ji ∀{i,j}∈M、∀l∈L M=[{i,j}∈N 2 , [Combinations of slab i and j when the order of slab i at the destination is later than the order of slab j]

[0091] Constraints may be set on the attributes of the slabs to be stacked on a single pile 50. These constraints on slab attributes may be defined, for example, as a condition that only slabs with the same attributes are stacked on the same pile 50, that is, slabs with different attributes are not stacked, and can be defined, for example, by the following formula. y ij =0 ∀i,j∈O w il + w jl ≤1 ∀i,j∈O、∀l∈L O=[{i,j}∈N 2 , [Combinations of i and j when the attributes of slab i and slab j are different]

[0092] <Execute optimization> The calculation unit 14 performs optimization based on the constraint equations and objective function set as described above. The calculation unit 14 can perform optimization by applying known algorithms such as mathematical programming. By deriving the optimal solution for each decision variable, the calculation unit 14 can determine the order in which each slab is transported, the mountain 50 to which each slab is transported, and the combination of slabs to be transported simultaneously, as shown in Table 5. ij and y ij The value indicates that the three slabs will be transported in the order of slab number 1, slab number 3, and slab number 2. It also indicates that slab number 3 and slab number 2 will be transported simultaneously. Furthermore, it indicates that slab number 1 will be transported to aggregation platform number 1, and slabs number 2 and 3 will be transported to aggregation platform number 2.

[0093] [Table 5]

[0094] <Creating and outputting commands> The calculation unit 14 creates an instruction to transport the slabs based on the optimal solution calculated by performing the optimization described above. The calculation unit 14 creates a transport instruction by rearranging the instructions that specify the source and destination piles 50 and the number of slabs to be transported simultaneously, based on the stacking order of the slabs in the source pile, in the order in which the crane 20 should execute them. A transport instruction is information obtained by rearranging one or more instructions in the order in which they should be executed.

[0095] The output unit 18 outputs a transport command created by the calculation unit 14. The output unit 18 may output the transport command in a manner that can be understood by the operator of the crane 20. The output unit 18 may also output the transport command in a manner that automatically operates the crane 20.

[0096] When it is necessary to create a lifting command, the calculation unit 14 may create a lifting command with a user-selected number of slabs to be handled or a destination. The calculation unit 14 may also create a lifting command by automatically setting the number of slabs to be handled or the destination. The calculation unit 14 may select the maximum number of slabs that can be transported simultaneously based on the lifting constraints, and create a lifting command by selecting a storage area from a location other than the source storage area where the maximum number of slabs can be stacked. In this case, the calculation unit 14 can reduce the transport load of the lifting material by selecting the storage area closest to the source storage area, i.e., another pile closest to the original pile where the lifting material can be stacked, as the destination for the lifting material. If there is no storage area where the maximum number of slabs can be stacked, the calculation unit 14 repeats the search for a storage area where the slabs can be stacked by decreasing the maximum number by one each time until a destination storage area is found. Although the number of transport operations may increase as the number of slabs that can be transported simultaneously decreases, the calculation unit 14 can create a transport command that includes a lifting command.

[0097] <Example of the procedure for creating instructions> The instruction generator 10 may execute an instruction generation method that includes the steps of the flowchart illustrated in Figure 6. The instruction generation method may be implemented as an instruction generation program to be executed by the processor included in the arithmetic unit 14 of the instruction generator 10. The instruction generation program may be stored in a non-temporary computer-readable medium.

[0098] The calculation unit 14 specifies the target material (step S1). The calculation unit 14 may specify the target material by obtaining information regarding the specification of the target material input to the input unit 12.

[0099] The calculation unit 14 creates a transport command (step S2). The calculation unit 14 performs optimization according to the information regarding the specification of the target material and creates a transport command based on the optimization result.

[0100] The calculation unit 14 outputs a transport command (step S3). The calculation unit 14 outputs the transport command created in the procedure of step S2 from the output unit 18. After executing the procedure of step S3, the calculation unit 14 terminates the execution of the flowchart in Figure 6.

[0101] <Composition of Instructions> A transport order may include instructions for transporting slabs from a common source to multiple destinations. If the slabs can be lifted together at the common source and lowered sequentially at each destination, these orders can be combined into an order to lift the slabs together at the source. For example, the transport order shown in Table 6 includes an order to transport two slabs from a source called A1 to a destination called A2, and an order to transport one slab from a source called A1 to a destination called A3.

[0102] [Table 6]

[0103] The calculation unit 14 may combine commands to transport slabs from a common transport source to multiple transport destinations into a single command to lift the slabs at the transport source by executing the steps in the flowchart shown in Figure 7A.

[0104] The arithmetic unit 14 acquires the first instruction among the unsearched instructions, which is the earliest in the execution order (step S11). An unsearched instruction is one or more instructions included in the transport instructions that have not been searched in the synthesis procedure. The arithmetic unit 14 acquires the instruction to transport two slabs from A1 to A2, which is listed in the second row of the transport instructions in Table 6, as the first instruction.

[0105] The calculation unit 14 determines whether there is a second instruction that is executed later than the first instruction and whose transport source is the same as that of the first instruction (step S12). The instruction to transport one slab from A1 to A3, listed in the fourth row of Table 6, shares the same transport source as the first instruction. In this case, the calculation unit 14 determines that there is a second instruction in the transport instructions in Table 6. If the calculation unit 14 determines that there is no second instruction (step S12: NO), it proceeds to step S17 without combining the instructions.

[0106] If the arithmetic unit 14 determines that there is a second instruction (step S12: YES), it determines whether there is an instruction between the first and second instructions whose source or destination is the same as the destination of the second instruction (step S13). Assume that in the transport instructions in Table 6, there is no instruction between the first and second instructions that meets the above condition. In this case, the arithmetic unit 14 determines that there is no instruction between the first and second instructions that meets the above condition. If the arithmetic unit 14 determines that there is an instruction between the first and second instructions whose source or destination is the same as the destination of the second instruction (step S13: YES), it proceeds to step S17 without combining the instructions.

[0107] If the calculation unit 14 determines that there are no instructions between the first and second instructions where the source or destination of the transport is the same as the destination of the second instruction (step S13: NO), it determines, based on the lifting constraints, whether the slab to be transported by the first instruction and the slab to be transported by the second instruction can be lifted simultaneously (step S14). If the calculation unit 14 determines that the slab to be transported by the first instruction and the slab to be transported by the second instruction cannot be lifted simultaneously (step S14: NO), it proceeds to step S17 without combining the instructions.

[0108] If the calculation unit 14 determines that the slab to be transported by the first instruction and the slab to be transported by the second instruction can be lifted simultaneously (step S14: YES), it determines, based on stacking constraints, whether the slab to be transported by the first instruction can be stacked at the destination of the second instruction (step S15). If the calculation unit 14 determines that the slab to be transported by the first instruction cannot be stacked at the destination of the second instruction (step S15: NO), it proceeds to step S17 without combining the instructions.

[0109] If the calculation unit 14 determines that the slabs to be transported in the first instruction can be stacked at the destination of the second instruction (step S15: YES), it combines the first instruction and the second instruction (step S16). An example of the combined instruction is shown in Table 7. Table 7 shows an instruction to lift three slabs from A1, a common transport source, lower them to A3, and then lift two more slabs from A3 and lower them to A2.

[0110] [Table 7]

[0111] The arithmetic unit 14 determines whether there are any unsearched instructions remaining in the transport instructions (step S17). If the arithmetic unit 14 determines that there are any unsearched instructions remaining (step S17: YES), it returns to the procedure in step S11. If the arithmetic unit 14 determines that there are no unsearched instructions remaining (step S17: NO), it terminates the execution of the procedure in the flowchart in Figure 7A.

[0112] As described above, Figure 7B shows the actual appearance of the pile 50 when the first and second commands are combined by executing the steps in the flowchart of Figure 7A. The first command is to transport the two target materials 52A from A1 to A2. The second command is to transport the one target material 52B from A1 to A3 after the execution of the first command. The combined command is to transport the three target materials 52A and 52B from A1 to A3 together, and then transport the two target materials 52A from A3 to A1, provided that the three target materials 52A and 52B from A1 can be lifted simultaneously and stacked at A3. When the crane 20 executes the first and second commands separately, it needs to move three times in the order of A1, A2, A1, A3. On the other hand, when the crane 20 executes the combined command, it only needs to move twice in the order of A1, A3, A2. Therefore, the combination of commands makes the transport operation by the crane 20 more efficient.

[0113] A transport order may include instructions to transport slabs from multiple sources to a common destination. If each of the multiple sources can lift a slab and lower it to the common destination, these orders can be combined into an order to lower the slabs together at the destination. For example, the transport order shown in Table 8 includes an order to transport two slabs from a source called A1 to a destination called A3, and an order to transport one slab from a source called A2 to a destination called A3.

[0114] [Table 8]

[0115] The calculation unit 14 may combine commands to transport slabs from each of the multiple transport sources to a common transport destination into a single command to unload the slabs at the transport destination by executing the steps in the flowchart shown in Figure 8A.

[0116] The arithmetic unit 14 acquires the first instruction among the unsearched instructions, which is the earliest to be executed (step S21). The arithmetic unit 14 acquires the instruction to transport two slabs from A1 to A3, which is listed in the second row of the transport instructions in Table 8, as the first instruction.

[0117] The calculation unit 14 determines whether there is a second instruction that is executed later than the first instruction and whose destination is the same as the first instruction (step S22). The instruction to transport one slab from A2 to A3, listed in the fourth row of Table 8, has the same destination as the first instruction. In this case, the calculation unit 14 determines that there is a second instruction in the transport instructions in Table 8. If the calculation unit 14 determines that there is no second instruction (step S22: NO), it proceeds to step S27 without combining instructions.

[0118] If the arithmetic unit 14 determines that there is a second instruction (step S22: YES), it determines whether there is an instruction between the first and second instructions whose source or destination is the same as the source of the second instruction (step S23). Assume that in the transport instructions in Table 8, there is no instruction between the first and second instructions that meets the above condition. In this case, the arithmetic unit 14 determines that there is no instruction between the first and second instructions that meets the above condition. If the arithmetic unit 14 determines that there is an instruction between the first and second instructions whose source or destination is the same as the source of the second instruction (step S23: YES), it proceeds to step S27 without combining the instructions.

[0119] If the calculation unit 14 determines that there are no instructions between the first and second instructions where the source or destination is the same as the source of the second instruction (step S23: NO), it determines, based on stacking constraints, whether the slab to be transported by the second instruction can be stacked at the source of the first instruction (step S24). If the calculation unit 14 determines that the slab to be transported by the second instruction cannot be stacked at the source of the first instruction (step S24: NO), it proceeds to step S17 without combining the instructions.

[0120] If the calculation unit 14 determines that the slabs to be transported by the second instruction can be stacked at the source of transport for the second instruction (step S24: YES), it determines, based on the lifting constraints, whether the slabs to be transported by the first instruction and the slabs to be transported by the second instruction can be lifted simultaneously (step S25). If the calculation unit 14 determines that the slabs to be transported by the first instruction and the slabs to be transported by the second instruction cannot be lifted simultaneously (step S25: NO), it proceeds to step S17 without combining the instructions.

[0121] If the calculation unit 14 determines that it is possible to lift the slab to be transported by the first instruction and the slab to be transported by the second instruction simultaneously (step S25: YES), it combines the first instruction and the second instruction (step S26). An example of the combined instruction is shown in Table 9. Table 9 shows an instruction to lift one slab from A2, lower it to A1, lift three slabs from A1, and lower them to A3, which is a common transport destination.

[0122] [Table 9]

[0123] The arithmetic unit 14 determines whether there are any unsearched instructions remaining in the transport instructions (step S27). If the arithmetic unit 14 determines that there are any unsearched instructions remaining (step S27: YES), it returns to the procedure in step S11. If the arithmetic unit 14 determines that there are no unsearched instructions remaining (step S27: NO), it terminates the execution of the procedure in the flowchart in Figure 8A.

[0124] As described above, Figure 8B shows the actual appearance of the pile 50 when the first and second commands are combined by executing the steps in the flowchart of Figure 8A. The first command is to transport the two target materials 52A from A1 to A3. The second command is to transport the one target material 52B from A2 to A3 after the execution of the first command. The combined command is to transport the one target material 52B from A2 to A1, and then transport the three target materials 52A and 52B from A1 to A3 together, provided that the target materials 52A and 52B can be lifted simultaneously and can be stacked at A1. When the crane 20 executes the first and second commands separately, it needs to move three times in the order of A1, A3, A2, A3. On the other hand, when the crane 20 executes the combined command, it only needs to move twice in the order of A2, A1, A3. Therefore, the combination of commands makes the transport operation by the crane 20 more efficient.

[0125] <If there are unexecuted instructions> Before the arithmetic unit 14 creates an instruction, there may be existing but unexecuted operation instructions. The arithmetic unit 14 may create an instruction by assuming a future configuration based on the inventory after moving slabs using unexecuted operation instructions from the initial inventory. The arithmetic unit 14 may also cancel the unexecuted operation instructions and create an instruction by assuming a future configuration based on the initial inventory.

[0126] <Consideration of existing composite materials> In the operation example described above, the calculation unit 14 creates constraints and objective functions for all slabs stacked in yard 30 and performs optimization. The calculation unit 14 may create constraints and objective functions and perform optimization while excluding already consolidated slabs from among the slabs stacked in yard 30. Pre-consolidated slabs are slabs that have already been consolidated to a state where rearrangement is not required. By performing the above operation while excluding pre-consolidated slabs, the computational load can be reduced or the time required to create instructions can be shortened. An example of operation excluding pre-consolidated slabs is described below.

[0127] The calculation unit 14 searches for the target material from the inventory of slabs stacked in yard 30 and considers the target material as already consolidated material if it satisfies both of the following conditions: that it is stacked continuously in the same pile 50 and that there is no target material in the lower layer that needs to be rearranged. Furthermore, if the order in which the target material is dispensed is predetermined, the calculation unit 14 also considers the target material as already consolidated material if it satisfies the condition that it is stacked continuously in the same pile 50 in the predetermined order.

[0128] The calculation unit 14 may set a number of aggregated materials c to determine whether to exclude already aggregated materials. If the number of already aggregated materials is c or more, the calculation unit 14 may exclude those already aggregated materials from the optimization target in the operation of creating instructions.

[0129] For example, as shown in Figure 9A, let's assume that the top seven slabs are the target material 55. If c is set to 7 or less, the calculation unit 14 considers the seven target material 55 in Figure 9A as the already aggregated material 57.

[0130] For example, as shown in Figure 9B, the top two slabs are the wing material, and the 3rd to 7th slabs from the top are the target material 55. When c is set to 5 or less, the calculation unit 14 considers the 3rd to 7th slabs from the top of Figure 9B, which are the five target material 55, as the already aggregated material 57.

[0131] For example, as shown in Figure 9C, suppose the top seven slabs and the 11th to 12th slabs from the top are the target material 55, and the 8th to 10th slabs from the top are the wing material. In this case, in order to transport the 11th to 12th slabs from the top, the wing material needs to be transported to another location. Also, in order to transport the wing material to another location, the top seven target material 55 needs to be transported to another location. Therefore, the top seven target material 55 are not considered as already consolidated material. When c is set to 2 or less, the calculation unit 14 considers only the two target material 55 from the top, the 11th to 12th slabs in Figure 9C, as already consolidated material 57.

[0132] For example, as shown in Figure 9D, suppose the top seven slabs are target materials 55-1 to 55-7. Here, unlike the example in Figure 9A, it is required that the seven target materials 55-1 to 55-7 be stacked so that they are dispensed in the order of target materials 55-1, 55-2, 55-3, 55-4, 55-5, 55-6, and 55-7. However, in Figure 9D, target material 55-3 is stacked below target material 55-4. In that case, target material 55-4 needs to be moved in order to be dispensed in the required order. Therefore, the top three target materials 55-1, 55-2, and 55-4 do not meet the conditions of being pre-assembled material. When c is set to 4 or less, the calculation unit 14 considers only the four target materials 55-3, 55-5, 55-6, and 55-7 from the top of Figure 9D as pre-assembled material 57.

[0133] When the calculation unit 14 creates the constraints described above, it may add the following constraints to prevent aggregation to a number of sheets less than or equal to the aggregation determination number c.

[0134]

number

[0135] As described above, by excluding existing integrated materials, the computational load can be reduced, or the time required to create instructions can be shortened.

[0136] (Example 1) The following describes an embodiment of transporting slabs using a transport system 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a slab rearrangement operation is performed in a hot rolling slab yard in preparation for charging into a heating furnace.

[0137] Table 10 shows the created transport orders. Tables 11, 12, and 13 show the future configuration when the created transport orders are executed.

[0138] [Table 10]

[0139] [Table 11]

[0140] [Table 12]

[0141] [Table 13]

[0142] In the inventory information, slabs with smaller stacking order values ​​are stacked on the bottom. Additionally, cycle and sequence numbers are provided as sequence information. A cycle is the rolling plan for each rolling roll in hot rolling. In the hot rolling slab yard, slabs from multiple cycles, or slabs not included in a cycle, are transported from the steelmaking slab yard and managed. After slabs are received in the hot rolling slab yard, the rolling plan may be changed depending on the operational status. However, by managing slabs in groups by cycle and stacking them in the same pile, it is unnecessary to redo the slab rearrangement work even if the rolling order changes within the rolling plan cycle. The sequence number indicates the order in which slabs are loaded into the heating furnace within the same cycle. Slabs with the same sequence number may be loaded in any order. Table 1, mentioned above, is used as the lifting constraint. Tables 2 and 3, mentioned above, are used as the storage constraints.

[0143] In this embodiment, two peaks 50, N2C01 and N2C07, are set as aggregate peaks. Slabs with a cycle item of 3224I in the slab attributes are designated as target materials. The results of optimization performed on the target materials are shown in Tables 14 and 15. The weighting coefficients were set to a1=1.0, a2=1.0, and a3=0.25.

[0144] [Table 14]

[0145] [Table 15]

[0146] Table 16 also shows the shape of the aggregated pile based on the results from Tables 14 and 15. According to Table 16, it can be confirmed that slabs with a cycle of 3224I are stacked higher on top of each other, while satisfying the stacking constraint, with smaller sequential numbers being stacked higher.

[0147] [Table 16]

[0148] Tables 17 and 18 also show transport commands that include a blade command for transporting the blade material, and the output after combining commands that can be combined within the transport command.

[0149] [Table 17]

[0150] [Table 18]

[0151] By executing the transport commands in Tables 17 and 18, the target materials are efficiently transported to the collection pile. In this embodiment, to perform optimization, a 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-13950HX 2.20 GHz CPU was used, and an open-source software mathematical optimization solver was employed, allowing the optimal solution to be reached in approximately 30 seconds. As a result, it became possible to create transport commands within a time useful for actual operation.

[0152] (Example 2) In addition to the input information from Example 1 described above, Example 2 describes an example in which optimization is performed by setting the number of aggregated materials c to 6 and excluding some of the target materials as already aggregated materials. The slab located in the storage area referred to as N2D33, which is included in the inventory information in Table 13, is excluded from transport. The results of the optimization performed in Example 2 are shown in Table 19.

[0153] [Table 19]

[0154] It can be confirmed that the slabs piled up in the storage area designated as N2D33 have already been consolidated and are therefore excluded from transport and have not been selected. Furthermore, as shown in Table 20, the stacked slabs after transport have been consolidated with a number greater than the number of slabs required for consolidation.

[0155] [Table 20]

[0156] As shown in Tables 21 and 22, the final transport instructions are created. In this embodiment, the optimization was performed using a 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-13950HX 2.20 GHz CPU and an open-source mathematical optimization solver, reaching the optimal solution in approximately 1 second. By excluding the already aggregated material, the time required to create the transport instructions was reduced.

[0157] [Table 21]

[0158] [Table 22]

[0159] While embodiments of this disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications or alterations based on this disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications or alterations are included within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged in a logically consistent manner, and multiple components or steps can be combined into one or divided. Embodiments relating to this disclosure can also be realized as programs executed by a processor in the device or as storage media recording such programs. These should also be understood to be included within the scope of this disclosure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0160] 1. Conveying System 10. Instruction generation device (12: input unit, 14: calculation unit, 16: storage unit, 18: output unit) 20 Cranes 30 yards (40-1~N: storage area) 50 Mountains (51, 55-1~7, 51A, 51B: Metal material, 52, 52A, 52B: Target material, 53: Non-target material, 54, 55, 55A, 55B: Target material, 56, 56A, 56B, 56C: Blade material, 57: Previously aggregated material)

Claims

1. In a yard having multiple piles of metal materials, an input unit receives the designation of materials to be consolidated from the original pile to the consolidation pile using a transport device capable of simultaneously transporting two or more metal materials, A calculation unit that creates a transport command for consolidating the aforementioned target materials into the aforementioned consolidation pile, The output unit that outputs the transport command and Equipped with, The aforementioned arithmetic unit, An optimization calculation is performed using the following determination variables: a transport order variable that determines the order in which the target material is transported from the source pile to the aggregation pile, and a simultaneous transport variable that determines whether two or more metal materials containing the target material are transported together. This optimization calculation is performed based on constraints including a stacking order constraint for two or more metal materials transported simultaneously, a stacking constraint at the aggregation pile, and a simultaneous transport constraint for two or more metal materials transported simultaneously, an evaluation index for minimizing the number of transports of metal materials to the aggregation pile, and an evaluation index for maximizing the number of metal materials transported simultaneously to the aggregation pile. Using the transport forward variable and the simultaneous transport variable determined by the execution of the optimization calculation, a transport command is created that specifies the number of metal materials to be transported simultaneously with the source and destination mountains. An instruction creation device that rearranges the instructions included in the transport instruction based on the stacking order of metal materials at the aforementioned mine.

2. The instruction creation device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit performs the optimization calculation based on the objective function which further includes an evaluation index for minimizing the number of times non-target material that is not the target material is transported to a mountain that is neither the original mountain nor the aggregated mountain, and creates a lifting command for transporting the non-target material as the transport command.

3. The command generation device according to claim 2, wherein the calculation unit generates the jumping command to transport the non-target material to the mountain closest to the original mountain among the mountains that are neither the original mountain nor the aggregated mountain, and that satisfy the stacking constraint.

4. The instruction generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the calculation unit performs the optimization calculation based on the constraint conditions, which further include constraints on the order in which the target materials are stacked on the stack.

5. The instruction creation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the calculation unit combines two or more instructions for transporting metal material from one source pile to two or more destination piles, or two or more instructions for transporting metal material from two or more source piles to one destination pile, into a single instruction.

6. The instruction generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the calculation unit considers the target materials stacked continuously on the original pile in a manner that satisfies the constraint of stacking order as previously aggregated materials, and excludes the previously aggregated materials from the target materials to perform the optimization calculation.

7. In a yard with multiple piles of metal materials, the system accepts the designation of materials to be consolidated from the original pile to the consolidation pile using conveying equipment capable of transporting two or more metal materials simultaneously. An optimization calculation is performed using the following determination variables: a transport order variable that determines the order in which the target material is transported from the source pile to the aggregation pile, and a simultaneous transport variable that determines whether two or more metal materials containing the target material are transported together, based on constraints including a stacking order constraint for two or more metal materials transported simultaneously, a stacking constraint at the aggregation pile, and a simultaneous transport constraint for two or more metal materials transported simultaneously, an evaluation index for minimizing the number of transports of metal materials to the aggregation pile, and an evaluation index for maximizing the number of metal materials transported simultaneously to the aggregation pile. Using the forward transport variable and the simultaneous transport variable determined by the execution of the optimization calculation, a transport command is created to specify the number of metal materials to be transported simultaneously with the source and destination piles, as a transport command for aggregating the target material to the aggregation pile. The commands included in the transport command are rearranged based on the stacking order of the metal materials at the aforementioned site, Outputting the aforementioned transport command Instruction creation method, including.

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