Logistics system, logistics system control method, logistics system control program, and storage medium

Abstract

To enable further increase in the speed of picking (article collection) operations by taking advantage of the principle of the AMR type without making major changes to the system configuration as a logistics system, while maintaining a relatively inexpensive and simple configuration.SOLUTION: A logistics system includes: a plurality of picking zones 1 to 8 capable of each collecting a predetermined type of items A to M; and a plurality of transfer robots that, in order to collect the indicated collection target items into the collection box based on a picking order indicating one or more collection target items, transport a collection box to perform access for collection. When a condition is satisfied that no conflicting access is mandatory for all of the plurality of picking zones in the access for collecting the collection target items that have are not yet collected, the number equal to or less than that of the picking zones, of the transport robots perform the access at the same time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a logistics system, a logistics system control method, a logistics system control program, and a storage medium. [Background technology]

[0002] In conventional logistics systems using a conveyor line (hereafter referred to as "line type"), pickers (collection workers) have to wait a certain amount of time unless a bypass line is installed, but building a new bypass line requires a huge amount of space and cost to install. In this regard, a logistics system using conveyor robots can eliminate the waiting time that occurs in line types, eliminates waste such as the use of returnable boxes, allows for flexible operations such as temporary stops and overtaking, and can be implemented at low cost as a whole system.

[0003] Examples of this type of system include a system (Patent Document 1) in which a collection vehicle (equivalent to a transport robot) used for collection work also doubles as a product replenishment vehicle for replenishing products, improving the efficiency of the entire system through parallel processing, and a system (Patent Document 2) in which, before the transport vehicle departs, the working time for each of the possible combinations of the worker in charge of collection (= responsible picking zone) and the product (item) to be picked (collected) is calculated, and the shortest combination is found before the transport vehicle departs (Patent Document 2).

[0004] In the following explanation, the term "transport robot" refers to, for example, so-called autonomous mobile robots and automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and will be referred to as "AMR" below when referring to them as a representative. This also includes natural feature navigation (NFN) type robots that perform fully autonomous travel using self-location estimation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-128319 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-172347 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, current logistics systems that use transport robots (hereinafter referred to as "AMR type") focus only on eliminating the shortcomings of the traditional line type by using AMRs, and although it is said that "operations such as stopping and overtaking are possible freely," this is merely an extension of the traditional line type idea and does not fully utilize the fundamental advantages of the AMR type.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to make it possible to take advantage of the fundamental advantages of the AMR type as a logistics system, while maintaining a relatively low-cost and simple configuration without making any major changes to the system configuration, and to further increase the speed of picking (collecting) operations by eliminating so-called waiting time, such as unnecessary waiting by workers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A logistics system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of picking zones, each capable of collecting a predetermined type of item, and a plurality of transport robots that access a collection box to any of the plurality of picking zones capable of collecting the collection target items, based on a picking order indicating one or more collection target items, in order to collect the indicated collection target items into a collection box.When a condition is satisfied that competitive access is not required for all of the plurality of picking zones in the access for collection of the collection target items that have not yet been collected, a plurality of the transport robots, the number of which is equal to or less than the number of the picking zones, access the designated collection target items simultaneously.

[0009] In addition, in this embodiment of the picking control method, for a logistics system including a plurality of picking zones each capable of collecting a predetermined type of item, and a plurality of transport robots that access a collection box by transporting a collection box to any of the plurality of picking zones capable of collecting the collection target items based on a picking order indicating one or more collection target items, in order to collect the indicated collection target items into a collection box, when a condition is satisfied that competitive access is not mandatory for all of the plurality of picking zones in the access for collecting the uncollected collection target items, a plurality of the transport robots equal to or less than the number of picking zones are controlled to access the zones simultaneously.

[0010] Moreover, the program of this aspect causes the above-mentioned logistics system to execute the above-mentioned picking control method.

[0011] Moreover, the program storage medium of this aspect stores the above-mentioned program in a manner that allows it to be used by the above-mentioned logistics system.

[0012] As mentioned above, the current AMR logistics system focuses only on eliminating the shortcomings of the conventional line model by using AMRs, and is merely an extension of the conventional line model, without fully utilizing the fundamental advantages of the AMR model. In other words, it is basically trapped in "serial processing" and does not focus on the parallel processing possible with the AMR model.

[0013] In the logistics system or picking control method of this aspect, or according to the program or program storage medium of this aspect, when a condition is met under which competitive access is not essential for all of the multiple picking zones, a number of transport robots equal to or less than the number of picking zones simultaneously access the multiple picking zones. Since the "condition is met under which competitive access is not essential for all of the multiple picking zones," simultaneous competitive access can be avoided, and under this condition, a number of transport robots equal to or less than the number of picking zones simultaneously access the multiple picking zones.

[0014] In other words, by focusing on the parallel processing possible with the AMR type, all accesses that can be executed simultaneously can be executed simultaneously, resulting in maximum execution speed without waiting to avoid conflicting accesses. This makes it possible to take advantage of the fundamental advantages of the AMR type and further increase the speed of picking operations while maintaining a relatively low-cost and simple configuration without making major changes to the system configuration.

[0015] As a logistics system relating to the second aspect, in the first aspect, the specified types of items that can be collected by each of the multiple picking zones may include common type items that can be collected by all of the multiple picking zones, and individual type items that can be collected only in some of the multiple picking zones.

[0016] If all items are of the same type, no competitive access will occur between multiple transport robots equal to or less than the number of picking zones. On the other hand, if individual type items are set, it will be possible to handle a greater variety of items than if all items are of the same type, given the same number of picking zones. In this logistics system, under conditions where competitive access is not essential, multiple transport robots equal to or less than the number of picking zones can access simultaneously, thereby increasing speed, and setting individual type items makes it possible to handle a greater variety of items.

[0017] As a logistics system relating to the third aspect, in the second aspect, the common type items may be set as items that are collected with a high frequency, and the individual type items may be set as items that are collected with a low frequency.

[0018] In this case, items that are collected infrequently can be collected only in specific picking zones as individual type items, while items that are collected frequently can be collected in many picking zones as common type items. This makes it possible to handle a wide variety of items, while also making effective use of picking zones and maintaining the efficiency of picking (collection) work.

[0019] As a logistics system according to a fourth aspect, in the second or third aspect, the access may be performed according to a preset schedule.

[0020] For individual type items, competitive access may occur if the number of transport robots handling picking orders that include collection instructions for the individual type items is greater than the number of peaking zones that can collect the same individual type items. However, if the timing of access can be staggered, simultaneous competitive access can be avoided, which satisfies the "condition for competitive access not being essential."

[0021] For this reason, by performing advance scheduling (advance access scheduling) to determine the access schedule for the entire system in advance, and then executing access control (picking control) according to that schedule, it is possible to avoid conflicting access with a high probability, improve the ratio of simultaneous parallel processing, and achieve further speedups.

[0022] As a logistics system according to a fifth aspect, in the fourth aspect, the schedule may be determined by referring to the number of accesses to each picking zone that can collect the individual type items by the picking orders of the entire logistics system.

[0023] The operating time for picking (collection) work in the entire system is determined by the maximum number of accesses to a single picking zone, so the most important issue in terms of schedule is the scheduling of access to the picking zone with the largest number of accesses. Therefore, an appropriate schedule can be determined by referring to the number of accesses to each picking zone.

[0024] As a logistics system according to a sixth aspect, in the fourth aspect, the schedule may be determined by referring to the number of picking operations related to the collection of the individual types of items included in the picking orders handled by each of the multiple transport robots.

[0025] The operating time for picking (collection) work in the entire system can be extended depending on the number of picking tasks included in the picking orders handled by each transport robot, so it is preferable to give priority to access to transport robots responsible for picking orders with a large number of picking tasks whenever possible.

[0026] However, no matter how many picking operations there are, if the items are of a common type, they can be collected in bulk in any picking zone, so it is necessary to focus on the number of picking operations related to the collection of individual types of items. Also, if the individual type items to be collected can only be collected in a picking zone with a high number of accesses, the possibility of competitive access occurring increases, so the priority setting of access to that picking zone is also an important consideration.

[0027] In other words, an appropriate schedule can be determined by setting access priorities, etc., by referring to the number of picking tasks included in each picking order and whether or not the individual item types to be collected have accessed picking zones with high access rates.

[0028] A logistics system control method according to a seventh aspect is characterized in that for a logistics system including a plurality of picking zones each capable of collecting a predetermined type of item, and a plurality of transport robots that access a collection box by transporting a collection box to any of the plurality of picking zones capable of collecting the collection target items based on a picking order indicating one or more collection target items, in order to collect the indicated collection target items into a collection box, the method controls a plurality of the transport robots, the number of which is equal to or less than the number of picking zones, to access the collection box simultaneously when a condition is satisfied that competitive access is not mandatory for all of the plurality of picking zones in the access for collection of the uncollected collection target items.

[0029] A logistics system control program according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it causes a computer to function as: a picking zone definition means for defining a plurality of picking zones each capable of collecting a predetermined type of item; a first control means for controlling a plurality of transport robots to transport a collection box to any of the plurality of picking zones capable of collecting the collection target items and access the box for collection based on a picking order indicating one or more collection target items, in order to collect the indicated collection target items into a collection box; and a second control means for controlling a plurality of the transport robots, the number of which is less than the number of picking zones, to simultaneously access the box for collection of the uncollected collection target items when a condition is met that competitive access is not mandatory for all of the plurality of picking zones.

[0030] A ninth aspect is characterized by a storage medium storing the logistics system control program according to the eighth aspect. Effect of the Invention

[0031] According to the present invention, as a logistics system, it is possible to take advantage of the fundamental advantages of the AMR type to further increase the speed of picking (collecting) operations, without making any major changes to the system configuration, while maintaining a relatively low-cost and simple configuration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a logistics system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a picking area showing a simplified configuration of the picking area. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the simplification of a plurality of picking zones constituting a picking work area within a picking area. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a plurality of picking zones in a picking area, to which the simplification of FIG. 3 is applied. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram including a simplified schematic control flow of the logistics system according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a template schedule showing the order in which a transport robot in charge of an order accesses the types of items prepared in a picking zone. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a breakdown of items to be picked for each order. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the result of determining a schedule of access to each picking zone according to the order in the example of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram similar to FIG. 8 for all orders. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a method for determining the schedule in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram similar to FIG. 10 and continuing from FIG. [Figure 12] 11 is an explanatory diagram similar to FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 13]12 is an explanatory diagram similar to FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 14] 13 is an explanatory diagram similar to FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 15] 14 is an explanatory diagram similar to FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 16] 15 is an explanatory diagram similar to FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 17] 16 is an explanatory diagram similar to FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 18] 17 is an explanatory diagram similar to FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 19] 18 is an explanatory diagram similar to FIG. 10. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0033] The inventive concepts are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which specific embodiments of the inventive concepts are shown. However, the inventive concepts may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided as examples so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the inventive concepts to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description.

[0034] In the following embodiments, picking may be mainly used as an example, but the technical concept should not be interpreted as being limited to being applied only to picking. In other words, the present invention is applicable to the entire logistics system including receiving, storing, replenishing, collecting, picking, assorting, transporting, and shipping.

[0035] Below, we will explain [1. System configuration example], [2. Examples of problem-solving points], and [3. Other application examples] in order.

[0036] [1. System configuration example] Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a logistics system according to an embodiment presented in this specification. As shown in the figure, the logistics system 1 includes a receiving (warehousing) area 10A, a picking area 20A, a shipping preparation area 40A, a shipping waiting area 50A, and a shipping (shipping) area 30A in the order of use from the receiving (warehousing) of raw materials to the shipping (shipping) of collected and delivered items.

[0037] The receiving (warehousing) area 10A is equipped with an receiving (warehousing) area with an ambient temperature set at 10°C for handling incoming raw materials from cargo trucks and the like parked in the receiving berth with their loads of incoming (warehoused) raw materials, and an automated case warehouse equipment (not shown) for storing the raw materials in cases separated by type in raw material refrigerators (not shown) with an ambient temperature set at 5°C and raw material freezers (not shown) with an ambient temperature set at -25°C, and supplies items to be picked (collected) to the picking area 20A via an automatic raw material case replenishment equipment (not shown).

[0038] Conversely, on the shipping side, the shipping (outgoing) area 30A has a shipping berth 310 with an ambient temperature set to 10°C for loading the shipping (outgoing) items to be delivered onto cargo trucks, and the shipping waiting area 50A, which is responsible for the previous stage, is configured (controlled) to wait for shipment by dividing the items into a product refrigerator (no reference number shown) with an ambient temperature set to 5°C and a product freezer (no reference number shown) with an ambient temperature set to -25°C depending on the type of product to be shipped.

[0039] Furthermore, the shipping preparation area 40A, which is responsible for the previous stage, is configured (controlled) to receive storage boxes that have been picked (collected) in the picking area 20A, which is responsible for the previous stage, and then transported by the transport robot R via the transport robot travel area 60, or storage boxes that have been temporarily parked and waiting in the parking area 601, and assemble all the items to be shipped in time for shipment, and perform final preparations before shipping such as packing and labeling.

[0040] Here, the above-mentioned parking area 601 has parking spaces for 40 vehicles arranged in a grid pattern on both the upper and lower sides of the figure, and each is equipped with a charging facility that allows the transport robot R to receive power while waiting. Note that charging facilities may be provided not for each parking space but at predetermined locations within the parking area 601 so that the waiting transport robot R can access them as appropriate. In these cases, the charging method may be a wired or contact type, but a non-contact type (wireless) is preferable from the viewpoint of effort and safety (maintenance-free).

[0041] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the picking area 20A, which is simplified for ease of understanding. As shown in Fig. 2 with reference to Fig. 1, the picking area 20A includes an automatic raw material case refilling facility (not shown with a reference number) for supplying items to be picked (collected), a picking (flow) rack 200, a plurality of work tables (work tables) T, and a transport robot running area 60 in front of the work tables for a transport robot R to run on a free track (free to run on a flat surface).

[0042] The picking (flow) rack 200 is a so-called flow rack configuration that hangs down from the raw material case automatic replenishment equipment side (rear side) to the pickup front side (front side), and the environmental temperature is set to -15° C. A number of workers M in charge of collection pick (collect) various items that can be collected from the front of this picking (flow) rack 200 into their respective storage boxes B at their respective workbenches (work tables) T.

[0043] Here, an item refers to a unit of work that contains one or more types of incoming goods. In the aforementioned automated case warehouse equipment, cases are treated as the target units for work processing, and items are supplied (replenished) on a case-by-case basis, i.e., on an item-by-item basis, to the openings of the picking (flow) racks 200 that are determined corresponding to each item, via the aforementioned automatic raw material case replenishment equipment.

[0044] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the simplification of a plurality of picking zones constituting the picking work area 210 in the picking area 20A when explaining the simplified explanation for ease of understanding.

[0045] The picking (flow) rack 200 mentioned in Figure 2 is actually divided into sections corresponding to the work tables T assigned to each worker, and in the divided work area, the picking zone Z, each worker M in charge picks out each item to be collected from a designated opening corresponding to the item, as shown in Figure 3.

[0046] In the following explanation, the picking (flow) rack 200 shown on the left side of Figure 3(a), which is divided into sections for each item, is shown simplified as a horizontal cross-section of the depth direction of the first-in, first-out (FIFO) flow rack configuration (the direction in which the items are divided in the order in which they are taken out), as shown on the right side of the figure.

[0047] Furthermore, as can be seen by enlarging the details of Figure 1, as shown on the left side of Figure 3(b), the actual workbench T is composed of two workbenches that are symmetrical to the left and right of the worker M, and the transport robot R carrying the work box B arrives (accesses) both the left and right ends and supplies the work box B to the workbench T it accesses on the left and right. These work boxes B are then transported by the operation of the workbench T to the center where the worker M is, and the worker M performs the necessary collection work on the work box B that has been transported to the center.

[0048] However, in the following explanation, the number of work tables T will be mainly simplified to one, as shown on the right side of the figure. That is, the transport robot R carrying (transporting) a storage box arrives (accesses) the right end of the figure and supplies the storage box to the work table T, and the storage box is transported by the operation of the work table T to the center where the worker M is, and the worker M performs the necessary collection work on the storage box that has been transported to the center. After completing the target collection, the storage box is handed over to the transport robot R accessing the left end of the figure, and is transported to the next access destination.

[0049] Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing multiple picking zones Z1 and Z2 in picking area 20A by applying the simplification of Fig. 3. As shown in the figure, in picking zone Z1, a worker M in charge collects various items that can be collected from the frontage of picking (flow) rack 201 at work table T and places them in a storage box for which he is responsible. Similarly, in picking zone Z2, a worker M in charge collects various items that can be collected from the frontage of picking (flow) rack 202 at work table T and places them in a storage box for which he is responsible. Note that the worker M and work table T in Fig. 2 described above are also shown in this simplified image.

[0050] 5 is a functional block diagram including a simplified schematic control flow of the logistics system 1 according to the embodiment. In the figure, a thick double dotted arrow indicates the flow direction of objects (items, etc.), and a single dotted arrow indicates the flow direction of control.

[0051] As shown in the figure, the logistics system 1 comprises an receiving section 10 (corresponding to the receiving (warehouse) area 10A) that receives multiple types of incoming items to be collected, a collection section 20 (corresponding to the picking area 20A) for collecting the items, a shipping section 30 (corresponding to the shipping preparation area 40A + shipping waiting area 50A + shipping (warehouse) area 30A) that ships items to be shipped for delivery, and a control unit C that controls the receiving section 10, the collection section 20, and the shipping section 30.

[0052] The control unit C corresponds to the above-mentioned receiving unit 10, collection unit 20 and shipping unit 30, and performs receiving control (receiving control process) 10C that controls the receiving unit 10, collection control (collection control process) 20C that controls the collection unit 20, and shipping control (shipment control process) 30C that controls the shipping unit 30.

[0053] Here and in the following explanation, "controlling the ~ section" means "putting the ~ section under database management," and the minimum requirement is that "each item to be worked on or processed in the ~ section is associated with the item's ID (hereinafter "item ID"), the item's status at each point in time is grasped and updated (stored in the database and updated according to the status), and the data is used as reference data for subsequent processes." The "status" here includes information such as up to which process each item has been worked on or processed. In this case, if this minimum requirement is satisfied, it will be considered "utilization of the law of nature" at least in terms of "obtaining reference data."

[0054] In other words, since the minimum requirement is to obtain reference data for control in subsequent processes, for each item that is the subject of actual work or processing, even if that work or processing is performed fully automatically, for example through program control, or even if part or all of that work or processing is performed manually by an operator, the entire system operates by obtaining reference data (based on the laws of nature), so the system as a whole would fall under the category of "utilization of the laws of nature."

[0055] The above item ID indicates information that is registered in the database at the time of arrival, or that has been registered in advance, and indicates, for example, a specific number attached to the incoming item, as well as characteristics such as the type including the variety name, quantity, place of origin, expiration date, best before date, etc. Registration in this database is performed, for example, by reading the barcode attached to the incoming item, reading information in an IC built into the box of the incoming item, or obtaining information from various tags, various attachments, and accessories.

[0056] Returning to the explanation of Figure 5, as shown in the figure, the receiving section 10 comprises a receiving work section 11 (corresponding to the receiving goods handling area) which handles the work of receiving incoming goods, an item storage section 12 (corresponding to the automatic case warehouse equipment) which stores multiple types of items, each of which includes one or more types of received goods, and an item replenishment section 13 (corresponding to the automatic raw material case replenishment equipment) which replenishes the collection section 20 with multiple types of items required for collection in the collection section 20.

[0057] In response to this, the control unit C performs receiving control (receiving control process) 10C to control the receiving unit 10, including receiving work control (receiving work control process) 11C to control the receiving work unit 11 (corresponding to the receiving goods handling area), item storage control (item storage control process) 12C to control the item storage unit 12 (corresponding to the automatic case warehouse equipment), and item replenishment control (item replenishment control process) 13C to control the item replenishment unit 13 (corresponding to the automatic raw material case replenishment equipment).

[0058] The collection section 20 comprises a collection preparation section 21 (corresponding to a picking (flow) rack 200) which temporarily stores items replenished by the item replenishment section 13 in preparation for collection, a collection work section 22 (corresponding to a picking work area 210) where a collection worker performs collection work of collecting items from the collection preparation section 21 into storage boxes and prepares the storage boxes containing the collected items to be shipped, and a transport running section 23 (corresponding to a transport robot running area 60) on which a transport robot R runs on a free track (free to run on a flat surface) to transport the storage boxes to be used for the collection work, and which exists (extends) to the parking area 601 of the shipping section 30 (see Figure 1).

[0059] In response to this, the control unit C performs collection control (collection control process) 20C that controls the collection unit 20, including collection preparation control (collection preparation control process) 21C that controls the collection preparation unit 21 (corresponding to the picking (flow) rack 200), collection work control (collection work control process) 22C that controls the collection work unit 22 (corresponding to the picking work area 210), and transport running control (transport running control process) 23C that controls the transport running unit 23 (corresponding to the transport robot running area 60).

[0060] The shipping department 30 comprises a shipping preparation department 31 (corresponding to the shipping preparation area 40A) which receives the storage boxes collected by the collection department 20 and assembles them into shipping items to be delivered, a shipping item storage department 32 (corresponding to the shipping waiting area 50A) which stores the items contained in the shipping items in the shipping format according to the characteristics of each type, and a shipping work department 33 (corresponding to the shipping (outlet) area 30A) which prepares the shipping items for delivery, etc.

[0061] In response to this, the control unit C performs shipping control (shipment control process) 30C to control the shipping unit 30, including shipping preparation control (shipment preparation control process) 31C to control the shipping preparation unit 31 (corresponding to the shipping preparation area 40A), shipping item storage control (shipment item storage control process) 32C to control the shipping item storage unit 32 (corresponding to the shipping waiting area 50A), and shipping work control (shipment work control process) 33C to control the shipping work unit 33 (corresponding to the shipping (outsourcing) area 30A).

[0062] [2. Examples of problem-solving points] In the following explanation, the circled numbers of the order numbers used on the corresponding drawings for ease of viewing will be explained in the following text using half-width numbers in half-width [ ], such as

[01] for circled 1,

[02] for circled 2,

[03] for circled 3, etc. (Figs. 7 to 19, etc.). On the other hand, the corresponding step numbers in the chronological order will be explained in both the drawings and the text using half-width numbers in half-width (), such as (1) for 1st, (2) for 2nd, (3) for 3rd, etc. (Figs. 10 to 19, etc.).

[0063] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a template schedule that indicates the order in which a transport robot will access a picking zone number and the type of items prepared therein.

[0064] Here, as an example, three types, A, B, and C, are prepared (prepared) as common type items to be collected common to the eight picking zones No. 1 to 8, and D, E, F, G, H, K, L, and M are prepared (prepared) as individual type items, respectively.

[0065] Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of order numbers and the breakdown of items picked (collected) for each order. In this example, individual type item F, which should be an item that is collected infrequently (low frequency), is accessed (collected) in eight orders out of order numbers

[01] to

[10] at the same rate as common type items A, B, and C.

[0066] In this example, for order No.

[01] , a total of eight items will be collected: three common items A, B, and C, plus five individual items D, E, F, G, and K.

[0067] Details on how to schedule access to each picking zone for each order will be described later, but Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the order of access to each picking zone No. 1 to 8 for picking (collection) by order No.

[01] in the example of Figure 7, and Figure 9 is a similar explanatory diagram showing the access order for order No.

[01] to

[10] .

[0068] Taking the example of Order No.

[01] in Figure 8, first (1st step (1)), picking zone No. 3 is accessed to pick (collect) items A, B, C, and F, then (2nd step (2)), picking zone No. 2 is accessed to collect item E, and similarly, in the 3rd step (3), picking zone No. 6 is accessed to collect item K, in the 4th step (4), picking zone No. 4 is accessed to collect item G, and in the 5th step (5), picking zone No. 1 is accessed to collect item D. Once all eight items are collected, in the 6th step (6), the item is ready to be shipped (see Order No.

[01] in Figure 19 below).

[0069] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the result of determining the access schedule for order numbers

[01] to

[10] in a similar manner to the example of order number

[01] in FIG. 8. An example of a method for determining this schedule will be described below with reference to FIGS. 10 to 19.

[0070] First, set the access order for individual type item F, which has the highest access count (maximum value) of 8 out of the 8 individual type items. If there are multiple items with the highest access count, it is sufficient to determine in advance the schedule setting rules, such as the order of earliest order or simply the order of item names.

[0071] As shown in Figure 10, among order numbers

[01] to

[10] , the number of individual type items to be collected (accessed) is the maximum value of 6 for order number

[03] . However, item F is not accessed in order number

[03] , so individual type item F is accessed and the access order for individual type item F is set among order numbers

[01] ,

[04] ,

[09] , and

[10] , which have 5 individual type items.

[0072] Of order numbers

[01] ,

[04] ,

[09] , and

[10] , order numbers

[04] and

[09] have an access count of 7, including the number of common type items, so when comparing them with order numbers

[01] and

[10] , which have an access count of 8, order number

[01] is determined to be access order (1) and order number

[10] to be access order (2), in order of order. Note that even when the access counts are the same as in this example, schedule setting rules can be determined in advance.

[0073] Similarly, as shown in Figure 11, the access orders for individual type item F are determined as follows: the access orders for order No.

[04] and

[09] , which have 5 individual type items, are set to access orders (3) and (4) in order of order, and the access orders for order No.

[02] ,

[05] ,

[07] , and

[08] , which have 4 individual type items, are set to access orders (5), (6), (7), and (8) in order of order, and all access orders for individual type item F are determined.

[0074] Next, of the remaining seven individual type items, the individual type item E and the individual type item G, both of which have seven access counts, can be determined in advance using a schedule setting rule to determine which one should be determined first. However, here, the individual type item E is determined simply in the order of item names.

[0075] If the access order for individual type item E is determined in the same way as the access order for individual type item F described above in Figures 10 and 11, the access order will be order No.

[03] ,

[01] ,

[06] ,

[10] ,

[04] ,

[09] , and

[07] . However, as shown in Figure 12, in order No.

[07] , individual type item F is to be accessed in the 7th step (7), so there is a duplication.

[0076] In such a case, for example, the access order for individual type item F may be exchanged with order number

[08] to become access order (8); however, here, the access order for individual type item E is exchanged with order number

[09] , which is the immediately preceding order number (6), so that order number

[07] becomes access order (6) and order number

[09] becomes access order (7), as shown in FIG. 13.

[0077] Next, among the remaining six individual type items, the access order is also determined for individual type item G, which has an access count of seven, as shown in FIG.

[0078] Next, among the remaining five individual type items, the access order is also determined for individual type item H, which has an access count of six, as shown in FIG.

[0079] Next, for individual type item K, which has an access count of 6 out of the remaining four individual type items, the access order is also determined as shown in FIG.

[0080] Next, among the remaining three individual type items, the access order is also determined for individual type item M, which has an access count of 5, as shown in FIG.

[0081] Next, for the remaining two individual type items, individual type item D and individual type item L, both of which have an access count of 4, the access order is determined as shown in FIG.

[0082] The three common type items are accessed together with the first individual type item when it is accessed for each order. As a result, as shown in FIG. 19, for order No.

[02] and order No.

[07] , they are accessed in the 2nd step (2), and for the other orders, they are accessed in the 1st step (1).

[0083] As described above, in this embodiment, access is scheduled so that no conflicting access occurs, and a number of transport robots, the number of which is equal to or less than the number of picking zones, access is performed simultaneously. In addition, since access is not concentrated, waiting time, etc. is eliminated.

[0084] In other words, by focusing on the parallel processing possible with the AMR type, all accesses that can be executed simultaneously can be executed simultaneously, resulting in maximum execution speed without waiting to avoid conflicting accesses. This makes it possible to take advantage of the fundamental advantages of the AMR type and further increase the speed of picking operations while maintaining a relatively low-cost and simple configuration without making major changes to the system configuration.

[0085] In addition, because each picking zone is assigned a unique individual type item, if there are the same number of picking zones, it is possible to handle a greater variety of items than if all of them were the same type of items. In other words, in this logistics system, under conditions where no competitive access occurs, multiple transport robots equal to or less than the number of picking zones can access simultaneously, thereby increasing speed, and by assigning individual type items, it is possible to handle a greater variety of items.

[0086] In addition, by treating items that are collected infrequently as individual type items and allowing them to be collected only in specific picking zones, and treating items that are collected frequently as common type items and allowing them to be collected in many picking zones, it becomes possible to handle a wide variety of items while also making effective use of the picking zones and maintaining the effective efficiency of picking (collection) work.

[0087] In addition, by performing advance scheduling (advance access scheduling) to determine the access schedule for the entire system in advance, and executing access control (picking control) according to that schedule, it is possible to avoid conflicting access with a high probability, improve the ratio of simultaneous parallel processing, and achieve further speedup.

[0088] In this case, the operating time for picking (collection) work in the entire system is determined by the maximum number of accesses to a single picking zone, so an appropriate schedule can be determined by referring to the number of accesses to each picking zone.

[0089] In addition, the operating time for picking (collection) work in the entire system can be extended depending on the number of picking tasks included in the picking orders handled by each transport robot, so priority is given to access by transport robots handling picking orders with a large number of picking tasks as much as possible.Furthermore, if an individual type of item to be collected can only be collected in a picking zone with a high number of accesses, the possibility of competitive access occurring increases. Therefore, by prioritizing scheduling access to that picking zone, an appropriate schedule can be determined, competitive access can be avoided with a high probability, the ratio of simultaneous parallel processing can be improved, and further speed can be achieved.

[0090] [3. Other applications and applications] In the above example, each picking zone has one individual type item, but there may be multiple types. For example, the individual type items in picking zone No. 1 may include individual type item N in addition to individual type item D (see FIG. 6).

[0091] In this case, for example, if the number of accesses to individual type item D is 4 (see FIG. 7) and the number of accesses to individual type item N is 3, the total number of accesses can be treated as 7. However, if there is an order that accesses individual type item D and individual type item N (collects both), they can be collected simultaneously with one access, so the number of accesses can also be treated as 1.

[0092] As described above, according to the present invention, as a logistics system, it is possible to take advantage of the fundamental advantages of the AMR type to further increase the speed of picking (collecting) operations without making any major changes to the system configuration, while maintaining a relatively inexpensive and simple configuration.

[0093] The inventive concept has been described primarily with reference to certain embodiments, however, as will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, embodiments other than those described above are equally possible within the scope of the inventive concept as defined by the appended claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0094] The logistics system and various controls relating to each aspect of the present invention are systems for database management of items that are the subject of receiving, collecting, shipping, and transporting, and in that sense they utilize the laws of nature and have industrial value in that they operate hardware through program control, and also have economic value in that the act of transporting (service) and the items themselves are the subject of commercial transactions, and have broad industrial applicability in these technical fields. [Explanation of symbols]

[0095] 1. Logistics System 10 Receiving Department 10A Receiving (warehousing) area 10C Receiving Control (Process) 11 Receiving Operations Department 11C Receiving work control (process) 12 Item Storage Section 12C Item Storage Control (Process) 13 Item Replenishment Department 13C Item replenishment control (process) 20 Collection Department 20A Picking Area 20C Collection control (process) 21 Collection Preparation Department 21C Collection preparation control (process) 22 Collection work department 22C Collection operation control (process) 23 Transport running section 23C Transport and travel control (process) 30 Shipping Department 30A Shipping (shipping) area 30C Shipping Control (Process) 31 Shipping Preparation Department 31C Shipping preparation control (process) 32 Shipping Storage Department 32C Shipping storage control (process) 33 Shipping Department 33C Shipping operation control (process) 40A Shipping Preparation Area 50A Shipping waiting area 60 Transport robot driving area 200, 201, 202 Picking (flow) rack 210 Picking Work Area 310 Shipping Berth 601 Parking Area B Storage box C control section M worker R Transport Robot T Workbench (Work Table) Z, Z1, Z2 picking zones

Claims

1. A plurality of picking zones each capable of picking a predetermined type of item; a plurality of transport robots that transport a collection box to any one of the plurality of picking zones where the collection target items can be collected, in order to collect the designated collection target items into a collection box based on a picking order indicating one or more collection target items; Equipped with A logistics system characterized in that, when a condition is met that does not require competitive access to all of the plurality of picking zones in the access for collecting uncollected collection target items, a number of the transport robots equal to or less than the number of the picking zones simultaneously access the plurality of picking zones.

2. The predetermined types of items that can be collected by each of the plurality of picking zones are A common type of item that can be collected by all of the plurality of picking zones; An individual type of item that can be collected only in some of the picking zones among the plurality of picking zones; 2. The logistics system according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. 3. The logistics system according to claim 2, wherein the common-type items are set as items that are collected with a high frequency, and the individual-type items are set as items that are collected with a low frequency.

4. 4. The logistics system according to claim 2, wherein the access is performed according to a preset schedule.

5. 5. The logistics system according to claim 4, wherein the schedule is determined by referring to the number of accesses to each picking zone capable of picking up the individual type items according to the picking orders of the entire logistics system.

6. 5. The logistics system according to claim 4, wherein the schedule is determined by referring to the number of picking operations related to the collection of the individual types of items included in the picking orders that each of the plurality of transport robots is responsible for.

7. A plurality of picking zones each capable of picking a predetermined type of item; a plurality of transport robots that transport a collection box to any one of the plurality of picking zones where the collection target items can be collected, in order to collect the designated collection target items into a collection box based on a picking order indicating one or more collection target items; For a logistics system equipped with A logistics system control method characterized by controlling a number of transport robots, the number of which is equal to or less than the number of picking zones, to simultaneously access the picking target items when a condition is met that does not require competitive access to all of the picking zones in the access for collecting the uncollected collection target items.

8. On the computer, A picking zone defining means for defining a plurality of picking zones each capable of collecting a predetermined type of item; a first control means for controlling a plurality of transport robots to transport a collection box to any one of the plurality of picking zones where the collection target items can be collected, in order to collect the designated collection target items into a collection box based on a picking order indicating one or more collection target items; a second control means for controlling a plurality of the transport robots, the number of which is equal to or less than the number of the picking zones, to simultaneously access the plurality of picking zones when a condition is satisfied that competitive access is not essential for all of the plurality of picking zones in the access for the collection of the collection target items that have not yet been collected; A logistics system control program that causes the logistics system control program to function as a logistics system control program.

9. A storage medium storing the logistics system control program according to claim 8.

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