Location information management method, location information management device, and location information management program

Abstract

To confirm each article even though it is not completed to measure positions of all conveyed articles.SOLUTION: A position information management method comprises the steps of: acquiring a plurality of pieces of conveyance origin positional information indicated by a coordinate system of a conveyance origin according to positions of a plurality of articles arranged on a carriage at the conveyance origin; acquiring a plurality of pieces of conveyance destination positional information indicated by a coordinate system of a conveyance destination according to positions of a plurality of articles taken out from the carriage at the conveyance destination; acquiring direction information indicating the relationship between a direction of the carriage of the conveyance origin and a direction of the carriage of the conveyance destination; calculating estimated positional information indicated by the coordinate system of the conveyance destination from the other conveyance origin positional information, based on one piece of the conveyance origin positional information among a plurality of pieces of the conveyance origin positional information, one piece of the conveyance destination positional information corresponding to one piece of the conveyance origin positional information, and the direction information; and collating a position based on the estimated positional information with a position based on the other conveyance destination positional information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a location information management method, a location information management device, and a location information management program. [Background technology]

[0002] In a warehouse, a factory, or the like (hereinafter collectively referred to as a "warehouse"), an article such as a steel body (coil) may be loaded onto a pallet (hereinafter simply referred to as a "transport cart") of a transport cart such as a trailer, and transported to a destination warehouse. In general, when the article to be transported is large, the article placed in the article storage area in the source warehouse is lifted by a hoist such as an overhead crane installed in the warehouse by an operator, and lowered onto the transport cart. The article is then transported to the destination warehouse by the transport cart. The article on the transport cart parked at the destination warehouse is lifted by a hoist such as an overhead crane installed in the warehouse by an operator, and lowered into the article storage area in the warehouse. When multiple articles are loaded onto the transport cart and transported together, it is necessary to confirm that each of the articles actually loaded and unloaded onto the transport cart parked at the destination warehouse is the same as the article that the operator intends to unload.

[0003] Conventionally, a method has been used in which the position where an article is lowered onto a transport cart in a source warehouse and the position where an article is lifted up from the transport cart in a destination warehouse are measured, and the two positions are compared to confirm whether the article to be unloaded from the transport cart matches the article that the operator intends to unload. When comparing the two positions, it is necessary to take into consideration the difference between the orientation of the source warehouse (e.g., the delivery exit) and the orientation of the destination warehouse (e.g., the delivery entrance), and the difference between the orientation of the transport cart when it stops at the source warehouse and the orientation of the transport cart when it stops at the destination warehouse.

[0004] For example, the actual item management system described in Patent Document 1 replaces position information indicating the position of each item suspended onto a transport cart in the source warehouse with relative position information based on the position of any one of the items on the transport cart. The actual item management system also replaces position information indicating the position of each item suspended from the transport cart in the destination warehouse with relative position information based on the position of any one of the items on the transport cart. The actual item management system then verifies the transported items by comparing these sets of relative position information on the transport cart. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5127415 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the case of the actual item management system described in Patent Document 1, a set of relative position information is generated only after the measurement of the positions of all items on the transport cart is completed in the destination warehouse. Therefore, only after the measurement of the positions of all items is completed, the set of relative position information obtained in the source warehouse and the set of relative position information obtained in the destination warehouse cannot be compared. This poses a problem that even if the comparison results are inconsistent, the operator cannot obtain the comparison result and cannot check the transported items until the measurement of the positions of all items is completed. In addition, because the direction in which the transport cart stops varies from warehouse to warehouse, or because the transport cart stops in a location that is shifted from the designated stopping position in the warehouse, there may be a discrepancy between the items that the operator intends to unload and the items that are actually unloaded.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described technical background, and aims to provide a technology that can check each and every item even if measurement of the positions of all transported items has not been completed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention includes an origin position information acquisition step of acquiring a plurality of origin position information represented by a coordinate system in the origin area for each position of a plurality of items placed on a dolly in an origin area, a destination position information acquisition step of acquiring a plurality of destination position information represented by a coordinate system in the destination area for each position of a plurality of items transported by the dolly in a destination area and removed from the dolly, a direction information acquisition step of acquiring direction information indicating a relationship between an orientation of the dolly in the origin area and an orientation of the dolly in the destination area, and The position information management method includes a position information estimation step of calculating estimated position information, based on one piece of source position information among the position information, one piece of destination position information among the plurality of source position information that corresponds to the one piece of source position information, and the direction information, from other piece of source position information different from the one piece of source position information among the plurality of source position information, to obtain estimated position information which is a position to which the item corresponding to the other piece of source position information has been transported by the cart in the destination area, and which is indicated by a coordinate system in the destination area; and a comparison step of comparing a position based on the other destination position information with a position based on the estimated position information.

[0009] Also, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned location information management method, wherein the directional information is information indicating the relationship based on the direction of the exit of the trolley in the source area and the direction of the entrance of the trolley in the destination area.

[0010] Also, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned position information management method, wherein the directional information is further information indicating the relationship based on the direction of travel of the trolley in the source area and the direction of travel of the trolley in the destination area.

[0011] In addition, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned position information management method, further comprising an output step of outputting warning information when the position based on the destination position information and the position based on the estimated position information do not match.

[0012] Another aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned position information management method, wherein the source position information is obtained by measuring the position where the item is placed on the cart by a conveying machine installed in the source area, and the destination position information is obtained by measuring the position where the item is removed from the cart by a conveying machine installed in the destination area.

[0013] Also, one aspect of the present invention includes an origin position information acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of origin position information indicated by a coordinate system in the origin area for each position of a plurality of items placed on a cart in an origin area, a destination position information acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of destination position information indicated by a coordinate system in the destination area for each position of a plurality of items transported by the cart in a destination area and removed from the cart, a direction information acquisition unit that acquires direction information indicating a relationship between an orientation of the cart in the origin area and an orientation of the cart in the destination area, and The position information management device includes a position information estimation unit that calculates estimated position information, based on one piece of origin position information among the position information, one piece of destination position information among the plurality of origin position information that corresponds to the one piece of origin position information, and the direction information, from other piece of origin position information different from the one piece of origin position information among the plurality of origin position information, to a position to which the item corresponding to the other piece of origin position information has been transported by the cart in the destination area, the estimated position information being indicated by a coordinate system in the destination area, and a comparison unit that compares a position based on the other destination position information with a position based on the estimated position information.

[0014] Also, one aspect of the present invention includes a source position information acquisition step of acquiring a plurality of source position information represented by a coordinate system in the source area for each position of a plurality of items placed on a dolly in a source area, a destination position information acquisition step of acquiring a plurality of destination position information represented by a coordinate system in the destination area for each position of a plurality of the items transported by the dolly in a destination area and removed from the dolly, a direction information acquisition step of acquiring direction information indicating a relationship between an orientation of the dolly in the source area and an orientation of the dolly in the destination area, and a coordinate system for acquiring a plurality of destination position information representing a relationship between an orientation of the dolly in the source area and an orientation of the dolly in the destination area. This is a position information management program for executing a position information estimation step of calculating estimated position information, based on one piece of source position information among the source position information, one piece of destination position information among the plurality of destination position information that corresponds to the one piece of source position information, and the direction information, from other source position information different from the one piece of source position information among the plurality of source position information, where the item corresponding to the other source position information is transported by the cart in the destination area, and which is indicated by a coordinate system in the destination area; and a comparison step of comparing a position based on the other destination position information with a position based on the estimated position information. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, even if the positions of all the transported articles have not been completely measured, each article can be confirmed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for conveying an article according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for conveying an article according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a transport system TS according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a source transport system TS1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a destination transport system TS2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a source position information managing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a destination position information managing device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a conversion table used by a destination position information managing device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a conversion table used by a destination position information managing device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] [Transportation system overview] Hereinafter, an overview of an article conveying method according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] 1 and 2 are schematic diagrams for explaining an article transport method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The article transport method according to this embodiment is a method for loading a plurality of articles GD placed in a source warehouse WH1, which is the source of the transport, onto a transport dolly TR such as a trailer, and transporting the articles to a destination warehouse WH2, which is the destination of the transport. As shown in the figures, Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating the state of transport in the source warehouse WH1, and Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the state of transport in the destination warehouse WH2.

[0019] The item GD here is a large object such as a steel strip (coil). Therefore, as shown in Fig. 1, the item GD placed in the item storage area of ​​the source warehouse WH1 is lifted up by a crane CR1 installed in the source warehouse WH1 and lowered onto a transport cart TR parked in the source warehouse WH1. The item GD may be a small object.

[0020] Then, the goods GD are loaded onto a transport cart TR and transported from the source warehouse WH1 to the destination warehouse WH2. As shown in Fig. 2, the goods GD loaded on the transport cart TR parked at the destination warehouse WH2 are lifted up by a crane CR2 installed in the destination warehouse WH2 and lowered into the goods storage area of ​​the destination warehouse WH2.

[0021] The crane CR1 (transport machine) of the source warehouse WH1 and the crane CR2 (transport machine) of the destination warehouse WH2 are operated by operators. However, the cranes CR1 and CR2 may be automatically operated by computer control, for example.

[0022] Also, as shown in Fig. 1, the exit for the transport cart TR to enter and exit the source warehouse WH1 faces west. Therefore, for example, as shown in Fig. 1, when the transport cart TR enters the source warehouse WH1 from the rear (from the rear of the vehicle) and stops, the transport cart TR faces west. Also, when the transport cart TR enters the source warehouse WH1 from the front (from the front of the vehicle) and stops, the transport cart TR faces east.

[0023] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 2, the exit for the transport cart TR at the destination warehouse WH2 faces north. Therefore, for example, as shown in Fig. 2, when the transport cart TR enters the destination warehouse WH2 from the front and stops, the transport cart TR faces south. Also, when the transport cart TR enters the destination warehouse WH2 from the rear and stops, the transport cart TR faces north.

[0024] In this way, the orientation of the transport cart TR when the goods GD are loaded onto the transport cart TR and the orientation of the transport cart TR when the goods GD are unloaded from the transport cart TR differ depending on the warehouse and also differs depending on whether the transport cart TR enters the warehouse from the front or the rear. Therefore, in the destination warehouse WH2, it is necessary to confirm that each of the goods actually unloaded from the transport cart TR matches the goods that the operator of the destination warehouse WH2 intends to unload, so that there is no mis-loading of goods due to, for example, an operator's misrecognition.

[0025] [Overall configuration of the transport system] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a transport system TS according to an embodiment of the present invention, which includes a source transport system TS1 and a destination transport system TS2.

[0026] The source transport system TS1 is a system installed in the source warehouse WH1. As shown in FIG. 3, the source transport system TS1 includes a source position information management device 10 and a source crane control device 50.

[0027] The source crane control device 50 controls the operation of the crane CR1, which, by operation of an operator, lifts up the item GD placed in the item storage area of ​​the source warehouse WH1 and suspends it onto the transport cart TR. In addition, a sensor (not shown) that acquires position information is attached to the crane CR1, and the source crane control device 50 can acquire position information indicating the position measured by the sensor. The source crane control device 50 acquires position information indicating the position where the item GD is suspended and lowered onto the transport cart TR from the sensor (not shown), and outputs the acquired position information to the source position information management device 10.

[0028] In addition, as long as there is a mechanism capable of acquiring position information indicating the position where the article GD is suspended and lowered onto the transport cart TR, the configuration is not limited to the above, and may be, for example, a configuration in which a sensor is installed on the ceiling or wall of the source warehouse WH1, or a configuration in which the position of the article GD is measured by a satellite positioning system such as a GPS (Global Positioning System).

[0029] The source position information management device 10 acquires position information (hereinafter referred to as "source position information") output from the source crane control device 50, which indicates the position where the article GD was lowered onto the transport cart TR. The source position information management device 10 also stores information indicating the direction of the carry-out exit in the source warehouse WH1 in advance. The source position information management device 10 is also capable of recognizing the direction in which the transport cart TR entered the source warehouse WH1 (whether from the front or the rear). Hereinafter, the information indicating the direction of the carry-out exit in the source warehouse WH1 and the information indicating the direction in which the transport cart TR entered the source warehouse WH1 are collectively referred to as "source direction information."

[0030] The origin position information managing device 10 transmits the origin position information and the origin direction information to a destination position information managing device 20, which will be described later, via a communication network.

[0031] The destination transport system TS2 is a system installed in the destination warehouse WH2. As shown in FIG.

[0032] The destination crane control device 60 controls the operation of the crane CR2, which, by the operation of the operator, lifts the goods GD loaded on the transport cart TR parked in the destination warehouse WH2 and lowers it into the goods storage area of ​​the destination warehouse WH2. In addition, a sensor (not shown) that acquires position information is attached to the crane CR2, and the destination crane control device 60 can acquire position information indicating the position measured by the sensor. The destination crane control device 60 acquires position information indicating the position where the goods GD was lifted from the transport cart TR from the sensor (not shown), and outputs the acquired position information to the destination position information management device 20.

[0033] In addition, as long as the transport cart TR has a mechanism capable of acquiring position information indicating the position where the item GD is lifted from the transport cart TR, the configuration is not limited to the above, and may be, for example, a configuration in which a sensor is installed on the ceiling or wall of the destination warehouse WH2, or a configuration in which the position of the item GD is measured by a satellite positioning system such as GPS.

[0034] The destination position information management device 20 acquires position information (hereinafter referred to as "destination position information") output from the source crane control device 50, which indicates the position where the item GD is lifted from the transport cart TR. The destination position information management device 20 also stores information indicating the direction of the loading entrance at the destination warehouse WH2 in advance. The destination position information management device 20 is also capable of recognizing the direction (whether from the front or the rear) from which the transport cart TR entered the destination warehouse WH2. Hereinafter, the information indicating the direction of the loading entrance at the destination warehouse WH2 and the information indicating the direction from which the transport cart TR entered the destination warehouse WH2 are collectively referred to as "destination direction information."

[0035] As shown in FIG. 3, the location information management system 1 is composed of the origin location information management device 10 and the destination location information management device 20. The destination location information management device 20 receives the origin location information and origin direction information transmitted from the origin location information management device 10 via a communication network. The destination location information management device 20 performs a process to confirm whether each of the items actually unloaded from the transport dolly TR matches the items that the operator of the destination warehouse WH2 intends to unload, based on the origin location information, origin direction information, destination location information, and destination direction information. The specific flow of the above process will be described below with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

[0036] [Operation of the source transport system] An example of the operation of the source transport system TS1 will be described below. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the source transport system TS1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] The source crane control device 50 moves the crane CR1 to the item storage area of ​​the source warehouse WH1 based on the operation by the operator (step S101). The source crane control device 50 lifts one of at least one item GD placed in the item storage area based on the operation by the operator (step S102).

[0038] The source crane control device 50 moves the crane CR1 that has lifted the item GD onto the transport cart TR based on the operation by the operator (step S103). The source crane control device 50 lowers the item GD lifted by the crane CR1 onto the transport cart TR based on the operation by the operator (step S104).

[0039] The source crane control device 50 acquires position information indicating the position where the item GD is lowered, measured by the above-mentioned sensor (not shown) (step S105). The source crane control device 50 outputs the acquired position information to the source position information management device 10 (step S106).

[0040] The source crane control device 50 repeats the operations from step S101 to step S106 until loading of all the items GD onto the transport cart TR is completed (step S107: No). When loading of all the items GD onto the transport cart TR is completed (step S107: Yes), the source crane control device 50 ends the operation.

[0041] The source position information management device 10 acquires the position information transmitted from the source crane control device 50 in the above step S106 (step S201). The source position information management device 10 temporarily stores the acquired position information (step S202). If the acquired position information is the position information of the first item GD loaded onto the transport cart TR (i.e., if the acquisition of the position information is the first time) (step S203: Yes), the source position information management device 10 assigns a flag indicating that the acquired position information is position information representing a reference position (hereinafter referred to as a "reference position") to the acquired position information (step S204). Note that if the acquired position information is the position information of the second or subsequent item GD loaded onto the transport cart TR (i.e., if the acquisition of the position information is the second or subsequent time) (step S203: No), the above flag is not assigned.

[0042] It is assumed that the operator can visually determine which of the multiple items GD loaded onto the transport cart TR is the first item GD loaded by the crane CR1 of the source warehouse WH1. For example, the operator may be able to determine this by pre-determining a rule that the first item GD to be loaded must always be placed in a predetermined position on the transport cart TR (for example, the left side of the front row on the pallet of the transport cart TR). Alternatively, the operator may be able to determine this by pre-determining a predetermined mark on the surface of the first item to be loaded.

[0043] In addition, not only the operator of the crane CR1 in the source warehouse WH1, but also the operator of the crane CR2 in the destination warehouse WH2 is capable of visually determining which of the multiple items GD loaded onto the transport cart TR is the first item GD loaded by the crane CR1 in the source warehouse WH1.

[0044] The source position information managing device 10 repeats the above steps S201 to S204 until loading of all the items GD onto the transport cart TR is completed (step S205, No). When loading of the items GD onto the transport cart TR is completed (step S205, Yes), the source position information managing device 10 acquires source direction information prestored in the device (step S206). As described above, the source direction information includes information indicating the direction of the exit in the source warehouse WH1 and information indicating the direction in which the transport cart TR entered the source warehouse WH1.

[0045] The origin position information managing device 10 transmits the origin position information consisting of the temporarily stored position information group (including the flag indicating the reference position) and the origin direction information to the destination position information managing device 20 via the communication network (step S207). The transmitted information is received by the destination position information managing device 20 in step S401 shown in Fig. 5, which will be described later. With the above, the operation of the origin position information managing device 10 is completed, and all the operations of the origin transport system TS1 shown in the flowchart in Fig. 4 are completed.

[0046] [Destination transport system operation] An example of the operation of the source transport system TS2 will now be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the destination transport system TS2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] The destination crane control device 60, based on the operation by the operator, moves the crane CR2 onto the transport cart TR parked in the destination warehouse WH2 (step S301). The destination crane control device 60, based on the operation by the operator, lifts one of at least one item GD loaded onto the transport cart TR (step S302).

[0048] The destination crane control device 60 acquires position information indicating the position where the item GD is lifted, measured by the above-mentioned sensor (not shown) (step S303). The destination crane control device 60 outputs the acquired position information to the destination position information management device 20 (step S304).

[0049] The destination crane control device 60 moves the crane CR2 that has lifted the item GD to the item storage area of ​​the source warehouse WH2 based on the operation by the operator (step S305). The destination crane control device 60 lowers the item GD lifted by the crane CR2 to the item storage area based on the operation by the operator (step S306).

[0050] The destination crane control device 60 repeats the operations from step S301 to step S306 until unloading of the goods GD from the transport cart TR is completed (step S307: No). When unloading of the goods GD from the transport cart TR is completed (step S307: Yes), the destination crane control device 60 ends the operation.

[0051] The destination position information managing device 20 receives the origin position information and origin direction information transmitted from the origin position information managing device 10 in step S207 of FIG. 4 via the communication network (step S401).

[0052] The destination position information managing device 20 acquires the position information transmitted from the destination crane control device 60 in the above step S304 (step S402). If the acquired position information is the position information of the first item GD unloaded from the transport cart TR (i.e., if the position information is acquired for the first time) (step S403: Yes), the destination position information managing device 20 temporarily stores the acquired position information (step S404).

[0053] The destination position information management device 20 acquires destination direction information stored in advance in the device (step S405). As described above, the destination direction information includes information indicating the direction of the entrance of the destination warehouse WH2 and information indicating the direction in which the transport cart TR enters the destination warehouse WH2.

[0054] The destination position information management device 20 converts the position information indicating the position of each item GD in the source position information into position information indicating the position of each item GD on the transport cart TR parked at the destination warehouse WH2 (step S406) by performing calculations based on the position information indicating the reference position in the source position information (i.e., the position of the first item GD based on the position information to which the flag is attached) and the position information indicating the position of each item GD, and the position information indicating the position of the first item GD unloaded from the transport cart TR. As a result, the source position information in the coordinate system of the source warehouse WH1 received from the source position information management device 10 is converted into position information in the coordinate system of the destination warehouse WH2. Hereinafter, the converted position information is referred to as "estimated position information."

[0055] The destination position information managing device 20 temporarily stores the estimated position information (step S407). Then, the destination position information managing device 20 waits for acquisition of position information output from the destination crane control device 60 in association with the unloading of the second or subsequent goods GD (step S402).

[0056] If the acquired position information is the position information of the second or subsequent item GD unloaded from the transport cart TR (i.e., if the position information is acquired for the second or subsequent time) (step S403-No), the destination position information management device 20 compares the position based on the acquired position information (destination position information) with the position of each item GD based on the estimated position information temporarily stored in the above step S407 (step S409).

[0057] If the acquired position information (destination position information) does not match any of the positions of each item GD based on the estimated position information (step S409: No), the destination position information management device 20 outputs information indicating a warning (warning information) (step S410) and ends the operation. This is because, if the position of the item GD based on the estimated position information (estimated by the above calculation) differs from the actual position of the item GD, it can be confirmed that some kind of malfunction has occurred, for example, the operator has mistakenly lifted an item GD different from the item GD that should be lifted first.

[0058] On the other hand, if the acquired position information (destination position information) matches any of the positions of each item GD based on the estimated position information (step S409, Yes), the destination position information management device 20 repeats the operations of the above steps S402, S403, S408, and S409 until unloading of the item GD from the transport cart TR is completed (step S411, No). When unloading of the item GD from the transport cart TR is completed (step S409, Yes), the destination position information management device 20 ends the operation. This completes all operations of the destination transport system TS2 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5.

[0059] [Functional configuration of the origin location information management device] The functional configuration of the origin position information managing device 10 will be described below. 6 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an origin location information managing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the origin location information managing device 10 includes an origin location information acquiring unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a transmitting unit 13.

[0060] The source position information acquisition unit 11 acquires position information transmitted from the source crane control device 50. The source position information acquisition unit 11 stores the acquired position information in the storage unit 12 as source position information 121. Furthermore, when the acquired position information is position information of the first item GD loaded onto the transport cart TR (i.e., when the position information is acquired for the first time), the source position information acquisition unit 11 assigns a flag indicating that the acquired position information is position information indicating a reference position to the acquired position information and stores the same in the storage unit 12.

[0061] The storage unit 12 temporarily stores the origin position information 121 and the origin direction information 122. The storage unit 12 is configured by, for example, a storage medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory; a readable and writable memory), a flash memory, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or any combination of these storage media.

[0062] The origin direction information 122 is stored in advance in the storage unit 12. As described above, the origin direction information includes information indicating the direction of the exit in the origin warehouse WH1 and information indicating the direction in which the transport cart TR entered the origin warehouse WH1. The information indicating the direction of the exit is stored in advance in the storage unit 12 by a system administrator or the like, for example, when the origin position information management device 10 is installed in the origin warehouse WH1.

[0063] Furthermore, information indicating the direction in which the transport cart TR entered the source warehouse WH1 is generated by a sensor (not shown) installed at the exit of the source warehouse WH1 when the transport cart TR enters the source warehouse WH1, and is stored in the memory unit 12. Alternatively, information indicating the direction in which the transport cart TR entered the source warehouse WH1 is generated by an operator of the crane CR1 visually checking the direction of the transport cart TR and inputting the information into the source position information management device 10, and is stored in the memory unit 12.

[0064] The transmitting unit 13 transmits the origin position information 121 (including a flag indicating a reference position) and the origin direction information 122 stored in the storage unit 12 to the destination position information managing device 20 via a communication network. The transmitting unit 13 is configured to include a communication interface for connecting to a receiving unit 21 (to be described later) of the destination position information managing device 20.

[0065] [Functional configuration of destination position information management device] The functional configuration of the destination position information managing device 20 will be described below. 7 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a destination position information management device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the destination position information management device 20 includes a receiving unit 21, a destination position information acquisition unit 22, a storage unit 23, a position information estimation unit 24, a collating unit 25, and an output unit 26.

[0066] The receiving unit 21 receives the origin position information 121 and the origin direction information 122 transmitted from the transmitting unit 13 of the origin position information managing device 10 via a communication network. The receiving unit 21 stores the origin position information 121 and the origin direction information 122 in the storage unit 23. The receiving unit 21 is configured to include a communication interface for connecting to the transmitting unit 13 of the origin position information managing device 10 for communication.

[0067] The destination position information acquisition unit 22 acquires position information transmitted from the destination crane control device 60. When the acquired position information is position information of the first item GD unloaded from the transport cart TR (i.e., when the position information is acquired for the first time), the destination position information acquisition unit 22 stores the position information in the storage unit 12. When the acquired position information is position information of the second or subsequent item GD unloaded from the transport cart TR (i.e., when the position information is acquired for the second or subsequent time), the destination position information acquisition unit 22 outputs the position information to the collation unit 25.

[0068] The storage unit 23 temporarily stores the origin position information 121, the origin direction information 122, the estimated position information 231, and the destination direction information 232. The storage unit 23 is configured by, for example, a storage medium such as a RAM, a flash memory, an EEPROM, and a HDD, or any combination of these storage media.

[0069] The destination direction information 232 is stored in advance in the storage unit 23. As described above, the destination direction information includes information indicating the direction of the carry-in entrance at the destination warehouse WH2 and information indicating the direction in which the transport cart TR entered the destination warehouse WH2. The information indicating the direction of the carry-in entrance is stored in advance in the storage unit 23 by a system administrator or the like, for example, when the destination position information management device 20 is installed in the destination warehouse WH2.

[0070] Furthermore, information indicating the direction in which the transport cart TR entered the destination warehouse WH2 is generated by a sensor (not shown) installed at the entrance of the destination warehouse WH2 when the transport cart TR enters the destination warehouse WH2, and is stored in the memory unit 23. Alternatively, information indicating the direction in which the transport cart TR entered the destination warehouse WH2 is generated by an operator of the crane CR2 visually checking the direction of the transport cart TR and inputting it into the destination position information management device 20, and is stored in the memory unit 23.

[0071] Based on the position information indicating the reference position in the origin position information 121 (i.e., the position of the first item GD, based on the position information to which the flag is added) and the position information indicating the position of the first item GD stored in the storage unit 23 by the destination position information acquisition unit 22, the position information estimation unit 24 performs a calculation to convert the position information indicating the positions of the second and subsequent items GD in the origin position information 121 into position information indicating the positions of the second and subsequent items GD on the transport cart TR parked in the destination warehouse WH2, and stores it in the storage unit 23 as estimated position information 231. As a result, the origin position information 121 in the coordinate system of the origin warehouse WH1 received from the origin position information management device 10 is converted into estimated position information 231 in the coordinate system of the destination warehouse WH2.

[0072] The collation unit 25 waits for input of position information output from the destination crane control device 60 in association with the unloading of the second or subsequent item GD from the destination position information acquisition unit 22. The collation unit 25 collates the position based on the input position information (destination position information) with the position of each item GD based on the estimated position information 231 stored in the memory unit 23.

[0073] If the position based on the acquired position information (destination position information) does not match any of the positions of each item GD based on the estimated position information 231, the collation unit 25 outputs information indicating a warning (warning information) via the output unit 26. This is because, if the estimated position of the item GD differs from the actual position of the item GD, it can be confirmed that some kind of malfunction has occurred, for example, the operator has mistakenly lifted an item GD different from the item GD that should be lifted first.

[0074] On the other hand, if the position based on the acquired position information (destination position information) coincides with any of the positions of each item GD based on the estimated position information 231, the collation unit 25 outputs information indicating that the collation result is normal via the output unit 26. Alternatively, in this case, the collation unit 25 may be configured not to output information.

[0075] The output unit 26 outputs information based on the result of the collation by the collation unit 25. The output unit 26 may be a member including a display device such as a liquid crystal display, or may be a communication interface for outputting information to an external display device or the like.

[0076] [Example of conversion table configuration] An example of the configuration of the conversion table will be described below. 8 and 9 are diagrams showing an example of a conversion table used by the destination position information managing device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0077] The conversion table TB1 shown in FIG. 8 is a conversion table in which information indicating the direction of the carry-out exit in the source warehouse WH1, information indicating the direction of the carry-in entrance in the destination warehouse WH2, and a conversion formula for position information are associated with each other.

[0078] In the return formula shown in Fig. 8, "Xa" and "Ya" are respectively the X coordinate value of the first item GD based on the estimated position information 231, and the Y coordinate value of the first item GD based on the estimated position information 231. Also, in the return formula shown in Fig. 8, "Δx" and "Δy" are respectively the difference value obtained by subtracting the X coordinate value (of the reference position) of the first item GD from the X coordinate value of the second or subsequent item GD based on the origin position information 121, and the difference value obtained by subtracting the Y coordinate value (of the reference position) of the first item GD from the Y coordinate value (of the reference position) of the first item GD based on the origin position information 121.

[0079] For example, assume that the direction of the delivery exit at the source warehouse WH1 faces west as shown in Fig. 1, and the direction of the delivery entrance at the destination warehouse WH2 faces north as shown in Fig. 2. In this case, the conversion formula is (Xa+Δy, Ya-Δx) as shown in Fig. 8.

[0080] Also, for example, in the source warehouse WH1, the coordinates (Xm, Ym) of the position (reference position) of the first item are (3, 5), and the coordinates (Xn, Yn) of the position of the second item are (4, 7). Also, for example, in the destination warehouse WH2, the coordinates (Xa, Ya) of the position of the first item are (1, 6). That is, in this case, Xa=1, Ya=6, Δx=1, Δy=2.

[0081] In the above example, the coordinates (Xb, Yb) of the position of the second item in the destination warehouse WH2 are (1+2, 6-1) based on the above conversion formula, and the converted coordinates (3, 5) can be obtained.

[0082] The conversion table TB2 shown in Figure 9 is a conversion table in which information indicating the direction in which the transport cart TR entered the source warehouse WH1, information indicating the direction in which the transport cart TR entered the destination warehouse WH2, and a conversion formula for position information are associated with each other.

[0083] As in Fig. 8, in the return formula shown in Fig. 9, "Xa" and "Ya" are respectively the X coordinate value of the first item GD based on the estimated position information 231, and the Y coordinate value of the first item GD based on the estimated position information 231. Also, as in Fig. 8, in the return formula shown in Fig. 9, "Δx" and "Δy" are respectively the difference value obtained by subtracting the X coordinate value (of the reference position) of the first item GD from the X coordinate value of the second or subsequent item GD based on the origin position information 121, and the difference value obtained by subtracting the Y coordinate value (of the reference position) of the first item GD from the Y coordinate value (of the reference position) of the first item GD based on the origin position information 121.

[0084] For example, assume that the approach direction of the transport cart TR at the carry-in exit of the source warehouse WH1 is from the rear as shown in Fig. 1, and the approach direction of the transport cart TR at the carry-in entrance of the destination warehouse WH2 is from the front as shown in Fig. 2. In this case, the conversion formula is (Xa-Δy, Ya-Δx) as shown in Fig. 9.

[0085] Also, for example, in the source warehouse WH1, the coordinates (Xm, Ym) of the position (reference position) of the first item are (3, 5), and the coordinates (Xn, Yn) of the position of the second item are (4, 7). Also, for example, in the destination warehouse WH2, the coordinates (Xa, Ya) of the position of the first item are (1, 6). That is, in this case, Xa=1, Ya=6, Δx=1, Δy=2.

[0086] In the above example, the coordinates (Xb, Yb) of the position of the second item in the destination warehouse WH2 are (1-1, 6-2) based on the above conversion formula, and the converted coordinates (0, 4) can be obtained.

[0087] 8 and 9 show a conversion table TB1 for converting position information in consideration of the direction of the exit at the source warehouse WH1 and the direction of the entrance at the destination warehouse WH2, and a conversion table TB2 for converting position information in consideration of the direction in which the transport cart TR entered the source warehouse WH1 and the direction in which the transport cart TR entered the destination warehouse WH2, respectively, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a single conversion table that can perform the above two types of conversions together may be used. In addition, other types of conversion tables may be used as necessary depending on various environments such as the transport cart TR and its stopping place, or sensors that acquire position information.

[0088] As described above, the destination position information management device 20 (position information management device) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an origin position information acquisition unit 11 that acquires a plurality of origin position information 121 indicated by a coordinate system in the warehouse WH1 (origin area) for each position of a plurality of items GD placed on a transport cart TR (cart) in a warehouse WH1 (origin area), a destination position information acquisition unit 22 that acquires a plurality of destination position information indicated by a coordinate system in the warehouse WH2 (destination area) for each position of a plurality of items GD transported by the transport cart TR (cart) in a warehouse WH2 (destination area) and removed from the transport cart TR (cart), and a destination position information acquisition unit 23 that acquires a plurality of destination position information indicated by a coordinate system in the warehouse WH2 (destination area) for each position of a plurality of items GD transported by the transport cart TR (cart) in the warehouse WH1 (origin area) and removed from the transport cart TR (cart). the receiving unit 21 (direction information acquisition unit) for acquiring direction information indicating a relationship with the direction of the transport cart (cart); a position information estimation unit 24 for calculating estimated position information 231 which is a position to which the item GD corresponding to the other source position information 121 has been transported by the transport cart TR (cart) in the warehouse WH2 (destination area) from another source position information 121 different from the one source position information 121 among the plurality of source position information 121 based on one source position information among the plurality of destination position information corresponding to the one source position information 121 and the direction information; and a comparison unit 25 for comparing a position based on the other destination position information with a position based on the estimated position information 231.

[0089] By being equipped with the above-mentioned configuration, the destination position information management device 20 (position information management device) of one embodiment of the present invention can confirm each and every item even if measurement of the position of all transported items has not been completed.

[0090] A part or the whole of the location information management system 1 in the above-mentioned embodiment may be realized by a computer. In that case, a program for realizing this function may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded in the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to realize the function. The term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. The term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. The term "computer-readable recording medium" may also include a medium that dynamically holds a program for a short period of time, such as a communication line when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, and a medium that holds a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory inside a computer system that is a server or client in that case. The above-mentioned program may be a program for realizing a part of the above-mentioned function, or may be a program that can realize the above-mentioned function in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, or may be a program that is realized using hardware such as a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0091] The location information management system 1 in the above-described embodiment may be implemented using a plurality of information processing devices communicably connected via a network. In this case, each functional unit of the location information management system 1 may be distributed and implemented in the plurality of information processing devices.

[0092] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, it is clear that the above embodiment is merely an example of the present invention and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Therefore, addition, omission, substitution, and other modifications of components may be made without departing from the technical idea and gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1... position information management system, 10... origin position information management device, 11... origin position information acquisition unit, 12... storage unit, 13... transmission unit, 20... destination position information management device, 21... reception unit, 22... destination position information acquisition unit, 23... storage unit, 24... position information estimation unit, 25... comparison unit, 26... output unit, 50... origin crane control device, 60... destination crane control device

Claims

1. an origin position information acquiring step of acquiring a plurality of origin position information represented by a coordinate system in the origin area for each position of a plurality of articles placed on a cart in the origin area, and transmitting the acquired information from the origin position information managing device to the destination position information managing device; a first destination position information acquisition step of acquiring one destination position information indicated by a coordinate system in the destination area for a position of one of the plurality of articles transported by the cart in the destination area and removed from the cart; a direction information acquisition step of acquiring direction information indicating a relationship between an orientation of an exit in the source area and an orientation of an entrance in the destination area, and a relationship between an orientation in which the cart enters the source area and an orientation in which the cart enters the destination area; a position information estimating step of acquiring a conversion table in which a direction of the carry-out exit in the source area, a direction of the carry-in entrance in the destination area, a direction in which the cart entered the source area, and a direction in which the cart entered the destination area are associated with each other, and calculating estimated position information, which is indicated by a coordinate system in the destination area, from another piece of source position information different from the one piece of source position information among the plurality of pieces of source position information, based on the one piece of source position information corresponding to the one piece of destination position information among the plurality of pieces of source position information transmitted from the source position information management device to the destination position information management device, the direction information, and the conversion table, where the estimated position information is a position to which the item corresponding to the other piece of source position information was transported by the cart in the destination area, and which is indicated by a coordinate system in the destination area; a second destination position information acquisition step of acquiring other destination position information, which is indicated by a coordinate system in the destination area, for a position of another item, different from the one item, among the plurality of items transported by the cart in the destination area and removed from the cart; a comparison step of comparing a position based on the other destination position information with a position based on the estimated position information; A location information management method comprising the steps of:

2. an output step of outputting warning information when the position based on the delivery destination position information does not match the position based on the estimated position information; The location information management method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

3. The source position information is obtained by measuring the position where the item is placed on the cart by a conveying machine installed in the source area, and the destination position information is obtained by measuring the position where the item is removed from the cart by a conveying machine installed in the destination area. The location information management method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. an origin position information acquiring unit that acquires a plurality of origin position information represented by a coordinate system in the origin area for each position of a plurality of articles placed on a cart in the origin area, and transmits the acquired information from the origin position information managing device to the destination position information managing device; a first destination position information acquisition unit that acquires one destination position information indicated by a coordinate system in the destination area for a position of one of the plurality of articles that are transported by the cart in the destination area and removed from the cart; a direction information acquisition unit that acquires direction information indicating a relationship between an orientation of an exit in the source area and an orientation of an entrance in the destination area, and a relationship between an orientation in which the cart enters the source area and an orientation in which the cart enters the destination area; a position information estimating unit that acquires a conversion table in which a direction of the carry-out exit in the source area, a direction of the carry-in entrance in the destination area, a direction in which the cart entered the source area, and a direction in which the cart entered the destination area are associated with each other, and calculates estimated position information, which is indicated by a coordinate system in the destination area, from other source position information different from the one source position information among the plurality of source position information, based on the one destination position information corresponding to the one destination position information among the plurality of source position information transmitted from the source position information managing device to the destination position information managing device, the direction information, and the conversion table, where the estimated position information is a position to which the item corresponding to the other source position information was transported by the cart in the destination area in the destination area, and which is indicated by a coordinate system in the destination area; a second destination position information acquisition unit that acquires other destination position information, which is indicated by a coordinate system in the destination area, for a position of another item, different from the one item, among the multiple items transported by the cart in the destination area and removed from the cart; a collation unit that compares a position based on the other destination position information with a position based on the estimated position information; A location information management device comprising:

5. On the computer, an origin position information acquiring step of acquiring a plurality of origin position information represented by a coordinate system in the origin area for each position of a plurality of articles placed on a cart in the origin area, and transmitting the acquired information from the origin position information managing device to the destination position information managing device; a first destination position information acquisition step of acquiring one destination position information indicated by a coordinate system in the destination area for a position of one of the plurality of articles transported by the cart in the destination area and removed from the cart; a direction information acquisition step of acquiring direction information indicating a relationship between an orientation of an exit in the source area and an orientation of an entrance in the destination area, and a relationship between an orientation in which the cart enters the source area and an orientation in which the cart enters the destination area; a position information estimating step of acquiring a conversion table in which a direction of the carry-out exit in the source area, a direction of the carry-in entrance in the destination area, a direction in which the cart entered the source area, and a direction in which the cart entered the destination area are associated with each other, and calculating estimated position information, which is indicated by a coordinate system in the destination area, from another piece of source position information different from the one piece of source position information among the plurality of pieces of source position information, based on the one piece of source position information corresponding to the one piece of destination position information among the plurality of pieces of source position information transmitted from the source position information management device to the destination position information management device, the direction information, and the conversion table, where the estimated position information is a position to which the item corresponding to the other piece of source position information was transported by the cart in the destination area, and which is indicated by a coordinate system in the destination area; a second destination position information acquisition step of acquiring other destination position information, which is indicated by a coordinate system in the destination area, for a position of another item, different from the one item, among the plurality of items transported by the cart in the destination area and removed from the cart; a comparison step of comparing a position based on the other destination position information with a position based on the estimated position information; A location information management program for executing the above.

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