Logistics warehouse control system and logistics warehouse control method

Abstract

To provide a physical distribution warehouse control system which improves the performance of the entire physical distribution system by determining not only a single subsystem but also a suitable combination of a plurality of subsystems when determining parameters of a subsystem group.SOLUTION: A physical distribution warehouse control system comprises an order management unit for managing a plurality of orders given to a physical distribution system, and a parameter determination unit for determining a parameter related to an operation of each subsystem based on the plurality of orders about a plurality of subsystems performing a plurality of physical distribution operating processes included in the physical distribution system. The parameter determination unit inputs the determined parameter to the subsystem and causes the subsystem to process the plurality of orders in a state where the parameter is applied.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a logistics warehouse control system and a logistics warehouse control method for controlling a logistics system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is a technology described in JP 2007-39181 A (Patent Document 1) for improving the efficiency of a logistics system. This publication describes that "a picking schedule creation system creates a schedule for picking ordered items using a method selected from a plurality of picking methods, in which a picking method is selected from a plurality of picking methods (order picking and total picking) and input into a shipping work management table in which picking information related to the picking method for each shipping destination of ordered items is freely rewritable, and a picking schedule is created according to the picking information input into the shipping work management table." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-39181 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional technology was inadequate in terms of "determining parameters related to the operation of subsystems so as to improve the performance of a logistics system, with the aim of efficient work execution from the perspective of overall optimization." For example, the parameter settings of subsystems change depending on order trends, which represent orders from customers, and the characteristics and combination of the subsystems that make up the logistics system. However, because the parameter settings of subsystems have previously been set and developed with the aim of improving the productivity of a single subsystem, it was not possible to determine settings that take into account the characteristics of the entire logistics system.

[0005] As a specific example, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it is possible to change the parameters indicating the picking method for each shipping destination, but it is not possible to appropriately determine parameters other than the picking system.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention provides a control method for improving the performance of the entire logistics system by determining the parameters of a logistics warehouse control system, when determining the parameters of a group of subsystems, taking into consideration the characteristics and compatibility of each system, not only the picking system but also the parameters of other subsystems, so as to improve the performance of the entire system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one representative logistics warehouse control system of the present invention comprises an order management unit that manages a plurality of orders given to a logistics system, and a parameter determination unit that determines parameters related to the operation of a plurality of subsystems that are responsible for a plurality of logistics work processes included in the logistics system based on the plurality of orders, and the parameter determination unit inputs the determined parameters to the subsystems and processes the plurality of orders with the parameters applied. Furthermore, one representative logistics warehouse control method of the present invention is characterized by including an order management step of managing a plurality of orders given to a logistics system, a parameter determination step of determining parameters relating to the operation of a plurality of subsystems each responsible for a plurality of logistics work processes included in the logistics system based on the plurality of orders, and a step of inputting the determined parameters into the subsystems and processing the plurality of orders with the parameters applied. Effect of the Invention

[0008] When determining the parameters of a group of subsystems, the performance of the entire logistics system can be improved by determining an optimal combination of parameters not only for a single subsystem but also for multiple subsystems. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a logistics warehouse control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic diagram of the configuration and parameters of a subsystem in a logistics warehouse control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a procedure for determining parameters and inputting the parameters to a group of subsystems in a logistics warehouse control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic diagram of an order representing an order in a logistics warehouse control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. EXAMPLES

[0011] The logistics warehouse control system according to the present invention is a suitable system that enables control of a logistics warehouse made up of multiple subsystems in a manner that improves the productivity of the entire logistics warehouse, not just the productivity of a single subsystem. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] (1) First embodiment A first embodiment of a logistics warehouse control system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The configuration of the logistics warehouse control system will be outlined with reference to Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the logistics warehouse control system has a logistics system 101, a logistics warehouse control system 105, a subsystem A 102, a subsystem B 103, and a subsystem C 104, and the logistics warehouse control system 105 has an order management unit 106 and a control parameter determination unit 107.

[0013] Subsystem A102, subsystem B103, and subsystem C104 are groups of areas and task subjects for carrying out logistics work corresponding to a certain process of the logistics system, and the task subjects are, for example, material handling equipment. Subsystem A102, subsystem B103, and subsystem C104 have the ability to transfer items to each other. In the schematic configuration shown in FIG. 1, items are transferred from subsystem A102 to subsystem B103, from subsystem B103 to subsystem A102, and from subsystem B103 to said subsystem C104. The control parameter determination unit 107 receives at least two orders representing customer orders as inputs from the order management unit 106, and the control parameter determination unit 107 determines control parameters for subsystem A102 and subsystem B103 and provides them as inputs to at least two of said subsystems. In the schematic configuration shown in FIG. 1, the determined parameters are provided as inputs to subsystem A102 and subsystem B103.

[0014] The order will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The order includes at least information on items and delivery destinations related to the shipment, receipt, and dispatch of various items. For example, order 401 and order 402 are a set of an order ID, item ID and quantity, and delivery destination ID. The order ID is a character string or number that is a unique identifier of the order within the logistics system. The item ID is a name or number that indicates the type of item. The delivery destination ID is the name or ID of the customer to which the item is to be shipped, the name or number of the collection center to which the item is to be delivered, etc.

[0015] A specific example of the configuration of the logistics warehouse control system shown in Fig. 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the logistics warehouse control system has a logistics system 201, a logistics warehouse control system 105, an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) picking subsystem 203, a DPS (Digital Picking System) picking subsystem 204, a sequential warehouse subsystem 205, a packaging subsystem 206, and a shipping subsystem 207. The logistics warehouse control system 105 has an order management unit 106 and a control parameter determination unit 107.

[0016] The items are passed from the AGV picking subsystem 203 and the DPS picking subsystem 204 to the sequential warehouse subsystem 205, from the sequential warehouse subsystem 205 to the packing subsystem 206, and from the packing subsystem 206 to the shipping subsystem 207. The AGV picking subsystem 203 is a picking system in which an AGV transports shelves storing items to a worker (robot, etc.) that will perform the picking, and the worker (robot, etc.) picks and sorts the items from the transported shelves.

[0017] The AGV picking subsystem 203 has the characteristic of being able to store many kinds of items. The DPS picking subsystem 204 is a picking system in which a picking operator (such as a robot) picks and sorts items from a storage shelf that has a function of displaying information about picking at the front of the shelf.

[0018] The DPS picking subsystem 204 can hold a smaller number of items than the AGV picking subsystem 203, but has the characteristic that it can perform picking operations faster than the AGV picking subsystem 203, and is suitable for picking operations of items that are shipped out frequently.

[0019] In this embodiment, the AGV picking subsystem 203 and the DPS picking subsystem 204 have different types of items. After sorting in the AGV picking subsystem 203 and the DPS picking subsystem 204, the items are transferred to the order-built warehouse subsystem 205 and stored. When the order-built warehouse subsystem 205 has collected all the stored items belonging to a specific group to which multiple orders belong, for example, when all the items to be put into one shipping box have been collected, the order-built warehouse subsystem 205 transfers the items to the packing subsystem 206, which will work later. The packing subsystem 206 packs the items so that they can be shipped, and transfers the packed items to the shipping subsystem 207, which will work later. The packing subsystem 206 has multiple work stations, and a conveyor inside the packing subsystem 206 determines the amount of boxes to be sent to each station. There are two types of work stations: one in which a highly versatile general-purpose work entity performs the work, and the other in which a specialized work entity consisting of a picking robot and a box sealer performs the work. Only a limited number of boxes can be sent to the specialized work entity's work station, and depending on the item in the box, it is necessary to send it to the general-purpose work entity's work station. The general-purpose work entity's work station can handle all items. That is, after many boxes have been sent to the general-purpose work entity's work station, when a box that can only be handled by the general-purpose work entity flows in, the box will be left on the conveyor at the general-purpose work entity's work station. On the other hand, if the general-purpose work entity does not perform work for a long time, the performance of the packing subsystem 206 will decrease. It is important to send boxes to the general-purpose work entity's work station at an appropriate time so that the boxes do not get stuck on the conveyor and the general-purpose work entity does not have to wait. The shipping subsystem 207 temporarily holds items that can be shipped in a buffer corresponding to the shipping destination, and ships the items when they are ready to be shipped, for example, when a shipping truck arrives.

[0020] The flow of operations of the logistics warehouse control system will be described with reference to FIG. 3. First, the control parameter determination unit 107 receives at least two or more orders as input from the order management unit 106 (step 301). Next, the control parameter determination unit 107 determines control parameters of the subsystem group using the received orders (step 302). In the example shown in FIG. 2, the parameters to be determined are the simultaneous processing range parameter of the order of the AGV picking subsystem 203, the outgoing condition parameter of the sequential construction warehouse subsystem 205, and the conveyor operation pattern parameter of the packing subsystem 206. Next, the control parameter determination unit 107 gives the determined parameters to the subsystem group as input (step 303). In the example shown in FIG. 2, the AGV picking subsystem 203, the sequential construction warehouse subsystem 205, and the packing subsystem 206 are the subsystem group.

[0021] In order to increase the productivity of the AGV picking subsystem, it is important to reduce the number of times the shelves are transported by simultaneously picking orders with the same item ID. It is effective to simultaneously pick products with the same item ID by processing not only the order with the closest separation time, but also orders that will be shipped at a separation time several items in the future. The simultaneous processing range parameter is a value that indicates how many orders for items that will be shipped at a separation time in the future can be processed simultaneously.

[0022] In order to increase the productivity of the sequential order process, it is important not only to pick more items per unit time based on the productivity index of the normal picking system, but also to reduce the time that items are held up inside the sequential order warehouse by synchronously processing orders for the same shipping destination in two picking systems, i.e., the AGV picking subsystem 203 and the DPS picking subsystem 204.

[0023] In addition, it is important for the sequential warehouse to reduce waiting time after the packing subsystem by collectively shipping items that have already been sorted to a certain extent. Therefore, it is important to set appropriate shipping start conditions, i.e., what percentage of items for a certain destination must be ready before shipping can begin. The shipping condition parameter is a value that indicates what percentage of items for a certain destination must be ready in the sequential warehouse before shipping can begin.

[0024] As mentioned above, when orders to be shipped at the separation time of multiple items are processed together, the arrival of items at a certain shipping destination in the forward warehouse may be delayed, resulting in an accumulation of items that cannot be shipped from the forward warehouse. However, by appropriately setting the conditions for shipping from the forward warehouse, it is possible to reduce the waiting time of processes after the forward warehouse. In other words, by appropriately setting the simultaneous processing range parameter, the productivity of the AGV picking subsystem 203 can be improved, and by appropriately setting the shipping condition parameter, shipping from the forward warehouse subsystem 205 can be started early enough to be unaffected by the delay in the arrival of items, thereby improving the productivity of the logistics system.

[0025] In addition, in the packing subsystem 206, the conveyor can take a control pattern in which the conveyor preferentially sends boxes delivered from the sequential warehouse subsystem 205 to a work station mainly performing general-purpose work, a control pattern in which the conveyor preferentially sends boxes to an automated station, or a control pattern in which a station is selected randomly. The conveyor operation pattern parameter is a value indicating which of the control patterns is to be taken.

[0026] Therefore, by using this invention, it is possible to set a parameter indicating how many orders with the next separation time can be processed simultaneously (an integer value ranging from 1 to the maximum number of separation times that can be processed simultaneously) together with a parameter indicating what percentage of the shipping boxes to be shipped with the earliest separation time must be ready before shipping from the forward warehouse can begin, thereby improving the performance of the logistics warehouse.

[0027] In one embodiment, the control parameter determination unit 107 calculates the productivity of the logistics system 201 when a certain combination of the simultaneous processing range parameters and the shipping condition parameters is input based on an order given as an input, using a simulator of the logistics system 201, and selects the combination of the parameters that is expected to be the most productive as the control parameters to be set. The number of combinations of the control parameters increases exponentially with the number of control parameters, and the calculation cost is too high, so it is not possible to evaluate all combinations using a simulator. Therefore, as an example of a method for effectively searching for combinations to be evaluated, there is a method in which some parameters are designated as some combinations that are expected to be useful, taking into consideration the past performance of the logistics system and the general nature that there is no improvement in productivity in downstream processes unless there is an improvement in productivity in upstream processes, and the undesignated parameters are randomly changed and evaluated using a simulator to calculate a combination of parameters that will increase the productivity of the entire logistics system.

[0028] As described above, the disclosed logistics warehouse control system comprises an order management unit that manages a plurality of orders given to a logistics system, and a parameter determination unit that determines parameters related to the operation of a plurality of subsystems that respectively handle a plurality of logistics work processes included in the logistics system based on the plurality of orders, and the parameter determination unit inputs the determined parameters to the subsystems and processes the plurality of orders with the parameters applied. In this way, in a logistics system having a plurality of subsystems, the logistics warehouse control system determines a combination of parameters of two or more subsystems, thereby improving the productivity of the logistics system. Specifically, when the logistics warehouse control system determines the parameters of the subsystems, it determines an optimal combination of parameters for multiple subsystems based on an order representing an order from a given customer, and provides the combination as an input to the subsystems. This makes it possible to improve not only the productivity of a single subsystem, but also the productivity of the logistics system as a whole.

[0029] Moreover, according to the disclosed system, the parameter determination unit evaluates the productivity of the entire logistics system for combinations of parameters of the multiple subsystems, and determines parameters to be applied to each of the multiple subsystems. In this case, the parameter determination unit may determine the parameters by giving priority to an upstream subsystem in the logistics system, or may reduce the search range of parameter combinations by giving priority to parameters that have a proven track record of use. This operation makes it possible to improve the productivity of the entire logistics system through simple processing.

[0030] Furthermore, according to the disclosed system, the multiple subsystems include at least one of a picking system, a sequential warehouse, and a conveyor. By including a picking system in at least one of the subsystems, it becomes possible to coordinate the picking operation, which is the start of the shipping process in a logistics warehouse, with other systems, thereby improving the productivity of the logistics system. Furthermore, by having at least one of the subsystems be a sequential warehouse, it becomes possible to appropriately adjust the impact on processes after the sequential warehouse, thereby improving the productivity of the logistics system. Furthermore, since at least one of the subsystems includes a conveyor, it becomes possible to appropriately adjust the allocation of work within the subsystem, thereby improving the productivity of the logistics system.

[0031] The parameters include thresholds that trigger the operation of the material handling in the subsystem. By appropriately setting the operation of the forward-loading warehouse subsystem 205, the productivity of the logistics system is improved.

[0032] The parameters include identification information for specifying a control pattern of the subsystem, which makes it possible to appropriately adjust the operation of the subsystem, thereby improving the productivity of the logistics system.

[0033] Furthermore, since the parameter determination unit has a function of outputting the performance of the logistics system according to the parameters, it is possible to have an operator confirm the performance before finalizing the parameters.

[0034] The parameter determination unit can determine the combination of parameters by searching a parameter space based on a simulation. By calculating the productivity of the logistics system using a simulator, it is possible to prepare information necessary for appropriately determining the control parameters. This may not be a simulator, but may be, for example, an approximation formula or a neural network having a function of calculating the productivity of the logistics system.

[0035] The invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described above based on the embodiment of the invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment of the invention, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. For example, although the embodiment has been described as a picking-based logistics system, the present invention can also be applied to a system based on a regular warehouse. Furthermore, some of the task subjects may be workers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 101: logistics system, 102 to 104: subsystems, 105: logistics warehouse control system, 106: order management unit, 107: control parameter determination unit, 203: AGV picking subsystem, 204: DPS picking subsystem, 205: order-built warehouse subsystem, 206: packaging subsystem, 207: shipping subsystem

Claims

1. an order management unit that manages a plurality of orders given to the logistics system; a parameter determination unit that determines parameters related to the operation of each of a plurality of subsystems that are responsible for a plurality of logistics work processes included in the logistics system, based on the plurality of orders; Equipped with the plurality of subsystems each corresponding to a different logistics operation process and delivering an article from an upstream subsystem to a downstream subsystem; The parameter determination unit inputs the determined parameters to the subsystem, and processes the plurality of orders in a state in which the determined parameters are applied. A logistics warehouse control system.

2. The logistics warehouse control system according to claim 1, The parameter determination unit evaluates the productivity of the entire logistics system for combinations of parameters of the plurality of subsystems and determines parameters to be applied to each of the plurality of subsystems.

3. The logistics warehouse control system according to claim 2, A logistics warehouse control system, wherein the parameter determination unit determines the parameters by giving priority to an upstream subsystem in the logistics system.

4. The logistics warehouse control system according to claim 2, The parameter determination unit prioritizes parameters that have been used successfully and reduces the search range for combinations of the parameters.

5. The logistics warehouse control system according to claim 1, A logistics warehouse control system, characterized in that the multiple subsystems include at least one of a picking system, a sequential warehouse, and a conveyor.

6. The logistics warehouse control system according to claim 1, A logistics warehouse control system, wherein the parameters include thresholds that trigger material handling operations in the subsystems.

7. The logistics warehouse control system according to claim 1, A logistics warehouse control system, wherein the parameters include identification information that specifies a control pattern of the subsystem.

8. The logistics warehouse control system according to claim 1, A logistics warehouse control system, wherein the parameter determination unit has a function of outputting performance of the logistics system according to the parameters.

9. The logistics warehouse control system according to claim 1, A logistics warehouse control system, wherein the parameter determination unit determines the combination of parameters by searching a parameter space based on a simulation.

10. an order management step of managing a plurality of orders given to a logistics system; a parameter determination step of determining parameters relating to the operation of each of a plurality of subsystems responsible for a plurality of logistics work processes included in the logistics system based on the plurality of orders; inputting the determined parameters into the subsystem and processing the plurality of orders with the parameters applied; Including, The plurality of subsystems correspond to different logistics work processes, and deliver articles from an upstream subsystem to a downstream subsystem. A logistics warehouse control method comprising:

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