Baggage Management System

Abstract

To provide a cargo management system that can accurately grasp inventories of cargoes in a warehouse.SOLUTION: A cargo management system 10 according to the present invention comprises: a cargo management device 60 that manages cargoes 4 arranged on pallets 2 in a warehouse 1; and first photographing parts (41 and 51), mounted on at least either of a carrier 50 that moves in the warehouse 1 and a flight vehicle 40 that flies in the warehouse 1, which can obtain image information about the cargoes 4 in the warehouse 1, photograph the cargoes 4 arranged on the pallets 2, and obtain information about identification codes 5 applied to the pallets and to the cargoes and size information about the identification codes 5. The cargo management device 60 estimates arrangement positions of the pallets 2 and arrangement positions of the cargoes in the pallets 2 when viewed from the first photographing parts (41 and 51), on the basis of size information about the pallets 2 and about the cargoes 4 and the size information about the identification codes allocated to the pallets 2 and to the cargoes 4 obtained by the first photographing parts (41 and 51), and calculates the number of the cargoes 4 for each pallet 2, by calculating the number of the cargoes 4 for each arrangement position of the cargo 4, using the number of the identification codes 5 for each arrangement position of the cargoes 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a luggage management system for managing luggage in a warehouse. [Background technology]

[0002] As a technology for managing luggage in warehouses, a method has been proposed to manage the presence and location of luggage in the warehouse by reading the identification code attached to the luggage.Recently, a technology has been proposed to reduce the burden of inspecting and inventorying luggage in the warehouse by using an aircraft (drone) flying in the warehouse to obtain information on luggage stored on high racks in the warehouse.

[0003] For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 propose a luggage management system that includes a drone equipped with a camera that takes images of luggage in a warehouse and a mobile device that is connected to the drone by a cable and moves around the warehouse. The drone's camera can read barcodes on luggage and shelves to obtain information on the type and number of luggage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-218325 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-167177 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when multiple packages are stacked in multiple rows, the barcodes on packages placed at the back of the shelves may not be read. Also, as in Patent Document 2, information on the type and number of packages can be written on the barcodes on the packages or shelves, but when some of the packages are repeatedly carried in and out, it may not be possible to accurately grasp the number of packages in stock.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has an object to provide a luggage management system that can accurately grasp the inventory quantity of luggage in a warehouse. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the problems described above, the luggage management system of the present invention comprises a luggage management device that manages luggage placed on pallets in a warehouse, and an imaging unit that is mounted on at least one of a transport vehicle that moves within the warehouse or an aircraft that flies within the warehouse and acquires image information of the luggage in the warehouse, the imaging unit being capable of imaging the luggage when placed on the pallet and acquiring identification codes assigned to the pallet and the luggage and size information of the identification codes, the luggage management device estimates the placement position of the pallet as seen from the imaging unit and the placement positions of the luggage on the pallet based on pre-registered size information of the pallet and the luggage, and size information of the identification codes of the pallet and the luggage acquired by the imaging unit, and calculates the number of luggage for each pallet by using the number of identification codes for each placement position of the luggage. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a luggage management system that can accurately grasp the inventory quantity of luggage in a warehouse. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a luggage management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an example of a functional block diagram of the aircraft and the carrier that constitute the baggage management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method for calculating the number of packages in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method for calculating the number of packages in the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an example of an operation sequence of the luggage management system in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows an example of palette management data according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an example of baggage management data in the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention can be embodied in various forms and is not limited to the embodiment of the invention described below.

[0011] <Baggage management system configuration> Fig. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a luggage management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The luggage management system 10 in Fig. 1 is composed of a carrier vehicle 50 that moves within a warehouse 1 along a predetermined route, and an aircraft 40 that flies within the warehouse 1 while hovering above the carrier vehicle 50.

[0012] The luggage management system 10 of Figure 1 is configured to manage luggage 4 stacked in multiple tiers on a multi-tier rack 3 in a warehouse 1 using image information acquired by camera units mounted on a transport vehicle 50 and an aircraft 40.

[0013] In the configuration example of Fig. 1, in a multi-tiered rack 3 in a warehouse 1, luggage 4 is arranged in multiple rows and multiple columns on a pallet 2, and each luggage 4 is given a unique identification code 5 for identifying the luggage. Since a single pallet 2 carries multiple luggage 4 of the same type, the luggage 4 on each pallet 2 can be identified by the identification code 5 read from an image captured by a camera unit mounted on a transport vehicle 50 or an aircraft 40.

[0014] In the multi-tier rack 3 in the configuration example of Fig. 1, luggage 4 is removed in order from the first tier, and when all luggage 4 in the first tier have been removed, luggage 4 in the second tier is moved back to the first tier, so it is important to know the number of luggage 4 in the first tier. In this type of luggage installation configuration, the number of luggage 4 in the second tier and above can be known by reading the identification code 5 given to the luggage 4 installed at the front.

[0015] The transport vehicle 50 is equipped with a camera unit 51 (imaging unit). The camera unit 51 is an imaging element for reading the identification code 5 attached to the luggage. As the camera unit 51, a general-purpose RGB camera for reading the identification code 5 can be used.

[0016] The flying object 40 is equipped with a camera unit 41 (imaging unit). The camera unit 41 is an imaging element for reading the identification codes 5 attached to the luggage 4 on the second or higher tier. The camera unit 41 of the flying object 40 is also used for hovering control by optical flow by acquiring images of the ground including the carrier 50.

[0017] In this embodiment, the position of the pallet 2 as seen from the camera unit 51 and the positions of the luggage 4 on the pallet 2 are estimated based on pre-registered size information of the pallet 2 and luggage 4 and size information of the identification codes 5 of the pallet 2 and luggage 4 acquired by the camera unit 51, and the number of luggage 4 for each pallet 2 is calculated by calculating the number of luggage 4 for each position of the luggage 4 using the number of identification codes 5 for each position of the luggage 4.

[0018] The type of luggage 4 can be identified by reading the identification code 5 given to the luggage 4, and the size of the luggage 4 loaded can be identified from pre-registered information on the type of luggage 4 and the size of the luggage 4. As for the pallets 2, the type and size of the pallets 2 used in the warehouse 1 may be identified in advance, or the type of pallet 2 may be identified using image information acquired by the camera unit 51, and the size of the pallet 2 on which the luggage 4 is loaded may be identified from pre-registered information on the type and size of the pallet 2.

[0019] The size of the pallet 2 can also be identified, for example, by identifying the forklift tine insertion openings on the pallet 2 or the color of the pallet.

[0020] If the size of the pallet 2 and the size of the luggage can be specified, the position of the pallet 2 as seen by the camera unit 51 and the position of the luggage 4 on the pallet 2, for example, the number of rows of luggage 4, can be estimated using size information of the identification codes of the pallet 2 and the luggage 4 acquired by the camera unit 51. By counting the number of identification codes of the luggage 4, the number of luggage 4 in each row of the luggage 4 can be calculated, and the number of luggage on the pallet 2 can be calculated by adding up the number of luggage in each row of the luggage 4.

[0021] <Configuration of aircraft and transport vehicle> FIG. 2 is an example of a functional block diagram of the aircraft and the carrier that constitute the baggage management system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] The transport vehicle 50 has a traveling function for self-propelling within the warehouse 1, and includes a camera unit 51 (imaging unit) for acquiring image information of the identification code 5 of the baggage 4, a central processing unit 52 for controlling the drive unit 53 and performing processing such as sending and receiving information, the drive unit 53 for traveling within the warehouse 1, a wireless unit 54 for sending and receiving signals with the aircraft 40 and the baggage management device 60, a memory 55 for storing various information and the like, and a battery 56 for operating each unit. If necessary, a flight control unit 58 for controlling the hovering of the aircraft 40 may be included.

[0023] The flying vehicle 40 is equipped with a camera unit 41 for acquiring image information of the identification code 5 of the luggage 4, a central processing unit 42 for performing processing such as reading the identification code 5 from the image information and transmitting the identification code 5, a drive unit 43 for driving a propeller 47, a radio unit 44 that functions as a transmitter for transmitting the captured image information or information on the identification code 5 read from the captured image, a memory 45 for storing various information, etc., a battery 46 for operating each unit, and a propeller 47 for flying the flying vehicle 40.

[0024] The drive control of the propeller 47 mounted on the flying object 40 is controlled by autonomous control using optical flow. If necessary, the drive control of the propeller 47 may be performed by a flight control unit 58 of the carrier vehicle 50.

[0025] <How to calculate inventory quantity> 3 and 4 are diagrams for explaining a method for calculating the number of pieces of luggage in an embodiment of the present invention. In the example of Fig. 3, pieces of luggage 4 having a predetermined standard size (W x D x H) are arranged in 2 rows and 3 columns on a pallet 2 having a predetermined depth and width, with two pieces of luggage 4 arranged in the first row and seven pieces of luggage 4 arranged in the second row.

[0026] 3, the type and size of the loaded luggage 4 and the type and size of the pallet 2 on which the luggage 4 is loaded are identified using image information acquired by the camera unit 51. If the relationship between the type and size of the luggage 4 and the relationship between the type and size of the pallet 2 are registered in advance, the types of the luggage 4 and the pallet 2 are identified using the image information acquired by the camera unit 51, and thus the sizes of the luggage 4 and the pallet 2 can be identified.

[0027] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of an image captured by camera unit 51 of pallet 2 and luggage 4 in Fig. 3. Camera unit 51 can obtain information on identification code 5 and size information on identification code 5. Therefore, when an image of pallet 2 and luggage 4 in Fig. 3 is captured, image information can be obtained that allows the arrangement positions of pallet 2 and luggage 4 to be identified, as shown in Fig. 4.

[0028] According to Figure 4, the position of the luggage 4 placed at the front of the pallet 2 can be identified, and the number of rows of the luggage 4 can be estimated by comparing the depth of the pallet 2 from the position of the luggage 4 with the size (depth D) of the luggage 4. In the example of Figures 3 and 4, the number of rows of the luggage 4 on the pallet 2 can be estimated to be "2 rows."

[0029] By counting the number of identification codes 5 in the image in Fig. 4, it is possible to calculate the number of pieces of luggage 4 arranged in each row of the arrangement of luggage 4. In Fig. 4, the number of identification codes 5 in the first row is "2," and the number of identification codes 5 in the second row is "5," so the number of pieces of luggage 4 in the first row can be calculated as "2," and the number of pieces of luggage 4 in the second row, including the pieces arranged behind the pieces of luggage in the first row, can be calculated as "7."

[0030] In Figure 4, the position of the luggage 4 on the pallet 2 is identified by identifying the size relationship of the identification codes 5 of the pallet 2 and luggage 4 in the camera images. Here, the size of the identification code in the camera image changes depending on the distance between the camera 51 and the pallet 2 and luggage 4, so if the size of the identification code 5 in the camera image differs for each captured image, it is desirable to compare the size of the identification code 5 based on a fixed standard regardless of the size of the identification code 5 in the camera image.

[0031] For example, the size of the identification code 5 in the camera image can be corrected by multiplying it by the ratio (B / A) of the pallet width (A) in the camera image to the registered pallet width (B), and the corrected size can be used to identify the size relationship of the identification code 5. By correcting the size of the identification code 5 using the pallet width ratio, it is possible to identify the size relationship of the identification code 5 based on a fixed standard, regardless of the positional relationship between the camera 51 and the pallet 2 and the luggage 4. The ratio for making the above correction is not limited to the width of the pallet 2, but can also be calculated using the width of the luggage 4.

[0032] By accumulating the number of packages in each array row, it is possible to calculate the number of packages on pallet 2. In the example of Figures 3 and 4, the number of packages 4 on pallet 2 is "9".

[0033] <Operation sequence of the luggage management system> An operation sequence in the luggage management system will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 shows an example of an operation sequence in the luggage management system in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] In the warehouse, luggage 4 with an identification code 5 is brought into the warehouse 1 and placed on a predetermined multi-tiered rack 3. Size information of the pallets 2 and luggage 4 placed in the warehouse 1 is registered in advance in the luggage management device 60, and the sizes of the pallets 2 and luggage 4 placed on the multi-tiered rack 3 in the warehouse 1 can be ascertained using image information of the pallets 2 and luggage 4.

[0035] The transport vehicle 50 captures images of the pallet 2 and the luggage 4 , including the identification code 5 , using the mounted camera unit 51 , and transmits the captured image information to the luggage management device 60 .

[0036] When the luggage management device 60 receives image information of the pallet 2 and luggage 4, it identifies the type of pallet 2 and luggage 4 using the image information, and identifies the size of the pallet 2 and luggage 4 by referring to pre-registered pallet information and luggage information.

[0037] The luggage management device 60 identifies the placement positions of the luggage 4 placed on the pallet 2 by comparing the code sizes of the identification codes 5, and estimates the number of rows of the luggage 4 on the pallet 2 by comparing the depth of the pallet 2 from the placement positions of the luggage 4 with the size of the luggage 4.

[0038] The luggage management device 60 counts the number of identification codes 5 of the luggage 4 to calculate the number of luggage 4 arranged in each arrangement row of the luggage 4. The number of luggage on the pallet 2 can be calculated by accumulating the number of luggage in each arrangement row. The calculated number of luggage 4 is registered for each luggage information item.

[0039] <Pallet and cargo management data> Fig. 6 is an example of pallet management data in an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 7 is an example of luggage management data in an embodiment of the present invention. The pallet management data and luggage management data are stored in the luggage management device 60, and are referenced when identifying the sizes of the luggage 4 and the pallet 2. Information on the calculated number of luggage pieces is registered for each piece of luggage information.

[0040] <Other embodiments> In the above, a configuration example has been described in which the transport vehicle 50 and the flying object 40 are equipped with camera units (51, 41) for acquiring image information of the identification code 5, but the camera unit may be installed only on the flying object 40. In this case, the image information of the pallet 2 and the luggage 4 acquired by the camera unit 41 of the flying object 40 is transmitted to the luggage management device 60 via the transport vehicle 50.

[0041] In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a luggage management system that can accurately grasp the inventory quantity of luggage in a warehouse. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1...warehouse, 2...pallet, 3...multi-tiered rack, 4...luggage, 5...identification code, 10...luggage management system, 40...aircraft, 41...camera unit (imaging unit), 42...central processing unit, 43...drive unit, 44...radio unit, 45...memory, 46...battery, 47...propeller, 50...transport vehicle, 51...camera unit (imaging unit), 52...central processing unit, 53...drive unit, 54...radio unit, 55...memory, 56...battery, 58...flight control unit, 60...luggage management device.

Claims

1. a luggage management device for managing luggage arranged on pallets in a warehouse; an imaging unit mounted on at least one of a transport vehicle moving within the warehouse or an aircraft flying within the warehouse, for acquiring image information of the luggage within the warehouse, the imaging unit capturing an image of the luggage arranged on the pallet, and acquiring identification codes assigned to the pallet and the luggage, and size information of the identification codes; The luggage management device includes: The arrangement positions of the pallet as viewed from the imaging unit and the arrangement positions of the packages on the pallet are estimated based on preregistered size information of the pallet and the packages and size information of the identification codes of the pallet and the packages acquired by the imaging unit, and the number of packages for each arrangement position of the packages is calculated using the number of the identification codes for each arrangement position of the packages, thereby calculating the number of packages for each pallet. Baggage management system.

2. The luggage management device includes: The pallet is identified based on an image of the insertion port of the pallet or a color of the pallet acquired by the imaging unit, and the package is identified based on an identification code given to the package. The luggage management system according to claim 1 .

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