Picking Support System

Abstract

To provide a picking support system, a picking support method, and a picking support program in which position of an object in a storage container can be determined without increasing cost.SOLUTION: A picking support system includes a robot that supports picking of an object stored in a storage container supported by a support component. A robot at least includes: a gripping part which directly or indirectly grips the storage container; and a control part which controls movement of the storage container directly or indirectly gripped by the gripping part in a front-back direction. The control part determines at least any one of a position of the object stored in the storage container and change situation of position of the object based on change situation of load applied from the storage container to the robot after moving the storage container from a reference position to a prescribed position at the front side of the storage container.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a picking support system, a picking support method, and a picking support program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, there has been a demand for miniaturization of picking robots that pick items. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a product front-out display device that uses a spring to push a product from the rear to the front.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By using the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 to push out the product placed at the back in the tray to the front, it becomes possible to pick the product even with a short arm, and thus the picking robot can be miniaturized. However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose a method for determining whether the product in the tray has been pushed out to the front. Therefore, for example, it is necessary to determine whether the product in the tray has been pushed out to the front from the captured image of the tray by a camera, and as a result, there is a problem that the cost increases.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above background, and an object thereof is to provide a picking support system, a picking support method, and a picking support program capable of determining the position of an article in a storage container without increasing the cost.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The picking support system according to the present disclosure is a picking support system including a robot that supports picking of an article stored in a storage container supported by a support member. The robot includes at least a gripping part that directly or indirectly grips the storage container, and a control part that controls the forward and backward movement of the storage container directly or indirectly gripped by the gripping part. The control part determines at least one of the position of the article stored in the storage container and the change situation of the position of the article based on the change situation of the load applied to the robot from the storage container after moving the storage container from a reference position to a predetermined position located in front of the storage container. This picking support system can determine whether an article in the back of the storage container has moved forward based on the change situation of the load applied to the robot from the storage container after pulling out the storage container without using a camera, so that an increase in cost can be suppressed.

[0007] When the vertical force applied to the robot from the storage container is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the control part may determine that the article is located in a predetermined front area within the storage container. When the vertical force applied to the robot from the storage container is less than the predetermined value, the control part may determine that the article is not located in the predetermined front area within the storage container.

[0008] After the control unit starts the movement of the storage container from the reference position toward the predetermined position, until the storage container reaches the predetermined position, the storage container may be decelerated at a first deceleration rate such that the article moves forward in the storage container. This picking support system makes it easier to pick an article by utilizing the inertial force applied to the article in the storage container when the storage container is pulled out, and moving the article arranged at the back in the storage container to the front in the storage container. Thereby, for example, even a picking robot with a short arm can pick an article. Here, since this picking support system can move the article arranged at the back in the storage container to the front in the storage container without installing a spring or the like in the storage container, miniaturization of the robot can be achieved without increasing the cost.

[0009] The control unit may control the moving speed of the gripping unit to thereby control the moving speed of the storage container directly or indirectly gripped by the gripping unit.

[0010] When the control unit determines that the article is not located in a predetermined front area in the storage container, after returning the storage container to the reference position, and after starting the movement of the storage container from the reference position toward the predetermined position, until the storage container reaches the predetermined position, the storage container may be decelerated at a second deceleration rate steeper than the first deceleration rate.

[0011] The robot may further include a stopper that stops the inclination of the storage container at a predetermined inclination.

[0012] The support member may be provided with a stopper that stops the inclination of the storage container at a predetermined inclination.

[0013] The robot may include, as the gripping unit, a hook formed to be engageable with a handle provided on the front surface of the storage container.

[0014] The robot may include, as the gripping portion, a suction portion that sucks the front surface of the storage container.

[0015] The robot may further include a take-out portion that takes out the article when it is determined by the control unit that the article is located in a predetermined front region within the storage container.

[0016] The control unit may control the moving speed of the storage container based on information about the article, the coefficient of friction between the article and the storage container, and the inclination angle of the storage container.

[0017] The picking support method according to the present disclosure is a picking support method by a robot that supports picking of an article stored in a storage container supported by a support member. The storage container is directly or indirectly gripped by a gripping portion, and the storage container is moved from a reference position to a predetermined position located in front of the storage container. Based on the change situation of the load applied to the robot from the storage container, at least one of the position of the article stored in the storage container and the change situation of the position of the article is determined. This picking support method can determine whether an article at the back of the storage container has moved forward based on the change situation of the load applied to the robot from the storage container after the storage container is pulled out without using a camera, so that an increase in cost can be suppressed.

[0018] The picking support program according to the present disclosure is a robot-based picking support program for supporting the picking of articles stored in a storage container supported by a support member. The program causes a computer to execute a process of directly or indirectly gripping the storage container with a gripping portion and moving the storage container from a reference position to a predetermined position located in front of the storage container, and a process of determining at least one of the position of the article stored in the storage container and the change situation of the position of the article based on the change situation of the load applied to the robot from the storage container. This picking support program can determine whether an article at the back of the storage container has moved forward based on the change situation of the load applied to the robot from the storage container after pulling out the storage container, without using a camera, so that an increase in cost can be suppressed.

Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a picking support system, a picking support method, and a picking support program that can determine the position of an article in a storage container without increasing the cost.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

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Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiment for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Also, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are necessarily essential as means for solving the problems. For the sake of clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings have been appropriately omitted and simplified. In each drawing, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary.

[0022] <Embodiment 1> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a picking support system 1 according to Embodiment 1. The picking support system 1 according to the present embodiment can determine whether an article at the back of the tray has moved forward based on the change in the load applied to the arm (robot) from the tray after the tray is pulled out without using a camera, so that an increase in cost can be suppressed. Further, the picking support system 1 according to the present embodiment makes it easier to pick an article by moving an article arranged at the back of the tray to the front of the tray inside the tray by utilizing the inertial force applied to the article in the tray when the tray is pulled out. Thereby, for example, even a robot with a short arm can pick an article. Here, since the picking support system 1 according to the present embodiment can move an article arranged at the back of the tray to the front of the tray inside the tray without installing a spring or the like on the tray, miniaturization of the robot can be realized without increasing the cost. This will be specifically described below.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the picking support system 1 includes a picking support robot 11, shelves 401 and 402, and one or more trays (storage containers) 501 installed on the shelf 401. The picking support robot 11 can also be referred to as the picking support system 1.

[0024] The tray 501 installed on the shelf 401 is movable in the front-rear direction (y-axis direction) on the shelf 401 and stores articles TG1 such as commodities and parts used in the manufacture of commodities. Note that the tray 501 only needs to have a bottom surface on which the article TG1 can move and an open upper part. Further, near the tip of the shelf 402 provided on the upper stage of the shelf 401, a stopper 402a is provided so as to protrude from the lower surface toward the upper surface of the shelf 401.

[0025] The picking support robot 11 is a work robot for supporting the picking of the article TG1 stored in the tray 501. Specifically, the picking support robot 11 includes at least a main body part 111, a control part 112 built in the main body part 111, an arm 113 attached to the main body part 111, a hook 114, a suction pad (taking-out part) 115, and a storage part 116.

[0026] The arm 113 is configured to be able to grip the tray 501 and move in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the arm 113 grips the tray 501 by engaging a hook 114 provided at the tip of the arm 113 with a handle 501a provided on the front surface of the tray 501 and moves it in the front-rear direction. Moving the tray 501 forward of the shelf 401 means pulling the tray 501 out from the shelf 401 toward the outside of the shelf 401 (for example, the robot side facing the shelf 401), and moving the tray 501 backward means pushing the tray 501 pulled out from the shelf 401 back toward the inside of the shelf 401.

[0027] Note that an adsorption pad (adsorption part) that grips the tray 501 by adsorbing the front surface of the tray 501 may be attached to the tip of the arm 113 as a gripping part instead of the hook 114. In this case, the handle 501a of the tray 501 is unnecessary.

[0028] In addition, the arm 113 is configured to be able to pick up the article TG1 stored in the tray 501. Specifically, the arm 113 picks up the article TG1 by adsorbing it with the suction pad 115 provided at the tip of the arm 113.

[0029] Note that when the tray 501 is located at the reference position P0 at the back of the shelf 401, the upper shelf 402 gets in the way and the arm 113 cannot pick up the article TG1 in the tray 501. Also, since the arm 113 is designed to be short in length to achieve miniaturization, even when the tray 501 is pulled out to the predetermined position P1 in front of the shelf 401, the arm 113 cannot pick up the article TG1 located at the back in the tray 501, and it is assumed that only the article TG1 located at the front in the tray 501 can be picked up.

[0030] The control unit 112 performs overall control of the picking support robot 11. For example, the control unit 112 uses the arm 113 to grip the tray 501 and move it back and forth, or pick up the article TG1 in the tray 501. Also, the control unit 112 stores the picked-up article TG1 in the storage unit 116 using the arm 113, and then transports it to a designated location by running the picking support robot 11. Note that the control unit 112 may directly transport the picked-up article TG1 to a designated location using the arm 113.

[0031] Furthermore, the control unit 112 determines the position of the article TG1 stored in the tray 501 based on the change situation of the load applied to the arm 113 (robot) from the tray 501 after moving the tray 501 from the reference position P0 to the predetermined position P1 using the arm 113.

[0032] For example, when the center of gravity C0 of the tray 501 containing the stored items protrudes from the shelf 401, the front surface of the tray 501 begins to tilt downward. Note that the tray 501 stops when the tilt reaches a predetermined tilt by the stopper 402a. Here, when the article TG1 moves from the rear area to the front area within the tray 501 and the vertical force applied from the tray 501 to the arm 113 indicates a value equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the control unit 112 determines that the article TG1 is located in the front area within the tray 501. When the article TG1 is located in the front area within the tray 501, it becomes possible to pick up the article TG1 within the tray 501 even with the shorter arm 113.

[0033] On the other hand, when the article TG1 stays in the rear area within the tray 501 and the vertical force applied from the tray 501 to the arm 113 indicates a value less than a predetermined value, the control unit 112 determines that the article TG1 is located in the rear area within the tray 501. Note that when the center of gravity C0 of the tray 501 containing the stored items does not protrude from the shelf 401, the front surface of the tray 501 does not tilt downward. In this case, since the vertical force applied from the tray 501 to the arm 113 indicates a value less than a predetermined value, the control unit 112 determines that the article TG1 is located in the rear area of the tray 501.

[0034] Note that the control unit 112 may determine the change situation of the position of the article TG1 stored in the tray 501 based on the change situation of the load applied from the tray 501 to the arm 113 after moving the tray 501 from the reference position P0 to the predetermined position P1 using the arm 113. For example, the control unit 112 may determine how fast the article TG1 stored in the tray 501 is moving from the rear to the front of the tray 501, how much it has moved, or how it is moving (e.g., rolling). It may also determine how the article TG1 stored in the tray 501 is moving (e.g., rolling) from the rear to the front of the tray 501.

[0035] Here, when the tray 501 is pulled out, the control unit 112 may move the article TG1 located at the rear in the tray 501 forward by utilizing the inertial force F1 applied to the article TG1 in the tray 501. In other words, after the control unit 112 starts the movement of the tray 501 from the reference position P0 toward the predetermined position P1 using the arm 113, until the tray 501 reaches the predetermined position P1, the tray 501 may be rapidly decelerated at a first deceleration such that an inertial force F1 that causes the article TG1 to move forward in the tray 501 is applied to the article TG1. Thereby, since the article TG1 located at the rear in the tray 501 moves forward, picking of the article TG1 becomes easy, and for example, even with an arm 113 having a short length, it becomes possible to pick the article TG1 in the tray 501.

[0036] The inertial force F1 applied to the article TG1 is determined based on information regarding the article TG1 (such as the weight, size, and surface material of the article TG1), the friction coefficient of the contact surface between the article TG1 and the tray 501, and the inclination angle of the tray 501. For example, as the friction coefficient of the contact surface between the article TG1 and the tray 501 becomes smaller, the article TG1 becomes more likely to slide, so the moving speed of the tray 501 and the like are adjusted so that the inertial force F1 becomes smaller. As the friction coefficient becomes larger, the article TG1 becomes less likely to slide, so the moving speed of the tray 501 and the like are adjusted so that the inertial force F1 becomes larger.

[0037] In addition, when the control unit 112 determines that the article TG1 is not located in the front region in the tray 501 that has been pulled out to the predetermined position P1, after returning the tray 501 to the reference position P0 using the arm 113, the tray 501 may be pulled out again so that an inertial force F2 larger than the inertial force F1 is applied to the article TG1. Specifically, after returning the tray 501 to the reference position P0 using the arm 113, the control unit 112 starts the movement of the tray 501 from the reference position P0 toward the predetermined position P1 again, and until the tray 501 reaches the predetermined position P1, the tray 501 may be rapidly decelerated at a second deceleration that is steeper than the first deceleration.

[0038] (Operation of the picking support system 1) Subsequently, in addition to FIG. 1, the operation of the picking support system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the picking support system 1. FIGS. 3 to 5 are diagrams for explaining an example of the operation of the picking support system 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the change in the load applied to the arm 113 from the tray 501. In FIGS. 3 to 6, S101, S102, S104, etc. respectively correspond to the operations of steps S101, S102, S104 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2.

[0039] In the picking support system 1, the picking support robot 11 first engages the hook 114 of the arm 113 with the handle 501a of the tray 501 arranged at the reference position P0 (step S101).

[0040] Thereafter, the picking support robot 11 moves the tray 501 from the reference position P0 to a predetermined position P1 using the arm 113 (step S102). At this time, after the picking support robot 11 starts moving the tray 501 from the reference position P0 toward the predetermined position P1 using the arm 113, until the tray 501 reaches the predetermined position P1, the tray 501 may be rapidly decelerated at a first deceleration such that an inertial force F1 that causes the article TG1 to move forward within the tray 501 is applied to the article TG1. Thereby, since the article TG1 located at the rear in the tray 501 moves forward, it becomes easier to pick the article TG1. For example, it becomes possible to pick the article TG1 in the tray 501 even with an arm 113 having a short length.

[0041] Thereafter, the picking support robot 11 determines the position of the article TG1 stored in the tray 501 based on the change in the load applied to the arm 113 from the tray 501 (step S103).

[0042] For example, when the center of gravity C0 of the tray 501 containing the stored items protrudes from the shelf 401, the front surface of the tray 501 starts to tilt downward. Note that the symbol L in the figure represents the distance between the center of gravity C0 and the reference position P0. Here, when the article TG1 moves from the rear area to the front area within the tray 501 and the vertical force applied to the arm 113 from the tray 501 indicates a value equal to or greater than a predetermined value (YES in step S104), the control unit 112 determines that the article TG1 is located in the front area within the tray 501 (step S105). When the article TG1 is located in the front area within the tray 501, it becomes possible to pick up the article TG1 within the tray 501 even with the shorter arm 113. Therefore, the picking support robot 11 picks up the article TG1 by adsorbing it with the suction pad 115 provided at the tip of the arm 113 (step S106).

[0043] On the other hand, when the article TG1 remains in the rear area within the tray 501 and the vertical force applied to the arm 113 from the tray 501 indicates a value less than the predetermined value (NO in step S104), the control unit 112 determines that the article TG1 is located in the rear area within the tray 501 (step S107). Note that when the center of gravity C0 of the tray 501 containing the stored items does not protrude from the shelf 401, the front surface of the tray 501 does not tilt downward. In this case, since the vertical force applied to the arm 113 from the tray 501 indicates a value less than the predetermined value (NO in step S104), the control unit 112 determines that the article TG1 is located in the rear area of the tray 501 (step S107).

[0044] When the picking support robot 11 determines that the article TG1 is located in the rear area of the tray 501 (step S107), after returning the tray 501 to the reference position P0 using the arm 113 and then starting the movement of the tray 501 from the reference position P0 toward the predetermined position P1 again, the tray 501 may be rapidly decelerated at a second deceleration steeper than the first deceleration until the tray 501 reaches the predetermined position P1 (step S108→S102). Thereafter, the processes of steps S103 to S108 are repeated.

[0045] As described above, the picking support system 1 according to the present embodiment can determine whether an article at the back of the tray has moved forward based on the change in the load applied to the arm from the tray after the tray is pulled out, without using a camera, and thus can suppress an increase in cost. Further, the picking support system 1 according to the present embodiment makes it easier to pick an article by moving an article arranged at the back in the tray to the front in the tray by utilizing the inertial force applied to the article in the tray when the tray is pulled out. Thereby, for example, even a picking support robot 11 with a short arm can pick an article. Here, since the picking support system 1 according to the present embodiment can move an article arranged at the back in the tray to the front in the tray without installing a spring or the like in the tray, miniaturization of the picking support robot 11 can be achieved without increasing the cost.

[0046] Here, the control of the moving speed of the tray 501 is not limited to directly controlling the moving speed of the tray 501, and also includes controlling the moving speed of the tray 501 by controlling the position of the tray 501, controlling the acceleration of the tray 501, controlling the magnitude of the force applied to the tray 501, and the like.

[0047] In the present embodiment, the case where the shelf 402 is provided with the stopper 402a in order to stop the inclination of the tray 501 pulled out to the predetermined position P1 at the predetermined inclination has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. As shown in FIG. 7, instead of providing the stopper 402a on the shelf 402, the picking support robot 11 may further include a stopper 117 that stops the inclination of the tray 501 at the predetermined inclination.

[0048] Also, in this embodiment, although the case where the picking support robot 11 directly grips the tray 501 provided on the shelf 401 and moves it in the front-rear direction has been described as an example, it is not limited thereto. When the support portion that supports the tray 501 of the shelf 401 is configured to be interlocked with the tray 501, the picking support robot 11 may grip the support portion and move it in the front-rear direction. In other words, the picking support robot 11 may indirectly grip the tray 501 and move it in the front-rear direction.

[0049] Also, in this embodiment, although the case where the picking support robot 11 controls the moving speed of the gripping portion such as the hook 114 to control the moving speed of the tray 501 gripped by the gripping portion has been described as an example, it is not limited thereto. For example, when the tray 501 is configured to be relatively movable with respect to the support portion via a sliding mechanism provided between the bottom surface of the tray 501 and the support portion that supports the tray 501 of the shelf 401, and an actuator is provided in the sliding mechanism, the picking support robot 11 may control the moving speed of the tray 501 by controlling the actuator. Similarly, when the support portion that supports the tray 501 of the shelf 401 is configured to be interlocked with the tray 501, and an actuator is provided in the sliding mechanism of the support portion, the picking support robot 11 may control the moving speeds of the support portion and the tray 501 by controlling the actuator. In these cases, the sliding mechanism can be defined as the gripping portion.

[0050] Also, in this embodiment, although the case where the bottom surface of the tray 501 is supported by the shelf 401 has been described as an example, it is not limited thereto. For example, both sides of the tray 501 may be supported by a support member having a sliding mechanism. In this case, a fitting structure that fits with each other is provided on both the support member and both side surfaces of the tray 501.

[0051] In addition, in this embodiment, the case where the picking support robot 11 includes the arm 113 has been described as an example, but it is not limited thereto. The picking support robot 11 may not include the arm 113. That is, the picking support robot 11 may be configured to support the picking of the article TG1 (including performing the picking) without using the arm 113. In this case, the hook 114 and the suction pad 115 are directly attached to, for example, the main body 111 of the picking support robot 11.

[0052] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the case where the picking support robot 11 has a function of picking the article TG1 and a function of gripping and moving the tray 501 has been described as an example, but it is not limited thereto. The picking support robot 11 may have only the function of gripping and moving the tray 501 among the function of picking the article TG1 and the function of gripping and moving the tray 501. In this case, a robot different from the picking support robot 11 picks the article TG1.

[0053] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the gist thereof.

[0054] Also, a part or all of the processing of the picking support robot 11 can be realized by causing a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a computer program.

[0055] The above-described program includes a set of instructions (or software code) for causing a computer to perform one or more functions described in the embodiment when loaded into the computer. The program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example and not limitation, the computer-readable medium or tangible storage medium is RAM (Random-Access Memory), ROM (Read-only memor y), including flash memory, SSD (Solid-State Drive) or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc or other optical disc storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices. The program may be transmitted on a temporary computer-readable medium or communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, the temporary computer-readable medium or communication medium includes electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals.

Explanation of Signs

[0056] 1 Picking Support System 11 Picking Support Robot 111 Main Body 112 Control Unit 113 Arm 114 Hook 115 Suction Pad (Taking-Out Part) 116 Storage Unit 117 Stopper 401 Shelf 402 Shelf 402a Stopper 501 Tray 501a Handle TG1 Article

Claims

1. A picking support system including a robot that supports picking of an article stored in a storage container supported by a support member, wherein the robot includes: a gripping part that directly or indirectly grips the storage container; and a control part that controls the movement of the storage container in the front-rear direction directly or indirectly gripped by the gripping part, and includes at least: the control part controls the moving speed of the storage container based on information about the article, the coefficient of friction between the article and the storage container, and the tilt angle of the storage container; the control part determines at least one of the position of the article stored in the storage container and the change situation of the position of the article based on the change situation of the load applied to the robot from the storage container after moving the storage container from a reference position to a predetermined position located in front of the storage container; a picking support system.

2. When the vertical force applied to the robot from the storage container is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the control part determines that the article is located in a predetermined front area in the storage container; when the vertical force applied to the robot from the storage container is less than the predetermined value, the control part determines that the article is not located in the predetermined front area in the storage container. The picking support system according to Claim 1.

3. After starting the movement of the storage container from the reference position toward the predetermined position, the control part decelerates the storage container at a first deceleration rate such that the article moves forward in the storage container before the storage container reaches the predetermined position. The picking support system according to Claim 1.

4. The control part controls the moving speed of the storage container directly or indirectly gripped by the gripping part by controlling the moving speed of the gripping part. The picking support system according to Claim 1.

5. When the control part determines that the article is not located in a predetermined front area in the storage container, after returning the storage container to the reference position, and after starting the movement of the storage container from the reference position toward the predetermined position, the control part decelerates the storage container at a second deceleration rate steeper than the first deceleration rate before the storage container reaches the predetermined position. The picking support system according to Claim 3.

6. The robot further includes a stopper that stops the tilt of the storage container at a predetermined tilt. The picking support system according to claim 1.

7. The support member is provided with a stopper for stopping the inclination of the storage container at a predetermined inclination. The picking support system according to claim 1.

8. The robot includes, as the gripping portion, a hook formed to be engageable with a handle provided on the front surface of the storage container. The picking support system according to claim 1.

9. The robot includes, as the gripping portion, a suction portion for sucking the front surface of the storage container. The picking support system according to claim 1.

10. A picking support system including a robot for assisting in picking an article stored in a storage container supported by a support member, wherein the robot includes a gripping portion for directly or indirectly gripping the storage container, and a control portion for controlling the forward and backward movement of the storage container directly or indirectly gripped by the gripping portion, and at least includes the control portion determines at least one of the position of the article stored in the storage container and the change situation of the position of the article based on the change situation of the load applied to the robot from the storage container after moving the storage container from a reference position to a predetermined position located in front of the storage container, when the vertical force applied to the robot from the storage container is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the control portion determines that the article is located in a predetermined front region within the storage container, and when the vertical force applied to the robot from the storage container is less than the predetermined value, the control portion determines that the article is not located in the predetermined front region within the storage container. Picking support system.

11. A picking support system including a robot for assisting in picking an article stored in a storage container supported by a support member, wherein the robot includes a gripping portion for directly or indirectly gripping the storage container, and a control portion for controlling the forward and backward movement of the storage container directly or indirectly gripped by the gripping portion, and at least includes the control portion determines at least one of the position of the article stored in the storage container and the change situation of the position of the article based on the change situation of the load applied to the robot from the storage container after moving the storage container from a reference position to a predetermined position located in front of the storage container. After starting the movement of the storage container from the reference position toward the predetermined position, the control unit decelerates the storage container at a first deceleration rate such that the article moves forward within the storage container before the storage container reaches the predetermined position. When the control unit determines that the article is not located in a predetermined front region within the storage container, after returning the storage container to the reference position, the control unit starts the movement of the storage container from the reference position toward the predetermined position, and then decelerates the storage container at a second deceleration rate steeper than the first deceleration rate before the storage container reaches the predetermined position. Picking assistance system.

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