Transport system and method

Abstract

To improve conveying efficiency of a conveyed article in a plurality of stages of areas set in a storage space of the conveyed article.SOLUTION: A conveyed article disposed in a first area in which prescribed work for the conveyed article is carried out is conveyed by a first conveyance device, and a conveyed article disposed in a second area located higher than the first area is conveyed by a second conveyance device. A control device controls a conveying task allocated to each of the traveling first and second conveyance devices. In the second area, a passage of the second conveyance device is provided. The control device controls a moving direction in the conveying task allocated to the second conveyance device to move the second conveyance device on the basis of the extending direction of the passage of the second area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a technology for transporting an object by running a transport device. [Background technology]

[0002] Background of the present technical field is a technology relating to an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle) that transports shelves to a destination, such as the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] WO2015 / 097736 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to improve the storage efficiency of goods in a storage space (e.g., a warehouse) for goods (or for other purposes), it is conceivable to provide multiple tiered areas in the space and place goods in each area. Specifically, for example, it is conceivable to provide a mezzanine in the warehouse and place goods in both the area above the mezzanine and the floor area of ​​the warehouse, including the area below the mezzanine. The number of tiers of areas may be two or more.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve the efficiency of transporting goods in a multi-tier area provided in a storage space for goods. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The transport system includes a first transport device that travels through a first area according to an assigned transport task to transport objects located in the first area, a second transport device that travels through a second area according to an assigned transport task to transport objects located in the second area, an inter-area transport vehicle that transports objects between the first and second areas, and a control device that controls transport tasks assigned to each of the first and second transport devices. The first and second areas are located in a storage space for the objects. The first area is an area where a predetermined operation is performed on the objects. The second area is located higher than the first area. The transport tasks assigned to each of the first and second transport devices include a movement direction of the transport device. An aisle for the second transport device is provided in the second area. The control device controls the movement direction in the transport task assigned to the second transport device for movement of the second transport device based on the extension direction of the aisle in the second area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the efficiency of transporting goods in a multi-tier area provided in a storage space for the goods. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the invention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a transport system according to an embodiment; [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the first-stage area. [Figure 2B] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the second-stage area. [Figure 2C] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a section in the second-stage area. [Figure 2D] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of sections in the second tier area. [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the transport device. [Figure 3B]FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the bottom configuration of the transport device. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the transport of shelves in the first-tier area. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the transportation of shelves from the second-tier area to the first-tier area. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the configuration of elements in a transport system. [Figure 7] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating the remaining specific configuration examples of elements in the transport system. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an order table. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an inventory table. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a shelf table. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an equipment transport table. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a shelf transport table. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a vertical conveying table. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a picking table. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a floor table. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a boundary table. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a transport control process. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a shelf arrangement layout change process. [Figure 19] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a shelf storage position change process. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of the floor table. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In the following description, an "interface apparatus" may refer to one or more interface devices. The one or more interface devices may be at least one of the following: One or more I / O (Input / Output) interface devices. The I / O (Input / Output) interface devices are interface devices for at least one of the I / O device and a remote display computer. The I / O interface device for the display computer may be a communications interface device. The at least one I / O device may be a user interface device, for example, either an input device such as a keyboard and a pointing device, or an output device such as a display device. One or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more homogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., one or more NICs (Network Interface Cards)) or two or more heterogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., an NIC and an HBA (Host Bus Adapter)).

[0010] In the following description, "memory" refers to one or more memory devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices, and may typically be a primary storage device. At least one memory device in the memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

[0011] In the following description, a "persistent storage device" may refer to one or more persistent storage devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices. A persistent storage device may typically be a non-volatile storage device (e.g., an auxiliary storage device), and specifically may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a non-volatile memory express (NVME) drive, or a storage class memory (SCM).

[0012] In the following description, the term "storage device" may refer to at least one of memory and persistent storage device.

[0013] Furthermore, in the following description, a "processor" may refer to one or more processor devices. The at least one processor device may typically be a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also be another type of processor device such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The at least one processor device may be a single-core or multi-core. The at least one processor device may also be a processor core. The at least one processor device may also be a processor device in a broader sense, such as a circuit that is a collection of gate arrays written in a hardware description language that performs some or all of the processing (for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

[0014] In the following description, information that provides an output for an input may be described using expressions such as "xxx table." However, this information may be data of any structure (for example, structured data or unstructured data), or may be a neural network that generates an output for an input, or a learning model such as a genetic algorithm or random forest. Therefore, the "xxx table" may be referred to as "xxx information." In the following description, the structure of each table is an example, and one table may be divided into two or more tables, or all or part of two or more tables may be one table.

[0015] In the following description, processing may be described using a "program" as the subject; however, since a program is executed by a processor to perform a predetermined process using a storage device and / or an interface device as appropriate, the subject of the processing may also be the processor (or a device or system having the processor). A program may be installed in a device such as a computer from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable recording medium (e.g., a non-transitory recording medium). In the following description, two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0016] Furthermore, any information (for example, at least one of "ID", "name", and "number") may be adopted as information for identifying an element (identification information, identifier).

[0017] In addition, in the following description, when describing elements of the same type without distinguishing between them, common reference symbols will be used, and when describing elements of the same type with distinction between them, reference symbols will be used.

[0018] In the following description, the unit of "date and time" may be a unit that is coarser or finer than the year, month, day, hour, minute.

[0019] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a transport system according to an embodiment. For convenience, the two-dimensional directions are defined as the x direction and the y direction orthogonal to the x direction.

[0020] The conveying system includes a plurality of conveying devices 3 that travel within a warehouse 2 (an example of a storage space), and a control device 4 that remotely controls the movement of each conveying device 3. In this embodiment, "movement" of a conveying device 3 refers to the general movement of the conveying device 3 regardless of whether or not it has shelves 5. "Movement" of a conveying device 3 may also be referred to as "traveling" of the conveying device 3. "Movement" of a conveying device 3 that has shelves 5 is particularly referred to as "transportation." The shelves 5 are an example of an object that can be transported by the conveying device 3. Instead of or in addition to the shelves 5, objects such as trays, pallets, or containers may also be examples of objects.

[0021] Warehouse 2 is a storage facility used by, for example, an online retailer or other company to store goods. The goods stored in warehouse 2 may be products or parts. In this embodiment, an example of goods stored in warehouse 2 will be described. Warehouse 2 is provided with a multi-tier area 122 and a vertical conveyor 202.

[0022] The multi-tiered area 122 is an example of an area with multiple tiers located at different heights. The multi-tiered area 122 has a first tier area 200A and a second tier area 200B. A plurality of shelves 5 are installed in a movable state in each of the multiple areas 200A and 200B that make up the multi-tiered area 122. Note that the same type of transported goods need not be placed in all areas 200. For example, shelves 5 may be placed in the first tier area 200A and pallets may be placed in the second tier area 200B. One or a plurality of articles (e.g., products for sale) are stored in predetermined positions on each shelf 5. The shelves 5 are sometimes called movable shelves.

[0023] The first-tier area 200A is an example of a first area, and an example of a main area through which the conveying device 3 travels. The conveying device 3 travels through the first-tier area 200A, thereby transporting the shelves 5 to the picking station 6. The first-tier area 200A is an area that is the entire floor area or a part of the floor area of ​​the warehouse 2. Picking is performed at the picking station 6, and picking is an example of a predetermined task related to the transported items. For example, the picking station 6 may also perform warehousing tasks such as replenishing products on the shelves 5, or incidental tasks such as inventory taking, and may simply be called a station.

[0024] When the transport device 3 transports items to the picking station 6, the destination (destination position) may be a predetermined position at the picking station 6 where an operator or a picking device can pick items (for example, the section in front of the picking station 6), or may be another predetermined position related to the picking station 6. Examples of other predetermined positions include, for example, a waiting position in front of or around the picking station 6 if there is another shelf 5 in the section in front of the picking station 6, or a location where the shelf 5 is handed over to the transport equipment (such as a conveyor) for the shelf 5 if there is such transport equipment in the section in front of the picking station 6.

[0025] Similarly, when the conveying device 3 conveys from the picking station 6, the origin (starting position) of the conveyance may be a predetermined position at the picking station 6 where the worker or the picking device can pick (for example, the section in front of the picking station 6), or may be another predetermined position related to the picking station 6. An example of another predetermined position may be, for example, if there is conveying equipment (such as a conveyor) for the shelves 5 in the section in front of the picking station 6, the location where the shelves 5 are received from the conveying equipment.

[0026] The second-tier area 200B is an example of a second area, and an example of a sub-area in which the conveying device 3 travels. In this embodiment, the second-tier area 200B is an area on a mezzanine. A wall or fence 191 may be provided surrounding the second-tier area 200B. In addition, the second-tier area 200B may be provided with a conveyor as an example of a transport device that transports the shelves 5 arranged in the second-tier area 200B.

[0027] The vertical conveyor 202 is an example of an inter-area conveyor. The vertical conveyor 202 is a conveyor that moves up and down vertically. Specifically, the vertical conveyor 202 conveys a shelf 5 from the second-tier area 200B to the first-tier area 200A by descending (or waits in the first-tier area 200A for a shelf to be conveyed from the first-tier area 200A to the second-tier area 200B). The vertical conveyor 202 also conveys a shelf 5 from the first-tier area 200A to the second-tier area 200B by ascending (or waits in the second-tier area 200B for a shelf to be conveyed from the second-tier area 200B to the first-tier area 200A). The vertical conveyor 202 may be, for example, an elevator or a car for an elevator. The vertical conveyor 202 can also be replaced by another inter-area conveyor, such as a forklift, that can convey shelves 5 vertically.

[0028] When each transport device 3 receives a movement instruction associated with a transport task assigned to that transport device 3, it transports a shelf 5 present in the first-tier area 200A or the second-tier area 200B in accordance with the movement instruction. According to the example shown in FIG. 1, this is as follows. After transporting shelf 5A to picking station 6, transport device 3A waits for the completion of picking of products from shelf 5A. After picking by the worker or picking device at picking station 6 is completed, transport device 3A transports shelf 5A from picking station 6 to the storage position of shelf 5A. The transport device 3B that transports the shelf 5B to the picking station 6 is waiting for the movement of the transport device 3A. When the transport device 3A moves from the picking station 6, the transport device 3B becomes able to transport the shelf 5B to the picking station 6. The transport device 3C is moving to transport the shelf 5C that has been transported by the vertical transport device 202 to the first-tier area 200A. The transport device 3D is moving to transport the shelf 5D, whose placement position is the first-tier area 200A. · The transport device 3E is traveling in the second stage area 200B. The height of each of the transport devices 3 is lower than the height of the platform 192, and each of the transport devices 3 can pass under the platform 192. When the conveying device 3 moves in the second-stage area 200B, both the destination position and the starting position are on the second-stage area 200B. Similarly, when the conveying device 3 moves in the first-stage area 200A, both the destination position and the starting position are on the first-stage area 200A.

[0029] In the second-tier area 200B, a rack 192 is provided in front of the entrance / exit of the shelf 5 for the vertical conveyor 202. Also, in the second-tier area 200B, a row of racks (racks 192 lined up in the x direction) is lined up along the y direction. The shelves 5 are placed on the racks 192. Note that in the first-tier area 200A, racks 192 are also provided in positions where the shelves 5 are placed (for example, in front of the entrance / exit of the shelf 5 for the vertical conveyor 202 and at the storage position of the shelf 5).

[0030] In the second-tier area 200B, shelf rows L1 to L5 are lined up from the vertical conveyor 202. Shelf row Ln (n = 1, 2, ..., 5) is a row of shelves 5 lined up in the x-direction. The second-tier area 200B has a high-density arrangement area and a low-density arrangement area. The high-density arrangement area is located farther from the vertical conveyor 202 than the low-density arrangement area. The "high-density arrangement area" is an area where multiple shelves 5 and a shelf 5E surrounded by the multiple shelves 5 are arranged, and where movement of shelf 5E requires movement of at least one shelf (e.g., shelf 5F) among the multiple shelves 5. On the other hand, the "low-density arrangement area" is an area where one or more shelves 5 are arranged, and where there is no shelf 5 surrounded by multiple shelves 5. Shelf rows L3 to L5 are in the high-density arrangement area, and shelf rows L1 to L2 are in the low-density arrangement area.

[0031] In this embodiment, for example, at least one of the following may be adopted. There may be multiple vertical conveyors 202. Each vertical conveyor 202 may move up and down the shelves 5, or some of the vertical conveyors 202 may be dedicated to moving up, and the remaining vertical conveyors 202 may be dedicated to moving down. The shelves 5 and the stand 192 may be integrated. The transported objects (including the shelves 5) may be objects with legs (objects with legs) or objects without legs (objects without legs). Objects without legs are stored on the stand 192. Objects with legs may be stored in a storage position without the stand 192. Whether the objects are objects with legs or objects without legs stored on the stand 192, the transport device 3 can enter under the objects and lift them up for transport. If all the objects have legs and the transport device 3 can enter under the objects and lift them up for transport, the stand 192 does not need to be provided. Furthermore, the platform 192 is not limited to the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, and may be any structure that supports the object so as to provide space below the object for the transport device 3 to enter and lift it up for transport. The platform 192 may also be called a support unit, an object storage facility, or an object support facility. The vertical conveyor 202 may raise and lower the conveying device 3 together with the shelf 5. Specifically, when the shelf 5 moves between the first-tier area 200A and the second-tier area 200B, one of the starting position and the destination position is in the first-tier area 200A and the other is in the second-tier area 200B, and the vertical conveyor 202 may be part of the movement path of the conveying device 3 when the conveying device 3 moves from the starting position to the destination position.

[0032] FIG. 2A is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the first-tier area 200A. FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the second-tier area 200B. In the examples shown in FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, the first-tier area 200A and the second-tier area 200B overlap in a planar view, but they do not necessarily have to overlap. Also, FIGS. 2A and 2B schematically illustrate the areas 200A and 200B, and the areas 200A and 200B illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B do not completely match the areas 200A and 200B illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0033] The first-tier area 200A is divided into a plurality of rectangular sections 201 of a predetermined size and managed. Hereinafter, the sections 201 (and section 251, described later) may be referred to as sections (α, β, γ). α is the x-coordinate (section position along the x-direction), β is the y-coordinate (section position along the y-direction), and γ is the z-coordinate (area position in the height direction). In this embodiment, the value of γ is "1" (first-tier area) or "2" (second-tier area).

[0034] A marker (not shown) indicating the location of each section 201 may be marked within each section 201. The marker may include information for identifying the location of the section, such as the location information of the section or information associated with the location information of the section (e.g., identification information of the section 201). The marker is information that can be read by the sensor 14 of the transport device 3, and may be, for example, a one-dimensional code, a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark), or an RFID (radio frequency identifier) ​​tag. In this embodiment, a QR code (registered trademark) will be described as an example of the marker. For example, when the transport device 3 passes through each section 201, the transport device 3 reads the marker in that section 201. Each transport device 3 transmits the read marker information together with the identification information of the transport device 3 to the control device 4. The control device 4 identifies the location of each transport device 3 based on the identification information of the transport device 3 and the marker information received from each transport device 3. The plate-like members are provided throughout the entire area of ​​the section 201, and movement from the section 201 to another adjacent section 201 is possible, and the conveying device 3 may be able to turn within the section 201.

[0035] In a plan view, the first-tier area 200A includes sections (6,13,1) and (13,13,1) where the vertical conveyor 202 is located, sections (7,13,1) and (12,13,1) where the shelves 5 transported by the vertical conveyor 202 are temporarily placed, shelf storage sections (3,3,1) and (3,4,1) where the shelves 5 are stored (placed) (sections with the same pattern in FIG. 2A ), section (1,1,1) where the battery station is located, and sections (6,15,1) and (13,15,1) where the picking station 6 is located. Hereinafter, the section where the shelves 5 are temporarily placed may be referred to as a "buffer section." In this embodiment, there is one buffer section for each vertical conveyor 202, but there may be two or more buffer sections for at least one vertical conveyor 202. In other words, for each vertical conveyor 202, the number of buffer sections (the number of shelves 5 that can be buffered (temporarily placed) in the first-tier area 200A) may be a predetermined number M (M is a natural number). The shelves 5 may be, for example, approximately the same size as one section 201, or may be smaller than one section 201. Note that there may be various variations in how the sections are set. Also, a section into which the conveyor device 3 must not enter (for example, section (3,1,1)) may be provided.

[0036] For each section 201 in the first-tier area 200A, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 2A, the direction in which the conveying device 3 can move within that section 201 may not be limited (for example, the +x direction, the -x direction, the +y direction, and the -y direction may all be directions in which the conveying device 3 can move). Between shelf storage sections, the conveying device 3 without a shelf 5 loaded thereon can move in the direction of the arrow. Note that, to prevent collision with shelves stored in the shelf storage section, the control device 4 may prohibit the conveying device 3 with a shelf 5 loaded thereon from traveling within the shelf storage section.

[0037] Furthermore, the sections 201 may be set to allow movement in both directions, or may be set to allow movement in only one direction. For example, by setting some sections 201 to allow movement in only one direction, it is expected that congestion of the conveying devices 3 can be suppressed or reduced, and overall conveying efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, if there are many sections 201 between which movement can only be in one direction, the movement path of the conveying devices 3 may become long. Therefore, the movement direction of the conveying devices 3 may be set in advance depending on the number of conveying devices 3 in the first-tier area 200A or the position and type of each section 201, or such a direction may be dynamically set or changed by the control device 4.

[0038] The second-tier area 200B is divided into a plurality of rectangular sections 251 of a predetermined size for management. In a plan view, the second-tier area 200B has sections (6,13,2) and (13,13,2) where the vertical conveyor 202 is located, buffer sections (7,13,2) and (12,13,2), and shelf storage sections (3,2,2) and (3,3,2), etc. (sections with the same pattern in FIG. 2B). Similar to section 201, section 251 also has markers 300 provided therein, as shown in FIG. 2D.

[0039] When installing a mezzanine, it is necessary to comply with the various laws and regulations of the installation location (e.g., country and region). Examples of laws and regulations include the Building Standards Act and Fire Service Act in Japan, and depending on the specifications, various applications may be required or the installation of fire protection equipment may be required. In addition to laws and regulations, there may also be standards and guidelines that must be complied with.

[0040] The specifications of mezzanines that can be installed vary depending on the specifications of the logistics center or warehouse where the mezzanine will be installed, time costs, financial costs, customer needs, and compliance with laws and regulations. For example, one specification of the second-tier area 200B, which is an area on the mezzanine, may be a structure in which a plate-like floor (e.g., iron plates) is laid across the entire surface of each section 251 in which the conveying device 3 travels in the second-tier area 200B, as illustrated in FIG. 2C. Markers 300 may be provided in the section 251, as in the section 201. Furthermore, in the section 251 illustrated in FIG. 2C, the direction in which the conveying device 3 can move may be set as described for the first-tier area 200A (similar to the first-tier area 200A). Furthermore, the conveying device 3 can turn in the section 251 illustrated in FIG. 2C.

[0041] As another specification of the second-tier area 200B, the second-tier area 200B may have a structure in which an aisle 310 for the conveying device 3 is installed, as exemplified in FIG. 2D. Note that as another specification of the second-tier area 200B, the second-tier area 200B may include both the section 251 exemplified in FIG. 2C and the section 251 exemplified in FIG. 2D. As an example of this embodiment, the following description will describe in detail a case in which the section 251 to which the specification exemplified in FIG. 2D is applied is adopted in the second-tier area 200B. The section 251 having the aisle 310 covers the entire (or part of) the travel range of the second-tier area 200B, which is the range in which the conveying device 3 can travel.

[0042] In the section 251, the passage 310 is made up of, for example, a plurality of parallel plate-like (strip-like) members (for example, iron plates) on which the wheels of the conveying device 3 can run. The wheels of the conveying device 3 may not run on areas other than the passage 310 in the section 251. The passage 310 may be a rail.

[0043] The sections 251 in the travel range are either x-passage sections, y-passage sections, or both-passage sections. An "x-passage section" is a section that has an x-direction passage 310X (a passage extending in the x-direction) but does not have a y-direction passage 310Y (a passage extending in the y-direction) (the upper left and lower left sections in FIG. 2D). A "y-passage section" is a section that has a y-direction passage 310Y but does not have an x-direction passage 310X (not shown in FIG. 2D). A "both-passage section" is a section that has an x-direction passage 310X and a y-direction passage 310Y that intersect (the upper right and lower right sections in FIG. 2D). Here, the "intersection" of the passages 310 may be perpendicular or T-shaped. The x-direction passage 310X and the y-direction passage 310Y may be collectively referred to as a "single passage." Two-dimensional elements having one passage (for example, rectangular elements having the same size as the compartments) and two-dimensional elements having both passages (x-direction passage and y-direction passage) may be laid out in the second area 200B.

[0044] The transport device 3 cannot turn in either the x-path section or the y-path section, but can turn (change the direction of movement) in both path sections. For example, as shown by the dotted circles in both path sections at the top right of Fig. 2D, the transport device 3 can turn in both path sections by passing its wheels over the x-direction path 310X and the y-direction path 310Y.

[0045] The x-direction passages 310X in each section (relative positions) of the x passage section and both passage sections are the same. For example, "x passage section and x passage section," "x passage section and both passage sections," or "both passage sections and both passage sections" can be adjacent to each other along the x direction. With this configuration, a long x-direction passage 310X in the x direction is formed in the sections lined up along the x direction, and the conveying device 3 can travel along the x-direction passage 310X between the multiple sections along the x direction.

[0046] Note that the section adjacent to an x-passage section in the y direction is usually an x-passage section or both. For example, since there is no y-direction passage 310Y between adjacent x-passage sections in the y direction, the conveying device 3 cannot move in the y direction between the x-passage sections. Note that there may be structures between adjacent x-passage sections in the y direction, between adjacent y-passage sections in the x direction, or at positions 315X, 315Y at the ends of the second-tier area 200B. Examples of structures may include walls, pillars, or a platform on which a shelf is placed.

[0047] The y passage section and both passage sections have the same position (relative position) of the y-direction passage 310Y in each section. For example, "a y passage section and a y passage section," "a y passage section and both passage sections," or "both passage sections and both passage sections" can be adjacent to each other along the y direction. With this configuration, a y-direction passage 310Y that is long in the y direction is formed on the sections lined up in the y direction, and the conveying device 3 can travel along the y-direction passage 310Y that spans multiple sections along the y direction.

[0048] Note that a section adjacent to a y passage section in the x direction is usually a y passage section or both. For example, since there is no x-direction passage 310X between y passage sections adjacent to each other in the x direction, the transport device 3 cannot move in the x direction between the y passage sections.

[0049] As described above, in the second-tier area 200B, the direction in which the conveyance device 3 can move is along (parallel to) the direction in which the passage 310 extends (e.g., the longitudinal direction of the plate-like members constituting the passage 310). Note that in the section 251, the x-direction passage 310X or the y-direction passage 310Y may be bidirectional (both +x and −x directions in the case of the x-direction passage 310X, and both +y and −y directions in the case of the y-direction passage 310Y). However, in cases where the number of passage sections in which the conveyance device 3 can turn (both passage sections in which the conveyance device 3 can change direction) is limited in the second-tier area 200B, allowing the conveyance device 3 to move in only one direction between at least some of the sections 251 can prevent or reduce congestion of the conveyance device 3 and can be expected to improve conveyance efficiency. For example, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 2B, the direction in which the conveyance device 3 can move may be limited to a direction in which the conveyance device 3 travels around at least some of the second-tier area 200B in a fixed direction. For example, the direction in which the conveying device 3 can move may be both x directions (+x direction and -x direction) in the shelf storage section, but in the transfer section between the shelf storage sections (e.g., (4,6,2) or (6,3,2) in Figure 2B), the x direction may be limited to one x direction (+x direction or -x direction), or the y direction may be limited to one y direction (+y direction or -y direction).

[0050] 2B, the reason why the transport device 3 in the shelf storage section can move in both x directions but not both y directions is because the shelf storage area (an area made up of multiple shelf storage sections that are continuous in the x and y directions) is shorter in the x direction than in the y direction. In other words, if the shelf storage area is shorter in the y direction than in the x direction, the transport device 3 in the shelf storage section can move in both y directions but not both x directions.

[0051] Furthermore, the direction of movement in the sections 251 must be along the direction in which the passage 310 extends. For example, the direction of movement in the x passage section cannot be limited to the +y direction or the -y direction, and the direction of movement in the y passage section cannot be limited to the +x direction or the -x direction. In other words, if all sections 251 in the travel range are considered to be both passage sections, the direction of movement in any section 251 can be limited to either the x direction or the y direction. However, because the passage area of ​​the x passage section and the y passage section is smaller than that of the both passage sections, the fewer the number of both passage sections, the more reduction in work hours and the weight and resource conservation can be expected.

[0052] When the compartment 251 having the specifications illustrated in FIG. 2D is used in the second-tier area 200B, it can be made lighter than the compartment 251 having a structure in which the entire surface is covered with a plank-like floor (e.g., steel plate) as illustrated in FIG. 2C. Furthermore, the materials (e.g., iron) and energy required for manufacturing the compartment 251 can be reduced. Therefore, by using the compartment 251 illustrated in FIG. 2D in the second-tier area 200B, it is possible to reduce the weight and resources of the second-tier area 200B and the mezzanine. The weight reduction of the mezzanine can, for example, reduce the load on the floor on which the mezzanine is installed, facilitate the installation of the mezzanine, and reduce floor costs (such as costs for installing and maintaining the mezzanine). Furthermore, the resource-saving mezzanine reduces the environmental impact.

[0053] Referring again to FIG. 1, the conveying device 3 is a device that moves in accordance with a movement instruction from the control device 4 and may typically be an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle). The object to be conveyed is, for example, a shelf 5 or a pallet. When the object to be conveyed is something that can carry one or more items (for example, a shelf 5 or a pallet), the object to be conveyed may also be called a storage unit (storage device) or a loading platform. In this embodiment, a shelf 5 will be described as an example of the object to be conveyed by the conveying device 3. The object to be conveyed may also be called a conveyed object. For example, in accordance with a movement instruction from the control device 4, the conveying device 3 lifts the shelf 5 specified in the movement instruction and conveys the shelf 5 to the picking station 6 specified in the movement instruction (or closest to the current position of the conveying device 3). After a worker removes the required items from the shelf 5 at the picking station 6 (i.e., after picking), the shelf 5 is returned to its original section (or another section) by the conveying device 3.

[0054] The transport route to picking station 6 and the transport route from picking station 6 to the original storage section of shelf 5 (or a different storage section) may be specified in a single movement instruction or in separate movement instructions. As an example of this different location, a shelf that stores products that are picked frequently (e.g., frequently) and is transported frequently (e.g., frequently) to picking station 6 may be installed in a shelf storage section located close to picking station 6 or in the first-tier area 200A where picking station 6 is located. A shelf that is transported infrequently to picking station 6 may be installed in a shelf storage section located far from picking station 6 or in an area other than the area where picking station 6 is located (e.g., the second-tier area 200B). In this way, by changing the installation location of the shelf depending on the number of times products are transported to picking station 6, transport efficiency can be improved.

[0055] As shown in Fig. 3A, the conveying device 3 is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. Drive wheels 20 for turning and moving the conveying device 3 forward are arranged on the lower surface (bottom surface) of the conveying device 3, as shown in Fig. 3B, and auxiliary wheels 21 are arranged at the four corners of the lower surface of the conveying device 3. In addition, a cylindrical lifting body 22 is provided in the center of the upper surface of the conveying device 3 so that it can be raised and lowered and rotated freely. At least one of the drive wheels 20 and the auxiliary wheels 21 is the "wheel" of the conveying device 3.

[0056] As shown in Figure 4, the conveying device 3 rotates the drive wheels 20 to move to below the shelf 5 to be conveyed, then raises the lifting body 22 to lift the shelf 5, and conveys the shelf 5 by traveling in this state within the warehouse 2. At this time, the conveying device 3 can also change the orientation of the lifted shelf 5 by rotating the lifting body 22. The conveying device 3 can also rotate (pivot) without rotating the lifted shelf 5 by rotating (pivoting) the main body other than the lifting and rotating body 22 relative to the lifting and rotating body 22.

[0057] Further, for example, the transportation of a shelf 5 from the second-tier area 200B to the first-tier area 200A is as shown in FIG. 5. The transport device 3 in the second-tier area 200B transports the shelf 5 from a starting position in the second-tier area 200B (e.g., a shelf storage section) to a section immediately before the vertical conveyor 202 (a buffer section in the second-tier area 200B). The transport equipment in the second-tier area 200B transports the shelf 5 from the buffer section into the vertical conveyor 202 (upper left diagram in FIG. 5). The transport equipment that transports the shelf 5 to this vertical conveyor 202 may be the transport device 3 in the second-tier area 200B, or may be another transport device (loading / unloading device such as a conveyor) in the second-tier area 200B. The vertical conveyor 202 containing the shelf 5 descends from the second-tier area 200B to the first-tier area 200A and transports the shelf 5 to the first-tier area (upper right diagram in FIG. 5). The conveying equipment in the first-tier area 200A moves the shelf 5 from the vertical conveyor 202 that has arrived at the first-tier area 200A to the buffer section of the first-tier area 200A (see the lower left diagram in FIG. 5). The conveying equipment that conveys to this buffer section may be the conveying device 3 in the first-tier area 200A, or may be another conveying device (a loading / unloading device such as a conveyor) in the first-tier area 200A. The shelf 5 that is temporarily placed in the buffer section is conveyed by the conveying device 3 to a destination position (for example, a picking station 6 or a shelf storage section in the first-tier area 200A) (see the lower right diagram in FIG. 5).

[0058] Similarly, the transportation of a shelf 5 from a starting position in the first-tier area 200A to a destination position in the second-tier area 200B will be described. The transport device 3 in the first-tier area 200A transports the shelf 5 from the starting position in the first-tier area 200A (for example, a shelf storage section or a picking station 6) to a section immediately before the vertical conveyor 202 (a buffer section in the first-tier area 200A). The transport equipment in the first-tier area 200A transports the shelf 5 from the buffer section into the vertical conveyor 202. The transport equipment that transports the shelf 5 to this vertical conveyor 202 may be the transport device 3 in the first-tier area 200A, or may be another transport device (a loading / unloading device such as a conveyor) in the first-tier area 200A. The vertical conveyor 202, which has the shelf 5 inside, rises from the first-tier area 200A to the second-tier area 200B and transports the shelf 5 to the second-tier area. The conveying equipment in the second-tier area 200B moves the shelf 5 from the vertical conveyor 202 that has arrived at the second-tier area 200B to the buffer section of the second-tier area 200B. The conveying equipment that conveys to this buffer section may be the conveying device 3 in the second-tier area 200B, or may be another conveying device (a loading / unloading device such as a conveyor) in the second-tier area 200B. The shelf 5 that is temporarily placed in the buffer section is conveyed by the conveying device 3 to a destination position (for example, a shelf storage section in the second-tier area 200B).

[0059] The vertical conveyor 202 and the loading / unloading device may be an integrated conveying facility (which may be called a vertical conveying system, a vertical conveyor, or an inter-area conveyor), or may be separate devices.

[0060] The transport device 3 is equipped with an automatic charging function, and when the remaining charge of the on-board battery (not shown) falls below a predetermined value, the transport device 3 moves to a battery station and automatically charges.

[0061] The control device 4 is wirelessly connected to each conveying device 3 in the warehouse 2, inter-area conveying devices such as the vertical conveying device 202, and each conveying equipment (such as the conveying equipment in the first-tier area 200A and the second-tier area 200B) via a wireless communication line such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Movement instructions are transmitted from the control device 4 to equipment (such as the conveying device 3, the vertical conveying device 202, and the conveying equipment) that will perform movement (including conveyance), and the equipment that receives the movement instructions moves in accordance with the movement instructions.

[0062] For example, in response to an order from a customer, the control device 4 identifies the shelf 5 on which the ordered product is stored and transmits a movement instruction (hereinafter, an instruction related to such transportation is referred to as a movement instruction) to the conveyance device 3 to transport the shelf 5 to the picking station 6. If the identified shelf 5 is located in the second-tier area 200B, the control device 4 transmits a movement instruction to the conveyance device 3 in the second-tier area 200B to transport the shelf 5 from its placement position (shelf storage position) to the vertical conveyor 202 (or buffer compartment). If the shelf 5 has been transported to the buffer compartment, the control device 4 transmits a movement instruction to the conveyance equipment in the second-tier area 200B to transport the shelf 5 from the buffer compartment into the vertical conveyor 202. The control device 4 controls the vertical conveyor 202 to transport the shelf 5 from the second-tier area 200B to the first-tier area 200A. When transporting the shelf 5 to the buffer compartment, the control device 4 transmits a movement instruction to the transport equipment in the first-tier area 200A to transport the shelf 5 from the vertical transporter 202 to the buffer compartment. The control device 4 transmits a movement instruction to the transport device 3 to transport the shelf 5 from the arrangement position of the shelf 5 (vertical transporter 202 or buffer compartment) to the picking station 6.

[0063] Furthermore, when the shelf 5 is transported using the vertical conveyor 202, the control device 4 may issue a transport instruction to the vertical conveyor when the conveyor device 3 is made to transport the shelf 5 to the vertical conveyor 202 or when the conveyor device 3 is transporting the shelf 5 to the vertical conveyor 202 (for example, when the conveyor device 3 approaches the vertical conveyor 202, such as when it is within a predetermined distance from the vertical conveyor 202). By issuing a transport instruction in advance, the vertical conveyor 202 can be prepared for transport, improving transport efficiency. Here, as an example of transport preparation for the vertical conveyor 202, when a downward transport of the shelf 5 is to be performed, the portion of the vertical conveyor 202 that carries the shelf 5 (the elevator car) may be moved to the second-stage area 200B, or when an upward transport of the shelf 5 is to be performed, the portion of the vertical conveyor 202 that carries the shelf 5 may be moved to the first-stage area 200A. In addition, the control device 4 may send a transport instruction to the vertical transport device 202 when the transport device 3 has completed transporting the shelf 5 to the buffer section, or when the transport device 3 has moved out of the buffer section after the transport has been completed.

[0064] If there are multiple transport tasks using the vertical conveyor 202 at the same time, the control device 4 may adjust the processing order of the transport tasks of the vertical conveyor 202 based on predetermined criteria such as the earliest transport task or transport instruction for the shelf 5, the earliest transport to the vertical conveyor 202, or the highest priority of the transport task, and send a movement instruction to the vertical conveyor 202 or the transport device 3. The control device 4 may reserve both or at least one of the vertical conveyor 202 and the buffer section in association with a transport task, so that they do not compete with other transport tasks while reserved.

[0065] Furthermore, the control device 4 issues movement instructions to each conveyance device 3, vertical conveyance machine 202, etc. for each of the multiple conveyance tasks, and the entire conveyance system can process multiple conveyance tasks in parallel. For shelves 5 that have been moved and carried out by the vertical conveyance machine 202, a movement instruction is sent to the nearest conveyance device 3 that can be transported. Furthermore, at the picking station 6, picking work may be performed in the order in which the shelves were transported to the picking station 6 (in the order of arrival).

[0066] The "movement instruction" transmitted to the transport device 3 is associated with information representing a transport task assigned to the transport device 3. The transport task is a task that determines which shelf 5 to transport to which section, and the information representing the transport task may include, for example, the shelf ID of the shelf 5 to be transported, a movement route along which the transport device 3 will move, and a movement direction of the transport device 3. The movement route may include a route from the current section of the transport device 3 (the section to which the current position belongs) to the shelf section (the section where the shelf 5 to be transported is located) and a route from the shelf section to a destination section (e.g., picking station 6), or may be a part of that route (e.g., a route to be traveled immediately). After a worker picks a product from the shelf 5 at the picking station 6, the control device 4 issues a "movement instruction" to the transport device 3 to the designated position in order to return the shelf 5 to the designated position. This movement route may further include a route from the picking station 6 to the designated position. Of the compartments adjacent to the picking station 6 and the battery station, at least the compartment adjacent to the picking station 6 may be an example of a destination compartment (a compartment to which the destination position belongs).

[0067] 6 and 7 are diagrams showing specific configuration examples of elements of the conveyance system in this embodiment. The conveyance system includes a control device 4, a conveyance device 3, a vertical conveyor 202, a picking terminal 710, and a network 551. The conveyance system may further include other conveyance equipment (e.g., a loading / unloading device that transports shelves 5 between the vertical conveyor 202 and the buffer compartment), a multi-tier area 122 (e.g., a mezzanine), a platform 192, shelves 5, and all or part of a picking station 6. There may be one or more of each component of the conveyance system. For example, the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 may be realized by introducing the conveyance system into the warehouse 2.

[0068] The conveying device 3, the control device 4, the vertical conveyor 202, and the picking terminal 710 can communicate with each other via the network 551. There may be a plurality of vertical conveyors 202 and a plurality of picking terminals 710.

[0069] The transport device 3 includes a drive device 11, a storage device 12, an interface device 13, a plurality of types of sensors 14, a battery, and a controller 10 connected to these devices.

[0070] The controller 10 is a controller that controls the operation of the transport device 3 in accordance with movement instructions from the control device 4, the charge state of the built-in battery, etc. The drive device 11 includes drive wheels 20, auxiliary wheels 21, and the lifting body 22, as well as an actuator (not shown) such as a motor for driving the drive wheels 20 to rotate, and an actuator (not shown) such as a motor for raising and lowering and rotating the lifting body 22.

[0071] The interface device 13 is a device for communicating with the control device 4 by a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be configured, for example, by a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) wireless LAN (Local Area Network) card.

[0072] The sensor 14 is a device for collecting information about the floor surface on which the conveying device 3 travels and various information about the conveying device 3. For example, multiple types of sensors 14 are capable of reading information about markers 300 on the sections 201 and 251 on the floor. The conveying device 3 may be equipped with sensors such as a camera for capturing images of the states of the sections 201 and 251, a vibration sensor for detecting vibrations received by the conveying device 3 while moving, a speed sensor for measuring the speed of the conveying device 3, an acceleration sensor for measuring the acceleration of the conveying device 3, a weight sensor for measuring the weight of the load, and a gyro sensor for measuring the orientation of the conveying device 3, as the sensor 14.

[0073] The storage device 12 stores, for example, a route table 23, a device table 24, a map table 25, a measurement table 27, and a performance table 28. The controller 10 stores a communication program 29, a movement control program 30, a measurement program 31, and a position estimation program 32. The communication program 29, the movement control program 30, the measurement program 31, and the position estimation program 32 are executed by the controller 10 to realize a communication unit, a travel control unit, a measurement unit, and a position estimation unit.

[0074] The route table 23 is a table storing information representing the travel route specified in the above-mentioned travel instruction received from the control device 4 (the information representing the travel route may include the arrangement of storage locations of the sections and the date and time when each section to which the travel route belongs was located in that section). The device table 24 is a table storing the ID of the transport device 3, the storage location of the current section, and the status (e.g., "standby," "moving," or "transporting"). The map table 25 is a table storing information representing the position and attributes of each section (e.g., which area it belongs to). Note that an example of the map table 25 may be the information illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The measurement table 27 is a table storing values ​​measured by multiple types of sensors 14 (e.g., speed, acceleration, rotation, weight, storage location (value read from a two-dimensional barcode), captured images of the section, etc.). The performance table 28 is a table storing information representing the travel performance of the transport device 3, including the route and date and time traveled.

[0075] The communication program 29 is a program having a function of exchanging commands and information with the control device 4 via the interface device 13. For example, the communication program 29 transmits at least some of the information in tables 23 to 25, 27, and 28 to the control device 4 in response to (or without) a request from the control device 4. The communication program of each transport device 3 may transmit each of these pieces of information to the control device 4 at regular or irregular intervals.

[0076] The movement control program 30 is a program that controls the movement of the conveying device 3 in accordance with movement instructions received from the control device 4 via the communication program 29. For example, the movement control program 30 controls the drive device 11 in accordance with the movement instructions from the control device 4 to lift a specified shelf 5 and move it to the picking station 6 along a specified movement path, or controls the drive device 11 to return the shelf 5 to its original position (or another position) along the specified movement path.

[0077] The measurement program 31 registers the output (measurement results) of each sensor 14 in the measurement table 27. The position estimation program 32 estimates the position of the transport device 3 based on the markers (markers 300 affixed to each section 201, 251 of the first stage area 200A and the second stage area 200B) detected by the sensors 14 of the transport device 3.

[0078] The control device 4 may be one or more physical computers having hardware such as a processor 40, a memory 41, a storage device 42, an input device 43, an output device 44, and an interface device 45, or may be a system (e.g., a cloud computing system) implemented on one or more physical computers (e.g., a cloud platform). Each device included in the control device 4 may be located on a single physical computer, or may be distributed across multiple physical computers. Each program and each piece of information included in the storage device 42 may be stored in a single storage device, or may be distributed across multiple storage devices. Instead of the input device 43 and the output device 44, information may be input / output via a client system that can communicate via the interface device 45.

[0079] The processor 40 is a device that controls the overall operation of the control device 4. The memory 41 is used as a work memory for the processor 40. The storage device 42 stores programs and tables. The input device 43 is composed of, for example, a mouse or a keyboard, and is used by an operator to input necessary information and instructions to the control device 4. The output device 44 may be a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The interface device 45 is a device for communicating with the conveying device 3, the vertical conveyor 202, and the picking terminal 710 via a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be composed of, for example, a Wi-Fi card.

[0080] The storage device 42 stores, for example, an equipment conveyance table 53, an inventory table 54, a shelf table 57, a map table 56, a vertical conveyance table 61, an order table 55, a picking table 58, a shelf conveyance table 59, a floor table 60, and a boundary table 62. Tables 53 to 55 and 57 to 62 will be described later. The map table 56 is a table that stores information representing maps of each of the first-tier area 200A and the second-tier area 200B (for example, information representing the position (coordinates) and attributes of each section (e.g., whether each section corresponds to a shelf storage section, a picking station 6, a battery station, a vertical conveyor 202, or a buffer section) for each of the areas 200A and 200B) (this table 56 may be distributed to each conveyance device 3 and stored as a map table 25 in each conveyance device 3).

[0081] The floor table 60 and the boundary table 62 may be an example of area information. The equipment transport table 53, the shelf transport table 59, and the vertical transport table 61 may be an example of transport management information (for example, information including information indicating the allocation relationship between transport tasks and transport devices 3). Specifically, for example, the equipment transport table 53 and a portion of the shelf transport table 59 (information about shelves in the first-tier area 200A and the second-tier area 200B) may be an example of information about transport by one or more transport devices 3. A portion of the shelf transport table 59 (for example, information about buffer sections, information about shelves in the first-tier area 200A and the second-tier area) and the vertical transport table 61 may be an example of information about transport by an inter-area transport device.

[0082] The storage device 42 stores a storage program 50 and a processing program 51. A storage unit and a processing unit are realized by the processor 40 executing the storage program 50 and the processing program 51. The storage program 50 stores these tables 53 to 62 in the storage device 42.

[0083] The vertical conveyor 202 includes an interface device 711, a memory device 713, a drive device 714, a sensor 715, and a processor 712 connected thereto.

[0084] The interface device 711 is a device for communicating with the control device 4 by a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be configured, for example, by a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) wireless LAN (Local Area Network) card. The drive device 714 is a device for driving the vertical conveyor 202 to raise and lower the same or to put it on standby. The sensor 715 may be a sensor for detecting the position of the vertical conveyor 202, etc.

[0085] The memory device 713 stores a vertical conveyance table 760. The vertical conveyance table 760 may be a table that contains the same information as at least a part of the vertical conveyance table 61 of the control device 4. The processor 712 executes a program in the memory device 713, thereby controlling the overall operation of the vertical conveyor 202, for example, based on the vertical conveyance table 760.

[0086] The picking terminal 710 is an information processing terminal for managing the picking work in the picking station 6. The picking terminal 710 has an interface device 731, a storage device 732, and a processor 733 connected to these.

[0087] The interface device 731 is a device for communicating with the control device 4 via a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be configured, for example, by a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) wireless local area network (LAN) card. The storage device 732 stores a picking table 770. The picking table 770 may be a table containing at least a portion of the same information as the picking table 58 held by the control device 4 (for example, a table showing information for identifying orders to be processed, scheduled work times, and actual progress). The processor 733 executes a program in the storage device 732 to control the overall operation of the picking terminal 710, for example, based on the picking table 770.

[0088] The picking terminal 710 may include an input device and an output device. The input device may receive information about the picking work from the worker, such as the completion of the picking work. The output device may output instructions about the picking work to the worker.

[0089] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the order table 55. As shown in FIG.

[0090] The order table 55 is a table that stores various information related to orders from customers. The order table 55 has a record for each order. Each record holds information such as a processing ID 601, a slip number 602, a store name 603, a store code 604, a product name 605, a product ID 606, a quantity 607, a delivery date 608, a received date and time 609, and a processing date and time 610. Take one order as an example (referred to as the "order of interest" in the explanation of FIG. 8). According to the example shown in FIG. 8, even if the slip number 602 is the same, if the product type (for example, the product name 605 and the product ID 606) is different, they are treated as separate orders. One order may be managed as two or more separate orders, or two or more orders may be managed as one order.

[0091] The process ID 601 indicates the ID of the order of interest. The slip number 602 indicates the so-called slip number.

[0092] The store name 603 indicates the name of the store to which the product specified in the order in question is to be shipped, and the store code 604 indicates the code of the store.

[0093] The product name 605 indicates the name of the product specified in the order of interest, the product ID 606 indicates the ID of the product, and the quantity 607 indicates the number of the product.

[0094] The delivery date 608 indicates the deadline for the product specified in the target order to be delivered to the order recipient (typically a customer). The processing program 51 may calculate the deadline for actual picking at the picking station by working backwards from the delivery date 608. The processing program 51 may determine the timing for sending a movement instruction to the transport device 3 based on the calculated deadline, or may specify the date and time when the transport device 3 should arrive at the picking station in the movement instruction.

[0095] The reception date and time 609 indicates the date and time when the target order was received. The operation date and time 610 indicates the date and time when the operation of transporting the shelf 5 on which the product specified in the target order is placed to the picking station 6 will be performed.

[0096] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the inventory table 54.

[0097] The inventory table 54 is a table that stores information about products. The inventory table 54 has a record for each product. Each record holds information such as product name 701, product ID 702, stock quantity 703, shelf ID 704, product location 705, and picking count 706. Take one product as an example ("product of interest" in the explanation of Figure 9). Note that if the same product is stored on different shelves, multiple records exist for the same product. Similarly, if the same product is stored in different product locations on the same shelf, multiple records exist for the same product.

[0098] Product name 701 indicates the name of the product of interest. Product ID 702 indicates the ID of the product of interest. Stock quantity 703 indicates the stock quantity of the product of interest. Shelf ID 704 indicates the ID of the shelf 5 on which the product of interest is located. Product position 705 indicates the position of the product of interest on the shelf 5. For example, "U3R2" means "third from the top (U), second from the right (R)."

[0099] The number of pickings 706 indicates the number of times the product of interest has been picked. The number of pickings 706 may be counted per shelf, or may be the number of products picked. The number of pickings 706 may be used for rearranging the shelves 5, replacing products within the shelves 5, etc. Furthermore, the number of pickings 706 may be reset or updated at regular intervals, and may be, for example, the number of pickings in a predetermined period, and therefore may be called the "picking frequency."

[0100] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the shelf table 57. As shown in FIG.

[0101] The shelf table 57 is a table that stores information about the shelves 5. The shelf table 57 has a record for each shelf 5. Each record holds a shelf ID 801, a storage location 802, a shelf weight 803 (unit: for example, [Kg]), a product weight 804 (unit: for example, [Kg]), and a number of transports 805. Take one shelf 5 as an example ("target shelf 5" in the explanation of FIG. 10).

[0102] The shelf ID 801 represents the ID of the shelf 5 of interest. The storage location 802 represents the section and area height in which the shelf 5 of interest is located. Specifically, the storage location 802 is expressed as "(column number, row number, stage number)". For example, (3,3,1) means the section (3,3) in the first stage area 200A. If the shelf 5 of interest is located in a buffer section, the storage location 802 represents the position of that buffer section. If the shelf 5 of interest is in the process of being transported, the storage location 802 may represent the status of the shelf 5 of interest being "transported". If the shelf 5 of interest is in the process of being picked, the storage location 802 may represent the status of the shelf 5 of interest being "picked".

[0103] The shelf weight 803 represents the weight of the target shelf 5. The product weight 804 represents the total weight of all products placed on the target shelf 5. The product weight 804 may be calculated by the processing program 51, for example, based on the inventory quantity 703 of the product corresponding to the shelf ID 704 of the target shelf 5 and the weight of each product.

[0104] The number of transfers 805 is information indicating the number of times a transfer task for the shelf of interest 5 is executed. Each time a transfer task for the shelf of interest 5 is executed, the number of transfers 805 corresponding to the shelf of interest 5 is updated, for example, by the storage program 50. For example, the shelf 5 with shelf ID "S634" has a low number of transfers 805 and is therefore stored in a section with a high transfer cost. The number of transfers 805 may be incremented each time the shelf of interest 5 is transferred regardless of the destination section, or the number of transfers 805 may not be incremented even if the shelf of interest 5 is transferred, depending on the destination section. For example, the number of transfers 805 corresponding to the shelf of interest 5 may be updated each time a transfer task to the picking station 6 as the destination section is executed. Note that the "number of transfers" may be reset or updated at regular intervals, and may be the number of transfers in a predetermined period, for example, and therefore may be referred to as the "transfer frequency."

[0105] The processing program 51 determines, for each shelf 5, whether the area in which the placement position of the shelf 5 is located should be a section of the first-tier area 200A, the low-density placement area of ​​the second-tier area 200B, or the high-density placement area of ​​the second-tier area 200B, based on the number of transfers 805 in the shelf table 57 (for example, statistics on the number of transfers 805 of all shelves 5). This is expected to maintain the section in which the shelf 5 is placed as an optimal section depending on the number of transfers 805. For example, the processing program 51 determines the placement position of a shelf 5 with a relatively low number of transfers 805 (for example, a shelf 5 with shelf ID "S634") to be the high-density placement area of ​​the second-tier area 200B. This is expected to maintain high transfer efficiency. Details will be described later.

[0106] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the equipment transport table 53. As shown in FIG.

[0107] The equipment transport table 53 is a table that stores information acquired from each transport device 3. The equipment transport table 53 has a record for each transport device 3. Each record holds information such as an equipment ID 1101, a shelf flag 1102, a position 1103, a remaining battery level 1104, an equipment status 1105, a shelf ID 1106, a destination position 1107, and an expected arrival date and time 1108. Take one transport device 3 as an example (referred to as "target transport device 3" in the explanation of FIG. 11).

[0108] The device ID 1101 indicates the ID of the target transportation device 3. The shelf flag 1102 indicates whether the target transportation device 3 is loaded with a shelf. The position 1103 indicates the coordinates of the section where the target transportation device 3 is located (i.e., the current section). The remaining battery power 1104 indicates the remaining battery power of the target transportation device 3.

[0109] The device status 1105 indicates the status of the selected transportation device 3. "Moving" means that the selected transportation device 3 is moving. "Available" means that a shelf ID (specifically, a transport task including a shelf ID) has not been assigned to the selected transportation device 3. The shelf ID 1106 indicates the shelf ID included in the transport task assigned to the selected transportation device 3 (i.e., the ID of the shelf 5 to be transported specified in the transport task). The destination position 1107 indicates the destination position of the shelf 5 to which the selected transportation device 3 transports, and may be position information such as the address (coordinates) of the destination, or information (ID) identifying the destination section, such as the ID of the destination that can identify the destination position. For example, the destination of the transportation device 3 in the first-tier area 200A may be the ID of the picking station 6 (which may be the position (coordinates) corresponding to the picking station 6), the storage position of the shelf 5, or the ID (or coordinates) of the vertical transport device 202 (or the buffer section of the first-tier area 200A). Furthermore, for example, the destination of the conveyance device 3 in the second-tier area 200B may be a storage position on the shelf 5 or the ID (or coordinates) of the vertical conveyance machine 202 (or the buffer section of the second-tier area 200B).

[0110] The expected arrival date and time 1108 is the expected date and time when the target transportation device 3 will arrive at the destination (for example, the picking station 6). The expected arrival date and time 1108 may be, for example, a date and time calculated by the processing program 51 based on the movement route of the target transportation device 3 to the destination.

[0111] The processing program 51 of the control device 4 refers to the device transport table 53 and assigns a transport task to a transport device 3 whose device status 1105 is "free." However, even if the device status 1105 of a transport device 3 is currently "in motion," if the expected arrival date and time 1108 is close and its destination position 1107 is close to the position to which the next transport task will be moved, the transport of the next transport task may be executed earlier than other transport devices 3. In this case, the processing program 51 may refer to the device transport table 53 and assign (reserve or manage) the next transport task to the "in motion" transport device 3.

[0112] According to the table 53 illustrated in FIG. 11, for example, the following can be seen. The transport device 3 with the shelf flag 1102 set to “present” and the device status 1105 set to “moving” is currently transporting the shelf 5 identified by the shelf ID 1106 to the picking station 6 . A transport device 3 with the shelf flag 1102 set to "absent" and the device status 1105 set to "moving" is moving to acquire (e.g., load) a shelf 5 represented by the shelf ID 1106. After acquiring the shelf 5, the shelf flag 1102 is updated to "present," and the transport device 3 transports the shelf 5 to the picking station 6.

[0113] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the shelf transport table 59.

[0114] The shelf transport table 59 is a table that stores information related to transport of the shelf 5. The shelf transport table 59 has a record for each shelf 5 (or transport task of the shelf 5). Each record holds information such as a shelf ID 1101, a storage location 1202, a shelf 1203, a shelf status 1204, a device ID 1205, a device status 1206, a scheduled transport start date and time 1207, a transport destination 1208, and a scheduled transport end date and time 1209. Take one shelf 5 as an example ("target shelf 5" in the explanation of Figure 12).

[0115] The shelf ID 1201 indicates the ID of the shelf 5 of interest. The storage position 1202 indicates the storage position (column number, row number, stage number) before the shelf 5 of interest was transported. When the shelf 5 of interest is moved from its storage position, the storage position 1202 becomes blank "-". When the shelf 5 of interest is moved from its storage position, the position information may be updated based on marker information (position information) that the transport device 3 transporting the shelf 5 of interest reads and transmits to the control device 4. The storage position 1202 may be the latest position of the shelf 5 of interest. When the shelf 5 of interest is temporarily placed in a buffer position for transport by the vertical transport device 202, the storage position 1202 may be the position information (address) of the buffer position.

[0116] The row 1203 indicates in which row area (for example, the first row area 200A or the second row area 200B) the target shelf 5 is located.

[0117] Shelf status 1204 represents the status of the shelf that was placed in the second-tier area 200B. "Waiting" means that the shelf of interest 5 has been transported to the first-tier area 200A and is waiting in the buffer section. "Moving" means that the shelf of interest 5 is being moved from the vertical conveyor 202 that has arrived at the first-tier area 200A to the buffer section. "Before moving" means that the shelf of interest 5 has not yet been transported to the first-tier area 200A by the vertical conveyor 202 and is waiting in the second-tier area 200A to be transported by the vertical conveyor 202.

[0118] The device ID 1205 represents the ID of the transport device 3, vertical transport machine 202, or each transport equipment to which the transport task of the shelf of interest 5 has been assigned, and the device status 1206 represents the status of the transport device 3, vertical transport machine 202, or each transport equipment. "Loading" means that the shelf of interest 5 has already been loaded on the transport device 3, vertical transport machine 202, or each transport equipment and is moving (i.e., the shelf of interest 5 is being transported). "Moving" means that the transport device 3, vertical transport machine 202, or each transport equipment is moving to the storage position (placement position, current position) of the shelf of interest 5 to load it.

[0119] The scheduled transfer start date and time 1207 represents the scheduled date and time when transfer of the shelf of interest 5 by the transfer device 3, the vertical transfer machine 202, or each transfer facility is to begin, or the date and time when transfer has begun. For example, when a movement route is determined by the processing program 51 from the storage position 802 of the shelf of interest 5 and the position 1103 of the transfer device 3 to which the shelf of interest 5 is assigned, the scheduled transfer start date and time 1207 may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on information representing the movement route and the standard movement speed of the transfer device 3. Instead of or in addition to this method, the scheduled transfer start date and time 1207 may be calculated taking into account an average transfer speed estimated from past transfer history.

[0120] The destination 1208 is information that indicates the destination position of a transport task or a movement route, and is expressed as an address or identification information that can specify the destination position (for example, a picking station ID). For example, information such as the picking station ID or the address of a storage position on a shelf is stored as the destination 1208.

[0121] The scheduled end date and time of transport 1209 is the scheduled end date and time of the transport task, and may be calculated by the processing program 51 by adding the estimated required time based on the standard moving speed of the transport device 3, vertical transport machine 202, or each transport equipment, etc., to which the transport task of the target shelf 5 is assigned, to the scheduled start date and time of transport 1207.

[0122] The processing program 51 may manage transport tasks using a shelf transport table 59. In the case of transporting shelves between areas, etc., the shelf transport table 59 may hold information on the source, destination, equipment status, scheduled start date and time of transport (or start date and time of transport), and scheduled end date and time of transport (end date and time of transport) for each piece of transport equipment to which a transport task is assigned, in addition to the information shown in FIG.

[0123] The processing program 51 can control efficient overall transportation by managing the currently executing transportation task using the shelf transportation table 59, and by coordinating with other transportation tasks. For example, if there is a transportation task that transports the same shelf 5 at different picking stations, the transportation task can be adjusted based on the shelf transportation table 59, and transportation instructions can be issued so that the item is transported from the first picking station 6 to the next picking station 6 (without returning it to its original storage position on the shelf).

[0124] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the vertical conveying table 61. As shown in FIG.

[0125] The vertical conveyance table 61 is a table that stores information about conveyance by the vertical conveyor 202. The vertical conveyance table 61 has a record for each vertical conveyance. Each record holds information such as a vertical ID 1301, a conveyance mode 1302, a shelf ID 1303, a shelf status 1304, a conveyance start date and time 1305, and a buffering start date and time 1306. Take one vertical conveyance as an example (referred to as a "target vertical conveyance" in the description of FIG. 13). Note that a "vertical conveyance" is an example of an inter-area conveyance, and in this embodiment, it is either a conveyance from the second-tier area 200B to the first-tier area 200A, or a conveyance from the first-tier area 200A to the second-tier area 200B. When the number of areas is three or more, a conveyance from the source area to the destination area may be a "vertical conveyance" (an example of an inter-area conveyance). There are zero or more areas between the source area and the destination area.

[0126] The vertical ID 1301 indicates the ID of the vertical conveyor 202 that performs the vertical conveyance of interest. Note that the vertical ID 1301 may not be present, and the vertical conveyor table 61 may exist for each vertical conveyor 202.

[0127] The transport mode 1302 indicates the transport direction of the vertical transport device 202 carrying a shelf 5. "Up" means that the vertical transport device 202 transports the shelf 5 from the first-tier area 200A to the second-tier area 200B. "Down" means that the vertical transport device 202 transports the shelf 5 from the second-tier area 200B to the first-tier area 200A. Records corresponding to the vertical transport device 202 moving to the first-tier area 200A or the second-tier area 200B without a shelf 5 (for example, moving to receive the shelf 5 to be transported in the first-tier area 200A or the second-tier area 200B) do not need to exist in this table 61.

[0128] Shelf ID 1303 indicates the ID of the shelf 5 to be transported by the target vertical transport. Shelf status 1304 indicates the status of the shelf 5 to be vertically transported. "Up and down" means that the shelf 5 is being transported by the vertical transporter 202. "Waiting" means that the shelf 5 is waiting to be vertically transported at a waiting position (buffer section) in front of the vertical transporter 202. "Moving" means that the shelf 5 is in the process of being moved to the vertical transporter 202. "Before moving" means that the shelf 5 is waiting at its current location (e.g., a shelf storage section) to be transported to the vertical transporter 202.

[0129] The transfer start date and time 1305 represents the date and time when the target vertical transfer started or is scheduled to start. For example, the transfer start date and time 1305 may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on information about the transfer status of the vertical transfer device 202 and information about the date and time when the shelf 5 will arrive at the vertical transfer device 202. The date and time when the shelf 5 will arrive at the vertical transfer device 202 may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on the storage position of the shelf 5, the standard transfer time (or standard transfer speed) of the transfer device 3, and information about the transfer of another shelf 5 that will be transferred first. Furthermore, the transfer completion date and time (date and time when the vertical transfer is scheduled to be completed) may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on the transfer start date and time 1305 and the standard transfer time (or standard transfer speed) of the vertical transfer device 202, and the information may be stored in the vertical transfer table 61.

[0130] The buffering start date and time 1306 is the date and time when the shelf 5 targeted for the target vertical transfer is placed in a buffer section in the area of ​​the vertical transfer destination, and represents the date and time when the shelf 5 starts waiting in the buffer section for transfer to the destination position, or the date and time when the shelf 5 is scheduled to start waiting in the buffer section. Specifically, for example, the shelf 5 that has arrived at the first-tier area 200A by the vertical transfer device 202 is transferred by the transfer equipment (for example, placed on a platform conveyor (not shown) and transferred to the buffer section by the platform conveyor), and the buffering start date and time 1306 is the date and time when the shelf 5 is transferred to the buffer section by the transfer equipment. For example, the buffering start date and time 1306 may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on the transfer start date and time 1305, the standard transfer time (or standard transfer speed) of the vertical transfer device 202, the time required for delivery from the vertical transfer device 202 to the transfer equipment (for example, the platform conveyor), and the time required for transfer by the transfer equipment.

[0131] For example, when a shelf 5 is to be transported from a buffer section to a destination position (e.g., picking station 6), the control device 4 refers to the device transport table 53, assigns a transport task to a nearby transport device 3 in the same area as the buffer section and having an "empty" device status 1105, and transmits a movement instruction. For example, the control device 4 may refer to the vertical transport table 61 and instruct the transport device 3 to wait in the vicinity of the buffer section in advance or to start moving to the buffer section in advance so that the shelf 5 can be transported immediately from the buffering start date and time 1306. Furthermore, if there are multiple shelves 5 in the buffer section, the control device 4 may control (instruct movement) the transport task to be transported preferentially based on the highest priority, and may also instruct movement to transport the shelves in order of earliest buffering start date and time 1306. This prevents backlogs in the buffer section and enables efficient transportation.

[0132] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the picking table 58.

[0133] The picking table 58 is a table related to picking work. The picking table 58 has a record for each picking work. Each record holds information such as a picking station ID 1401, a process ID 1402, a device ID 1403, a shelf ID 1404, a product ID 1405, a quantity 1406, a scheduled start date and time 1407, a scheduled end date and time 1408, and a picking status 1409. Take one picking work as an example ("picking work of interest" in the explanation of FIG. 14).

[0134] The picking station ID 1401 indicates the ID of the picking station where the picking operation of interest is performed. The picking station ID 1401 may be omitted, and a picking table 58 may be provided for each picking station 6.

[0135] The process ID 1402 is the process ID of the order corresponding to the target picking operation. The device ID 1403 is the ID of the transport device 3 that transports, to the picking station 6, the shelf from which the product to be picked in the target picking operation is stored.

[0136] Shelf ID 1404 indicates the ID of the shelf that has the product to be picked in the target picking operation, product ID 1405 indicates the ID of the product, and quantity 1406 indicates the number of products to be picked. Note that according to table 58, in which records are arranged in ascending order of scheduled start date and time 1407, if the same shelf ID 1404 is consecutive, different products corresponding to different process IDs can be consecutively picked from one shelf 5.

[0137] The estimated start date and time 1407 represents the estimated start date and time of the target picking operation. The estimated end date and time 1408 represents the estimated end date and time of the target picking operation. The estimated start date and time 1407 may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on the estimated date and time of arrival of the conveyance device 3 at the picking station 6 along the movement route and the estimated length of time required for picking operations performed before the target picking operation. The estimated end date and time 1408 may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on the estimated start date and time 1407 and the estimated length of time required for the picking operation. The estimated length of time required for the picking operation may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on at least one of the quantity of products to be picked, the average time required for the picking operation, and the past picking operation history of the worker performing the picking operation. Note that the picking operation may be performed by a robot instead of or in addition to a worker.

[0138] The picking status 1409 indicates the status of the target picking operation. "Before operation" means that the transport device 3 carrying the shelf 5 has arrived at the picking station 6 and the picking operation has not yet begun. "In operation" means that the picking operation has begun but not yet been completed. "Completed" means that the picking operation has been completed. The picking status 1409 may be changed based on input from the picking operator, or may be changed automatically based on values ​​automatically detected regarding the picking operation. For example, when a waiting transport device 3 transports the shelf 5 after the target picking operation has been completed, the picking status 1409 corresponding to the next picking operation after the target picking operation may be changed from "before operation" to "in operation."

[0139] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the floor table 60. As shown in FIG.

[0140] The floor table 60 holds information for each section in the first-level area 200A and the second-level area 200B. The floor table 60 has a record for each section. Each record holds information such as an address 1501, section setting 1502, unusable flag 1503, section type 1504, aisle direction 1505, turnable / unturnable flag 1506, and transport cost 1507. Take one section as an example (the "section of interest" in the explanation of Figure 15).

[0141] Address 1501 indicates the address (location information) of the section of interest. Section setting 1502 indicates what type of section the section of interest is set as. For example, a "shelf storage section" is a section where shelves are stored (placed). A "transport section" is a section through which the transport device 3 travels to transport shelves in the shelf storage section. The sections that make up the transport route may mainly be transport sections.

[0142] The unusable flag 1503 is a flag indicating whether the section of interest is unusable (cannot be a component of a transport route).

[0143] The section type 1504 indicates whether the section of interest has an aisle. For example, the section illustrated in FIG. 2C may have the section type 1504 set to "floor" (without an aisle). The section illustrated in FIG. 2D may have the section type 1504 set to "aisle" (with an aisle). The floor table 60 may further store, as the section type 1504, information indicating whether the section is an "x-aisle section," a "y-aisle section," or a "both-aisle section." In this embodiment, the section with an aisle is a section in the second-tier area 200B.

[0144] If the section of interest has a passage, the passage direction 1505 indicates the direction in which the passage extends. The passage direction 1505 is the direction in which the conveying device 3 can move. The "X axis" means the x direction, the "Y axis" means the y direction, and the "XY axes" mean the x and y directions.

[0145] Even in the case of an "x passage section" or a "both passage sections," if there is a direction in which the conveying device 3 cannot move at the end of the x-direction passage 310X (for example, there is no adjacent section, or the adjacent section does not have an x-direction passage), only the directions in which the conveying device 3 can move may be set as the passage direction 1505. Similarly, even in the case of a "y passage section" or a "both passage sections," if there is a direction in which the conveying device 3 cannot move at the end of the y-direction passage 310Y (for example, there is no adjacent section, or the adjacent section does not have a y-direction passage), only the directions in which the conveying device 3 can move may be set as the passage direction 1505. Therefore, the passage direction 1505 may be set to one or more directions from the "X axis," "Y axis," "XY axis," "+X axis," "-X axis," "+Y axis," and "-Y axis."

[0146] The turning possibility flag 1506 indicates whether the conveying device 3 can turn in the section of interest. If the section of interest is an "x-aisle section" or an "y-aisle section," turning is not possible, and so the turning possibility flag 1506 is set to "not possible." If the section of interest is a "both-aisle section" or a "floor," turning is possible, and so the turning possibility flag 1506 can be set to "possible." However, even if the section of interest is a "both-aisle section" or a "floor," the turning possibility flag 1506 may be set to "not possible" if the section of interest is a specific section where turning should be prohibited or where turning is not desired, such as an unusable section, a battery station, or a shelf storage section.

[0147] The transport cost 1507 is a value set when the section of interest is a shelf storage section, and represents the transport cost as a value according to the travel distance from the section of interest to the picking station 6 (or the travel time when the travel speed of the transport device 3 is set to the standard speed). The value of the transport cost may also be based on the weight of the shelf 5.

[0148] Specifically, the transportation cost of the section of interest may be, for example, as follows: X1 is the travel distance to the picking station 6 (for example, the number of sections passed before reaching the picking station 6), X2 is the number of times the vertical conveyor 202 is used, X3 is the number of shelves 5 that need to be moved for transportation of the shelves 5 in the high-density arrangement area, X4 is the number of times the shelves 5 are raised and lowered, X5, etc. In this way, if the elements related to the transportation cost for the section of interest are Xi and the coefficient of each element is Ai, then for element i=1 to n, the processing program 51 of the control device 4 may calculate the transportation cost C of the section of interest using the following formula: C=A1*X1+A2*X2+A3*X3+A4*X4+A5*X5+···+An*Xn

[0149] A1, A2,..., An may be coefficients that do not change depending on the section. Note that other factors not listed above may also be used as factors in the transportation cost (for example, if a passage included in the movement route from the section of interest is prone to congestion, the transportation cost may be higher). Also, the travel distance or the number of floors traveled by the vertical conveyor 202 may be used as a factor related to the transportation cost, and the larger this factor is, the higher the transportation cost may be. Note that the calculation formula for the transportation cost C is an example, and for example, the calculation may be performed excluding some factors. Other methods (different calculation formulas or simulations) may be used to calculate the transportation cost.

[0150] Furthermore, since the number of vertical conveyors 202 is generally smaller than, for example, the conveyor 3, and they are a valuable resource with limited conveying capacity, the coefficient A3 described above may be set higher than the coefficients A1 and A2 so that the conveying cost increases when the vertical conveyor 202 is used. Furthermore, if it is necessary to move another shelf to convey the shelf 5 from the section of interest, the coefficient A4 described above may be set higher than the coefficients A1 and A2.

[0151] If a section in the second-tier area 200B (an area where a vertical conveyor 202 needs to be used to transport a shelf 5 to the picking station 6) is a section surrounded by shelves in a high-density placement area, the section has a relatively high transportation cost, and the processing program 51 of the control device 4 may control the section to have shelves 5 with a relatively low possibility of being transported to the picking station 6 (shelves 5 with a relatively low number of transports) placed in it.

[0152] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the boundary table 62. As shown in FIG.

[0153] The boundary table 62 holds information about each boundary between adjacent partitions. The boundary table 62 has a record for each boundary. Each record holds information such as a boundary ID 1601, an address 1602, an address 1603, a direction 1604, and a boundary section 1605. Take one boundary as an example (the "target boundary" in the explanation of FIG. 16).

[0154] The boundary ID 1601 indicates the ID of the boundary of interest.

[0155] The address 1602 indicates the address (location information) of one of the adjacent sections across the boundary of interest. The address 1603 indicates the address (location information) of the other of the adjacent sections across the boundary of interest.

[0156] The direction 1604 represents a direction in which the transport device 3 can pass (move) through the boundary of interest. For example, the above-mentioned passage 310 physically restricts the direction in which the transport device 3 can move, but the direction 1604 logically restricts the direction in which the transport device 3 can move. The direction in which the transport device 3 can move can be restricted by the direction 1604 so that the transport device 3 does not move in a direction in which the passage 310 does not exist. Furthermore, even if the passage 310 exists and the direction in which the transport device 3 can physically move is the direction in which the transport device 3 can move, the direction in which the transport device 3 can move can be logically restricted by the direction 1604.

[0157] The boundary section 1605 indicates whether the transport device 3 can pass through the boundary of interest when it is loaded with a shelf 5. When the boundary section 1605 is "no shelf / with shelf," this means that the transport device 3 can pass through the boundary of interest both when it is loaded with a shelf 5 and when it is not loaded with a shelf 5. On the other hand, when the boundary section 1605 is "no shelf," this means that the transport device 3 can pass through the boundary of interest when it is not loaded with a shelf 5, but cannot pass through the boundary of interest when it is loaded with a shelf 5.

[0158] According to the boundary table 62 illustrated in FIG. 16, for example, the following is true: The boundary with boundary ID "L1-3343" is not a boundary in the high-density placement area. Therefore, the shelf 5 can be removed from the adjacent transfer section. Therefore, the transport device 3 is set to be unable to cross between shelf storage sections when loaded with the shelf 5 (boundary category "no shelf"). The boundaries with boundary IDs "L1-93103", "L1-9293" and "L1-9394" can only be moved in one direction. The boundary with boundary ID "L2-3343" is a boundary in a high-density placement area. Therefore, the boundary is set to allow the transport device 3, loaded with shelves 5, to cross between shelf storage sections (boundary classification "without shelves / with shelves").

[0159] An example of processing performed in this embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, tables 53 to 62 are stored in the storage device 42 by the storage program 50. Based on information (e.g., information including sensor measurement values) that the control device 4 receives periodically or irregularly from each conveying device 3, each vertical conveying machine 202, and each picking terminal 710, the storage program 50 updates the relevant portions of tables 53 to 62 as appropriate.

[0160] 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of the transport control process. The transport control process is performed repeatedly (for example, periodically).

[0161] In S1501, the processing program 51 sorts the orders (records in the order table 55) in ascending order of the operation date and time 610. The orders may also be sorted in an order other than ascending order of the operation date and time 610. S1502 to S1504 are performed for each sorted order. The processing program 51 may also combine multiple orders into a single order, and perform S1502 to S1504 for such combined orders. The multiple orders combined into a single order may be orders that share a predetermined type of element, such as orders for products on the same shelf. Here, one order is taken as an example (the order of interest in the explanation of FIG. 17).

[0162] In S1502, the processing program 51 identifies the shelf 5 on which the product to be picked is located and the location of that shelf 5, based on the order of interest. Specifically, for example, the following processing is performed: The processing program 51 identifies, based on the order table 55, inventory table 54, and shelf table 57, the shelf ID 704 corresponding to the product name 701 and product ID 702 that match the product name 605 and product ID 606 specified in the order of interest, from the inventory table 54. The processing program 51 identifies, from the shelf table 57, the storage location 802 that corresponds to the shelf ID 801 that matches the identified shelf ID 704.

[0163] In S1503, the processing program 51 selects a transport device 3 for the target order that will transport the shelf 5 located at the shelf position identified in S1502 (storage position 802 of the shelf 5) based on the map table 56, the equipment transport table 53, the shelf table 57, the vertical transport table 61, the floor table 60, and the boundary table 62, and creates a movement route for transport by the selected transport device 3. In other words, in S1503, the transport device 3 to which the transport task according to the target order is assigned is determined. The transport task may be a task for transporting the shelf 5 to be transported along the created movement route. Specifically, in S1503, for example, the processing program 51 may perform at least one of the following: The processing program 51 selects one transport device 3 from one or more transport devices 3 that meet a predetermined condition. The "predetermined condition" here may be that at least the shelf flag 1102 is "none." The selection of the transport device 3 may be based on the device status 1105, shelf flag 1102, position 1103, and storage location 802 of the shelf 5 to be transported (the distance between the storage location 802 and the location of the destination section) of each transport device 3. For example, the processing program 51 may refer to the device transport table 53 and select the transport device 3 that is located in the same area as the storage location 802 of the shelf 5 to be transported and whose device status 1105 is "empty," and that is located in the position 1103 closest to the storage location 802. The processing program 51 creates a movement route (including the movement direction) based on the position 1103 of the selected conveying device 3, the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be conveyed, the position of the destination section (typically the position of the picking station 6 or vertical conveyor 202), and records for each section and each boundary on each route (e.g., aisle direction 1505, rotation possibility flag 1506, direction 1604, and boundary section 1605) for each of multiple routes connecting the position of the selected conveying device 3 and the position of the destination section. The movement route may be, for example, a route from the position 1103 of the selected conveying device 3 to the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be conveyed, or a route from the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be conveyed to the position of the destination section. The processing program 51 may refer to the picking table 58. For example, the processing program 51 may identify a relatively vacant picking station 6 (e.g., a picking station 6 with a relatively small number of corresponding records in the picking table 58) and determine the vacant picking station 6 as the destination section.

[0164] In S1504, the processing program 51 transmits to the transport device 3 selected in S1503 a movement instruction associated with the transport task (transport task according to the target order) assigned to the transport device 3.

[0165] When a shelf 5 in the second-tier area 200B is transported to the picking station 6 in the first-tier area 200A, the processing program 51 may, in S1503, create, for example, the following movement routes: a route from the position 1103 of the transport device 3 in the second-tier area 200B to the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be transported, a route from the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be transported to the position of the vertical transport device 202 (or a buffer section in the second-tier area 200B), a transport route by the vertical transport device 202, and a route from the position of the vertical transport device 202 (or a buffer section in the first-tier area 200A) to the picking station 6. Then, in S1504, movement instructions for each movement route are sent to the transport device 3 in the second-tier area 200B, the vertical transport device 202, each transport facility, and the transport device 3 in the first-tier area 200A.

[0166] In this transport control process, the transport task determined and assigned for each order is a task that meets the delivery date 608 of the order.

[0167] 18 is a flowchart showing the flow of shelf arrangement layout change processing. The shelf arrangement layout processing may be executed in response to a request from an operator (an example of a user), or may be executed at a predetermined regular or irregular timing (for example, when a specific section becomes unavailable due to maintenance, etc.).

[0168] The processing program 51 receives a selection of the layout of the shelves 5 (for example, a selection of one of a plurality of shelf arrangement layout patterns) from an operator (an example of a user), or receives creation of an arrangement layout of the shelves 5 (S1601). Here, for example, it may be determined where at least one of the low-density arrangement region and the high-density arrangement region will be provided in the second-tier area 200B.

[0169] The processing program 51 displays a UI (User Interface) based on the floor table 60 and the boundary table 62 on, for example, the output device 44, and accepts settings of a direction 1604 and a boundary section 1605 for each boundary (S1602). Note that for a boundary, at least one of the direction 1604 and the boundary section 1605 may be determined by calculation, such as a simulation, by the processing program 51. In this case, the direction 1604 may be set to a direction 1604 along the passage direction 1505 (a direction 1604 that does not contradict the passage direction 1505).

[0170] The processing program 51 calculates the transportation cost for each shelf storage section based on the layout of the shelf 5 and the direction 1604 and boundary section 1605 of the boundary between the shelf storage section and its adjacent section, and stores the calculated transportation cost in the floor table 60 (S1603).

[0171] The processing program 51 executes the shelf storage position change processing (S1604).

[0172] FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the flow of the shelf storage position change process.

[0173] The processing program 51 identifies the shelf 5 (S1701). Specifically, for example, at least one of the following (A), (B), and (C) may be performed.

[0174] (A) The processing program 51 sorts the records in the order table 55 in ascending order of the work date and time 610 to identify the target shelf 5. The "target shelf" here refers to a shelf 5 that meets a predetermined condition, and may be, for example, a shelf 5 whose work date and time 610 belongs to the next day. In this case, at least one shelf 5 located in the second-tier area 200B among the "target shelves 5" may have its destination (change destination) set to a shelf storage section in the first-tier area 200A in S1702, and may be lowered to the first-tier area 200A before the start of the picking work (for example, during the night of the previous day) in S1703.

[0175] (B) The processing program 51 identifies a shelf 5 whose shelf transport count 805 (or picking count 706) is equal to or greater than the first count threshold. For the shelf 5 identified here, in S1702, the destination (change destination) is set to a shelf storage section with a relatively low transport cost. The "shelf storage section with a relatively low transport cost" may be a shelf storage section in the first-tier area 200A for the entire first-tier area 200A and second-tier area 200B, or may be a section relatively close to the vertical conveyor 202 (for example, a section in a low-density arrangement area) for the second-tier area 200B. As a result, for example, the shelf storage section of a shelf whose shelf transport count 805 (or picking count 706) is equal to or greater than the first count threshold is changed from the second-tier area 200B to the first-tier area 200A, or is changed from the high-density arrangement area in the second-tier area 200B to the low-density arrangement area in the second-tier area 200B.

[0176] (C) The processing program 51 identifies a shelf for which the number of transports 805 (or number of pickings 706) is less than a second threshold. The "second number threshold" is the same as or smaller than the first number threshold. For the shelf identified here, in S1702, the destination (change destination) is set to a shelf storage section with a relatively high transport cost. The "shelf storage section with a relatively high transport cost" may be a shelf storage section in the second-tier area 200A for the entire first-tier area 200A and second-tier area 200B, and may be a section relatively far from the vertical conveyor 202 for the second-tier area 200B (for example, a section in a high-density arrangement area). As a result, for example, the shelf storage section of a shelf where the number of shelf transports 805 (or number of pickings 706) is less than the second number threshold is changed from the first tier area 200A to the second tier area 200B, or changed from a low-density placement area in the second tier area 200B to a high-density placement area in the second tier area 200B.

[0177] The processing program 51 determines the shelf storage section to which the shelf 5 identified in S1701 is to be moved, selects a transport device to transport the shelf 5, for example, based on the device transport table 53, and creates a movement route (including the movement direction) connecting the current shelf storage section of the shelf and the shelf storage section to which the shelf is to be moved, based on the map table 56, floor table 60, boundary table 62, etc. (S1702).The processing program 51 then transmits a movement instruction associated with a transport task for transporting the shelf (the shelf identified in S1701) along the movement route (including the movement direction) created in S1702 to the transport device selected in S1702 (S1703).

[0178] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a floor table 2060 as another example of the configuration of the floor table 60. In FIG.

[0179] The floor table 2060 holds information for each section in the first-tier area 200A and the second-tier area 200B. The floor table 2060 has a record for each section. Each record holds information such as an address 1501, section setting 1502, unusable flag 1503, section type 1504, aisle direction 1505, turnable / unturnable flag 1506, transport cost 1507, direction (no shelves) 1508, and direction (with shelves) 1509. Take one section as an example (the "section of interest" in the explanation of Figure 20).

[0180] The records 1501 to 1507 of the floor table 2060 in Figure 20 are the same as the records 1501 to 1507 of the floor table 60 in Figure 15, so a description thereof will be omitted. The direction (no shelf) 1508 is the direction in which the transport device 3 in a state without a shelf (a state in which no shelf 5 is loaded) can move from the section of interest, and can be set to logically restrict the direction in which the transport device 3 can move. Similarly, the direction (with shelf) 1509 is the direction in which the transport device 3 in a state with a shelf (a state in which a shelf 5 is loaded) can move from the section of interest, and can be set to logically restrict the direction in which the transport device 3 can move. By setting the direction (no shelf) 1508 and the direction (with shelf) 1509, for example, it is possible to prohibit movement in some directions out of the directions in which the transport device 3 can physically move, and restrict movement to only in the remaining directions, and it is possible to set one-way traffic, for example.

[0181] 20, the possible directions of movement for direction (no shelf) 1508 and direction (with shelf) 1509 are expressed as either "+x", "-x", "+y", "-y", "±x", or "±y", or a combination thereof, but they may be expressed in other ways. For example, for each section, whether movement is possible when the transport device 3 is loaded with a shelf 5, and whether movement is possible when the transport device 3 is not loaded with a shelf 5, may be set for each of the "+x direction", "-x direction", "+y direction", and "-y direction".

[0182] 20 can be said to be a re-expression for each section of the direction 1604 and boundary section 1605 of the boundary table 62. Therefore, the processing performed by the processing program 51 with reference to the direction 1604 and boundary section 1605 of the boundary table 62 may also be performed with reference to the direction (no shelf) 1508 and direction (shelf) 1509 of the floor table 2060.

[0183] Furthermore, there may be multiple shelves 5 that store the quantity of products specified (requested) in a certain order (order of interest). The processing program 51 of the control device 4 may select (determine) which shelf 5 to transport to the picking station 6 to process the order of interest, depending on the locations of the multiple shelves 5.

[0184] For example, the processing program 51 may select a shelf 5 in the first-tier area 200A over a shelf 5 in the second-tier area 200B to improve transport efficiency. When transporting a shelf 5 in the second-tier area 200B, transport is required by the transport device 3, vertical transport machine 202, and transport device 3 in the first-tier area 200A in the second-tier area 200B, so transport costs are likely to be higher than in the first-tier area 200A. Similarly, the processing program 51 may select another shelf 5 (for example, a shelf 5 in a low-density area or a shelf 5 in the first-tier area 200A) over a shelf 5 in a high-density area (particularly a shelf 5 surrounded by shelves 5) to improve transport efficiency. Furthermore, the processing program 51 may select a shelf 5 from multiple shelves 5 that is closer to the picking station 6 to be transported to in order to improve transport efficiency.

[0185] For the above selection, the processing program 51 may refer to the order table 55, the shelf table 57, and the floor table 2060 to identify the sections of multiple shelves 5 where the target product of the target order is located, and based on the transportation cost 1507 of each section (address 1501), select the shelf 5 in the section with the smallest transportation cost 1507. Alternatively, for the above selection, the processing program 51 may refer to the order table 55, the shelf table 57, and the floor table 2060 to identify the sections of multiple shelves 5 where the target product of the target order is located, and based on the address 1501 and layout information of each section, identify the position and attributes of the section (second-tier area 200B or first-tier area 200A, high-density placement area or low-density placement area, etc.) and make the selection. Additionally, any of the tables may additionally hold additional information required for such selection.

[0186] Although several embodiments have been described above, these are merely examples for explaining the present invention, and it is not intended that the scope of the present invention be limited to these embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms.

[0187] Furthermore, for example, the shape of the compartment is not limited to a rectangle and may be other shapes. Also, compartments of different sizes or shapes may be mixed. Furthermore, the position of the compartment may be identified by other methods instead of being identified by the two-dimensional barcode on the compartment.

[0188] Furthermore, for example, the storage program 50 and the processing program 51 may be executed by the transport device 3 instead of or in addition to the control device 4. Furthermore, the transport device 3 may also function as the control device 4.

[0189] Furthermore, for example, in the present embodiment, an example has been shown in which the vertical conveyor 202 is used as the inter-area conveyor, but the vertical conveyor 202 can be replaced by another inter-area conveyor such as a forklift that can vertically convey the shelf 5. In this case, the control device 4 may determine the position at which the forklift will vertically convey the shelf 5.

[0190] An article transported by a forklift from an area other than the first-tier area 200A to the first-tier area 200A may be transferred directly onto the transport device 3.

[0191] The present invention can also be applied to a conveying system for conveying goods in factories, workshops, and the like other than storage warehouses used by companies such as online retailers to store their products. Specifically, the goods conveyed by the conveying device 3 may be items other than shelves 5, such as trays, boxes, pallets, or goods. In this case, the trays, boxes, and pallets may or may not contain goods (for example, when the trays, boxes, and pallets themselves are the goods to be conveyed). In this case, it is sufficient to simply replace "shelves" with "goods to be conveyed," and therefore a detailed description will be omitted. Furthermore, the work performed on such goods may be work other than picking, such as processing, assembly, packaging, or inspection. In this case, it is sufficient to simply replace "picking" or "picking work" with "work," and therefore a detailed description will be omitted.

[0192] The above description can be summarized as follows, for example: The following summary may include supplementary explanations to the above description and explanations of modifications of the above embodiment.

[0193] Shelf transport is performed by the transport device 3 not only in the first-tier area 200A but also in the second-tier area 200B. For convenience, one transport device in the first-tier area 200A will be referred to as the "first transport device," and one transport device in the second-tier area 200B will be referred to as the "second transport device."

[0194] The second-tier area 200B is provided with an aisle 310 for the conveying device 3. The control device 4 controls the direction of movement in a transport task assigned to the second conveying device for moving the second conveying device to a destination in the second-tier area 200B based on the direction in which the aisle 310 extends. The transport of the shelves 5 in the second-tier area 200B can also be controlled by the travel control of the conveying device 3, as in the first-tier area 200A, and the direction of movement of the second conveying device in the second-tier area 200B is controlled based on the direction of the aisle 310, thereby improving the efficiency of transporting shelves 5 in the multi-tier area.

[0195] The passage 310 may extend over all or part of the travel range of the second-tier area 200B, which is the range within which the second conveyance device can travel (specifically, for example, the second-tier area 200B may be composed of a plurality of sections 251 arranged along the x and y directions, and of the plurality of sections 251, the sections 251 included in the travel range may be any of the x-passage sections, the y-passage sections, or both sections). The control device 4 may create a travel path for the second conveyance device based on area information including information indicating the extension direction of the passage 310 for each position (e.g., each section 251) in the travel range, and control the travel direction in the transport task assigned to the second conveyance device. Creation of an appropriate travel path is expected, thereby improving the transport efficiency of the shelves 5. The area information may include information indicating the relationship between a position (e.g., section 251), the passage 310 at the position (e.g., section 251), and the permitted movement direction, and the control device 4 may create a movement path for the second conveying device based on the movement direction of the second conveying device identified from the area information. This can be expected to further improve the conveying efficiency by restricting the movement direction.

[0196] The second-tier area 200B may have a high-density arrangement area. The control device 4 may control the movement direction in a transport task for moving at least one shelf 5 to move the enclosed shelves 5 based on the extension direction of the aisle 310 in the second-tier area 200B. This is expected to improve storage efficiency while suppressing a decrease in transport efficiency.

[0197] The first-tier area 200A may have a low-density arrangement area, but may not have a high-density arrangement area. In this way, improvement in storage efficiency can be achieved in the second-tier area 200B, while improvement in transport efficiency can be expected.

[0198] Furthermore, high-density areas may be provided in both the first-tier area 200A and the second-tier area 200B, which is expected to improve storage efficiency.

[0199] Furthermore, in the second-tier area 200B, the high-density arrangement area may be located farther from the position where the shelves 5 are placed on the vertical conveyor 202 than the low-density arrangement area. This is expected to improve storage efficiency while suppressing a decrease in conveyance efficiency.

[0200] In the second-tier area 200B, a high-density arrangement area may be provided near the vertical conveyor 202 to improve storage efficiency.

[0201] The control device 4 may determine the placement position of each shelf 5 in the second-tier area 200B based on the number of conveyances 805 or the number of pickings 706 of the shelf 5 and the transportation cost of each position in the second-tier area 200B, and may assign a transportation task to the second transport device to place the shelf 5 at the determined placement position. For each position in the second-tier area 200B, the transportation cost increases as the travel path or travel time between the position and the position where the shelf 5 is placed on the vertical transport device 202 increases. A high-density placement area is located in a position where the transportation cost is relatively high, while a low-density placement area is located in a position where the transportation cost is relatively low. Shelves 5 with a relatively low number of conveyances 805 or a relatively low number of pickings 706 may be placed in the high-density placement area, and shelves 5 with a relatively high number of conveyances 805 or a relatively high number of pickings 706 may be placed in the low-density placement area. This is expected to improve storage efficiency while suppressing a decrease in transportation efficiency.

[0202] In the entire first-tier area 200A and second-tier area 200B, an item with a relatively high number of conveyances 805 or pickings 706 may be placed in the first-tier area 200A, and an item with a relatively low number of conveyances 805 or pickings 706 may be placed in the second-tier area 200B. In this case, an item with a relatively low number of conveyances 805 or pickings 706 in the second-tier area 200B may be placed in a position (for example, a position in a high-density arrangement area) relatively far from the position where the shelf 5 is placed on the vertical conveyor 202. This is expected to improve storage efficiency while suppressing a decrease in conveyance efficiency. [Explanation of symbols]

[0203] 3: conveying device, 4: control device

Claims

1. a first conveyance device that travels through a first area in accordance with an assigned conveyance task to convey an object in the first area; a second conveyance device that conveys the object in the second area by traveling in the second area according to the assigned conveyance task; an inter-area conveyor that conveys an object between the first area and the second area; a control device that controls a transport task assigned to each of the first and second transport devices; Equipped with the first area and the second area are present in a storage space for the transported item, the first area is an area where a predetermined operation is performed on the transported object, the second area is an area located at a higher position than the first area, a passageway along which the second transport device can travel is provided in the second area; The control device controls a movement direction in a transport task assigned to the second transport device for movement of the second transport device to a destination in the second area based on an extension direction of a passage in the second area; The control device, for each of the transported objects in the first area and the second area, determining a placement position of the transported object based on the number of transports of the transported object and the transport cost of each position in the first area and the second area; assigning a transport task of placing the object at the determined placement position to the second transport device; For each location in the second area, the transportation cost is a cost based on the direction in which the path in the second area extends; For each location in the first area and the second area, the transportation cost is based on the length of a travel path or travel time between the location and a location where the predetermined work is performed; An object that has a relatively low number of times of transportation or a relatively low number of predetermined operations is placed in the second area, In the second area, an object that has a relatively low number of times of conveyance or a relatively low number of predetermined operations is disposed at a position relatively far from a position where the object is placed on the inter-area conveyor, An object that is transported a relatively large number of times or that is subjected to a predetermined operation is placed in the first area. Conveying system.

2. the passage extends over the entire or part of a travel range in the second area, which is a range in which the second conveying device can travel, the control device creates a movement path for the second conveyance device based on area information including information representing the direction in which the passage extends for each position in the travel range, and controls the movement direction in the conveyance task assigned to the second conveyance device. The transport system according to claim 1 .

3. the area information includes information representing a relationship between a location, a path at the location, and an allowed direction of movement; the control device creates a movement path for the second transport device based on a direction in which the second transport device can move, the direction being identified from the area information. The transport system according to claim 2 .

4. the second area is composed of a plurality of sections arranged along an x ​​direction and a y direction perpendicular to the x direction, Among the plurality of sections, a section included in a travel range in which the second conveying device can travel is any one of an x-passage section, a y-passage section, and a both-passage section, The x-path section is a section that has an x-direction path that is a path extending in the x direction but does not have a y-direction path that is a path extending in the y direction, the y-path section is a section having a y-direction path but no x-direction path; the passage sections are sections having intersecting x-direction passages and y-direction passages; the control device creates a movement route for the second conveyance device based on area information including information indicating the direction in which a passage for each section in the travel range extends, and controls the movement direction in the conveyance task assigned to the second conveyance device. The transport system according to claim 1 .

5. the area information includes information representing a relationship between a section, a passage in the section, and a permitted direction of movement; the control device creates a movement path for the second transport device based on a direction in which the second transport device can move, the direction being identified from the area information. The transport system according to claim 4 .

6. the second area has a high density placement region; the high-density arrangement area is an area in which a plurality of transported items and an item surrounded by the plurality of transported items are arranged, and movement of at least one of the plurality of transported items is required for movement of the surrounded item, the control device controls a movement direction in a transport task for moving the at least one transport object for the movement of the enclosed transport object based on an extension direction of a passage in the second area; The transport system according to claim 1 .

7. the first area has a low-density placement region and does not have the high-density placement region; The low-density arrangement area is an area in which a plurality of transported objects are arranged but no transported object is surrounded by the plurality of transported objects. The transport system according to claim 6 .

8. the second area has a low-density arrangement region in addition to the high-density arrangement region, the low-density arrangement area is an area in which a plurality of transported objects are arranged but no transported object is surrounded by the plurality of transported objects; the high-density arrangement area is provided at a position farther from a position where the transported objects are placed on the inter-area transporter than the low-density arrangement area. The transport system according to claim 6 .

9. The control device, for each conveyed object in the second area, determining a placement position of the transported object based on the number of transports of the transported object or the number of predetermined operations and the transport cost of each position in the second area; assigning a transport task of placing the object at the determined placement position to the second transport device; For each position in the second area, the transportation cost is higher as the travel path or travel time between the position and the position where the object is placed on the inter-area transporter is longer; The high-density arrangement area is located in a position where transportation costs are relatively high, The low-density arrangement area is located in a position where transportation costs are relatively low, An object that is transported relatively less frequently or that is required to perform a predetermined task is placed in the high-density placement area, An object that is transported a relatively large number of times or a large number of times a predetermined task is performed is placed in the low-density placement area. The transport system according to claim 8 .

10. controlling a transport task to be assigned to a first transport device that transports an object in a first area by traveling in the first area according to the transport task; controlling a movement direction in a transport task to be assigned to a second transport device that travels through a second area in accordance with the transport task to transport an object in the second area, based on an extension direction of a passage in the second area; For each of the transported articles in the first area and the second area, determining a placement position of the transported object based on the number of transports of the transported object and the transport cost of each position in the first area and the second area; assigning, to the second conveying device, a conveying task for placing the object at the determined placement position; This is done by computer, the first area and the second area are present in a storage space for the transported item, the first area is an area where a predetermined operation is performed on the transported object, the second area is an area located at a higher position than the first area, An inter-area conveyor conveys an object between the first area and the second area, the passage in the second area is a passage provided in the second area through which the second conveying device can travel, For each location in the second area, the transportation cost is a cost based on the direction in which the path in the second area extends; For each location in the first area and the second area, the transportation cost is based on the length of a travel path or travel time between the location and a location where the predetermined work is performed; An object that has a relatively low number of times of transportation or a relatively low number of predetermined operations is placed in the second area, In the second area, an object that has a relatively low number of times of conveyance or a relatively low number of predetermined operations is disposed at a position relatively far from a position where the object is placed on the inter-area conveyor, An object that is transported a relatively large number of times or that is subjected to a predetermined operation is placed in the first area. Transport control method.

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