Item processing system and item processing method

Abstract

To efficiently perform loading or storing on the basis of the actual size of a palletized article.SOLUTION: This article processing system comprises: a conveyor for conveying an article; a reading unit that reads a code printed on the article conveyed on the conveyor to identify the article from a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction; a label sticking unit that is provided on the conveying downstream side of the reading unit and that sticks a label on which the code read by the reading unit is printed on the surface of the article facing the second direction when the code is read from the first direction by the reading unit while the code cannot not be read from the second direction; a measurement unit that is provided on the conveying downstream side of the label sticking unit and that measures the size of the article; and a storage unit that stores the code and the size measured by the storage unit in association with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article processing system and an article processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose inventions for loading goods, for example. In the transfer equipment disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the sizes of product cases to be loaded onto a cart are registered in advance. When order data specifying the products to be loaded onto a cart and the number of such products to be loaded onto the cart is input, the transfer equipment sets a loading pattern for the products specified in the order data onto the cart based on the registered product case sizes. The transfer equipment also sets cart loading data for the set pattern, which defines the case loading order and the coordinates of the cases on the cart, and loads the cases onto the cart based on the set data. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3896981 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 3969334 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The size of a product case can change depending on the size of the product, even if the product is the same. If the case size changes and the registered case size differs from the actual case size, if the stowage calculation is performed using the registered size, for example, if the case is smaller than the registered size, the gaps between the cases will become larger, making it impossible to stow efficiently. Furthermore, when storing items in an automated warehouse before stowage, for example, it will be impossible to store them densely, making it impossible to store them efficiently.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has as its object to enable efficient stacking or storage based on the actual dimensions of the articles to be palletized. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The article processing system of the present invention comprises a conveyor for transporting articles; a reading unit for reading a code printed on the article being transported on the conveyor and identifying the article from a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction; a label application unit located downstream in the transport direction from the reading unit for reading the code from the first direction by the reading unit and, if the code cannot be read from the second direction, for applying a label on the surface of the article facing the second direction, on which the code read by the reading unit is printed; a measuring unit located downstream in the transport direction from the label application unit for measuring the dimensions of the article; and a memory unit for storing the code in association with the dimensions measured by the measuring unit.

[0007] The item processing method of the present invention includes a reading step of reading a code printed on an item being transported by a conveyor that transports the item and that identifies the item from a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction; a labeling step of, if the code is read downstream in the transport direction of the conveyor in the reading step and the code cannot be read from the second direction, attaching a label on which the code read in the reading step is printed to a surface of the item facing the second direction downstream in the transport direction from the position where the code is read in the reading step; a measuring step of measuring the dimensions of the item downstream in the transport direction from the position where the code is read in the labeling step; and a storage step of storing the code and the dimensions measured in the measuring step in association with each other. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an article processing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the control device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the control device. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. In addition, in the drawings, identical or corresponding elements are appropriately designated by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the dimensional relationships between elements may differ from those in reality. In addition, a Cartesian coordinate system of X, Y, and Z axes is appropriately shown in the drawings, and directions are explained using this. In the space represented by the Cartesian coordinate system, the direction in which the X component increases is called the +X direction, and the direction in which the X component decreases is called the -X direction. Similarly, the Y and Z components are defined as the +Y direction, -Y direction, +Z direction, and -Z direction. Note that for convenience of explanation, the +Z direction may be referred to as upward, and the -Z direction may be referred to as downward.

[0010] [Embodiment] (Configuration of the embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an article processing system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The article processing system 1000 includes robots 1A and 1B, an automated pallet warehouse 2, an automated multi-story warehouse 3, conveyors 41-46, code readers 5a-5h, a sensor 6, a measuring device 7, and an automatic labeler 8. The article processing system 1000 also includes a control device 100 that controls each part of the article processing system 1000. The configuration of the control device 1000 will be described later. The article processing system 1000 is a system that stores a pallet P on which cases A are stacked in the automated pallet warehouse 2, depalletizes the cases A stacked on the pallet P stored in the automated pallet warehouse 2 and stores them in the automated multi-story warehouse 3, and palletizes multiple types of cases A stored in the automated multi-story warehouse 3 onto pallets P for shipping.

[0011] Case A, an example of an item, is a cardboard box that contains multiple products sold in a store. The size of case A varies depending on the products it contains. In case A shown in FIG. 1, the side facing the +X direction, the side facing the -X direction, the side facing the +Y direction, and the side facing the -Y direction are the sides of case A. A barcode (ITF symbol) identifying the product name of the product contained therein is printed on the side of case A. Note that some cases A have this barcode printed on all four sides, while others have it printed only on the long side. Pallet P is a flat pallet on which cases A are stacked. Pallets P that are received into the item processing system 1000 are stacked with multiple cases A. On this received pallet P, all cases A stacked on one pallet P are the same case A and contain the same product. Therefore, cases A containing different products are stacked on other pallets P. Pallets P that are shipped from the item processing system 1000 are stacked with multiple cases A. This outgoing pallet P may contain multiple types of cases A of different sizes, such as case A1 containing product a and case A2 containing product b. In the following explanation, when it is not necessary to distinguish between case sizes, the case will be referred to as case A.

[0012] The conveyor 41 is a conveyor that transports a pallet P loaded with multiple cases A stored in the automated warehouse 3. The conveyor 41 has a transport mechanism that transports the pallet P and a drive unit such as a motor that drives the transport mechanism. The transport mechanism is, for example, a roller conveyor or a chain conveyor, but is not limited to these conveyors. A code reader 5a is installed near the conveyor 41. The code reader 5a is a device that reads barcodes printed on cases A stacked on the pallet P transported by the conveyor 41. The code reader 5a is installed in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the conveyor 41, reads barcodes printed on the side of the case A facing the width direction of the conveyor 41, and outputs information representing the read code to the control device 100.

[0013] The automated pallet warehouse 2 is a warehouse that stores pallets P on which cases A are stacked. The automated pallet warehouse 2 is equipped with multiple storage shelves installed at intervals, a stacker crane that travels along work aisles provided between the storage shelves, and a conveyor that transports the pallets P. Pallets P transported by the conveyor 41 are transported to the vicinity of the storage shelves by a conveyor provided inside the automated pallet warehouse 2. The storage shelves are installed in multiple tiers in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), with multiple storage sections provided in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) for storing pallets P on which cases A are loaded. The stacker crane is controlled by the control device 100 to travel near the conveyor and along the work aisle, and store the pallets P transported by the conveyor 41 in the storage sections. The stacker crane also removes the pallets P stored in the storage sections and places them on a conveyor that transports them to the conveyor 42.

[0014] The conveyor 42 has a transport mechanism that transports the pallets P and a drive unit such as a motor that drives the transport mechanism. The conveyor 42 transports the pallets P that have been removed from the storage unit by a stacker crane in the automated pallet warehouse 2 toward the robot 1A. A code reader 5b is installed near the conveyor 42. The code reader 5b is a device that reads barcodes printed on cases A stacked on the pallets P being transported by the conveyor 42. The code reader 5b is installed in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the conveyor 42, reads barcodes printed on the side of the cases A facing the width direction of the conveyor 42, and outputs information representing the read code to the control device 100.

[0015] Sensor 6 is installed above the downstream end of conveyor 42 in the conveying direction (+X direction). Sensor 6 is equipped with a camera that photographs objects on conveyor 42. Sensor 6 photographs cases A stacked on pallets P on conveyor 42 with the camera, and identifies the position of case A and measures its length and width based on the image from the camera.

[0016] Robot 1A is a robot that performs depalletizing, that is, removing from pallet P a case A that is loaded on pallet P transported by conveyor 42. Robot 1A is a multi-joint robot that is equipped with a multi-joint arm and a robot hand that holds case A. Robot 1A is controlled by control device 100, and holds case A that is loaded on pallet P with the robot hand, and places the held case A on conveyor 43.

[0017] The conveyor 43 is a conveyor that transports the cases A depalletized by the robot 1A to the measuring device 7. The conveyor 43 has a transport mechanism that transports the cases A and a drive unit such as a motor that drives the transport mechanism. Code readers 5c to 5f and an auto labeler 8 are installed near the conveyor 43.

[0018] Code readers 5c and 5d, which are an example of a reading unit, are devices that read barcodes printed on cases A transported by conveyor 43. Code readers 5e and 5f are devices that read barcodes printed on cases A transported by conveyor 43 or barcodes printed on labels affixed by auto-labeler 8. Code readers 5c, 5e, and 5f are installed in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of conveyor 43 and read barcodes on the side of cases A facing the width direction of conveyor 43, and output information representing the read code to control device 100. Code reader 5d is installed above conveyor 43 and reads barcodes printed on the side of cases A facing the transport direction (+X direction) of case A, and output a signal representing the read code to control device 100. Auto-labeler 8, which is an example of a labeling unit, is a device that affixes labels, on which barcodes are printed to identify the products stored in the cases A, to cases A transported by conveyor 43. The automatic labeler 8 is installed in the width direction of the conveyor 43, and attaches a label to the side of the case A facing the width direction of the conveyor 43.

[0019] Measuring device 7, an example of a measuring unit, is installed downstream in the conveying direction of conveyor 43 and automatically measures the length, width, and height of case A conveyed by conveyor 43, for example, by a transmitted infrared beam method. Measuring device 7 transports case A to conveyor 44 while measuring the dimensions of case A. Measuring device 7 outputs information indicating the measured dimensions to control device 100. Note that the method used to measure the dimensions of case A in measuring device 7 is not limited to the transmitted infrared beam method, and may also be a method of measuring the dimensions from an image obtained by photographing case A with a camera, for example.

[0020] The conveyor 44 is a conveyor that transports the case A transported from the measuring device 7 to the automated warehouse 3. The conveyor 44 has a transport mechanism that transports the case A and a drive unit such as a motor that drives the transport mechanism. A code reader 5g is installed near the conveyor 44. The code reader 5g is installed in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the conveyor 44, and reads the barcode on the side of the case A facing the width direction of the conveyor 44, and outputs information representing the read code to the control device 100.

[0021] The automated warehouse 3, an example of a storage unit, includes multiple storage shelves installed at intervals, a transfer machine that travels along a work aisle between the storage shelves, a vertical transfer lifter, and a conveyor. Case A transported by conveyor 44 is transported to the vicinity of the storage shelf by a conveyor installed inside the automated warehouse 3. The storage shelf is arranged in multiple levels in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), with multiple storage sections for storing case A arranged left and right (X-axis direction). The vertical transfer lifter moves case A transported by the conveyor to the level of the storage shelf where case A is to be stored. The transfer machine is controlled by the control device 100 and travels near the vertical transfer lifter and along the work aisle, and stores case A transported by the vertical transfer lifter in the storage section. When case A is to be removed from the storage unit, the transfer machine retrieves case A from the storage section and transports it to the vertical transfer lifter. The vertical transport lifter places the case A transported by the transfer machine onto a conveyor that transports the case A to conveyor 45.

[0022] The conveyor 45 has a transport mechanism that transports the case A and a drive unit such as a motor that drives the transport mechanism. The conveyor 45 transports the case A that has been removed from the storage unit by a transfer machine in the automated warehouse 3 toward the robot 1B. A code reader 5h is installed near the conveyor 45. The code reader 5h is installed in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the conveyor 45, and reads the barcode on the side of the case A that faces the width direction of the conveyor 45, and outputs information representing the read code to the control device 100.

[0023] Robot 1B is a robot that performs palletizing by stacking cases A transported by conveyor 45 onto pallets P. Robot 1B is an articulated robot that includes an articulated arm and a robot hand that holds cases A, which are cardboard boxes. Robot 1B is controlled by control device 100, and holds cases A transported by conveyor 45 with the robot hand and places the held cases A on pallets P.

[0024] The conveyor 46 is a conveyor that transports pallets P on which cases A have been palletized by the robot 1B. The conveyor 46 has a transport mechanism that transports the pallets P and a drive unit such as a motor that drives the transport mechanism. The pallets P transported by the conveyor 46 are loaded onto trucks by, for example, a forklift and shipped.

[0025] 2 is a block diagram of the control device 100 that controls the article processing system 1000. The control device 100 is a computer device, and includes a processing unit 101, a main memory unit 102, an auxiliary memory unit 103, and an interface 104.

[0026] The interface 104 outputs signals to control the automated pallet warehouse 2, the automated multi-story warehouse 3, the robots 1A and 1B, and the drivers 41a to 46a, and acquires information output from the code readers 5a to 5h, the sensor 6, and the measuring device 7. The drivers 41a to 46a have motors and the like that drive the transport mechanisms of the conveyors 41 to 46. The drivers 41a, 42a, and 46a, controlled by the control device 100, drive the transport mechanisms, causing the conveyors 41, 42, and 46 to transport the pallets P. Furthermore, the drivers 43a to 45a, controlled by the control device 100, drive the transport mechanisms, causing the conveyors 43 to 45 to transport the cases A.

[0027] The main memory unit 102 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) and is composed of a volatile memory. The main memory unit 102 serves as a workspace when the arithmetic processing unit 101 performs arithmetic processing, and stores the results of the arithmetic processing of the arithmetic processing unit 101, etc. The auxiliary memory unit 103 is composed of an auxiliary storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a non-volatile memory. The ROM of the auxiliary memory unit 103, which is an example of a storage unit, stores programs executed by the arithmetic processing unit 101 to perform arithmetic processing. The non-volatile memory of the auxiliary memory unit 103 stores data used by the arithmetic processing unit 101 to perform arithmetic processing.

[0028] The arithmetic processing unit 101 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which reads a program from the auxiliary storage unit 103 and executes it using the main storage unit 102 as a workspace. The functions of the arithmetic processing unit 101 are realized by the arithmetic processing unit 101 reading and executing the program, and in this embodiment, a calculation unit 101a and a stowage unit 101b are realized.

[0029] A calculation unit 101a, which is an example of a calculation unit, performs a simulation of mixed loading of multiple types of cases A onto a pallet P using the dimensions of the cases A stored in the auxiliary storage unit 103. A stacking unit 101b controls the automated warehouse 3, the conveyor 45, and the robot 1B so that the cases A are stacked onto the pallet P based on the results of the mixed loading simulation performed by the calculation unit 101a.

[0030] (Example of operation of the embodiment) Next, we will explain an example of operation of the article processing system 1000. The following explanation will cover an example of operation when a pallet P loaded with cases A is stored in the automated pallet warehouse 2, an example of operation when cases A loaded on pallets P stored in the automated pallet warehouse 2 are depalletized and stored in the automated multi-story warehouse 3, and an example of operation when cases A stored in the automated multi-story warehouse 3 are palletized onto pallets P.

[0031] 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the control device 100 when a pallet P loaded with cases A is stored in the automated pallet warehouse 2. The pallet P loaded with cases A is transported by truck from, for example, a factory where products are manufactured to the article processing system 1000, and then carried from the truck by a forklift and placed on the conveyor 41.

[0032] The control device 100 controls the drive unit 41a to transport the pallet P loaded with the case A to the automated pallet warehouse 2 by the conveyor 41 (step S1). The code reader 5a reads the barcode printed on the case A loaded on the pallet P being transported by the conveyor 41, and outputs information representing the read barcode to the control device 100.

[0033] The control device 100 acquires the information output from the code reader 5a, associates the product name identified by the code represented by the acquired information with the location of the storage section of the automated pallet warehouse 2 that stores the pallet P loaded with case A, and stores this as pallet storage data in the auxiliary memory unit 103 (step S2).

[0034] When the pallet P arrives at the automated pallet warehouse 2, the control device 100 controls the conveyor and stacker crane of the automated pallet warehouse 2 so that the pallet P is stored at the storage section position stored in the auxiliary memory unit 103, and stores the pallet P in the storage section of the automated pallet warehouse 2 (step S3).

[0035] 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the control device 100 when depalletizing cases A loaded on pallets P stored in the automated pallet warehouse 2 and storing them in the automated multi-story warehouse 3. When the control device 100 is instructed to store the name of a product stored in the automated pallet warehouse 2 in the automated multi-story warehouse 3, it references the pallet storage data and acquires the position of the storage unit associated with the instructed product name. The control device 100 specifies the acquired position of the storage unit and controls the stacker crane of the automated pallet warehouse 2, and transports the pallet P stored in the specified storage unit to the conveyor 42 (step S11).

[0036] The code reader 5b reads the barcode printed on the case A loaded on the pallet P being transported by the conveyor 42, and outputs information representing the read barcode to the control device 100. The sensor 6 measures the length and width of the case A loaded on the transported pallet P, and outputs information representing the measured dimensions to the control device 100. The control device 100 acquires the information output from the code reader 5b and the information output from the sensor 6 (step S12).

[0037] The control device 100 determines whether the product name identified by the information acquired from the code reader 5b is the name of the product instructed to be stored in the automated warehouse 3 (step S13). If the product name identified by the information acquired from the code reader 5b is not the name of the product instructed to be stored in the automated warehouse 3 (No in step S13), the control device 100 controls the drive unit 42a to stop the conveyor 42 because a pallet P loaded with cases A containing a product different from the product with the instructed product name is being transported (step S14). The pallet P placed on the stopped conveyor 42 is returned to the automated pallet warehouse 2.

[0038] If the product name identified by the information acquired from the code reader 5b is the name of a product instructed to be stored in the automated warehouse 3 (Yes in step S13), the control device 100 controls the robot 1 based on the dimensional information acquired from the sensor 6 so that the case A loaded on the pallet P is placed on the conveyor 43 in a predetermined orientation (step S15). Here, the predetermined orientation means that, in a plan view, the long side of the case A faces the width direction of the conveyor 43 and the short side faces the transport direction.

[0039] The control device 100 controls the drive unit 43a to transport the case A placed by the robot 1 toward the measuring device 7 (step S16). If a barcode is printed on the side of the case A facing the width direction of the conveyor 43, the code reader 5c reads the printed barcode and outputs information representing the read code to the control device 100. If a barcode is printed on the side of the case A facing the transport direction of the conveyor 43, the code reader 5d reads the printed barcode and outputs information representing the read code to the control device 100. The control device 100 acquires the information output by the code readers 5c and 5d (step S17).

[0040] For example, if a barcode is printed only on the long side of case A and the long side of case A faces the width direction of the conveyor 43, the control device 100 acquires information representing the code from the code reader 5c. On the other hand, if a barcode is printed only on the long side of case A and the long side of case A faces the conveying direction of the conveyor 43, the code reader 5c cannot read the printed barcode, and therefore the control device 100 does not acquire information representing the code from the code reader 5c. On the other hand, if a barcode is printed only on the long side of case A and the long side of case A faces the conveying direction of the conveyor 43, the control device 100 acquires information representing the code from the code reader 5d. On the other hand, if a barcode is printed only on the long side of case A and the long side of case A faces the width direction of the conveyor 43, the code reader 5d cannot read the printed barcode, and therefore the control device 100 does not acquire information representing the code from the code reader 5d.

[0041] In some cases, a barcode is printed only on the long side of the four sides of case A, with no barcode printed on the short side. In this case, by placing case A on conveyor 43 in a specified orientation, the barcode can be read from the width direction of the conveyor downstream of the placement position in the conveyor transport direction. However, when robot 1A places case A, which has a barcode printed only on the long side, on conveyor 43, for example, if case A has a nearly square shape in a plan view, it may be placed with the side on which the barcode is printed facing the conveyor transport direction, making it impossible to read the barcode with a code reader installed in the width direction of the conveyor. In such a case, if a code reader is installed above the conveyor so that it can read the barcode printed on the side facing the conveyor transport direction at each location where barcode reading is required, the number of code readers required would increase, making the system more complicated.

[0042] Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the side of case A on which the barcode is printed faces the conveyance direction, the barcode of case A can be read without installing a code reader above the conveyor. Specifically, the control device 100 determines whether information representing the read code has been acquired from code reader 5c installed in the width direction of the conveyor (step S18). If the control device 100 has acquired information representing the code from code reader 5d (No in step S18), it controls the auto-labeler 8 to attach a label printed with the barcode represented by the information acquired from code reader 5d to the side of case A facing the width direction of the conveyor 43 (step S19).

[0043] As a result, the barcode is attached to the side of the conveyor facing the width direction, so that on the downstream side in the conveying direction from the automatic labeler 8, no code reader is installed above the conveyor, and the barcode can be read only by the code readers 5e to 5h installed in the width direction of the conveyor. Note that when the control device 100 acquires information representing the code from the code reader 5c (Yes in step S18), the automatic labeler 8 does not perform the process of attaching a label.

[0044] The barcode printed on case A transported from the position of the automatic labeler 8 is read by the code reader 5e. The control device 100 determines whether there is a barcode on the side of case A facing the width direction of the conveyor (step S20). If the control device 100 is unable to acquire information from the code reader 5e, it determines that there is no barcode on the side of case A facing the width direction of the conveyor (No in step S20). In this case, the control device 100 stops the drive unit 43a to stop the conveyor 43 (step S21). The worker places case A, for example, so that the side with the barcode faces the width direction of the conveyor.

[0045] When the control device 100 acquires information from the code reader 5e, it determines that a barcode is present on the side of the case A facing the width direction of the conveyor (Yes in step S20). In this case, the control device 100 controls the drive unit 43a to transport the case A to the measuring device 7 (step S22). The code reader 5f reads the barcode printed on the case A being transported by the conveyor 43, and outputs information representing the read barcode to the control device 100. The measuring device 7 measures the dimensions of the case A transported from the conveyor 43, and outputs information representing the measured dimensions of the case A to the control device 100.

[0046] The control device 100 acquires the information output from the code reader 5f and the information output from the measuring device 7 (step S23). Next, the control device 100 associates the product name identified by the information output from the code reader 5f with the dimensions measured by the measuring device 7 and stores them as dimension data in the auxiliary storage unit 103 (step S24). This makes it possible to acquire accurate dimensions for case A.

[0047] The control device 100 controls the drive unit 44a to transport the case A, whose dimensions have been measured by the measuring device 7, to the automated warehouse 3 on the conveyor 44 (step S25). The code reader 5g reads the barcode printed on the side of the case A facing the width direction of the conveyor 44, and outputs information representing the read barcode to the control device 100. The control device 100 acquires the information output from the code reader 5g, associates the product name identified by the code represented by the acquired information with the position of the storage unit in the automated warehouse 3 that stores the case A containing the product, and stores this as case storage data in the auxiliary memory unit 103 (step S26).

[0048] When case A arrives at the automated warehouse 3, the control device 100 controls the conveyors and transfer machines of the automated warehouse 3 so that case A is stored at the location of the storage section indicated by the case storage data stored in the auxiliary memory unit 103, and stores case A in the storage section of the automated warehouse 3 (step S27).

[0049] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the control device 100 when the robot 1B pallets cases A onto a pallet P. When the control device 100 is instructed to palletize multiple types of cases A of different sizes stored in the automated warehouse 3, the control device 100 (calculation unit 101a) performs a mixed loading simulation of the multiple types of cases A. Specifically, the control device 100 acquires shipping data including the name of a product to be shipped and the number of cases A containing the product with that product name to be shipped. For each product name included in the shipping data, the control device 100 acquires the dimensions of the cases A associated with the product name from the dimension data stored in the auxiliary storage unit 103 (step S51). For example, when products a and b are to be stacked onto a pallet P, the control device 100 acquires the dimensions of case A1 and case A2. The control device 100 uses the acquired dimensions to perform a mixed loading simulation calculation of cases A containing the product names included in the shipping data, and determines the position and orientation of the cases A to be stacked onto the pallet P (step S52). Here, the acquired dimensions are accurate dimensions measured by the measuring device 7, so that efficient stowage calculations can be performed.

[0050] Next, the control device 100 (stacking unit 101b) controls the transfer machine of the automated warehouse 3 based on the results of the mixed loading simulation, and transports cases A with the product name specified in the outgoing data to the conveyor 45 in the order in which they will be stacked on the pallet P (step S53). The control device 100 controls the drive unit 45a, and transports cases A to the robot 1B on the conveyor 45 (step S54). The code reader 5h reads the barcode printed on the side of case A being transported by the conveyor 45 that faces the width direction of the conveyor 45, and outputs information representing the read code to the control device 100.

[0051] The control device 100 acquires the information output from the code reader 5h (step S55) and determines, by referring to the shipping data, whether the product name identified by the code represented by the acquired information is a product to be palletized on the pallet P (step S56). If the product name identified by the code represented by the acquired information is not included in the shipping data (No in step S56), the control device 100 stops the drive unit 45a to stop the conveyor 45 (step S58). In this case, the worker removes, for example, case A from the conveyor 45.

[0052] If the product name identified by the code represented by the acquired information is included in the shipping data (Yes in step S56), the control device 100 (stack unit 101b) controls the robot 1B to stack the case A on the pallet P placed on the conveyor 46 based on the position and orientation calculated in the mixed loading simulation (step S57). Next, the control device 100 determines whether all of the multiple cases A to be stacked on one pallet have been stacked based on the information acquired from the code reader 5h (step S59). If the product name identified by the code represented by the acquired information for the case A stacked on the pallet P by the robot 1B is not the name of the product to be stacked last on the pallet P (No in step S59), the control device 100 returns the processing flow to step S54. If the product name identified by the code represented by the acquired information for the case A stacked on the pallet P by the robot 1B is the name of the product to be stacked last on the pallet P (Yes in step S59), the control device 100 ends the processing of FIG. 5.

[0053] According to this embodiment, even if a case A with a barcode printed only on its long side is placed on the conveyor with its long side facing the conveyance direction, the barcode is attached by the automatic labeler 8 to the side facing the width of the conveyor, eliminating the need to install a code reader above the conveyor downstream in the conveyance direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the product name identified by the code acquired by the code reader 5f and the exact dimensions of the case A measured by the measuring device 7 are associated and stored as dimensional data. A mixed loading simulation is performed based on this accurate dimensional data, allowing efficient loading onto a pallet P based on the actual dimensions of the case A. In other words, since the present invention measures the actual dimensions of each item and stores them in association with the item, calculations for loading or warehouse storage can be performed based on the stored actual dimensions.

[0054] [Variations] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be implemented in various other forms. For example, the above-described embodiments may be modified as follows to implement the present invention. The above-described embodiments and the following modifications may be combined with each other. The present invention also includes configurations in which the components of the above-described embodiments and modifications are appropriately combined. Furthermore, further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and various modifications are possible.

[0055] In the present invention, when storing case A in the automated multi-story warehouse 3, an efficient placement in the storage section can be calculated based on the dimensions measured by the measuring device 7, and case A can be placed and stored based on the calculated placement. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1A, 1B Robot 2-pallet automated warehouse 3. Automated multi-story warehouse 5a~5h Code reader 6 sensors 7. Measuring equipment 8 Auto Traveler 41~46 Conveyor 41a~46a Drive unit 100 control device 101 Processing unit 102 Main memory 103 Auxiliary storage 104 Interface 1000 Material Handling System

Claims

1. a conveyor for transporting articles; a reading unit that reads a code printed on the article being transported by the conveyor and that identifies the article from a first direction and a second direction that intersects with the first direction; a label attachment unit that is provided downstream of the reading unit in the conveyance direction and that, when the reading unit reads the code from the first direction and cannot read the code from the second direction, attaches a label, on which the code read by the reading unit is printed, to a surface of the article facing the second direction; and a measuring unit provided downstream of the label attaching unit in the conveying direction and configured to measure dimensions of the article; a storage unit that stores the code and the dimensions measured by the measurement unit in association with each other; An article processing system comprising:

2. a storage unit that stores the item whose dimensions have been measured by the measurement unit; a calculation unit that calculates how to stack the multiple items stored in the storage unit onto a pallet using the dimensions stored in the memory unit; a loading unit that loads the items stored in the storage unit onto a pallet based on the calculation result of the calculation unit; The article processing system of claim 1 .

3. the calculation unit calculates the arrangement of the items stored in the storage unit using the dimensions stored in the memory unit; The storage unit stores the item based on the calculation result of the calculation unit. The article processing system of claim 2 .

4. a detection unit configured to detect the code printed on a surface of the article facing the second direction or the code printed on a label attached to the surface, downstream in the conveyance direction from the label attachment unit; The article processing system of claim 1 .

5. a reading step of reading a code printed on an article being transported by a conveyor for transporting the article and identifying the article from a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction; a label attaching step of attaching a label, on which the code read in the reading step is printed, to a surface of the article facing the second direction, downstream in the conveyance direction from a position where the code is read in the reading step, if the code cannot be read from the second direction in the reading step; a measuring step of measuring dimensions of the article downstream in a conveyance direction from a position where the code is read in the labeling step; a storage step of storing the code and the dimensions measured in the measurement step in association with each other; An article processing method comprising:

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