Picking system, picking control device, and picking control program

Abstract

To efficiently pick a cargo, and convey the cargo.SOLUTION: A picking system includes: a first cart which includes a first arm and travels on a first lane set to outside a storage part where a cargo is stored; a second cart which includes a second arm and a storage part and travels on a second lane set to outside the first lane; and a control part for performing control so that the first cart picks up the cargo by the first arm while traveling on the first lane and delivers the cargo to the second cart, and the second cart receives the cargo picked up by the first cart while traveling on the second lane by the second arm, stores the cargo in the storage part, separates the second lane so that a storage amount of the storage part reaches a fixed number, and replenishes a new second cart.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present disclosure relates to a picking system, a picking control device, and a picking control program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a picking device that conveys articles within a management area. The picking device includes a robot that circulates among a plurality of shelves arranged in the management area by autonomous driving based on a predetermined loading plan for the articles, performs loading and unloading of the articles to / from the shelves, and conveys the articles to a predetermined picking station.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When an autonomous cart picks up packages in a warehouse and transports them to a predetermined location, it is inefficient if only one cart is responsible for transporting the packages from picking to the predetermined location.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to obtain a picking system, a picking control device, and a picking control program capable of efficiently picking up and transporting packages.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A picking system according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes: a first cart equipped with a first arm that travels along a first lane set outside a storage section containing packages; a second cart equipped with a second arm and a storage section that travels along a second lane set outside the first lane; and a picking control device that controls the first cart to pick up packages with its first arm while traveling along the first lane and transfer them to the second cart, and the second cart to receive the packages picked up by the first cart with its second arm while traveling along the second lane and store them in the storage section, and to leave the second lane and replenish with a new second cart when the amount of stored items in the storage section reaches a certain number.

[0007] A picking control device according to a second aspect of the present disclosure includes a control unit that controls a first cart, which has a first arm and travels along a first lane set outside a storage section where packages are stored, to pick up packages with the first arm while traveling along the first lane and transfer them to a second cart, and a second cart, which has a second arm and a storage section and travels along a second lane set outside the first lane, to receive the packages picked up by the first cart with the second arm while traveling along the second lane and store them in the storage section, and to leave the second lane and replenish with a new second cart when the amount of stored items in the storage section reaches a certain number.

[0008] A picking control program according to a third aspect of this disclosure causes a computer to execute a process that includes controlling a first cart, which is equipped with a first arm and travels along a first lane set outside a storage section where packages are stored, to pick up packages with the first arm while traveling along the first lane and transfer them to a second cart, and a second cart, which is equipped with a second arm and a storage section and travels along a second lane set outside the first lane, to receive the packages picked up by the first cart with the second arm while traveling along the second lane and store them in the storage section, and to leave the second lane and replenish with a new second cart when the amount of stored items in the storage section reaches a certain number. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a floor plan of a warehouse to which the picking system according to this embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the cart robot according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing the process of transferring a basket from a local cart to a high-speed cart. [Figure 4A] This flowchart shows the control routine for the basket pickup process using a local cart according to this embodiment. [Figure 4B] This flowchart shows the control routine for the basket pickup process using a high-speed cart according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] This diagram schematically shows an example of the functional configuration of a cart robot. [Figure 6] This figure schematically shows an example of computer hardware that functions as an information processing device for a humanoid robot in this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The present invention will be described below through embodiments, but these embodiments are not intended to limit the invention as defined in the claims. Furthermore, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0011] Figure 1 is a plan view of the warehouse floor 50 to which the picking system according to this embodiment is applied.

[0012] Picking is the job of gathering (picking up) the necessary items. Picking staff (in this embodiment, the cart robot 52) ​​play an essential role in shipping items from the warehouse, and are therefore deployed in warehouses of all types. Note that these are not limited to cart robots; humanoid robots may also be used.

[0013] For example, their main job is to collect specified items based on pre-assigned lists or order forms, and then pass them on to inspection and packing staff. The larger the warehouse, the greater the variety and number of items stored, which means that a large number of picking staff will be moving around within the 50-floor warehouse.

[0014] In the floor 50 shown in Figure 1, a storage area (warehouse, shelves, etc.) 54 is provided, and multiple baskets 56 (see Figure 3) are stored there. A cart robot 52 moves around this storage area 54. The cart robot 52's main role is to transfer the baskets 56, and it is classified into two types based on its movement path: Fast Track Cart 52A, which moves along Fast Lane 58, and Local Track Cart 52B, which moves along Local Picking Lane 60. The storage area 54 is an example of a storage area in this disclosure. Local Lane 60 is an example of a first lane in this disclosure. Fast Lane 58 is an example of a second lane in this disclosure. Local Cart 52B is an example of a first cart in this disclosure. Fast Cart 52A is an example of a second cart in this disclosure.

[0015] The local lane 60 is an inner lane within the floor 50, in other words, a lane set outside the storage unit 54, where the local cart 52B moves in a meandering manner, approaching and moving away from the storage unit 54, and temporarily slows down to pick up the basket 56 from the storage unit 54.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2, the local cart 52B picks up the basket containing the goods using two inner picking arms 62, and then passes the basket 56 to the high-speed cart 52A moving along the high-speed lane 58 using three outer passing arms 64. Note that the picking arms 62 and passing arms 64 are examples of first arms.

[0017] The local cart 52B incorporates a counterbalance battery (not shown) for preventing tipping.

[0018] The high-speed lane 58 is the outer lane within the floor 50, that is, the lane set outside the local lane 60. For example, at a non-stop speed of 20 km / h, the high-speed cart 52A shown in FIG. 3 receives the basket 56 with three receiving arms 66 (Receving Arm) from the local cart 52B moving in the local lane 60. The receiving arm 66 is an example of the second arm. The high-speed cart 52A includes a storage unit 67 for storing the received basket 56.

[0019] As a series of operations, after picking up the basket 56, the local cart 52B in the local lane 60 runs side by side with the high-speed cart 52A at a speed of 20 km / h in the relay baton-passing manner with the outer high-speed lane 58, and non-stop, and transfers the basket 56 to the high-speed cart 52A by three passing arms 64 (Passing Arm) of the local cart 52B and three receiving arms 66 (Receving Arm) of the high-speed cart 52A. The high-speed cart 52A stores the received basket 56 in the storage unit 67 by three receiving arms 66.

[0020] On the floor 50, a Docking Station 68 (docking station 68) is installed corresponding to the storage unit 54. The position of the docking station 68 is an example of a predetermined position of the present disclosure.

[0021] The docking station 68 is a connection point between the high-speed lane 58 and the local lane 60.

[0022] The docking station 68 includes 20 arms and has a function of receiving the basket 56 from the high-speed lane 58.

[0023] At docking station 68, the high-speed cart 52A temporarily slows down to, for example, 2 km / h, and then accelerates again after, for example, transferring the basket within 1 minute.

[0024] Furthermore, a Storage Station 69 is installed on floor 50, corresponding to the storage unit 54. The location of the Storage Station 69 is also an example of a predetermined location as described herein, similar to the location of the Docking Station 68.

[0025] The storage station 69 is the connection point with the standby lane 59, which is located outside the high-speed lane 58. Like the docking station 68, the storage station 69 has 20 arms and is capable of receiving baskets 56 from the standby lane 59.

[0026] The waiting lane 59 is connected to Exit Lane 59A, which is located further away from the docking station 68 and branches off from the high-speed lane 58. The high-speed lane 58 is connected to Entrance Lane 59B, which branches off from the waiting lane 59. Exit Lane 59A is the lane for exiting from the high-speed lane 58 to the waiting lane 59, and Entrance Lane 59B is the lane for entering from the waiting lane 59 to the high-speed lane 58. Note that there may be multiple Exit Lane 59A and Entrance Lane 59B.

[0027] At the storage station 69, a high-speed cart 52A that decelerates from the exit lane 59A and exits into the waiting lane 59 completes the transfer of the basket 56 within one minute and waits before the entrance lane 59B. In addition, a high-speed cart 52A whose storage section 67, which was previously waiting before the entrance lane 59B, has become empty enters the high-speed lane 58 from the entrance lane 59B when another high-speed cart 52A exits from the exit lane 59A into the waiting lane 59.

[0028] Furthermore, the high-speed cart 52A will move to the waiting lane 59 when the amount of stored items in the basket 56 in the storage unit 67 reaches a certain level, as determined by the vehicle sensor group 72 described later.

[0029] In this embodiment, as an example, if the number of baskets 56 in the storage section 67 of a high-speed cart 52A reaches a certain number before it reaches the docking station 68, a new high-speed cart 52A is replenished in place of the current high-speed cart 52A. As a result, the high-speed cart 52A traveling on the high-speed lane 58 can always receive baskets 56 from the local cart 52B, enabling efficient picking and transport of goods.

[0030] On floor 50, a group of 70 warehouse sensors, including cameras and LiDAR, are installed on the ceiling and walls.

[0031] These warehouse sensor groups 70 constantly measure the distance and speed between the high-speed carts 52A and the local carts 52B, and use this information to synchronize them with each other.

[0032] Furthermore, both the high-speed cart 52A and the local cart 52B are equipped with a group of vehicle sensors 72, including cameras and LiDAR, on their respective cart bodies. By controlling the distance between cars to be equal intervals calculated by dividing the number of carts by the number of carts, it is possible to predict the necessary distance between cars (for example, 3m or more).

[0033] For example, if a high-speed cart 52A leaves the high-speed lane 58 and a new high-speed cart 52A cannot be provided to replace it, the following distances are controlled to be equal intervals calculated by dividing the number of carts remaining after the departing cart 52A by the number of carts remaining. In other words, the following distances between each high-speed cart 52A traveling in the high-speed lane 58 are increased. This makes it possible to predict the necessary following distances even after the number of high-speed carts 52A has decreased. In addition, the vehicle sensor group 72 of the high-speed cart 52A also detects the amount of liquid stored in the basket 56 in the storage unit 67.

[0034] In the picking system described above, the high-speed carts and local carts 52B on floor 50 operate at a perfectly synchronized tempo, preventing accidents such as interference (contact or collision). Furthermore, because picking is performed non-stop, time is minimized as much as possible.

[0035] Here, the carts used in this implementation (high-speed cart 52A and local cart 52B) are each equipped with multiple arms, as mentioned above.

[0036] The local cart 52B is equipped with two picking arms 62 and three passing arms 64, while the high-speed cart 52A is equipped with three receiving arms 66. Hereafter, these will be collectively referred to as arms 62, 64, and 66.

[0037] Arms 62, 64, and 66 move in three dimensions based on tasks such as picking items from basket 56 and transferring items between carts, and therefore traverse the monitoring area of ​​the vehicle sensor group 72 installed on the cart body.

[0038] As a result of this three-dimensional movement, blind spots may occur in one of the vehicle sensor groups 72. Arms 62, 64, and 66 move irregularly, and the amount of movement is particularly large closer to the tip. Furthermore, the blind spots of the vehicle sensor group 72 change over time.

[0039] Therefore, in this embodiment, a group of arm sensors 74, such as a small camera or LiDAR, is attached to the tip of each arm 62, 64, and 66 of each cart (high-speed cart 52A and local cart 52B).

[0040] The arm sensor group 74 at the tip of arms 62, 64, and 66 can eliminate the blind spots of the cart body sensor group 72.

[0041] Furthermore, by adding temperature sensors, hardness sensors, etc., to the arm sensor group 74 at the tip of arms 62, 64, and 66, for example, the gripping strength during the transfer (grasping) of the basket 56 can be set. By setting the gripping strength, deformation or damage to the basket 56 can be prevented.

[0042] The warehouse sensor group 70, vehicle body sensor group 72, and arm sensor group 74 may employ high-performance cameras, solid-state LiDAR, multi-color laser coaxial displacement meters, or various other sensor groups. Other possibilities include vibration meters, thermal cameras, hardness testers, radar, LiDAR, high-resolution, telephoto, ultra-wide-angle, 360-degree, and high-performance cameras, vision recognition, minute sound, ultrasound, vibration, infrared, ultraviolet, electromagnetic waves, temperature, humidity, spot AI weather forecasting, high-precision multi-channel GPS, low-altitude satellite information, or long-tail incident AI data.

[0043] In addition to the above information, the warehouse sensor group 70, vehicle sensor group 72, and arm sensor group 74 also detect images, distance, vibration, heat, smell, color, sound, ultrasound, ultraviolet light, or infrared light. Other information detected by the warehouse sensor group 70, vehicle sensor group 72, and arm sensor group 74 includes the movement of the cart robot 52's center of gravity, the material of the floor on which the cart robot 52 is installed, the ambient temperature, ambient humidity, the vertical, horizontal, and diagonal tilt angles of the floor, and the amount of moisture. The warehouse sensor group 70, vehicle sensor group 72, and arm sensor group 74 perform these detections, for example, every nanosecond.

[0044] In this embodiment, a docking station 68 is provided on the warehouse floor 50, but for example, the docking station 68 may be omitted. In this case, a storage station 69 may be provided outside the position corresponding to the docking station 68. Near the storage station 69, an exit lane 59A and an entrance lane 59B are provided, similar to the opposite side.

[0045] Figure 5 is a block diagram of the control system for the information processing device 14 mounted on the cart robot 52.

[0046] The information processing device 14 comprises an information acquisition unit 140, a control unit 142, and an information storage unit 144.

[0047] The information acquisition unit 140 acquires information about objects detected by the vehicle body sensor group 72 and the arm sensor group 74.

[0048] The control unit 142 uses the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 140 and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to control the rotational movement, vertical movement, and movement of the gripping parts at the tips of the arms 62, 64, and 66. The control unit 142 is an example of a picking control unit according to this disclosure.

[0049] For example, the control unit 142 performs the following processes.

[0050] (1) The arms 62, 64, and 66 and the gripping parts at their tips are driven so that they can grasp an object. (2) It is driven up and down to match the height of the workbench, such as the storage unit 54. (3) Maintain your balance to prevent falling. (4) Control the drive of the wheels when moving.

[0051] The operation of this embodiment will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 4A.

[0052] Figure 4A is a flowchart showing the pickup process control routine for the basket 56 by the local cart 52B.

[0053] In step 100, the vehicle accepts the pickup command for basket 56. In the next step, 102, it begins moving towards its destination at normal speed along local lane 60.

[0054] In the next step 104, it is determined whether or not the target basket 56 has been detected. If the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step 106, where the picking arm 62 picks up the basket 56, and the process proceeds to step 108.

[0055] In step 108, the vehicle moves at a controlled speed (e.g., 20 km / h), and then proceeds to step 110, approaching the high-speed cart 52A while meandering in the direction of the high-speed lane 58.

[0056] In the next step 112, the passing arm 64 of the local cart 52B and the receiving arm 66 of the high-speed cart 52A transfer the basket 56 from the local cart 52B to the high-speed cart 52A, and the process moves to step 114.

[0057] In step 114, the routine ends as local cart 52B is returned to normal speed and awaits the next command.

[0058] The operation of this embodiment will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 4B.

[0059] Figure 4B is a flowchart showing the pickup processing control routine for the basket 56 by the high-speed cart 52A.

[0060] In step 200, the vehicle receives a pickup command for basket 56. In the next step, 202, it moves along the high-speed lane 58 at a speed of 20 km / h.

[0061] In the next step, 204, we will dock with local cart 52B.

[0062] In the next step 206, the receiving arm 66 of the high-speed cart 52A and the passing arm 64 of the local cart 52B transfer the basket 56 from the local cart 52B to the high-speed cart 52A, and the process moves to step 208.

[0063] In step 208, it is determined whether the storage amount is a certain number. If the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step 210, where the vehicle slows down and exits into the waiting lane 59.

[0064] In step 212, it is determined whether a new high-speed cart 52A, i.e., a replacement high-speed cart 52A for the departed high-speed cart 52A, is available. If the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step 214, and the new high-speed cart 52A enters the high-speed lane 58.

[0065] In step S216, each high-speed kart 52A maintains an equal distance between vehicles and travels in the high-speed lane 58 at a controlled speed (20 km / h).

[0066] On the other hand, if the determination in step 208 is negative, the process proceeds to step 218 to determine whether or not docking with the docking station 68 is possible. If the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step 220 to dock with the docking station 68 and proceeds to step 216. When the high-speed cart 52A docks with the docking station 68, the basket 56 in the storage section 67 is removed.

[0067] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step S12, that is, if a new high-speed cart 52A cannot be added, the process proceeds to step 222, where the distance between each high-speed cart 52A is widened to maintain equal intervals, and the carts travel in the high-speed lane 58 at a controlled speed (20 km / h).

[0068] High-speed cart 52A will terminate this routine to await the next command.

[0069] Incidentally, since arms 62, 64, and 66 move in three dimensions based on tasks such as picking baskets 56 and transferring items between carts, they may cross the monitoring area of ​​the vehicle sensor group 72 installed on the cart body, which may result in a blind spot for one of the vehicle sensor group 72.

[0070] However, in this embodiment, the arm sensor group 74 at the tips of arms 62, 64, and 66 eliminates the blind spots of the cart body sensor group 72.

[0071] If the arm sensor group 74 at the tip of arms 62, 64, and 66 is a temperature sensor or hardness sensor, etc., the gripping strength can be adjusted when the basket 56 is handed over (gripped), preventing deformation or damage to the basket 56.

[0072] (Embodiment of the information processing device 14 of the cart robot 52) Figure 6 schematically shows an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1200 that functions as an information processing device 14. A program installed on the computer 1200 can cause the computer 1200 to function as one or more "parts" of the apparatus according to this embodiment, or to cause the computer 1200 to execute operations associated with the apparatus according to this embodiment or such one or more "parts", and / or to cause the computer 1200 to execute a process or a stage of such process according to this embodiment. Such a program may be executed by the CPU 1212 to cause the computer 1200 to execute specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0073] The computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 1212, RAM 1214, and a graphics controller 1216, which are interconnected by a host controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 1222, a storage device 1224, a DVD drive, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 1210 via an input / output controller 1220. The DVD drive may be a DVD-ROM drive and a DVD-RAM drive, etc. The storage device 1224 may be a hard disk drive and a solid-state drive, etc. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a ROM 1230 and a keyboard, which are connected to the input / output controller 1220 via an input / output chip 1240.

[0074] The CPU 1212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 1230 and RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphics controller 1216 acquires image data generated by the CPU 1212 and stores it in a frame buffer provided in RAM 1214 or within itself, so that the image data is displayed on the display device 1218.

[0075] The communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The storage device 1224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 1212 in the computer 1200. The DVD drive reads programs or data from a DVD-ROM or the like and provides them to the storage device 1224. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0076] The ROM 1230 stores boot programs and / or hardware-dependent programs of the computer 1200, which are executed by the computer 1200 upon activation. The input / output chip 1240 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 1220 via USB ports, parallel ports, serial ports, keyboard ports, mouse ports, etc.

[0077] The program is provided on a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM or IC card. The program is read from the computer-readable storage medium and installed on a storage device 1224, RAM 1214, or ROM 1230, which are examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by the CPU 1212. The information processing described within these programs is read by the computer 1200, resulting in coordination between the program and the various types of hardware resources described above. The apparatus or method may be configured to realize the operation or processing of information in accordance with the use of the computer 1200.

[0078] For example, when communication is performed between a computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 may execute a communication program loaded into RAM 1214 and, based on the processing described in the communication program, instruct the communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in a recording medium such as RAM 1214, storage device 1224, DVD-ROM, or IC card, transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes received data received from the network to a reception buffer area provided on the recording medium.

[0079] Furthermore, the CPU 1212 may read all or necessary parts of a file or database stored on an external recording medium such as the storage device 1224, a DVD drive (DVD-ROM), or an IC card into the RAM 1214, and perform various types of processing on the data in the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may then write the processed data back to the external recording medium.

[0080] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on the recording medium and subjected to information processing. The CPU 1212 may perform various types of processing on the data read from RAM 1214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgments, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information retrieval / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the program instruction sequence, and write the results back to RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may also retrieve information in files, databases, etc., within the recording medium. For example, if multiple entries are stored in the recording medium, each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute, the CPU 1212 may search among the multiple entries for an entry that matches the specified condition for the attribute value of the first attribute, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in that entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies the predetermined condition.

[0081] The program or software module described above may be stored on or near the computer 1200 in a computer-readable storage medium. Alternatively, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided within a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the program to the computer 1200 via the network.

[0082] In this embodiment, blocks in the flowchart and block diagram may represent a stage in a process in which an operation is performed or a "part" of a device that has the role of performing an operation. A particular stage and "part" may be implemented by a dedicated circuit, a programmable circuit supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and / or a processor supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The dedicated circuit may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuit may include reconfigurable hardware circuits, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and programmable logic arrays (PLAs), which include logical AND, logical OR, exclusive OR, negated AND, negated OR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, and memory elements.

[0083] A computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions to be executed by a suitable device, and as a result, a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein will comprise a product that includes instructions that can be executed to create means for performing operations specified in a flowchart or block diagram. Examples of computer-readable storage media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, etc. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital multipurpose disc (DVD), Blu-ray® disc, memory stick, integrated circuit card, etc.

[0084] Computer-readable instructions may include assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, Java®, C++, and traditional procedural programming languages ​​such as the C programming language or similar programming languages.

[0085] Computer-readable instructions may be provided to a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or a programmable circuit, either locally or via a wide area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN) or the internet, so that the computer-readable instructions may be executed by the processor or programmable circuit of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, in order to generate means for performing operations specified in a flowchart or block diagram. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, and the like.

[0086] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It will be clear from the claims that such modified or improved forms may also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0087] It should be noted that the execution order of operations, procedures, steps, and stages in the apparatus, systems, programs, and methods described in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not explicitly stated as "before" or "prior to," and that these can be implemented in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operation flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using phrases such as "first," and "next," for convenience, this does not mean that it is essential to perform the operations in that order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 14 Information processing unit, 50 Floor, 52 Cart robot, 54 Storage unit, 52A High-speed cart, 52B Local cart, 56 Basket, 58 High-speed lane, 59 Waiting lane, 60 Local lane, 62 Picking arm, 64 Passing arm, 66 Receiving arm, 67 Storage unit, 68 Docking station, 70 Warehouse sensor group, 72 Vehicle sensor group, 74 Arm sensor group, 1200 Computer, 1210 Host controller, 1212 CPU, 1214 RAM, 1216 Graphics controller, 1218 Display device, 1220 Input / Output controller, 1222 Communication interface, 1224 Storage device, 1230 ROM, 1240 Input / Output chip

Claims

1. A first cart equipped with a first arm travels along a first lane set outside the storage area where the cargo is stored, A second cart comprising a second arm and a storage section, which travels in a second lane set outside the first lane, A picking control unit controls the first cart to travel along the first lane, pick up the cargo with its first arm, and transfer it to the second cart; the second cart to travel along the second lane, receive the cargo picked up by the first cart with its second arm, and store it in the storage unit; and when the amount of cargo stored in the storage unit reaches a certain number, the second cart leaves the second lane and a new second cart is brought in to replenish the inventory. A picking system equipped with [features / equipment].

2. Multiple of the second carts travel in the second lane at equal intervals. The picking system according to claim 1, wherein the picking control unit controls the multiple second carts to travel at equal intervals by increasing the distance between them when it is not possible to replenish the new second cart.

3. The picking control unit controls the first cart and the second cart to move side by side while transferring the goods from the first cart to the second cart. The picking system according to claim 1.

4. A picking control unit controls a first cart equipped with a first arm, which travels along a first lane set outside a storage section where packages are stored, to pick up packages with its first arm while traveling along the first lane and transfer them to a second cart. A second cart equipped with a second arm and a storage section, which travels along a second lane set outside the first lane, to receive the packages picked up by the first cart with its second arm while traveling along the second lane and store them in the storage section. When the amount of packages stored in the storage section reaches a certain number, the second cart leaves the second lane and a new second cart is brought in to replenish the inventory. A picking control device equipped with a picking control device.

5. On the computer, A first cart, equipped with a first arm, travels along a first lane set outside a storage section where cargo is stored. While traveling along the first lane, the first cart picks up the cargo with its first arm and transfers it to a second cart. A second cart, equipped with a second arm and a storage section, travels along a second lane set outside the first lane. While traveling along the second lane, the second cart receives the cargo picked up by the first cart with its second arm and stores it in the storage section. When the amount of cargo stored in the storage section reaches a certain amount, the second cart leaves the second lane and is controlled to replenish the supply with a new second cart. A picking control program that performs a process that includes the following.

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