Picking system and program

Abstract

To provide:a picking system that can efficiently place packages on the shelves; and a program therefor.SOLUTION: The packaging method includes the steps of: introducing a content through a mouth portion of a bag B in a suspended state into the storage space inside the bag B; detecting whether the content protrudes from the mouth portion of the bag B containing the content to the outside of the bag B; and evaluating a state of the bag B containing the content based on the detection result of the protrusion of the content to the outside of the bag B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosed embodiments relate to a picking system and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a cart robot that autonomously travels based on a predetermined collection plan, picks up a cargo from a shelf using an arm, and conveys the cargo to a predetermined location is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The above-described conventional technology has room for improvement in terms of efficiently arranging cargos on the shelf before they are picked up by the cart robot.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a picking system and a program that can efficiently arrange cargos on a shelf.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] The picking system according to one aspect of the embodiment includes a cart robot that picks up and conveys cargos, and a placement robot that places cargos on the shelf from which cargos are picked up by the cart robot.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the embodiment, cargos can be efficiently arranged on the shelf.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a floor plan of a warehouse to which the picking system according to the embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cart robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control center. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of the operation of a deployed robot. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation process of the picking system according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that functions as an information processing device or control center. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] 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.

[0010] Figure 1 is a plan view of the warehouse floor 50 to which the picking system 1 according to this embodiment is applied. As shown in Figure 1, the picking system 1 comprises a cart robot 52 and a placement robot 53. The cart robot 52 is a robot that picks up and transports goods (baskets 56), and comprises a plurality of first cart robots 52a and a plurality of second cart robots 52b. Although Figure 1 shows an example where there are multiple first cart robots 52a and multiple second cart robots 52b, it is not limited to this, and there may be one. Similarly, although Figure 1 shows an example where there is one placement robot 53, it is not limited to this, and there may be multiple.

[0011] The picking system 1 also includes a storage unit 54, a docking station 68, and a plurality of in-warehouse sensors 70. The picking system 1 also includes a control center 3.

[0012] Picking is the job of collecting (picking up) necessary items (packages). Picking staff play an essential role in shipping items from the warehouse and are therefore deployed in warehouses of all types. The picking staff is a robot with an arm. In this embodiment, the picking staff is a cart robot 52. The picking staff may also be a humanoid robot.

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

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, floor 50 is equipped with a storage area 54 where multiple baskets 56 are stored. The baskets 56 contain items (packages) collected through picking operations.

[0015] The storage unit 54 includes a warehouse section 55x and shelves 55. The warehouse section 55x accommodates (stores) baskets 56 before they are placed on the shelves 55. The shelves 55 accommodate (store) baskets 56 to be picked up by cart robots 52 (more precisely, the first cart robot 52a). The shelves 55 can accommodate a plurality of baskets 56, but the configuration is not limited thereto, and may be configured to accommodate one basket 56. Further, on the floor 50, there are a plurality of (for example, six) shelves 55. Hereinafter, the six shelves 55 may be referred to as "first shelf 55a", "second shelf 55b", "third shelf 55c", "fourth shelf 55d", "fifth shelf 55e" and "sixth shelf 55f". It should be noted that the number of shelves 55 shown in Fig. 1 is merely an example and is not intended to be limiting. Further, when the first to sixth shelves 55a to 55f are described without particular distinction, they may be referred to as "shelves 55".

[0016] A placement robot 53 is configured to move (travel) inside the above-described storage unit 54. The operation and configuration of the placement robot 53 will be described in detail later.

[0017] Further, cart robots 52 are configured to move around the periphery of the storage unit 54. A first cart robot 52a and a second cart robot 52b, which are the cart robots 52, deliver and receive baskets 56. The delivery / reception includes taking out (picking up) a basket 56 from the shelf 55 of the storage unit 54.

[0018] The first cart robot 52a is a cart robot that moves in a low-speed lane 58. The second cart robot 52b is a cart robot that moves at a higher speed than the first cart robot 52a, and moves in a high-speed lane 60.

[0019] The low-speed lane 58 and the high-speed lane 60 are movement routes set, for example, by a control center 3 described later. Although the high-speed lane 60 may be fixed, the low-speed lane 58 can be changed, for example, according to a cargo collection plan, that is, according to the storage location of the cargo to be picked up (the shelf 55 in this case).

[0020] The high-speed lane 60 is a path where the start point and end point are connected, that is, a circular path. The second cart robot 52b travels around the high-speed lane 60 in a fixed direction (clockwise in FIG. 1). As an example, the second cart robot 52b travels non-stop along the high-speed lane 60 at 20 km / h, and receives the basket 56 from the first cart robot 52a moving on the low-speed lane 58.

[0021] FIG. 1 shows an example where a plurality of second cart robots 52b move along the same high-speed lane 60, but the plurality of second cart robots 52b may respectively move along different high-speed lanes 60.

[0022] The low-speed lane 58 is provided outside the storage section 54 and inside the high-speed lane 60. That is, the low-speed lane 58 is provided between the storage section 54 and the high-speed lane 60. The first cart robot 52a moves in a fixed direction along the low-speed lane 58. Specifically, the low-speed lane 58 includes a pickup section adjacent to the shelves 55 of the storage section 54, and a parallel traveling section adjacent to the high-speed lane 60 and running in parallel with the high-speed lane 60, and the first cart robot 52a travels in a meandering manner between the shelves 55 of the storage section 54 and the high-speed lane 60. Specifically, the first cart robot 52a approaches the shelf 55 to pick up the basket 56, then moves away from the shelf 55, then approaches the high-speed lane 60, delivers the basket 56 to the second cart robot 52b, and then travels meanderingly to move away from the high-speed lane 60.

[0023] Note that the first cart robot 52a temporarily decelerates or stops in the pickup section to pick up the basket 56 from the shelf 55 of the storage section 54. Further, the first cart robot 52a delivers the basket 56 to the second cart robot 52b while traveling in parallel with the second cart robot 52b in the parallel traveling section.

[0024] Note that the low-speed lane 58 shown in Figure 1 is merely an example, and multiple first cart robots 52a will each move along a different low-speed lane 58. Furthermore, the movement of the first cart robots 52a is not limited to serpentine movement.

[0025] In the example shown in Figure 1, the low-speed lane 58 is shown as a circular path. That is, Figure 1 shows an example where the first cart robot 52a starts from the same place and returns to the same place, but the low-speed lane 58 does not necessarily have to be a circular path. In other words, the first cart robot 52a does not necessarily have to return to the same place.

[0026] As part of the series of operations performed by the first cart robot 52a and the second cart robot 52b, for example, the first cart robot 52a in the low-speed lane 58 picks up the basket 56 from the shelf 55, and then, in a relay-like manner, runs parallel to the second cart robot 52b at a speed of 20 km / h in the outer high-speed lane 60, and passes the basket 56 to the second cart robot 52b nonstop. Note that the transfer of the basket 56 between the first cart robot 52a and the second cart robot 52b may be performed while each cart robot 52 is stopped.

[0027] A docking station 68 is installed on floor 50, corresponding to the storage unit 54. The docking station 68 serves as the connection point between the high-speed lane 60 and the low-speed lane 58.

[0028] The docking station 68, for example, has 20 arms and is capable of receiving baskets 56 from the high-speed lane 60.

[0029] At the docking station 68, the second cart robot 52b temporarily decelerates, for example, to 2 km / h, and then, for example, within 1 minute, it hands over the basket 56 and re-accelerates.

[0030] Floor 50 has 70 warehouse sensors installed on the ceiling and walls, including cameras and LiDAR (light detection and ranging).

[0031] These warehouse sensors 70 constantly detect (measure) the position, speed, distance between the first cart robot 52a and the second cart robot 52b, and the deployment robot 53. The warehouse sensors 70 include at least one of the following: a high-performance camera, solid-state LiDAR, multi-color laser coaxial displacement sensor, or various other sensors. The warehouse sensors 70 also include a vibration meter, thermal camera, hardness tester, radar, LiDAR, high-resolution, telephoto, ultra-wide-angle, 360-degree, high-performance camera, and vision recognition. sensor , subtle sound sensor ultrasound sensor ,vibration sensor infrared sensor ultraviolet rays sensor electromagnetic waves sensor ,temperature sensor , humidity sensor Spot AI weather forecast Sensors that acquire data High-precision multi-channel GPS, low-altitude satellite information Sensors that acquire data , and long-tail incident AI data Sensors that acquire data These may also be included. The warehouse sensor 70 may include multiple sensors.

[0032] The warehouse sensor 70 receives the above information Other information The following may also be detected: the movement of the center of gravity of the cart robot 52, and the material of the floor on which the cart robot 52 is installed. 、 Floor's vertical, horizontal, and diagonal inclination angles ,odor These are some examples. The warehouse sensor 70 performs these detections, for example, every nanosecond.

[0033] The measured information is used to control the first cart robot 52a, the second cart robot 52b, and the deployment robot 53, which will be described later. For example, the measured information is used to synchronize the first cart robot 52a, the second cart robot 52b, and the deployment robot 53 with each other.

[0034] The control center 3 controls the entire floor 50. The control center 3 creates collection lists and travel routes for the goods to be collected by the first cart robot 52a and the second cart robot 52b, and controls the first cart robot 52a, the second cart robot 52b, and the deployment robot 53 based on the various information created.

[0035] Next, an example of the configuration of the cart robot 52 and the placement robot 53 will be described with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cart robot 52 according to this embodiment. Since the cart robot 52 and the placement robot 53 have similar configurations, the following description of the cart robot 52 is generally applicable to the placement robot 53 as well.

[0036] As shown in Figure 2, the cart robot 52 comprises a vehicle body 10, an arm 11, a sensor 12, a drive battery 13, and an information processing device 15 (see Figure 3). The cart robot 52 described below is applicable to at least one of the first cart robot 52a and the second cart robot 52b.

[0037] The vehicle body 10 is formed, for example, in the shape of a box with an opening at the top. The vehicle body 10 is capable of carrying a basket 56. The vehicle body 10 is provided with a plurality of drive wheels 10a. Each drive wheel 10a is provided with a motor. The rotational speed of each drive wheel 10a is adjusted by the motor. By adjusting the rotational speed of each drive wheel 10a, the vehicle body 10 can travel in the forward / backward, left / right, and diagonal directions. Furthermore, by adjusting the rotational speed of each drive wheel 10a, the vehicle body 10 can rotate 360 ​​degrees.

[0038] The arm 11 is attached to the vehicle body 10. The arm 11 is fixed to the vehicle body 10 by attaching its base end to the vehicle body 10. For example, the base end of the arm 11 is attached to the upper end of the vehicle body 10. One arm 11 is provided for the vehicle body 10. That is, the cart robot 52 has one arm 11. The arm 11 is attached to the rear side of the vehicle body 10. For example, the arm 11 is attached to the rear end of the vehicle body 10. The arm 11 is attached to the vehicle body 10 near the center in the left-right direction.

[0039] The height at which the arm 11 is attached is the shoulder height of a warehouse worker. The height at which the arm 11 is attached is the average shoulder height of a warehouse worker. For example, the height at which the arm 11 is attached is 150 cm from the floor. For example, in the cart robot 52, the height of the base end of the arm 11 attached to the vehicle body 10 is 150 cm from the floor.

[0040] The arm 11 has a plurality of rod sections 11a and a plurality of joint sections 11b. The joint sections 11b are provided, for example, between two rod sections 11a, allowing the two rod sections 11a to rotate relative to each other. Each joint section 11b has a motor. By rotating the rod sections 11a relative to each joint section 11b, the arm 11 can extend and retract and rotate 360 ​​degrees.

[0041] The tip of the arm 11 is provided with a gripping part 11c for gripping the basket 56. The gripping part 11c grips the basket 56, for example, by suction. The cart robot 52 may have multiple arms 11. Arm 11 This could be a so-called robotic arm.

[0042] Sensor 12 is mounted on the vehicle body 10. Sensor 12 is located on the front side of the vehicle body 10. For example, sensor 12 is located at the front end of the vehicle body 10. Sensor 12 is located at the upper end of the vehicle body 10. Sensor 12 may be located so as to protrude above the vehicle body 10. Sensor 12 is mounted near the center of the vehicle body 10 in the left-right direction. For example, arm 11 and sensor 12 are located opposite each other on the vehicle body 10. The type of sensor 12 is the same as that of the warehouse sensor 70. Sensor 12 may include multiple sensors.

[0043] The drive battery 13 is a battery that supplies power to the motor, which is the drive source. For example, a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery can be used as the drive battery 13. The drive battery 13 is rechargeable in the charging area 62, which will be described later.

[0044] Next, the information processing device 15 (control device) will be described with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 15. As shown in Figure 3, the information processing device 15 comprises an information acquisition unit 150, a control unit 152, and an information storage unit 154.

[0045] The information acquisition unit 150 acquires information detected by the sensor 12. The information acquisition unit 150 acquires information detected by the warehouse sensor 70. The information acquisition unit 150 acquires information regarding the remaining battery level of the drive battery 13. The information acquisition unit 150 of the information processing device 15 mounted on the cart robot 52 acquires signals transmitted from a command device (for example, the control center 3) that instructs the operation of the cart robot 52. In addition, the information acquisition unit 150 of the information processing device 15 mounted on the deployment robot 53 acquires signals transmitted from a command device (for example, the control center 3) that instructs the operation of the deployment robot 53.

[0046] The control unit 152 controls the operation of the arm 11 and the vehicle body 10 based on signals transmitted from the control center 3 or the like and acquired by the information acquisition unit 150.

[0047] The control unit 152 controls the movement of the arm 11 using the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 150 and AI (Artificial Intelligence). The control unit 152 controls the motors of each joint 11b of the arm 11. The control unit 152 controls the movement of the arm 11 using the information detected by the sensor 12 and the warehouse sensor 70.

[0048] Furthermore, the control unit 152 controls the operation of the vehicle body 10 using the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 150 and the AI. The control unit 152 controls the motors of each drive wheel 10a of the vehicle body 10. The control unit 152 controls the operation of the vehicle body 10 using the information detected by the sensor 12 and the warehouse sensor 70.

[0049] The information storage unit 154 is implemented by a storage medium such as a semiconductor memory element, such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or flash memory. The information storage unit 154 stores various programs executed by the control unit 152. The information storage unit 154 also stores information acquired by the information acquisition unit 150.

[0050] Next, an example of the configuration of the control center 3 will be described using Figure 4. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control center 3. As shown in Figure 4, the control center 3 comprises an information acquisition unit 101, a control unit 102, and an information storage unit 103.

[0051] The information acquisition unit 101 acquires information related to the order list. The information acquisition unit 101 acquires information related to its own status from the first cart robot 52a, the second cart robot 52b, and the deployment robot 53. The status information includes, for example, the task being executed and the remaining battery level. The information acquisition unit 101 acquires information detected by the warehouse sensor 70. The detected information includes, for example, the position and speed of the first cart robot 52a, the second cart robot 52b, and the deployment robot 53, and the distance between the first cart robot 52a and the second cart robot 52b.

[0052] The control unit 102 uses the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 101 and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to control the operation of the first cart robot 52a, the second cart robot 52b, and the placement robot 53. For example, the control unit 102 creates collection plan information for each of the first cart robots 52a and the second cart robot 52b, including a collection list and a movement route (low-speed lane 58 and high-speed lane 60). The collection list may include, for example, identification information of the baskets 56 to be collected, identification information of the shelves 55 on which the baskets 56 are located, and the collection order of the baskets 56. The collection plan information may also include the timing of the transfer of baskets 56 from the first cart robot 52a to the second cart robot 52b and identification information of the recipient of the transfer.

[0053] The control unit 102 transmits the created collection plan information to the first cart robot 52a and the second cart robot 52b. The control units 152 of the first cart robot 52a and the second cart robot 52b then control the vehicle body 10 and the arm 11 according to the received collection plan information.

[0054] The information storage unit 103 is implemented by a storage medium such as a semiconductor memory element like RAM or flash memory. The information storage unit 103 stores various programs executed by the control unit 102. The information storage unit 103 also stores information acquired by the information acquisition unit 101.

[0055] Incidentally, as described above, the baskets 56 are placed on the shelves 55 (see Figure 1) of the storage unit 54 before being picked up by the first cart robot 52a. Here, the task of placing the baskets 56 on the shelves 55 could be performed by a worker, for example, but manual placement is not efficient in terms of time and effort. Therefore, in this embodiment, a configuration has been made that allows the baskets 56 to be placed on the shelves 55 efficiently.

[0056] Specifically, the picking system 1 according to this embodiment is further equipped with a placement robot 53 that places the baskets 56 on the shelf 55 where the baskets 56 are picked up by the cart robot 52 (more precisely, the first cart robot 52a). In other words, the picking system 1 is equipped with a placement robot 53 dedicated to the placement work of placing the baskets 56 on the shelf 55.

[0057] Thus, by including the placement robot 53, the picking system 1 according to this embodiment can reduce working time and labor compared to, for example, when a worker performs the placement work, and therefore the baskets 56 can be efficiently placed on the shelves 55.

[0058] Furthermore, as described above, the placement robot 53 is configured to place the baskets 56 on the shelf 55 from which the baskets 56 are picked up by the first cart robot 52a. This allows the placement robot 53 to efficiently place the baskets 56 on the shelf 55 for the first cart robot 52a.

[0059] Furthermore, the placement robot 53 is controlled based on placement plan information created by the control unit 102 (see Figure 4) of the control center 3 described above. For example, the control unit 102 creates placement plan information that includes a placement list of baskets 56 to be placed on shelves 55 by the placement robot 53 and the movement route of the placement robot 53 within the storage unit 54. The placement list may include, for example, identification information of the shelves 55 on which the baskets 56 should be placed, identification information of the baskets 56 to be placed on shelves 55, and the placement order of the baskets 56. The placement plan information may also include information on the timing at which the placement robot 53 places the baskets 56 on shelves 55.

[0060] The control unit 102 transmits the created placement plan information to the placement robot 53. The control unit 152 of the placement robot 53 (see Figure 3) then controls the vehicle body 10 and the arm 11 according to the received placement plan information.

[0061] Here, an example of the operation of the deployed robot 53 will be explained with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the deployed robot 53. In the example in Figure 5, there is a first shelf 55a and a second shelf 55b, and the first cart robot 52a is assumed to be traveling near the first shelf 55a. Also, the basket 56 in the warehouse section 55x is assumed to be the basket 56 that the first cart robot 52a is to collect.

[0062] In such a case, the placement robot 53 places the basket 56 on the first shelf 55a, which is near the first cart robot 52a, among the first shelf 55a and the second shelf 55b. Specifically, the placement robot 53 takes the basket 56 from the warehouse section 55x, transports the taken basket 56, and places it on the first shelf 55a located near the first cart robot 52a (see dotted arrow). In Figure 5, the basket 56 taken from the warehouse section 55x is shown by a dashed line.

[0063] As described above, the placement robot 53 according to this embodiment places the basket 56 on the shelf 55 near the first cart robot 52a (here, the first shelf 55a) among the multiple shelves 55 (here, the first shelf 55a and the second shelf 55b). This allows the first cart robot 52a to collect (pick up) the basket 56 to be collected as early as possible, thereby improving the efficiency of collection.

[0064] The shelf 55 near the first cart robot 52a described above is preferably the shelf 55 closest to the first cart robot 52a in the direction of travel, but is not limited to this, and may be any shelf 55 that the first cart robot 52a can reach relatively early. The shelf 55 near the first cart robot 52a described above may also be selected based on, for example, the position, movement speed, and movement route of the first cart robot 52a and the deployment robot 53. For example, the control unit 102 selects a shelf 55 (here, the first shelf 55a) from among the multiple shelves 55 at the time when the deployment robot 53 has finished placing the basket 56 on the shelf 55, and creates placement plan information to place the basket 56 on the selected shelf 55. The deployment robot 53 performs the delivery work based on this placement plan information, so that the first cart robot 52a can collect (pick up) the basket 56 as early as possible after placement is complete, thereby improving the efficiency of collection.

[0065] The operation examples of the placement robot 53, etc., will be explained with reference to Figure 1. In this embodiment, each of the multiple shelves 55 is set to correspond to one or more of the multiple cart robots 52 (more precisely, the first cart robot 52a).

[0066] For example, the first shelf 55a is configured to correspond to the first cart robot 52a1. In other words, the first shelf 55a is a shelf for the first cart robot 52a1, and the basket 56 is picked up by the first cart robot 52a1. The second shelf 55b and the third shelf 55c are configured to correspond to the first cart robot 52a2. The fourth shelf 55d is configured to correspond to the first cart robots 52a2 and 52a3. The fifth shelf 55e and the sixth shelf 55f are configured to correspond to the first cart robot 52a4. Note that the above-described correspondence between shelves 55 and the first cart robots 52a is merely illustrative and not limiting.

[0067] Then, the placement robot 53 places the basket 56, which has been picked up by the first cart robot 52a, onto the shelf 55 that corresponds to the first cart robot 52a.

[0068] For example, the placement robot 53 places the basket 56 that the first cart robot 52a1 is to collect on the first shelf 55a corresponding to the first cart robot 52a1. Similarly, the placement robot 53 places the basket 56 that the first cart robot 52a2 is to collect on one of the second shelves 55b to the fourth shelf 55d corresponding to the first cart robot 52a2. The placement robot 53 also places the basket 56 that the first cart robot 52a3 is to collect on the fourth shelf 55d corresponding to the first cart robot 52a3. The placement robot 53 also places the basket 56 that the first cart robot 52a4 is to collect on the fifth shelf 55e or the sixth shelf 55f corresponding to the first cart robot 52a4.

[0069] This allows the first cart robot 52a to pick up the basket 56 to be collected from itself and its corresponding shelf 55 as early as possible, thereby improving the efficiency of collection.

[0070] Furthermore, if a shelf 55 corresponding to the first cart robot 52a is set up, the movement of the first cart robot 52a is not limited to the meandering movement shown in Figure 1, but may also be, for example, a back-and-forth movement between the shelf 55 (more precisely, the shelf 55 corresponding to itself) and the high-speed lane 60.

[0071] Furthermore, although the above describes a pre-associated arrangement of multiple shelves 55 and multiple first cart robots 52a, the system is not limited to this, and the shelf 55 corresponding to the first cart robot 52a may be changed.

[0072] For example, the placement robot 53 may change the number of shelves 55 on which the baskets 56 are placed, depending on the quantity of baskets 56 picked up by the first cart robot 52a. For example, if the number of baskets 56 to be collected by the first cart robot 52a1 exceeds the number that can be accommodated in the corresponding first shelf 55a, then in addition to the first shelf 55a, the second shelf 55b is set as the shelf corresponding to the first cart robot 52a1. This allows the placement robot 53 to place the baskets 56 that exceed the number that can be accommodated in the first shelf 55a on the second shelf 55b.

[0073] As a result, in this embodiment, the number of shelves 55 can be set according to the amount of baskets 56 picked up by the first cart robot 52a, that is, the number of shelves 55 can be set appropriately, and the baskets 56 can be arranged efficiently.

[0074] Here, we will describe the charging of the first cart robot 52a. As shown in Figure 1, a charging area 62 for charging the drive battery 13 of the first cart robot 52a is provided on the floor 50. The charging area 62 is located, for example, near the shelf 55, at the position where the first cart robot 52a performs the task of picking up a basket 56 from the shelf 55, but is not limited to this. The charging area 62 can be a non-contact type charging area that can charge the drive battery 13 (see Figure 2) of the first cart robot 52a without contact, but is not limited to this, and may also be a contact type charging area.

[0075] Then, when the first cart robot 52a picks up the basket 56 from the shelf 55, and when the placement robot 53 places the basket 56 on the shelf 55, it performs a charging process to charge the mounted drive battery 13 in the charging area 62. The timing of this charging process can be set arbitrarily; for example, it may be performed when the battery level of the drive battery 13 decreases, or it may be performed each time the first cart robot 52a arrives at the charging area 62.

[0076] This allows the first cart robot 52a to effectively utilize waiting times, such as the time it takes to pick up the basket 56 from the shelf 55 or the time it takes for the placement robot 53 to place the basket 56 on the shelf 55, by using that time for charging.

[0077] In the above example, the placement robot 53 transports the basket 56 from the warehouse section 55x to the shelf 55, but it is not limited to this, and the basket 56 may also be transported from shelf 55 to shelf 55 (for example, from the first shelf 55a to the second shelf 55b).

[0078] Next, the operation process of the picking system 1 according to the embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation process of the picking system 1 according to the embodiment.

[0079] As shown in Figure 6, the control center 3 transmits the placement plan information to the placement robot 53 and the collection plan information to the first cart robot 52a and the second cart robot 52b (step S100).

[0080] When the placement robot 53 receives placement plan information, it places the baskets 56 on the shelves 55 based on the placement plan information (step S101). Next, the placement robot 53 determines whether or not there are any baskets 56 that are not placed (step S102). If the placement robot 53 determines that there are baskets 56 that are not placed (step S102, Yes), it returns to the process in step S101.

[0081] On the other hand, if the placement robot 53 determines that there are no baskets 56 that are not placed (step S102, No), the first cart robot 52a moves along the low-speed lane 58 at a first travel speed (for example, 5 km / h) to the destination shelf 55 and picks up the baskets 56 (step S103).

[0082] Next, the first cart robot 52a moves towards the parallel section of the high-speed lane 60 at a second travel speed (for example, 20 km / h), and docks (runs alongside) with the second cart robot 52b in the parallel section (step S104).

[0083] Next, the basket 56 is transferred from the first cart robot 52a to the second cart robot 52b (step S105). After that, the second cart robot 52b moves to the docking station 68, where it receives the basket 56 from the second cart robot 52b (step S106).

[0084] As described above, the picking system 1 according to this embodiment includes a cart robot 52 that picks up and transports baskets 56 (an example of luggage), and a placement robot 53 that places the baskets 56 on the shelves 55 from which the cart robot 52 picks them up. This allows the baskets 56 to be efficiently placed on the shelves 55.

[0085] In the above description, the control center 3 is configured to perform various processes such as creating collection plan information and placement plan information, but this is not the only configuration. For example, the information processing device 15 of the cart robot 52 or the placement robot 53 may perform some or all of the various processes, such as creating collection plan information and placement plan information.

[0086] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1200 that functions as an information processing device 15 or a control center 3. 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.

[0087] 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.

[0088] 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.

[0089] 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.

[0090] 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.

[0091] 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.

[0092] 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 instruct the communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. 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.

[0093] 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.

[0094] 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.

[0095] 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.

[0096] 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.

[0097] 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.

[0098] 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.

[0099] 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.

[0100] 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.

[0101] 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]

[0102] 1. Picking System 52 Cart Robots 53 Deployable Robots 55 shelves 56 Basket

Claims

1. A cart robot that picks up and transports luggage, A placement robot that places the packages onto a shelf where the packages are picked up by the cart robot, Equipped with, The cart robot includes a first cart robot that moves along a low-speed lane and a second cart robot that moves along a high-speed lane at a higher speed than the first cart robot. The placement robot places the packages on the shelf from which the packages are picked up by the first cart robot. The first cart robot passes the package picked up from the shelf to the second cart robot. Picking system.

2. A cart robot that picks up and transports luggage, A placement robot that places the packages onto a shelf where the packages are picked up by the cart robot, Equipped with, There are multiple cart robots and shelves. Each of the multiple shelves corresponds to one or more of the multiple cart robots, The placement robot places the packages picked up by the cart robot onto the shelf corresponding to the cart robot. Picking system.

3. A cart robot that picks up and transports luggage, A placement robot that places the packages onto a shelf where the packages are picked up by the cart robot, Equipped with, The aforementioned shelves are multiple, The placement robot changes the number of shelves on which the packages are placed according to the amount of packages picked up by the cart robot. Picking system.

4. The aforementioned shelves are multiple, The placement robot places the goods on the shelf near the cart robot among the multiple shelves. The picking system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The cart robot performs a charging process to charge its mounted drive battery at least when it picks up the package from the shelf and when the placement robot places the package on the shelf. The picking system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. A transport procedure using a cart robot to pick up and transport goods, A placement procedure using a placement robot to place the packages on a shelf where the packages are picked up by the cart robot. Have the computer run it, The cart robot includes a first cart robot that moves along a low-speed lane and a second cart robot that moves along a high-speed lane at a higher speed than the first cart robot. The aforementioned arrangement procedure is: Using the placement robot, the luggage is placed on the shelf where the luggage is picked up by the first cart robot. The aforementioned transport procedure is: Using the first cart robot, the items picked up from the shelf are transferred to the second cart robot. program.

7. A transport procedure using a cart robot to pick up and transport goods, A placement procedure using a placement robot to place the packages on a shelf where the packages are picked up by the cart robot. Have the computer run it, There are multiple cart robots and shelves. Each of the multiple shelves corresponds to one or more of the multiple cart robots, The aforementioned arrangement procedure is: Using the aforementioned placement robot, the packages picked up by the cart robot are placed on the shelf corresponding to the cart robot. program.

8. A transport procedure using a cart robot to pick up and transport goods, A placement procedure using a placement robot to place the packages on a shelf where the packages are picked up by the cart robot. Have the computer run it, The aforementioned shelves are multiple, The aforementioned arrangement procedure is: Using the aforementioned placement robot, the number of shelves on which the packages are placed is changed according to the amount of packages picked up by the cart robot. program.

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