Goods shipping system

Abstract

To supply a shipping container of a size suited for the total size of articles related to order information at an appropriate timing and simplify load aligning work.SOLUTION: A container molding device 1 molds a shipping container 91 of a size necessary for storing articles in storing order determined through a storing order determination process as a target shipping container 91 which is a shipping container 91 related to target order information. A control system H controls a conveyance system T so that one or more target conveyance containers 92 storing articles related to the target order information can arrive at a load aligning work area 3 in the storing order determined through the storing order determination process and the target shipping container 91 can arrive at the load aligning work area 3 before the arrival of the target conveyance containers 92.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article shipping system that stores, in a shipping container, articles of the specified types and the specified numbers per type included in order information, based on the order information including: specified types that are types of articles specified for each shipping destination; and specified numbers per type that are numbers of the articles specified for each of the specified types. [Background Art]

[0002] For example, Japanese Patent No. 7264702 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technology for forming a container matching the size of an article during the process of conveying the article in equipment. The article is stored in the container immediately after forming. For example, the container is used for shipping the stored article. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 7264702 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] Incidentally, in equipment that handles multiple order information specifying the type and quantity of goods, various types of goods of different sizes are subject to shipment, and the combinations of multiple goods that are bundled together for shipment are also diverse. Therefore, when applying the technology described in Patent Document 1 to such equipment, it is necessary to mold a shipping container of a size that fits according to the combination of multiple goods related to the order information. Furthermore, even if such a shipping container can be molded, the constraint is imposed that the consolidation work to place the group of goods related to a specific order information into the shipping container must use the shipping container molded for that order information. As a result, it becomes difficult to coordinate the timing of transporting the group of goods and the shipping container to the area where the consolidation work is performed, and this can lead to increased complexity in the consolidation work.

[0005] In light of the above situation, there is a need for technology that can supply shipping containers of a size appropriate to the total size of the items related to the order information at the appropriate time, and that can simplify the consolidation process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An article shipping system that, based on order information including a specified type, which is the type of article specified for each shipping destination, and a specified number, which is the number of articles of each specified type, places the specified type and the specified number, which are included in the order information into a shipping container, A container molding apparatus for processing materials to form the aforementioned shipping containers of multiple sizes, A storage work area in which, based on one or more of the aforementioned order information, an article storage operation is performed in which at least one of the aforementioned shipping containers and transport containers is designated as the target container and one of the aforementioned articles of the specified type is placed in one of the aforementioned target containers, A consolidation work area is provided in which consolidation work is performed to place the specified number of items of each of the specified types included in one order information into the shipping container, A transport system for transporting the aforementioned shipping container and the aforementioned transport container, The container molding apparatus and the transport system are controlled by a control system, The control system uses each of the multiple order pieces as target order piece and performs a storage order determination process to determine the storage order order for all the items of the specified type included in the target order piece, for each of the specified type items, into the shipping container. The container molding apparatus molds the shipping container, which is the shipping container related to the target order information, to the size required when the articles are stored in the storage order determined in the storage order determination process. The control system is When transporting the aforementioned target shipping container and the target transport container, which is the transport container containing the items related to the aforementioned order information, to the consolidation work area, The transport system is controlled so that one or more of the target transport containers containing the items related to the target order information arrive at the consolidation work area in the order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process, and that the target shipping containers arrive at the consolidation work area before the arrival of one or more of the target transport containers.

[0007] According to this configuration, when the consolidation of multiple items related to the target order information is performed in the consolidation work area, the consolidation work related to the target order information can be completed simply by placing the items contained in subsequent target transport containers into the target shipping container that first arrives in the consolidation work area, in the order in which the transport containers arrived. Furthermore, since the target shipping container is molded to the size required when storing items in the determined storage order, when the consolidation work is completed and all items related to the target order information are stored in the target shipping container, it is easy to minimize dead space within the target shipping container. Therefore, highly efficient storage can be achieved. As described above, this configuration makes it possible to supply shipping containers of a size that matches the total size of the group of items related to the order information at the appropriate time, and to simplify the consolidation work.

[0008] Further features and advantages of the technology relating to this disclosure will become clearer from the following description of exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram of the goods shipping system [Figure 2] Control block diagram [Figure 3] Diagram illustrating the cargo handling process. [Figure 4] Flowchart showing the execution procedure for determining the storage order. [Figure 5] Diagram illustrating the process for determining the storage order. [Figure 6] Schematic diagram of the goods shipping system according to the second embodiment [Figure 7] Schematic diagram of the goods shipping system according to the third embodiment [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The goods shipping system is a system that places the specified types and specified quantities of goods included in the order information into shipping containers, based on order information that includes the specified types of goods and the specified quantities of goods for each specified type, which are specified for each shipping destination. An embodiment of the goods shipping system will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [First Embodiment] First, we will describe the first embodiment of the goods shipping system.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, in the goods shipping system 100, transport containers 92 and shipping containers 91 are transported between processes. Each transport container 92 contains goods 8 of the same type (see Figure 3). Multiple types of goods 8 contained in multiple transport containers 92 are then placed together in a shipping container 91. The multiple types of goods 8 contained in the shipping container 91 are then shipped to a designated destination. The multiple types of goods 8 placed together in a single shipping container 91 are determined by order information Ia (see Figure 3).

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the article shipping system 100 includes a container forming apparatus 1, a storage work area 2, a cargo combining work area 3, a conveyance system T, and a control system H.

[0014] The container forming apparatus 1 is configured to process raw materials to form shipping containers 91 of a plurality of sizes. The container forming apparatus 1 deforms a rigid sheet-shaped material or plate-shaped material into a container shape. This becomes the shipping container 91. The formed shipping container 91 is, for example, a corrugated cardboard box.

[0015] The size of the shipping container 91 formed by the container forming apparatus 1 is variable. The size of the shipping container 91 is determined so as to be capable of accommodating all articles 8 related to the order information Ia. In addition, the size of the shipping container 91 is a size approximate to the total size of all articles 8 related to the order information Ia. This makes it easy to reduce the dead space inside the shipping container 91 when all articles 8 related to the order information Ia are accommodated in the shipping container 91. Therefore, highly efficient accommodation can be achieved. As will be described later in detail, the container forming apparatus 1 acquires size information Ic (see Figure 2) from the control system H, and forms the shipping container 91 based on the size information Ic.

[0016] The storage work area 2 is an area where, based on one or more pieces of order information Ia, an article storage work for storing one specified type of article 8 in one target container is performed with at least one of the shipping container 91 and the conveyance container 92 as the target container.

[0017] In the present embodiment, in the storage work area 2, the article storage work is performed with the conveyance container 92 as the target container. That is, among the shipping container 91 and the conveyance container 92, only the conveyance container 92 is used as the target container. The conveyance container 92 is used for the article storage work, and articles 8 are stored in the conveyance container 92 by this article storage work. In the present embodiment, the shipping container 91 is not used for the article storage work.

[0018] The storage work area 2 contains multiple types of items 8 supplied from, for example, an automated warehouse (not shown). Here, "contained" means that the items remain in the storage work area 2 at least until the item storage operation is completed. The item storage operation is performed on a per-order information Ia basis. In other words, one transport container 92 is used for the item storage operation related to one order information Ia. If item storage operations are performed for other order information Ia, a different transport container 92 is used.

[0019] Furthermore, during the item storage operation, one type of item 8 from the specified types related to order information Ia is stored in the transport container 92. Through the item storage operation, one or more identical items 8 are stored in the transport container 92. In the illustrated example, the item shipping system 100 is equipped with multiple storage work areas 2. Item storage operations are performed in each storage work area 2. As will be described in detail later, the storage work area 2 (specifically, the control device, etc., that manages the area) acquires work information Id from the control system H. Based on this work information Id, the item storage operation is performed. The item storage operation is performed by a worker, a robot, or both.

[0020] The consolidation work area 3 is located downstream of both the container forming device 1 and the storage work area 2 in the direction of transport by the transport system T. The shipping containers 91 formed by the container forming device 1 and the transport containers 92 containing the goods 8, which have been stored in the goods storage work area 2, are transported to the consolidation work area 3 by the transport system T.

[0021] As shown in Figure 3, in the consolidation work area 3, consolidation work is performed to place a specified number of items 8 of each type into the shipping container 91 for each of the specified types included in one order information Ia. In this embodiment, the consolidation work is performed by workers.

[0022] In the illustrated example, all specified types included in order information Ia are "item A, item B, and item C". The number of items 8 (specified number by type) is set for each specified type. In the illustrated example, order information Ia is "item A: 1, item B: 2, item C: 3". During the consolidation process, all of these items 8 related to order information Ia are placed in the shipping container 91 formed by the container forming device 1. As described above, the dead space within the shipping container 91 containing all the items 8 related to order information Ia is kept to a minimum.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, in this embodiment, a work instruction output device 30 is installed in the cargo consolidation work area 3 to output instructions for cargo consolidation work to workers. For example, the work instruction output device 30 is equipped with a monitor, which displays (outputs) instructions for cargo consolidation work. As will be described in detail later, the work instruction output device 30 acquires work information Id from the control system H and outputs said work information Id. Workers perform cargo consolidation work based on the work information Id output by the work instruction output device 30.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the transport system T is configured to transport the shipping container 91 and the transport container 92. The transport system T mainly consists of a conveyor. However, the transport system T may also include transport devices other than a conveyor, such as an automated guided vehicle (AGV).

[0025] In this embodiment, the transport system T includes a temporary storage device Ta for temporarily storing the transport container 92.

[0026] The temporary storage device Ta has the function of unloading the stored transport containers 92. The temporary storage device Ta can unload any number of transport containers 92 at once in any order. The temporary storage device Ta is equipped with transport devices such as a conveyor or transport cart. As will be described in detail later, the temporary storage device Ta obtains sequence information Ib (see Figure 2) from the control system H and unloads the transport containers 92 based on the sequence information Ib.

[0027] In this embodiment, the transport system T comprises a first transport system T1, a second transport system T2, and a third transport system T3. In this example, in addition to the above transport systems, the transport system T also comprises a fourth transport system T4.

[0028] The first transport system T1 transports the shipping containers 91 formed by the container molding device 1. In the example shown in Figure 1, the first transport system T1 transports the shipping containers 91 along a route from the container molding device 1 to the loading and unloading work area 3.

[0029] The second transport system T2 transports the transport container 92 containing the articles 8 through the article storage work in the storage work area 2. In the example shown in Figure 1, the second transport system T2 transports the transport container 92 along a route from each storage work area 2 to the temporary storage device Ta.

[0030] The third transport system T3 transports multiple transport containers 92 that are stored in the temporary storage device Ta and are related to each other. "Multiple transport containers 92 that are related to each other" means multiple transport containers 92 that contain articles 8 related to one order information Ia. In the example shown in Figure 1, the third transport system T3 transports multiple transport containers 92 along a route from the temporary storage device Ta to the consolidation work area 3.

[0031] The fourth transport system T4 transports the empty transport containers 92 used in the loading and unloading work. In the example shown in Figure 1, the fourth transport system T4 transports the empty transport containers 92 along the route from the loading and unloading work area 3 back to each process. For example, the fourth transport system T4 may be configured to transport the empty transport containers 92 along the route from the loading and unloading work area 3 to the storage work area 2. With this configuration, the empty transport containers 92 transported by the fourth transport system T4 can be reused in the goods storage work in the storage work area 2.

[0032] The control system H is configured to control the container molding apparatus 1 and the transport system T. The control system H can be configured using multiple hardware components and multiple software components. For example, the control system H includes a processor such as a microcomputer, peripheral circuits such as memory, etc. The various functions are realized through the cooperation of this hardware and programs executed on the processor, such as a computer.

[0033] In this goods shipping system 100, multiple order information Ia are handled. In this specification, when focusing on a specific order information Ia from among multiple order information Ia, that order information Ia is referred to as the target order information Ia. That is, in this specification, each of the multiple order information Ia is referred to as the target order information Ia.

[0034] The control system H is configured to perform a storage order determination process that determines the storage order in which all items 8 of the specified type included in the target order information Ia are placed into the shipping container 91 for each specified type.

[0035] As shown in Figure 4, in this embodiment, the storage order determination process is performed to include the following steps. The control system H obtains order information Ia in the storage order determination process (step #1). In this embodiment, the control system H obtains order information Ia from the database DB (see Figure 2).

[0036] After processing in step #1, the control system H generates sequence information Ib based on the acquired order information Ia (step #2). The sequence information Ib is information regarding the order in which items 8 related to the target order information Ia are placed into the shipping container 91 for each specified type. The placement order is determined to be an appropriate order by performing simulations based on various conditions. Examples of such conditions include "place larger items 8 first," "place heavier items 8 first," and "place similar items 8 together." The information regarding the determined placement order is generated as sequence information Ib by the control system H.

[0037] In the example shown in Figure 5, when the target order information Ia is "Item A: 1 unit, Item B: 2 units, Item C: 3 units", the storage order determination process is executed, and as a result, 2 units of Item B are placed in the shipping container 91 first, followed by 1 unit of Item A, and finally 3 units of Item C.

[0038] As shown in Figure 4, after processing in step #2, the control system H generates size information Ic based on the acquired order information Ia (step #3). "Size information Ic" is information regarding the size of the shipping container 91 to be molded by the container molding apparatus 1. For example, the size of the shipping container 91 is determined by calculating multiple arrangement patterns of the articles 8 when all the articles 8 related to the order information Ia are placed in the shipping container 91, and selecting the arrangement pattern that results in the smallest size of the shipping container 91 from among these arrangement patterns.

[0039] After processing in step #3, the control system H generates work information Id based on the acquired order information Ia (step #4). "Work information Id" is information related to the goods storage work in the storage work area 2, or information related to the consolidation work in the consolidation work area 3. For example, work information Id related to goods storage work is information about the designated type of goods 8 to be stored in the transport container 92 during the goods storage work, and the designated number of each type. Also, for example, work information Id related to consolidation work is information about the storage order and storage position of all goods 8 related to order information Ia to be stored in the shipping container 91 during the consolidation work.

[0040] Note that the processes in steps #2 to #4 described above do not have to be in the order shown in Figure 4. Also, these processes in steps #2 to #4 can be performed simultaneously.

[0041] As shown in Figure 2, in this embodiment, the control system H transmits the generated size information Ic to the container molding apparatus 1. The container molding apparatus 1 molds the shipping container 91 according to the size information Ic. That is, the container molding apparatus 1 molds a shipping container 91 of the size required to contain the items 8 in the containment order determination process, as the target shipping container 91, which is the shipping container 91 related to the target order information Ia. After molding the shipping container 91, the container molding apparatus 1 converts the target order information Ia that formed the basis of the molding into a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code and attaches it to the shipping container 91. Examples of attachment methods include pasting or printing.

[0042] In this embodiment, the control system H transmits the generated sequence information Ib to the transport system T. The transport system T transports the shipping container 91 and the transport container 92 according to the sequence information Ib. The transport system T also transports the shipping container 91 so that it arrives at the consolidation work area 3 before the transport container 92 containing the articles 8 related to the target order information Ia arrives at the consolidation work area 3. That is, as shown in Figure 1, when the control system H transports the target shipping container 91 and the target transport container 92, which is the transport container 92 containing the articles 8 related to the target order information Ia, to the consolidation work area 3, it controls the transport system T so that one or more target transport containers 92 containing the articles 8 related to the target order information Ia arrive at the consolidation work area 3 in the order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process, and that the target shipping container 91 arrives at the consolidation work area 3 before the arrival of one or more target transport containers 92. In this example, the control system H controls the transport system T so that the target shipping container 91 related to the target order information Ia arrives first in the consolidation work area 3, and then multiple target transport containers 92 containing the items 8 related to the target order information Ia arrive in the consolidation work area 3 in the order of storage determined by the storage order determination process. However, the order in which the multiple target transport containers 92 arrive in the consolidation work area 3 does not necessarily have to be in the order of storage described above. The order of arrival may vary as long as all the items 8 related to the target order information Ia can be contained in the target shipping container 91. The consolidation work is basically carried out in the order of storage determined by the storage order determination process, but in the above case, it may be carried out in the order of arrival of the multiple target transport containers 92.

[0043] In this embodiment, the temporary storage device Ta stores the target transport containers 92 until all of the target transport containers 92 related to the target order information Ia are available. The control system H controls the container molding device 1 so that the target shipping containers 91 are molded after all of the target transport containers 92 related to the target order information Ia have been stored, and also controls the transport system T so that the molded target shipping containers 91 arrive at the consolidation work area 3 via a route that does not pass through the temporary storage device Ta. In this example, the target transport containers 92 are transported to the consolidation work area 3 using the second transport system T2 and the third transport system T3. On the other hand, the target shipping containers 91 are transported to the consolidation work area 3 using the first transport system T1, which is different from the above transport systems.

[0044] The control system H controls the transport system T so that the target transport containers 92 stored in the temporary storage device Ta are transported out from the temporary storage device Ta to the consolidation work area 3 in the order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process, and also controls the transport system T so that the target shipping containers 91 arrive at the consolidation work area 3 before the target transport containers 92 arrive at the consolidation work area 3.

[0045] In this embodiment, the control system H transmits work information Id, which is information related to the item storage operation, to the storage operation area 2. In the storage operation area 2, the item storage operation is performed according to said work information Id.

[0046] In this embodiment, the control system H transmits work information Id, which is information related to the cargo consolidation work, to the cargo consolidation work area 3. In the cargo consolidation work area 3, the cargo consolidation work is performed according to said work information Id.

[0047] As described above, in this embodiment, a work instruction output device 30 is installed in the consolidation work area 3. The work information Id transmitted by the control system H is output by the work instruction output device 30. That is, when consolidating work related to the target order information Ia, the work instruction output device 30 outputs at least a part of the content determined by the storage order determination process. The work information Id output by the work instruction output device 30 is displayed, for example, on a monitor used by the worker. The worker performs the consolidation work according to the work information Id. The output of the work information Id includes outputting the storage order of the items 8 into the target shipping container 91 in text format, outputting it in image format (storage position), or both.

[0048] As explained above, in the goods shipping system 100, the target shipping container 91 is formed to an appropriate size based on the target order information Ia. This target shipping container 91 arrives at the consolidation work area 3 before the target transport container 92 containing the goods 8 related to the target order information Ia. Subsequently, multiple target transport containers 92 containing these goods 8 arrive at the consolidation work area 3 so that the goods 8 related to the target order information Ia are supplied to the consolidation work area 3 in the order determined by the storage order determination process. Workers in the consolidation work area 3 can complete the consolidation work related to the target order information Ia simply by placing the goods 8 contained in the subsequently arriving target transport containers 92 into the target shipping container 91 that arrived first, in the order in which the transport containers 92 arrived. Therefore, according to the goods shipping system 100 described above, it is possible to supply a target shipping container 91 of a size that matches the total size of the group of goods related to the target order information Ia at an appropriate time, and to simplify the consolidation work.

[0049] [Second Embodiment] Next, we will describe a second embodiment of the goods shipping system, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment described above. Points not specifically described are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0050] Figure 6 shows an outline of the goods shipping system 100 according to the second embodiment.

[0051] As shown in Figure 6, the transport system T is configured to transport the empty shipping containers 91 formed by the container molding device 1 to the temporary storage device Ta. In this embodiment, the first transport system T1 is configured to transport the shipping containers 91 along the path from the container molding device 1 to the temporary storage device Ta.

[0052] The temporary storage device Ta is configured to store the target shipping containers 91 and target transport containers 92 until all of the target shipping containers 91 and target transport containers 92 related to the target order information Ia are available.

[0053] The control system H controls the transport system T so that, after the target shipping containers 91 stored in the temporary storage device Ta are transported from the temporary storage device Ta toward the consolidation work area 3, the target transport containers 92 stored in the temporary storage device Ta are transported from the temporary storage device Ta toward the consolidation work area 3 in the order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process.

[0054] In this embodiment, the control system H controls the transport system T so that the target shipping container 91 and the multiple target transport containers 92 are transported out of the temporary storage device Ta in a series arrangement. Furthermore, the transport system T transports these containers out of the temporary storage device Ta such that the target shipping container 91 is at the front, followed by the multiple target transport containers 92 in the storage order determined by the storage order determination process (the control system H controls the transport system T in this manner). In the illustrated example, the target shipping container 91 is followed by three target transport containers 92 being transported out of the temporary storage device Ta in a series. These containers are transported from the temporary storage device Ta to the consolidation work area 3 by the third transport system T3.

[0055] [Third Embodiment] Next, we will describe a third embodiment of the goods shipping system, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment described above. Points not specifically described are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0056] Figure 7 shows an overview of the goods shipping system 100 according to the third embodiment.

[0057] As shown in Figure 7, the transport system T is configured to transport the empty shipping containers 91 formed by the container molding device 1 to the storage work area 2. In this embodiment, the first transport system T1 is configured to transport the shipping containers 91 along a path from the container molding device 1 to the storage work area 2.

[0058] In this embodiment, in the storage work area 2, the article storage operation is performed with both the shipping container 91 and the transport container 92 as target containers. That is, through the article storage operation in the storage work area 2, the article 8 is stored not only in the transport container 92 but also in the shipping container 91.

[0059] The type of goods 8 to be contained in the shipping container 91 is limited to a single type. This is also true when a transport container 92 is involved. For example, if the specified types included in the target order information Ia are "goods A, goods B, and goods C," then goods 8 relating to one of these three types will be contained in the shipping container 91. In this case, the goods 8 of the type that should be contained first in the containment order determined by the containment order determination process should be the item to be contained in the shipping container 91. This allows some of the consolidation work, which would normally be performed in the consolidation work area 3, to be performed in the containment work area 2.

[0060] The temporary storage device Ta is configured to store the target shipping containers 91 and target transport containers 92 until all of the target shipping containers 91 and target transport containers 92 related to the target order information Ia are available.

[0061] The control system H controls the transport system T so that the target shipping containers 91 and target transport containers 92 stored in the temporary storage device Ta are transported from the temporary storage device Ta to the consolidation work area 3 in the order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process.

[0062] In this embodiment, the control system H controls the transport system T so that the target shipping container 91 and the multiple target transport containers 92 are transported out of the temporary storage device Ta in a series arrangement. Furthermore, the transport system T transports these containers out of the temporary storage device Ta such that the target shipping container 91 is at the front, followed by the multiple target transport containers 92 in the storage order determined by the storage order determination process (the control system H controls the transport system T in this manner). In the illustrated example, the target shipping container 91 is followed by three target transport containers 92 being transported out of the temporary storage device Ta in a series. These containers are transported from the temporary storage device Ta to the consolidation work area 3 by the third transport system T3.

[0063] [Other Embodiments] Next, other embodiments will be described.

[0064] (1) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the article packing operation is performed on a unit of one order information Ia. However, the operation is not limited to this example, and operations related to multiple order information Ia may be performed in a single article packing operation. In this case, articles 8 related to multiple order information Ia will be mixed together in one transport container 92. Therefore, it is preferable that in a subsequent process after the article packing operation, an operation be performed to sort the articles 8 in the transport container 92 according to the multiple order information Ia.

[0065] (2) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the transport system T is equipped with a temporary storage device Ta for temporarily storing the transport containers 92. However, the transport system T is not limited to such an example and may not be equipped with a temporary storage device Ta. In this case, the second transport system T2 transports the multiple target transport containers 92 to the loading work area 3 in an order corresponding to the storage order determined by the storage order determination process.

[0066] (3) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the cargo unpacking work in the cargo unpacking work area 3 is performed by a worker. However, the example is not limited to this, and the cargo unpacking work may be performed by a robot, or by both a robot and a worker.

[0067] (4) The configurations disclosed in the embodiments described above can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no inconsistencies arise. With regard to other configurations, the embodiments disclosed herein are merely illustrative in all respects. Therefore, various modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0068] [Summary of this embodiment] The following is a summary of this embodiment.

[0069] An article shipping system that, based on order information including a specified type, which is the type of article specified for each shipping destination, and a specified number, which is the number of articles of each specified type, places the specified type and the specified number, which are included in the order information into a shipping container, A container molding apparatus for processing materials to form the aforementioned shipping containers of multiple sizes, A storage work area in which, based on one or more of the aforementioned order information, an article storage operation is performed in which at least one of the aforementioned shipping containers and transport containers is designated as the target container and one of the aforementioned articles of the specified type is placed in one of the aforementioned target containers, A consolidation work area is provided in which consolidation work is performed to place the specified number of items of each of the specified types included in one order information into the shipping container, A transport system for transporting the aforementioned shipping container and the aforementioned transport container, The container molding apparatus and the transport system are controlled by a control system, The control system uses each of the multiple order pieces as target order piece and performs a storage order determination process to determine the storage order order for all the items of the specified type included in the target order piece, for each of the specified type items, into the shipping container. The container molding apparatus molds the shipping container, which is the shipping container related to the target order information, to the size required when the articles are stored in the storage order determined in the storage order determination process. The control system is When transporting the aforementioned target shipping container and the target transport container, which is the transport container containing the items related to the aforementioned order information, to the consolidation work area, The transport system is controlled so that one or more of the target transport containers containing the items related to the target order information arrive at the consolidation work area in the order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process, and that the target shipping containers arrive at the consolidation work area before the arrival of one or more of the target transport containers.

[0070] According to this configuration, when the consolidation of multiple items related to the target order information is performed in the consolidation work area, the consolidation work related to the target order information can be completed simply by placing the items contained in subsequent target transport containers into the target shipping container that first arrives in the consolidation work area, in the order in which the transport containers arrived. Furthermore, since the target shipping container is molded to the size required when storing items in the determined storage order, when the consolidation work is completed and all items related to the target order information are stored in the target shipping container, it is easy to minimize dead space within the target shipping container. Therefore, highly efficient storage can be achieved. As described above, this configuration makes it possible to supply shipping containers of a size that matches the total size of the group of items related to the order information at the appropriate time, and to simplify the consolidation work.

[0071] A work instruction output device is installed in the aforementioned cargo handling work area to output instructions for the cargo handling work to the workers. The work instruction output device preferably outputs at least a portion of the content determined by the storage order determination process when performing the consolidation work related to the target order information.

[0072] With this configuration, workers can easily perform cargo handling tasks based on instructions output by the work instruction output device.

[0073] In the aforementioned storage work area, the article storage work is performed with both the shipping container and the transport container as the target containers. The transport system includes a temporary storage device for temporarily storing the shipping container and the transport container. The temporary storage device stores the target shipping containers and target transport containers until all of the target shipping containers and target transport containers related to the target order information are available. The control system is It is preferable to control the transport system so that the target shipping containers and target transport containers stored in the temporary storage device are transported from the temporary storage device to the consolidation work area in an order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process.

[0074] This configuration allows multiple items related to the target order information to be transported to the consolidation area in an appropriate order according to the order in which they will be placed in the target shipping container. Furthermore, this configuration allows some of the items related to the target order information to be placed in the target shipping container before it arrives at the consolidation area, i.e., before the consolidation work is performed, and then transported to the consolidation area. In other words, the target shipping container can also function as a transport container. With this configuration, the number of containers involved in the consolidation work related to the target order information can be kept to a minimum compared to transporting empty target shipping containers to the consolidation area, thus making it easier to improve the transport efficiency of the transport system.

[0075] In the aforementioned storage work area, the article storage work is performed using the transport container as the target container. The transport system includes a temporary storage device for temporarily storing the shipping container and the transport container, and transports the shipping container formed by the container molding device to the temporary storage device in an empty state. The temporary storage device stores the target shipping containers and target transport containers until all of the target shipping containers and target transport containers related to the target order information are available. Preferably, the control system controls the transport system so that, after the target shipping containers stored in the temporary storage device are transported from the temporary storage device toward the consolidation work area, the target transport containers stored in the temporary storage device are transported from the temporary storage device toward the consolidation work area in an order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process.

[0076] With this configuration, the target shipping container is brought to the consolidation area first, and then multiple target transport containers can be brought to the area in the order determined by the storage order determination process. Therefore, in the consolidation area, all items related to the target order information can be placed into the target shipping container simply by performing the consolidation work in the order in which the containers arrive.

[0077] In the aforementioned storage work area, the article storage work is performed using the transport container as the target container. The transport system includes a temporary storage device for temporarily storing the transport containers. The temporary storage device stores the target transport containers until all of the target transport containers related to the target order information are available. The control system controls the container molding apparatus so that the target shipping containers are molded after all the target transport containers related to the target order information have been stored, and controls the transport system so that the molded target shipping containers arrive at the consolidation work area via a route that does not pass through the temporary storage device. Preferably, the control system controls the transport system so that the target transport containers stored in the temporary storage device are transported from the temporary storage device to the consolidation work area in an order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process, and also controls the transport system so that the target shipping containers arrive at the consolidation work area before the target transport containers arrive at the consolidation work area.

[0078] This configuration makes it possible to bring the timing of when the target shipping container is formed by the container forming device closer to the timing of when the consolidation work is performed. Therefore, it is possible to increase the adaptability of the target shipping container formation, for example, when order information is changed immediately before the consolidation work. Furthermore, since the formed target shipping container travels a different route than the route taken by the target transport container to the consolidation work area, it is easier to get the target shipping container to the consolidation work area before the target transport container. [Industrial applicability]

[0079] The technology relating to this disclosure can be used in an article shipping system that, based on order information including a designated type, which is the type of article specified for each shipping destination, and a designated number, which is the number of articles of each type specified for each designated type, places the articles of the designated type and the designated number, which are included in the order information into a shipping container. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 100: Goods shipping system 1: Container forming equipment 2: Storage and work area 3: Loading and unloading area 30: Work instruction output device 8: Goods 91: Shipping container 92: Transport container H: Control System T: Conveying system Ta: Temporary storage device Ia: Order Information

Claims

1. An article shipping system that, based on order information including a specified type, which is the type of article specified for each shipping destination, and a specified number, which is the number of articles of each specified type, places the specified type and the specified number, which are included in the order information into a shipping container, A container molding apparatus for processing materials to form the aforementioned shipping containers of multiple sizes, A storage work area in which, based on one or more of the aforementioned order information, an article storage operation is performed in which at least one of the aforementioned shipping containers and transport containers is designated as the target container and one of the aforementioned articles of the specified type is stored in one of the aforementioned target containers, A consolidation work area is provided in which consolidation work is performed to place the specified number of items of each type into the shipping container for each of the specified types included in one of the order information, A transport system for transporting the aforementioned shipping container and the aforementioned transport container, The container molding apparatus and the transport system are controlled by a control system, The control system uses each of the multiple order pieces as target order piece and performs a storage order determination process to determine the storage order in which all items of the specified type included in the target order piece are stored in the shipping container for each specified type. The container molding apparatus molds the shipping container of the size required to store the articles in the storage order determined in the storage order determination process, as the target shipping container which is the shipping container related to the target order information. The control system is When transporting the aforementioned shipping container and the aforementioned transport container, which is the transport container containing the items related to the aforementioned order information, to the consolidation work area, An article shipping system that controls the transport system such that one or more of the target transport containers containing the articles related to the target order information arrive at the consolidation work area in the order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process, and that the target shipping containers arrive at the consolidation work area before the arrival of one or more of the target transport containers.

2. A work instruction output device is installed in the aforementioned cargo handling work area to output instructions for the cargo handling work to the workers. The article shipping system according to claim 1, wherein the work instruction output device outputs at least a portion of the contents determined by the storage order determination process when performing the consolidation work related to the target order information.

3. In the aforementioned storage work area, the article storage work is performed with both the shipping container and the transport container as the target containers. The transport system includes a temporary storage device for temporarily storing the shipping container and the transport container. The temporary storage device stores the target shipping containers and target transport containers until all of the target shipping containers and target transport containers related to the target order information are available. The control system is The article shipping system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transport system is controlled so that the target shipping containers and target transport containers stored in the temporary storage device are transported from the temporary storage device toward the consolidation work area in an order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process.

4. In the aforementioned storage work area, the article storage work is performed with the transport container as the target container. The transport system includes a temporary storage device for temporarily storing the shipping container and the transport container, and transports the shipping container formed by the container molding device to the temporary storage device in an empty state. The temporary storage device stores the target shipping containers and target transport containers until all of the target shipping containers and target transport containers related to the target order information are available. The article shipping system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control system controls the transport system so that after the target shipping containers stored in the temporary storage device are transported from the temporary storage device toward the consolidation work area, the target transport containers stored in the temporary storage device are transported from the temporary storage device toward the consolidation work area in an order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process.

5. In the aforementioned storage work area, the article storage work is performed with the transport container as the target container. The transport system includes a temporary storage device for temporarily storing the transport containers. The temporary storage device stores the target transport containers until all of the target transport containers related to the target order information are available. The control system controls the container molding apparatus so that the target shipping containers are molded after all the target transport containers related to the target order information have been stored, and controls the transport system so that the molded target shipping containers arrive at the consolidation work area via a route that does not pass through the temporary storage device. The article shipping system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control system controls the transport system so that the target transport containers stored in the temporary storage device are transported out from the temporary storage device to the consolidation work area in an order corresponding to the storage order determined in the storage order determination process, and controls the transport system so that the target shipping containers arrive at the consolidation work area before the target transport containers arrive at the consolidation work area.

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