Collation device and picking system

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a collation device which can automatically perform selective collation corresponding to collation target specific information stored in the collation target specific information storage unit each time an object equipped with the collation target specific information storage unit is acquired. [Solution] A collation device 100 that executes a selective collation operation of stacking sheet materials fed from each of feeding units which are selected from among a plurality of feeding units each having a feeding tray 14 and creating a collated bundle, comprises a collation information reading means 50 for reading collation target specific information from a collation target specific information storage unit 11 provided on an object 10 outside the conveyance path of the sheet material. When the collation information reading means 50 performs the reading operation, a feeding unit to perform feeding is specified from among the plurality of feeding units on the basis of the read collation target specific information and the selective collation operation of creating a collated bundle is executed.

Description

Collating and picking systems

[0001] The present invention relates to a collating device and a picking system.

[0002] Conventionally, a collating device is known that performs selective collating, which involves stacking sheet materials fed from selected feeding units to create a collated bundle. Patent Document 1 (JP-A-2005-102626) describes a collating device that includes a barcode reader in the feed tray (also referred to as an "origami paper feed tray") of a folded sheet feeding unit located at the lowest of the multiple feeding units. In this collating device, identification symbols such as barcodes are attached to the sheets placed in the folded sheet feeding unit, and the barcode reader reads the identification symbols and acquires the identification information to identify multiple feeding units that respectively hold multiple sheet materials to be included in the collated bundle. Then, sheet materials are fed from the identified multiple feeding units, and the sheet materials are stacked to create a collated bundle, thereby performing selective collating to create a collated bundle containing sheet materials associated with the identification symbols.

[0003] JP 2010-163246 A JP 2022-037769 A JP 2007-001686 A

[0004] However, the collating device described in Patent Document 1 reads identification marks attached to sheets placed on a feed tray of a folded sheet feeder and performs selective collating based on the read identification marks. The order of selective collating depends on the order in which the sheets were previously placed on the feed tray of the folded sheet feeder. Therefore, if an operator acquires sheets bearing identification information, such as an identification code, that function as a collating target specific information storage unit that stores information about the sheets to be included in a sheet stack, selective collating cannot be performed without placing the sheets bearing identification information on the feed tray. Furthermore, if the object bearing the identification mark is not a sheet but an object that cannot be placed on the feed tray for transport, such as a plastic card such as an ID card or a collection box for storing a sheet stack together with other items, automatic selective collating by reading the identification mark cannot be performed.

[0005] For example, when a picking system collects multiple types of items into collection boxes for each customer order, and a collating device is used to create a sheet stack to be placed in the collection box, the combination of sheets to be placed in the collection box may differ for each order. In such cases, the collation target specific information storage unit may be attached to the collection box itself or to a sheet material or ID card that moves with the collection box. For this reason, the worker in charge of the collating device can only obtain information on the combination of sheets to be placed in the collection box once the collection box reaches its working range, making it difficult for conventional collating devices to selectively collate the collection boxes in accordance with the flow of collection boxes.

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a collation device that performs a selective collation operation to create a collated bundle by stacking sheet material fed from each of a plurality of selected feeding units, the collation device comprising a collation information reading means that reads collation target specific information from a collation target specific information holding unit provided on an object outside the sheet material transport path, and the reading operation by the collation information reading means triggers the identification of the feeding unit from the plurality of feeding units that will perform the feeding based on the read collation target specific information, and performs the selective collation operation to create the collated bundle.

[0007] According to the present invention, there is an excellent effect that, each time an object having a matching target specific information storage section is acquired, it is possible to automatically perform selective collation corresponding to the matching target specific information stored in the matching target specific information storage section.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a picking system according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a collating machine according to an embodiment. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the collating machine as viewed from the front side. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of collation target sheet identification information generated by a collation control unit. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence table between feed trays held by the collation control unit and stacked sheet identification information. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence table between feed trays held by the collation control unit in a continuous stage setting and stacked sheet identification information. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a picking system according to a modified example.

[0009] Hereinafter, identical or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in each drawing will be assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted where appropriate. Furthermore, the dimensions of the members in each drawing will be enlarged or reduced as appropriate to facilitate understanding. Furthermore, some members that are not important for explaining the embodiments will be omitted from the drawings.

[0010] A picking system equipped with a collating device according to the present invention will now be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a picking system (picking system 500) equipped with a collating device (collating machine 100) according to the present invention. The picking system 500 shown in FIG. 1 includes an item shelf 300, a roller conveyor 400, a system control unit 200, and a data input unit 600, and further includes a collating machine 100. In the picking system 500 shown in FIG. 1, each worker X (X1 to X3) packs items stored in an item storage box 301 arranged on the item shelf 300 or a sheet bundle produced by the collating machine 100 into a packing box 10 that has been placed on the upper surface of the roller conveyor 400 and transported thereto.

[0011] The collating machine 100 includes, as sheet placement sections in the feeding section, feed trays 14 arranged in multiple stages on the left and right, and a folding feed tray 141 arranged in the lowest stage on the left. By operating a feed mechanism corresponding to the feed tray 14 on which the sheet materials to be included in the sheet bundle to be created are stacked, the uppermost sheet material among the sheet materials stacked on the feed tray 14 is fed out one by one, and the sheet materials fed out from the multiple feed trays 14 are stacked to create a sheet bundle.

[0012] The picking system 500 of FIG. 1 can manage information about items to be placed in each packing box 10 using identification information notification means, such as an identification code 11 composed of a barcode or two-dimensional code, placed on the surface of the packing box 10. The data input unit 600 creates management information linking the items and sheet materials to be placed in one packing box 10 with the identification code 11 placed on the packing box 10 based on information input from a customer via the Internet or information input by a data entry technician, and transmits the management information to the system control unit 200. The system control unit 200 stores the item management information, which is a combination of the identification code 11 and the item, in an item management information storage unit (not shown) among the received management information. On the other hand, it transmits the sheet material management information, which is a combination of the identification code 11 and the sheet material, to the control unit of the collating machine 100. The collating machine 100 stores the sheet material management information received by the control unit in a storage unit.

[0013] The item shelf 300 has a picking display unit 310 on the front surface of a shelf board 302 on which an item storage box 301 is placed, and the item storage box 301 is placed on the shelf board 302 so that the associated picking display unit 310 is located below it. The picking display unit 310 has a lamp that lights up as needed and a numerical display that displays a numerical value.

[0014] When the handheld scanner 40 reads the identification code 11, the system control unit 200 controls the picking display unit 310 of the item storage box 301 containing the item linked to the identification information of the identification code 11 as item management information to light up the lamp, and controls the numerical display unit to display the number of items to be placed in the packing box 10.

[0015] 1 shows two shelf areas, a first shelf area 300A and a second shelf area 300B, but the number of shelf areas is not limited to two. Also, the picking system 500 is provided with handy scanners 40 corresponding to the number of shelf areas, and in FIG. 1, two handy scanners 40 (40A and 40B) corresponding to the two shelf areas are provided.

[0016] The first shelf area 300A is associated with the first scanner 40A of the two handheld scanners 40. The system control unit 200 controls the picking display unit 310 below the item storage box 301 located in the first shelf area 300A, among the item storage boxes 301 that store items linked to the identification codes 11 read by the first scanner 40A, to light up the lamp and display the number of items on the numeric display unit. Similarly, the second shelf area 300B is associated with the second scanner 40B. The system control unit 200 controls the picking display unit 310 below the item storage box 301 located in the second shelf area 300B, among the item storage boxes 301 that store items linked to the identification codes 11 read by the second scanner 40B, to light up the lamp and display the number of items on the numeric display unit.

[0017] If the first shelf area 300A does not have an item storage box 301 containing an item linked to the identification code 11 read by the first scanner 40A, none of the picking indicators 310 in the first shelf area 300A will light up. Simply not lighting up the indicator when the identification code 11 is read makes it difficult for the worker to distinguish whether the item to be placed in the packing box 10 is not in the first shelf area 300A or whether there is a system malfunction. For this reason, a no-boxing notification means may be provided that notifies the worker that the item does not need to be placed in the packing box 10 when the identification code 11 is read by one of the handheld scanners 40 (40A, 40B) and the shelf area (300A, 300B) associated with that handheld scanner 40 does not have an item to be placed in the packing box 10. The no-boxing notification means may emit a sound that is distinguishable from other sounds or light up a lamp that is distinguishable from the lamp of the picking indicator 310, but is not limited to these.

[0018] Next, the packing operation including the work of worker X in the picking system 500 will be described. When a packing box 10 is transported by the roller conveyor 400 and passes through the first transport gate 41A, the first worker X1 uses the first scanner 40A to read the identification code 11 of the packing box 10. This reading operation causes the system control unit 200 to acquire the identification information of the identification code 11, and for the items associated with this identification information, the system control unit 200 turns on the lamp of the picking display unit 310 below the item storage box 301 of the item placed in the first shelf area 300A, and displays the number of items on the numeric display unit. The first worker X1 picks out the displayed number of items from the item storage box 301 whose lamp is lit in the picking display unit 310, and places them in the packing box 10. The packing box 10 containing the items to be packed in the first shelf area 300A is transported by the roller conveyor 400 toward the second transport gate 41B.

[0019] When the packing box 10 passes through the second conveyor gate 41B, the second worker X2 uses the second scanner 40B to read the identification code 11 of the packing box 10, just as when the packing box 10 passes through the first conveyor gate 41A. This reading operation causes the system control unit 200 to light up the lamps of the picking display unit 310 below the item storage box 301 of the item that is placed in the second shelf area 300B, among the items linked to the identification information of the identification code 11, and display the number of items on the numeric display unit. The second worker X2 removes the displayed number of items from the item storage box 301 whose lamp is lit in the picking display unit 310, and places them in the packing box 10. The packing box 10 containing the items to be packed in the second shelf area 300B is transported by the roller conveyor 400 toward the pre-collator conveyor gate 51.

[0020] A light-off switch for turning off the lit lamp may be provided on the picking display unit 310 of the item shelf 300. After placing the item in the item storage box 301 corresponding to the picking display unit 310 whose lamp is lit into the packing box 10, the worker X operates the light-off switch to turn off the lamp, so that only the lamp of the picking display unit 310 corresponding to the item storage box 301 from which the item to be placed in the packing box 10 has not been taken out remains lit, preventing the item from being forgotten to be placed.

[0021] The configuration for reading the identification code 11 of the packing box 10 is not limited to the configuration in which it is read by the handy scanner 40. For example, a scanner for reading the identification code 11 may be placed on a fixed object such as the conveying gate 41 (41A, 41B) to read the identification code 11. The configuration using the handy scanner 40 increases the degree of freedom in the position where the identification code 11 is attached on the packing box 10, and further makes it possible to read the identification code 11 attached to other objects that move together with the packing box 10, such as slips placed in the packing box 10.

[0022] Furthermore, instead of the identification code 11, a wirelessly communicable identification information holding unit such as an RFID tag may be configured to move together with the packing box 10. For example, when the packing box 10 passes a predetermined position such as the transport gate 41, the identification information held by the identification information holding unit is read, and a lamp of the picking display unit 310 corresponding to the read identification information is turned on among the picking display units 310 in the shelf area corresponding to the predetermined position.

[0023] When the packing box 10 passes through the conveying gate 51 in front of the collating machine, the third worker X3 reads the identification code 11 of the packing box 10 using the collating machine handheld scanner 50. This reading operation causes the collating machine 100 to execute selective collating (described in detail below) in which the sheet materials associated with the identification information acquired by reading the identification code 11 are selected and collated, and a sheet bundle made up of the sheet materials associated with the identification information of the identification code 11 is output. The collating machine 100 of this embodiment stores information on each feeding unit (feeding device 1) and the sheet materials loaded in the corresponding feeding tray (feed tray 14) in association with each other, and identifies the feeding tray 14 on which the sheets to be included in the sheet bundle to be created are loaded based on the identification information of the identification code 11, and outputs the sheet bundle by executing a feeding operation from the identified feeding tray 14.

[0024] The sheet bundle output from the collating machine 100 is discharged by the lifting conveyor 110 to a sheet bundle discharge section 1101 located at a higher position than the roller conveyor 400. The third worker X3 places the sheet bundle discharged to the sheet bundle discharge section 1101 into the packaging box 10 and delivers the packaging box 10 to a downstream process. The configuration is not limited to one in which the worker places the sheet bundle conveyed by the lifting conveyor 110 into the packaging box 10, and the sheet bundle discharged from the lifting conveyor 110 may be configured to fall into the packaging box 10.

[0025] The sheet bundle discharge portion 1101 may be configured to be adjustable in its vertical position, so that the vertical position of the sheet bundle discharge portion 1101 can be adjusted in advance according to the height of the packaging box 10. This improves the workability of the third worker X3 when placing the sheet bundle discharged to the sheet bundle discharge portion 1101 into the packaging box 10. Furthermore, in a configuration in which the sheet bundle discharged from the lifting conveyor 110 falls into the packaging box 10, the vertical position of the discharge opening of the lifting conveyor 110 may be adjustable. This allows the discharge opening to be positioned according to the height of the packaging box 10, and prevents the sheet bundle from being discharged outside the packaging box 10. Furthermore, as an alternative configuration in which the sheet bundle discharged from the lifting conveyor 110 falls into the packaging box 10, the angle of the discharge direction of the sheet bundle discharged from the discharge opening may be adjustable. Specifically, the discharge outlet is positioned higher than the entrances of any of the packing boxes 10, and when the packing box 10 is low, the discharge direction is adjusted to approach a vertically downward direction, and when the packing box 10 is low, the discharge direction is adjusted to approach a horizontal direction from a vertically downward direction. This allows the sheet stack to be discharged toward the entrance of the packing box 10 according to the height of the packing box 10, and prevents the sheet stack from being discharged outside the packing box 10.

[0026] The above-described configuration for adjusting the vertical position of the sheet bundle discharge portion 1101 and the discharge outlet, and the configuration for adjusting the discharge direction from the discharge outlet of the lifting conveyor 110 may be configured so that the user manually adjusts them in advance according to the height of the packing box 10 that is about to be conveyed. Also, instead of being limited to manual adjustment, the collation control unit 150 may acquire height information of the packing box 10 in advance, and the height and discharge direction may be automatically adjusted by an adjustment unit.

[0027] The roller conveyor 400 may be one in which no driving input is required and the worker X manually pushes the packing box 10, or one in which driving input is required to the rollers. In the case of one in which driving input is required, the rollers of the roller conveyor 400 may rotate automatically to transport the items downstream, or the worker X who has finished putting the items into the packing box 10 may perform a transport operation such as pressing a transport button, which drives the rollers of the roller conveyor 400 in the area that the worker X is responsible for to rotate, and when it is detected that the rollers have reached the downstream transport gate (41, 51), the driving may be controlled to stop.

[0028] Next, the collating machine 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the exterior of the collating machine 100 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the collating machine 100 as viewed from the front side. The collating machine 100 has ten shelves protruding to the left and right between a front plate (front side in FIG. 2) and a rear plate (rear side in FIG. 2) that form the housing 9. The left shelf is provided with first to tenth feeding devices 1 (1A-1J) each including first to tenth feeding trays 14 (14A-14J) and first to tenth feeding mechanisms 18 (18A-18J) (for convenience, the reference numerals "1A" to "1I" and "18A" to "18I" are omitted from the illustration). On the right shelf, eleventh to twentieth feeding devices 1 (1K to 1U) including eleventh to twentieth feeding trays 14 (14K to 14U) and eleventh to twentieth feeding mechanisms 18 (18K to 18U) are installed (for convenience, the reference numerals "1L" to "1U" and "18L" to "18U" are omitted from the illustration). Below the first feeding tray 14A, which is the lowest on the left side, a folding feeding device 140 including a folding feeding tray 141 and a folding feeding mechanism 180 is installed. The feeding devices 1 (1A to 1U) and the feeding trays 14 (14A to 14U) and feeding mechanisms 18 (18A to 18U) that constitute them have similar structures, although their attachment positions and attachment directions to the housing 9, sizes, and shapes differ. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, they will be collectively referred to as the "feeding device 1," the "feeding tray 14," and the "feeding mechanism 18."

[0029] The feeding device 1, which includes the feeding tray 14 and the feeding mechanism 18, is removably attached to the housing 9. Specifically, when a user releases a locking mechanism (not shown), the feeding device 1 is disengaged from the housing 9, allowing it to be removed from the housing 9. Such an engagement method is well known, and therefore will not be described here.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2 , a tablet terminal 4 including a main operation panel 16 is detachably mounted on the front of the front plate of the housing 9, which constitutes the main body of the collating machine 100. The main operation panel 16 has a touch-panel LCD display, allowing the user to input operations for the collating process. When the tablet terminal 4 is attached to the housing 9, it is connected via a wired connection terminal such as a USB, allowing communication between the collation control unit 150 (see FIG. 3 ) and the tablet control unit via a wired line. On the other hand, when the tablet terminal 4 is detached from the housing 9, communication between the collation control unit 150 and the tablet control unit is possible via a wireless communication line such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The main operation unit, such as the main operation panel 16, does not necessarily have to be detachable from the main body of the device; it may be fixed to the housing 9, or it may be used separately and not be attached to the main body of the device.

[0031] The feeding device 1 includes feeding operation panels 20 (for convenience, only the "tenth feeding operation panel 20J" is shown in FIG. 2) corresponding to the respective feeding mechanisms 18. The feeding operation panel 20 includes a plurality of operation buttons that allow the user to input predetermined operations for the feeding process.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3 , the collating machine 100 further includes a sub-conveying mechanism 22 and a main conveying mechanism 24. The sub-conveying mechanism 22 is provided to correspond to the feeding mechanism 18 of each shelf. The feeding mechanism 18 feeds the uppermost sheet material of the sheet stack stacked on the feeding tray 14 one by one to the conveying path of the sub-conveying mechanism 22. The sub-conveying mechanism 22 feeds the sheet material fed from the feeding mechanism 18 to the main conveying mechanism 24. The main conveying mechanism 24 is provided to extend vertically within the housing 9. The main conveying mechanism 24 conveys the sheet material fed from each sub-conveying mechanism 22 downward, either individually or by overlapping multiple sheets to form a sheet stack.

[0033] The collating machine 100 further includes a folded sheet transport plate 26, a folded sheet loading plate 28, a folded sheet stopper 30, a folding knife 32, and a pair of folding rollers 34. The folding sheet feed tray 141 is loaded with sheets (hereinafter referred to as "folded sheet materials") to be folded in half so as to sandwich the sheet stack transported by the main transport mechanism 24 inside. The folding sheet feed mechanism 180 sends the topmost folded sheet material of the stack of folded sheet materials loaded on the folding sheet feed tray 141 to the folded sheet transport plate 26 one by one.

[0034] The folding sheet transport plate 26 is positioned so that its downstream end in the folding sheet transport direction (right side in FIG. 3 ) is located slightly upstream (left side in FIG. 3 ) of the lower end of the main transport mechanism 24 in the folding sheet transport direction. The folding sheet loading plate 28 is provided so that two plates are overlapped with a gap between them. The folding sheet loading plate 28 is positioned so that its upstream end in the folding sheet transport direction (left side in FIG. 3 ) is located slightly downstream (right side in FIG. 3 ) of the lower end of the main transport mechanism 24 in the folding sheet transport direction. The folding sheet stopper 30 is positioned so that the leading edge of the sheet material to be folded guided into the folding sheet loading plate 28 abuts against it. The folding sheet stopper 30 is configured to be movable upstream and downstream along the folding sheet loading plate 28 by operating an actuator such as a motor.

[0035] The collation machine 100 is provided with a collation control unit 150. The collation control unit 150 includes a CPU for executing various calculations, a ROM for storing various control programs, and a RAM used as a work area for data storage and program execution, and controls the operation of actuators provided inside the collation machine 100. A user can input various settings via the main operation panel 16 or the feed operation panel 20. The collation machine 100 stores a database correspondence table in the memory of the collation control unit 150, which associates stacked sheet identification information, which is identification information for sheets to be loaded in each feed tray 14, with the feed tray information for each feed tray 14. This correspondence table is set and input by the user via the main operation panel 16, but may also be input from the system control unit 200. Furthermore, the system control unit 200 inputs the above-mentioned sheet material management information to the collation control unit 150, and the collation machine handheld scanner 50 inputs identification information obtained by reading the identification code 11 to the collation control unit 150. The collation control unit 150 controls the operation of the collation machine 100 in accordance with the information thus input.

[0036] The configuration for reading the identification code 11 of the packing box 10 in the collating machine 100 is not limited to a configuration in which a movable scanner such as the collating machine handy scanner 50 is used for reading. For example, a fixed scanner that reads the identification code 11 may be disposed on a fixed outer wall surface of the collating machine 100, such as the outer wall surface of the housing 9, to read the identification code 11. Also, both a movable scanner and a fixed scanner may be provided. A configuration using a movable scanner increases the degree of freedom in determining the position at which the identification code 11 is attached on the packing box 10, and further allows for reading the identification code 11 attached to other items that move along with the packing box 10, such as slips placed in the packing box 10.

[0037] The collating machine 100 further includes a belt conveying mechanism 36 and a pair of discharge rollers 38. When collating a sheet stack by sandwiching it between folding sheets stacked on the folding feed tray 141, the folding sheets are first conveyed from the folding feed tray 141 toward the folding sheet loading plate 28 and stop when they hit the folding sheet stopper 30. The leading edge of the sheet stack formed while being conveyed downward by the main conveying mechanism 24 hits the folding sheet material stopped on the folding sheet loading plate 28. At this timing, the collation control unit 150 rotates the folding knife 32 (rotating it from the position indicated by the solid line to the position indicated by the dashed line) so that the leading edge hits the folding sheet material stopped on the folding sheet loading plate 28 and presses it toward the pair of folding rollers 34. In this way, the sheet stack is sandwiched between the pair of folding rollers 34 together with the folding sheet material stopped on the folding paper loading plate 28, and the folding sheet material stopped on the folding paper loading plate 28 is folded so as to sandwich the sheet stack, forming a sheet stack with folded sheets, which is then transported to the belt transport mechanism 36.

[0038] The belt conveying mechanism 36 conveys the sheet bundle further downstream. The pair of discharge rollers 38 discharges the conveyed sheet bundle toward the ascending conveying device 110. When the sheet bundle is not sandwiched between the folding sheet materials as described above, the folding sheet material is not supplied from the folding feed tray 141, and the sheet bundle formed while being conveyed downward by the main conveying mechanism 24 is sandwiched between the pair of folding rollers 34 and conveyed to the belt conveying mechanism 36.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of tray indicator lamps 15 are provided on the side of the front plate constituting the housing 9. While FIG. 2 illustrates first to tenth tray indicator lamps 15 (15A to 15J) corresponding to the first to tenth feed trays 14 (14A to 14J), the opposite side of the front plate is provided with eleventh to twentieth tray indicator lamps 15 (15K to 15U) corresponding to the eleventh to twentieth feed trays 14 (14K to 14U). Each of the tray indicator lamps 15 is provided around each of the feed trays 14 so as to correspond to the corresponding one. In this embodiment, each of the tray indicator lamps 15 is disposed in front of the feed tray 14 and at approximately the same height as the feed tray 14.

[0040] The tray indicator lamps 15 function as visual notification means for visually notifying the user of a feed tray 14 that requires the user's attention among the multiple feed trays 14. For example, if a feeding error occurs during a collating operation, the tray indicator lamp 15 corresponding to the feed tray 14 in which the feeding error occurred is turned on. Also, when sheets are to be loaded onto the feed tray 14, if stacked sheet identification information identifying the sheets to be loaded is input, the tray indicator lamp 15 corresponding to the feed tray 14 on which the sheets should be loaded may be turned on (see, for example, paragraph 0077 of JP 2010-163246 A).

[0041] The method of inputting the stacked sheet identification information may be that the operator inputs it from the main operation panel 16, or that the collating machine handheld scanner 50 reads in the stacked sheet identification code indicating the stacked sheet identification information attached to a slip or the like obtained together with the stack of sheet material to be loaded, or attached to the sheet material itself.

[0042] A configuration for creating a correspondence table between stacked sheet identification information and feed tray information may be such that a feed unit scanner for reading stacked sheet identification codes is provided in each feed tray 14, and the feed unit scanner reads the stacked sheet identification code affixed to the surface of the top sheet of a sheet stack stacked on the feed tray 14 to create the correspondence table. With this configuration, an operator who obtains a sheet stack to be stacked on the feed tray 14 does not need to load the sheet stack on a feed tray 14 determined based on a previously created correspondence table, but can load the sheet stack on any available feed tray 14 as appropriate.

[0043] Next, a description will be given of the selective collating operation in the collating machine 100. When the collating machine 100 is in standby mode with its power turned on, the collating control unit 150 identifies the feed tray 14 to be used for feeding in the selective collating operation, which is triggered by the reading operation of the identification code 11 read by the collating machine handy scanner 50. Here, a method for identifying this feed tray 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0044] When the collation machine handheld scanner 50 reads the identification code 11, the collation control unit 150 generates collated sheet identification information, which is a combination of sheet materials linked to the identification information of the identification code 11, as sheet material management information. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of collated sheet identification information generated by the collation control unit 150 when the collation machine handheld scanner 50 reads the identification code 11.

[0045] 4, data such as "P001" is sheet material identification information for identifying the sheets stacked on the feed tray 14. In FIG. 4, sheet materials identified by sheet identification information "P001," "P002," "P005," "P007," "P008," and "P010" are shown to be sheets to be collated by a selective collating operation based on a certain identification code 11. In this way, the identification code 11 is a collation target identification information storage unit that displays collation target identification information that identifies the sheet material identification information of multiple sheets to be included in the sheet bundle to be placed in the packaging box 10 to which the identification code 11 is attached.

[0046] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence table held by the collation control unit 150. The correspondence table associates feed tray information that identifies each feed tray 14 with stacked sheet identification information that identifies the sheets stacked on that feed tray 14. Fig. 5 shows that the first feed tray 14A to the tenth feed tray 14J each have sheets identified by sheet identification information "P001" to "P010" stacked thereon.

[0047] The collation control unit 150 acquires sheet identification information input by an operator through the main operation panel 16 and creates the correspondence table shown in FIG. 5 . Furthermore, before stacking, a stack of sheets may be delivered with an attached form (invoice) bearing an identification symbol such as a barcode to identify the recorded content after images or text have been recorded on the sheets by printing or the like. The invoice may also bear an identification symbol encoding the sheet identification information. In such a case, the collation control unit 150 may acquire sheet identification information read from the identification symbol on the invoice by the collation machine handheld scanner 50, and then create a correspondence table by associating the acquired sheet identification information with feed tray information, for example, by the operator selecting the feed tray 14 containing the sheets.

[0048] The collation control unit 150 identifies the feed tray information associated in the correspondence table shown in Fig. 5 from the sheet identification information included in the collation target sheet identification information shown in Fig. 4 generated from the identification code 11 read by the collation machine handheld scanner 50. The collation control unit 150 identifies the feed tray 14 indicated by the identified feed tray information as the feed tray 14 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "selective collation specific feed tray") that will feed sheets in the selective collation operation that is executed in response to the reading of the identification code 11. Since the sheet bundle to be collated is less likely to collapse after creation if it is sandwiched between folding sheet materials, it is desirable to load common sheet materials that can be included in all sheet bundles as folding sheet materials on the folding feed tray 141, and perform selective collation so that the folding sheet materials are included in all sheet bundles.

[0049] The collation control unit 150 controls the sheet material feeding by each of the folding feeding mechanism 180 and the feeding mechanism 18 so as to feed the sheet material from each of the folding feeding tray 141 and the selected collation specific feeding tray to form a sheet stack.

[0050] The sheet identification information included in the collation target sheet identification information shown in FIG. 4 is "P001," "P002," "P005," "P007," "P008," and "P010." In the correspondence table shown in FIG. 5, the feed tray information associated with these sheet identification information is "1," "2," "5," "7," "8," and "10." Therefore, the collation control unit 150 determines that the first feed tray 14A, second feed tray 14B, fifth feed tray 14E, seventh feed tray 14G, eighth feed tray 14H, and tenth feed tray 14J corresponding to these sheet identification information are each loaded with a plurality of sheets to be included in the sheet bundle to be created by the selective collation operation. The collation control unit 150 operates the feed mechanisms 18 corresponding to these feed trays 14 to feed the sheets and create the sheet bundle.

[0051] In the collating machine 100 used in the picking system 500, the sheet bundle created in the previous selection and collating operation and the sheet bundle created in the next selection and collating operation often contain different combinations of sheet materials. For this reason, it is necessary to prevent the sheet bundles to be put into the packaging box 10 from being mixed up or mixed up.

[0052] In the collator 100, the reading of the identification code 11 by the collator handheld scanner 50 once triggers a single selection and collating operation based on the identification information, thereby creating one sheet bundle. Therefore, the collator handheld scanner 50 is configured not to read the identification code 11 until the ongoing selection and collating operation is completed. For example, a configuration is conceivable in which the time from reading the identification code 11 until the sheet bundle is discharged from the collator 100 is measured in advance, and reading by the collator handheld scanner 50 is halted until the measured time has elapsed. Another conceivable configuration is to place a passage sensor on the transport path near the discharge section of the collator 100 or on the transport path within the lifting conveyor 110 that transports the sheet bundle discharged from the collator 100, and to halt reading by the collator handheld scanner 50 after reading the identification code 11 until the passage of the sheet bundle is detected by the passage sensor. Furthermore, as another example, a sheet bundle detection sensor may be placed in the sheet bundle discharge section 1101, and after the identification code 11 is read by the collating machine handheld scanner 50, the detection sensor may detect the arrival of the sheet bundle, and then the collating machine handheld scanner 50 may stop reading until it detects that the sheet bundle has been removed.

[0053] The collator 100 used in the picking system 500 is required to prevent a sheet bundle from being placed in the packaging box 10 when there are not enough sheets to be included in the sheet bundle due to a sheet material transport failure in the sheet material transport path from each feed tray 14 to the discharge section of the collator 100, such as a feeding failure in the feed mechanism 18 or a transport mechanism failure in the sub-transport mechanism 22 and the main transport mechanism 24. Furthermore, because the packaging boxes 10 are successively delivered from upstream processes in the picking system 500, it is required that the operator X be able to create a sheet bundle to be placed in the packaging box 10 even if a transport failure in the collator 100 prevents some or all of the sheets from being discharged from the exit of the collator 100. A known method can be used to detect the occurrence of a transport failure in the collator 100 (including both a feeding failure in the feed mechanism 18 and a transport failure in the sub-transport mechanism 22 and the main transport mechanism 24), and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0054] In the collating machine 100, during the selective collating operation, the tray indicator lamp 15 corresponding to the feed tray 14 on which the sheet material with a feeding error is loaded is turned on, and a sheet bundle is created using sheet material with no feeding error and discharged to the sheet bundle discharge section 1101 or the reject tray 160. With this configuration, when a feeding error occurs, the operator X manually removes the sheet material from the feed tray 14 whose tray indicator lamp 15 is turned on, and stacks it on top of the sheet bundle discharged to the sheet bundle discharge section 1101 or the reject tray 160, thereby allowing the operator X to create the sheet bundle to be placed in the packaging box 10.

[0055] The collating machine 100 may be provided with a tray lamp extinguishing operation unit corresponding to each of the plurality of tray indicator lamps 15. After the operator X manually removes the sheet material from the feed tray 14 whose tray indicator lamp 15 is lit, the operator X operates the tray lamp extinguishing operation unit to turn off the tray indicator lamp 15. Of the feed trays 14 in which a feeding error has occurred among the specific feed trays for selected collation, only the tray indicator lamp 15 corresponding to the feed tray 14 from which the sheet material has not been removed remains lit, thereby preventing the sheet material from being forgotten to be removed.

[0056] Furthermore, with the collating machine 100, even after a feeding error occurs, no special operation is required to confirm that the feeding error has been resolved, and the next selective collating operation is executed once the identification code 11 is read by the collating machine handy scanner 50. When the collating machine handy scanner 50 performs a reading operation while the tray indicator lamp 15 is lit, the lit tray indicator lamp 15 goes out, and if a feeding error occurs during the selective collating operation based on the reading operation, the lit tray indicator lamp 15 goes out again.

[0057] Conveyance errors (particularly feeding errors) can occur temporarily due to slippage between the sheet material and the feeding component. In such cases, the selection and collating operation can be performed without any problems even if the next reading operation is used as a trigger. In the collating machine 100, the next selection and collating operation is performed when the collating machine handheld scanner 50 performs a reading operation, even if there is no operation to confirm that the feeding error has been resolved after the feeding error occurs. Therefore, even if a temporary error occurs, the sheet bundle to be placed in the packaging box 10 can be prepared without spending time checking the defective area. Furthermore, even if the error is not temporary, the tray indicator lamp 15 corresponding to the feed tray 14 that did not feed the sheet material among the selected collation specific feed trays in the selected collation operation that was performed will light up again, allowing the worker X to manually remove the sheet material and prepare the sheet bundle to be placed in the packaging box 10.

[0058] If the above-described transport failure is not a temporary failure, it is desirable to halt transport operations at the corresponding location until the defective location is repaired. Therefore, if a predetermined number of consecutive failures occur, such as two consecutive failures, or if a failure occurs at a predetermined rate, such as once in every ten transport operations, the feed tray 14 that is unable to supply sheet material due to the failure at the defective location is set to a feeding stopped state until a predetermined operation to confirm the resolution of the failure is performed. For example, if the defective location is the feed mechanism 18 or the sub-transport mechanism 22, the corresponding feed tray 14 is set to a feeding stopped state. If the defective location is the main transport mechanism 24 and the main transport mechanism 24 is configured to be partially stopped, the feed tray 14 that supplies sheet material to the main transport mechanism 24 upstream of the defective location is set to a feeding stopped state. Alternatively, the configuration may be such that the operator X can manually operate the main operation panel 16 or the feed operation panel 20 to set some or all of the feed trays 14 to a feeding stopped state.

[0059] The collating machine 100 is configured to read the identification code 11 using the collating machine handheld scanner 50 and identify the feed tray 14 (selected collating specific feed tray) to be fed in the next selective collating operation even when some or all of the feed trays 14 are set to a feeding stop state.

[0060] If the selected collation specific feed trays do not include a feed tray 14 that is set to a feeding stopped state, the collation control unit 150 performs control to execute the above-described selective collation operation. If the selected collation specific feed trays include a feed tray 14 that is set to a feeding stopped state, the collation control unit 150 feeds sheet materials from the selected collation specific feed trays that are not in a feeding stopped state to create a sheet bundle, and controls to turn on the tray indicator lamp 15 corresponding to the selected collation specific feed trays that are in a feeding stopped state. With this control, the worker X can manually remove the sheet materials from the feed tray 14 whose tray indicator lamp 15 is turned on and place it on the created sheet bundle, thereby creating a sheet bundle to be placed in the packaging box 10.

[0061] Furthermore, when all the feed trays 14 are set to the feeding stop state, the collation control unit 150 controls the collation handheld scanner 50 to identify the specific feed tray for selected collation and to light up the tray indicator lamp 15 corresponding to the specific feed tray for selected collation. In this control state, the worker X reads the identification code 11 with the collation handheld scanner 50, and then removes the sheet materials from all the feed trays 14 whose tray indicator lamps 15 are lit, and manually sandwiches them between the folding sheet materials in the folding feed tray 141, thereby creating a sheet bundle to be put into the packaging box 10.

[0062] If the sheet material stacked on the folding sheet tray 141 can be conveyed even when all the sheet trays 14 are in a feeding stopped state, the sheet material may be fed from the folding sheet tray 141. This allows the worker X to create a sheet bundle without having to fold the folding sheet material.

[0063] The collation control unit 150 may be configured to control the stopping of power supply to the drive sources related to the transport of sheet materials when all of the feed trays 14 are set to the feeding stop state. Even if the power supply to the drive sources is stopped, the specific feed tray for selected collation can be identified by reading with the collation machine handheld scanner 50, and the tray indicator lamp 15 corresponding to the specific feed tray for selected collation can be turned on. Furthermore, by stopping the power supply to the drive sources, a worker X other than the worker X who manually prepares the sheet stack can repair a defective part of the collation machine 100 without stopping the collation work.

[0064] In this way, even if part or all of the feed trays 14 are in a feeding stopped state, the worker X can manually create the desired sheet bundle, so that the sheet bundle to be placed in the packing box 10 can be created and placed in the packing box 10 without stopping the flow of the packing boxes 10 being delivered from the upstream process of the picking system 500.

[0065] If a paper jam occurs in the main transport mechanism 24, all tray indicator lamps 15 corresponding to the selected collation specific feed tray are illuminated. Then, pressing the fault release button returns the device to its normal standby state. If the jam itself or its cause cannot be resolved, a collation stop setting (such as the collation stop button) can be performed. In this setting, the same control as when all feed trays 14 are set to the feed stop state is performed, and all tray indicator lamps 15 corresponding to the selected collation specific feed tray are illuminated each time the collation machine handheld scanner 50 reads the identification code 11. The collation stop setting can also be used to deal with drive source failures. In this way, even when the collation operation is disabled, the collation machine 100 reads the identification code 11 and illuminates the tray indicator lamps 15 of the feed trays 14 containing the corresponding sheets, allowing the operator X to continue collation work. This prevents the picking operation in the picking system 500 from being stalled due to a collation machine 100 malfunction.

[0066] In the above description, a configuration has been described in which the next selection and collating operation is executed when the identification code 11 is read by the collator handheld scanner 50 after a feeding error occurs, without requiring any special operation to confirm that the feeding error has been resolved. With this configuration, even if an error occurrence is being notified, such as the tray indicator lamp 15 being lit (a state in which no error confirmation operation, such as pressing the start button, reset button, or confirmation button, has been performed), the next selection and collating operation is executed when the next reading is performed by the collator handheld scanner 50. When an error occurs with this configuration, the operator X simply removes sheets one by one from the feed tray 14 whose tray indicator lamp 15 is lit, places them on top of a sheet bundle made of other sheets, and places them in the packaging box 10, and reads the identification code 11 of the next packaging box 10, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0067] As an alternative to this configuration, if a feeding error occurs after the selection and collating operation has begun, the collating machine handheld scanner 50 may not be able to read until a signal is input confirming that the error has been addressed.

[0068] Specifically, when an error occurs or the feed tray 14 in a stopped state becomes the designated feed tray for selective collation, the tray indicator lamp 15 lights up, and then the collation control unit 150 controls the collation control unit 150 to issue a warning sound or a warning lamp if the next identification code 11 is read without receiving a signal to turn off the lit tray indicator lamp 15 (such as an operation signal from the tray lamp turning-off operation unit or a detection signal indicating that the sheets on the feed tray 14 have moved upstream in the feeding direction). Here, the detection signal indicating that the sheets on the feed tray 14 have moved upstream in the feeding direction is a signal that indicates that the operator X has removed the sheets from the feed tray 14, such as a detection signal detecting the reverse rotation of the feed rollers of the feed tray 14. This control prevents the next selective collation operation from being executed unless a signal indicating that the sheets that could not be fed have been removed and added to the sheet stack is received.

[0069] In the collating machine 100 that performs this type of control, when an error occurs, the operator X performs the following tasks: Remove sheets one by one from the feed tray 14 whose tray indicator lamp 15 is lit. Operate the tray lamp extinguishing operation unit that corresponds to the removed feed tray 14. Place the removed sheets on top of the discharged sheet stack and place them in the packaging box 10. Have the collating machine handheld scanner 50 read the identification code 11 of the next packaging box 10. In this configuration, if an error occurs and there is a feed tray 14 for which the tray indicator lamp 15 has not been extinguished and the operation to read the next identification code 11 is performed, a warning is issued, preventing sheets that should be placed in the sheet stack from falling out.

[0070] The input of a signal to confirm that the error has been addressed is not limited to the operation of a confirmation operation unit corresponding to each feed tray, such as a tray lamp turning-off operation unit, but may also be an operation signal from an operation unit that clears the error state of the entire collating machine 100, such as an error clear button.

[0071] In the above description, a configuration has been described in which the tray indicator lamp 15 of the selected collated specific feed tray 14 that failed to feed is turned on when a feeding error occurs in the selected collated specific feed tray or when a feed tray 14 set to a feeding stop state is specified as the selected collated specific feed tray. A configuration may be adopted in which the tray indicator lamps 15 of all selected collated specific feed trays are turned on even when feeding fails from some of the selected collated specific feed trays. In this configuration, when the tray indicator lamps 15 are turned on, the worker X does not use the discharged sheet bundle, but manually removes sheet materials from all feed trays 14 whose tray indicator lamps 15 are turned on, creates a sheet bundle, and places it in the packaging box 10.

[0072] In the setting where all the tray indicator lamps 15 of the specific feed trays for selective collation are turned on, the control after turning on the tray indicator lamps 15 may start the next selective collation operation when the next identification code 11 is read without a release operation. Also, an alarm may be issued when reading is performed without a release operation. The release operation may be performed on the condition that all the operation units corresponding to the respective feed trays 14 are operated, or on the condition that one operation unit is operated.

[0073] Next, a configuration may be adopted in which sheets of the same type are placed on multiple feed trays 14, and when one feed tray 14 is unable to feed, the sheet is fed from the other feed tray 14. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence table held by the collation control unit 150 in the consecutive tier setting. As shown in Fig. 6, in the consecutive tier setting, one stacked sheet identification information is associated with two feed tray information, and the operator X places the associated sheet on each feed tray 14.

[0074] In the configuration using the correspondence table shown in Figure 6, the same sheet material is stacked in two feed trays 14, and in the consecutive setting, the setting is to feed the same sheet material from one of the two feed trays 14. If one of the feed trays 14 is specified as the specific feed tray for selective collation and a feeding error occurs when attempting to feed the same sheet material, the sheet material fed from the other specific feed tray for selective collation is collated to create a sheet bundle, and one sheet material is fed from the other feed tray 14. As a result, one sheet material is discharged to the discharge section so that one sheet material is overlapped on top of the sheet bundle. Worker X overlaps the discharged sheet bundle and the single sheet material and places them in the packaging box 10.

[0075] For example, if a selective collation operation is performed with the first, third, fifth, and seventh feed trays 14 as the selected collation specific feed trays, and a feeding error occurs in the seventh feed tray 14G, a sheet bundle is created using sheets (P001, P002, P003) fed from the other feed trays 14, and this sheet bundle is discharged. Thereafter, feeding is performed only from the eighth feed tray 14H, which is connected to the seventh feed tray 14G where the feeding error occurred, and the missing sheet (P004) is discharged following the sheet bundle with one missing sheet. Thereafter, until the feeding error in the seventh feed tray 14G is resolved, if a selective collation operation is performed in which the collation target sheet identification information includes the sheet identification information "P0004," feeding is performed from the eighth feed tray 14H. At this time, the tray indicator lamp 15 for the seventh feed tray 14G may or may not be lit.

[0076] In the above-described collating machine 100, the operator X manually removes sheets from the feed tray 14 that could not be fed and stacks them on the completed sheet bundle. Alternatively, a maintenance sheet shelf storing sheets to be maintained may be placed near the transport path through which the packaging box 10 passes, such as near the third operator X3 who is in charge of placing the sheet bundle in the packaging box 10. The maintenance sheet shelf in this configuration includes multiple maintenance sheet storage units corresponding to the feed trays 14 of the collating machine 100, and each maintenance sheet storage unit is provided with a storage unit indicator lamp similar to the tray indicator lamp 15. In the above-described configuration, when the tray indicator lamp 15 needs to be turned on, the storage unit indicator lamp is turned on instead of or in addition to turning on the tray indicator lamp 15. In a configuration including a care sheet shelf having a storage unit indicator lamp, the third worker X3 takes one sheet from the care sheet storage unit whose storage unit indicator lamp is lit, places it on top of the sheet stack discharged from the collating machine 100, and places it in the packaging box 10. In this configuration, the worker X takes out the sheet from the care sheet storage unit that is designed specifically for manual removal, making it easier to take out the sheet than taking out the sheet from the feed tray 14.

[0077] A packaging device may be disposed at the discharge section of the collating machine 100, and the sheet bundle produced by the collating machine 100 may be packaged and discharged, and placed in the packaging box 10. Although the lifting conveyor 110 shown in FIG. 1 is configured to lift the sheet bundle with an inclined belt conveyor, an elevator-type lifting device that lifts a lift plate on which the sheet bundle is placed may also be used. In the case where the sheet bundle discharged from the above-described lifting conveyor 110 is configured to fall into the packaging box 10, the timing is controlled so that the sheet bundle falls when the packaging box 10 is positioned below the discharge position.

[0078] The collating machine handheld scanner 50 of this embodiment acquires collated target specific information by reading an identification code 11 (such as a barcode or two-dimensional code) that is a visible collated target specific information storage unit formed on the surface of an object. The collated target specific information reading means for acquiring the collated target specific information is not limited to this. An RFID (radio frequency identification) tag storing the collated target specific information may be attached to the packing box 10 or a slip traveling with the packing box 10, or an RFID receiver may be provided instead of the collating machine handheld scanner 50. This also makes it possible to read the collated target specific information from the packing box 10 being transported.

[0079] Here, a meal kit delivery service that can use a picking system such as picking system 500 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. In recent years, a service called a meal kit delivery service has become well known. This service allows a user to select and order a dish they want to make at home from dishes listed online or in a catalog, and a service provider delivers a package containing the ingredients for the selected dish to the user. This service includes not only the ingredients but also a printed document (hereinafter referred to as a "recipe card") containing instructions (recipe instructions) for the selected dish. The user can unpack the delivered package, pick up the ingredients and recipe card, and prepare the dish without having to check a separate recipe, such as an online recipe or a catalog recipe.

[0080] In such meal kit delivery services, a picking operation is performed to collect multiple types of ingredients into collection boxes for each order, and the collected ingredients are then packed into packaging boxes such as cardboard boxes or polystyrene foam boxes for shipping. A picking system for performing this picking operation includes multiple item storage sections (item storage boxes 301) that separate and store items such as ingredients by type, and a box passage path (roller conveyor 400) along which collection boxes (packaging boxes 10) are transported so as to pass near the multiple item storage sections. When a collection box reaches a shelf near the item to be placed in the collection box passing through the box passage path, a worker (worker X) manually places the item in the collection box (also known as a "picking method") (see, for example, Patent Document 2, etc.). The collection box may be a packaging box delivered to the user, or a dedicated collection box separate from the packaging box. In the case of a dedicated collection box, the items in the dedicated collection box are transferred to the packaging box after the picking operation and then shipped.

[0081] When recipe cards are included in a conventional picking system, a recipe storage unit that stores recipe cards may be located near the path of the boxes, similar to the item storage unit, and a worker may manually place the recipe cards that should be placed in a collection box into the collection box. Also, in the case of a system that transfers items collected in a collection box to a packing box, a recipe storage unit may be located near the path of the packing box into which the items have been transferred from the collection box, and a worker may manually place the recipe cards that should be placed in the packing box into the packing box.

[0082] However, with the meal kit delivery service described above, ingredients for multiple dishes are often ordered together. In this case, multiple recipe cards are included to accommodate the multiple dishes. Furthermore, since each order contains a different combination of dishes, multiple types of recipe cards with different combinations are included with each order. If an operator manually collects multiple recipe cards by manually removing each recipe card from multiple recipe storage compartments, it is time-consuming and labor-intensive. A possible system for collecting multiple types of recipe cards is the system described in Patent Document 3, which places each recipe card on a feed tray (paper feed plate) of a collating device and creates a collated bundle (hereinafter referred to as a "recipe bundle") by bundling the necessary recipe cards. However, the collating device described in Patent Document 3 creates a collated bundle by collating multiple sheets according to pre-entered collation conditions, and does not support creating a recipe bundle by collating multiple types of recipe cards with different combinations each time a collection box arrives. Therefore, a collating device that can create a recipe bundle with a different recipe card combination each time a collection box arrives is desired.

[0083] When the picking system 500 of this embodiment is also used for the meal kit delivery service described above, for example, recipe cards are loaded onto each of the feed trays 14 of the collating machine 100, and sheet materials to be distributed to all users, such as printed advertising materials, are loaded onto the folding feed tray 141. Then, the third worker X3 uses the collating machine handheld scanner 50 to read the identification code 11 that moves with the collection box each time it arrives, thereby creating recipe bundles with different combinations of recipe cards.

[0084] 7 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a modified picking system 500. The modified picking system 500 has a configuration in which a part of the picking system 500 described using FIG. 1 and the like is modified, and therefore, a description of the common configuration will be omitted.

[0085] In this modification, the scanners for reading the identification code 11 include fixed scanners 45 (45A, 45B) and a fixed scanner for collation 55 fixed to the transport gate 41 (41A, 41B) and the transport gate 51 in front of the collation machine, respectively.

[0086] In this modified example, the fixed collation scanner 55, which is the collation information reading means, is connected to the system control unit 200. When the system control unit 200 receives management information from the data input unit 600, the system control unit 200 stores the item management information in an item management information storage unit (not shown), as in the above embodiment. In this modified example, the sheet material management information, which is a combination of the identification code 11 and the sheet material, is stored in a sheet material management information storage unit (not shown) provided in the system control unit 200. The collation target identification information read by the fixed collation scanner 55 is transmitted via the system control unit 200 to the collation control unit 150 of the collation machine 100 as information on the sheet material to be collated or information on the feed tray 14 to which the feeding operation should be performed in the selective collation operation, so that the feed tray 14 to which sheets should be fed in the next selective collation operation (selective collation specific feed tray) can be identified.

[0087] Furthermore, in this modified example, a sheet bundle retention device 170 is provided between the discharge section (discharge roller pair 38) of the collating machine 100 and the lifting conveyor 110. When the sheet bundle retention device 170 receives the sheet bundle discharged from the collating machine 100, it retains the sheet bundle therein, and when it receives a predetermined signal indicating that the collated bundle can be discharged, it sends the retained sheet bundle to the lifting conveyor 110. Furthermore, the sheet bundle retention device 170 of this modified example has an alignment function, and aligns the sheet bundle by hitting the end faces of the retained sheet bundle with an alignment member.

[0088] In this modified example, the sheet bundle discharge section 1101 is not provided, and the sheet bundle sent from the sheet bundle retention device 170 and passed through the lifting conveyor 110 is discharged from a discharge port 111 at the downstream end of the lifting conveyor 110. The collated bundle discharge enable signal is a signal indicating that the packaging box 10 has reached a position where the sheet bundle discharged from the discharge port 111 is inserted into the packaging box 10. For example, an arrival detection sensor that detects the arrival of the packaging box 10 may be disposed below the discharge port 111, and the signal may be generated from the system control unit 200 or the collation control unit 150 based on a detection signal from this arrival detection sensor. As another example, the system control unit 200 or the collation control unit 150 may calculate the timing at which the roller conveyor 400 has moved a predetermined amount after the packaging box 10 has passed the collator front conveyor gate 51, and generate a signal based on this calculated timing.

[0089] The collation machine 100 of the modified example is provided with a passage detection sensor that detects that the packing box 10 has passed through the front conveying gate 51 of the collation machine, and the system control unit 200 receives a detection signal from the passage detection sensor and transmits a collated bundle discharge enable signal to the collation control unit 150 at a predetermined timing. After acquiring collation target specification information from the system control unit 200, the collation control unit 150 receives the collated bundle discharge enable signal, and then executes control to transfer the sheet bundle in the sheet bundle retention device 170 to the lifting conveyor 110.

[0090] Next, a description will be given of the packing operation, including the work of worker X, in the picking system 500 of the modified example. As the packing box 10 is transported by the roller conveyor 400 and passes through the first transport gate 41A, the first fixed scanner 45A reads the identification code 11 of the packing box 10. This reading operation allows the system control unit 200 to obtain the identification information of the identification code 11, and for the items associated with this identification information, the system control unit 200 turns on the lamp of the picking display unit 310 below the item storage box 301 of the item placed in the first shelf area 300A, and displays the number of items on the numeric display unit. The first worker X1 picks the displayed number of items from the item storage box 301 whose lamp is lit in the picking display unit 310, and places them in the packing box 10. The packing box 10 containing the items to be packed in the first shelf area 300A is transported by the roller conveyor 400 toward the second transport gate 41B.

[0091] When the packing box 10 passes through the second conveyor gate 41B, the second fixed scanner 45B reads the identification code 11 of the packing box 10, just as when it passes through the first conveyor gate 41A. This reading operation causes the system control unit 200 to light up the lamps of the picking display unit 310 below the item storage box 301 of the item that is placed in the second shelf area 300B, among the items linked to the identification information of the identification code 11, and display the number of items on the numeric display unit. The second worker X2 removes the displayed number of items from the item storage box 301 whose lamp is lit in the picking display unit 310, and places them in the packing box 10. The packing box 10 containing the items to be packed in the second shelf area 300B is transported by the roller conveyor 400 toward the pre-collator conveyor gate 51.

[0092] When the packing box 10 passes through the front-of-collating-machine conveying gate 51, the fixed collation scanner 55 fixed to the front-of-collating-machine conveying gate 51 reads the identification code 11 of the packing box 10. This reading operation causes the system control unit 200 to create information on the sheets to be collated linked to the identification information of the identification code 11, and transmits the information to the collation control unit 150. Upon receiving the information on the sheets to be collated, the collation control unit 150 executes selective collation by selecting the feeding device 1 that stores the sheets to be collated and performing a feeding operation to collate them, and outputs a sheet bundle formed by bundling the sheets linked to the identification information of the identification code 11.

[0093] The sheet bundle output from the collating machine 100 is retained in the sheet bundle retaining device 170, and the alignment process is performed while the sheet bundle is retained. Then, when the system control unit 200 sends a signal indicating that the collated bundle can be discharged to the collation control unit 150, the collation control unit 150 executes control to transfer the sheet bundle in the sheet bundle retaining device 170 to the lifting conveyor 110, and the sheet bundle transferred to the lifting conveyor 110 is discharged from the discharge port 111 into the packaging box 10.

[0094] In this modified example, the collation target identification information acquired by the fixed collation scanner 55 reading the identification code 11 is transmitted to the collation control unit 150 via the system control unit 200. The collation device 100 then executes the selective collation operation when the fixed collation scanner 55 reads the identification code 11. The sheet bundle created in the selective collation operation is discharged into the packaging box 10. In this modified example, the operator X is not required for both the process of reading the identification code 11 for the selective collation operation and the process of placing the sheet bundle into the packaging box 10, thereby reducing the number of operators required compared to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Note that the selective collation operation, including manual work by the operator X in the event of a malfunction, can be performed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.

[0095] In the modified example, one collating machine 100 is arranged for one of the lifting conveyors 110 that constitute the sheet bundle transfer section that transfers the sheet bundle to the packaging box 10, but a configuration in which a plurality of collating machines 100 are arranged for one sheet bundle transfer section may also be adopted. For example, a configuration in which two or more collating machines 100 are arranged in series and sheet materials to be collated can be selected from a larger number of sheet materials and collated selectively may also be adopted.

[0096] Furthermore, multiple sheet bundle delivery sections may be arranged in the conveying direction of the roller conveyor 400, and selective collation may be performed using multiple collating machines 100 corresponding to the multiple sheet bundle delivery sections. In this case, the identification code 11 may be read at each sheet bundle delivery section to perform selective collation, or the identification code 11 may be read only at the most upstream sheet bundle delivery section, and the read information may be used for selective collation at the downstream sheet bundle delivery section.

[0097] Furthermore, a sheet material feeding device capable of feeding sheets one by one may be disposed upstream or downstream of the sheet bundle transfer section of the collator 100 in the conveying direction of the roller conveyor 400, thereby enabling selective collating by including the collator 100 and the sheet material feeding device. This allows sheet materials that are difficult to feed by the collator 100, such as cardboard, to be included in the sheet materials selected for selective collating. In a configuration in which a sheet material feeding device is added, the collator 100 and the sheet material feeding device may have different feeding mechanisms. For example, the feeding mechanism of each feeding section of the collator 100 may be an air suction type belt feeder, and the feeding mechanism of the sheet material feeding device may be a friction type roller feeder, such as a friction feeder.

[0098] As a configuration for adding a sheet material feeding device, a sheet bundle receiving / transferring section separate from the collating machine 100 may be provided, or the conveying paths of the sheet bundle created by the collating machine 100 and the sheet material fed by the sheet material feeding device may be merged, and the sheet material may be handed over from a common sheet bundle receiving / transferring section.

[0099] Although the collating machine 100 of this embodiment has multiple feeding devices 1 arranged vertically, the collating machine to which the present invention is applicable is not limited to one in which multiple feeding units, such as multiple feeding devices, are arranged vertically, but may also be one in which multiple feeding units are arranged horizontally. However, by arranging multiple feeding units vertically, as in the collating machine 100 of this embodiment, it is possible to save installation space. Furthermore, when a feeding error or the like occurs and an operator manually removes sheet material from the sheet material storage unit (feed tray 14) of the feeding unit, the vertical arrangement of multiple feeding units reduces the operator's movement distance, thereby improving the efficiency of the collating operation when a feeding error occurs.

[0100] The collation control unit 150, which controls each part of the collation machine 100, may be configured to be provided inside the housing that performs the collation process in the collation machine 100, or a personal computer or tablet terminal connected to the housing that performs the collation process may function as the collation control unit 150.

[0101] The collating device according to the present invention is not limited to the collating machine 100 shown in Fig. 1, which is included in the picking system 500. For example, by placing the collating machine 100 equipped with the collating machine handy scanner 50 at an event venue and reading the identification code 11 held by each attendee, it is possible to provide each attendee with a sheet stack made up of distribution materials according to the attendee's attributes.

[0102] The above description is merely an example, and each of the following aspects provides unique effects.

[0103] [Aspect 1] In aspect 1, a collating device such as a collating machine 100 performs a selective collating operation to create a collated bundle of sheets by stacking sheet materials fed from selected feeding units of a plurality of feeding devices such as a feeding device 1. The collating device includes a collating information reading unit such as a collating machine handheld scanner 50 that reads collation target specific information such as identification information from a collation target specific information storage unit such as an identification code 11 provided on an object (such as a packaging box 10) outside the sheet material transport path. The reading operation by the collating information reading unit triggers the collating information reading unit to identify a feeding unit from among the plurality of feeding units to perform the feeding based on the read collation target specific information (e.g., identifying a "selected collation specific feeding tray"), and then performs the selective collating operation to create a collated bundle. In aspect 1, the collating information reading unit reads the collating target specific information storage unit provided on an object outside the sheet material transport path, such as the path from the feeding tray to the discharge unit of the collating device, and performs the selective collating operation based on the read collation target specific information storage unit. Therefore, every time an object having a collation target specific information storage unit is acquired, it becomes possible to automatically perform selective collation corresponding to the collation target specific information stored in the collation target specific information storage unit.

[0104] In the collation device of aspect 1, it is desirable not to accept a read signal from the collation information reading means that will trigger the next selection and collation operation until the previous selection and collation operation is completed. Also, in the collation device of aspect 1, a sensor (such as a feed unit scanner) that reads printed information on the sheet material may be arranged in the sheet material placement unit such as the feed tray 14 of each feed unit, and a correspondence database may be created that associates sheet material identification information with feed unit information that indicates the feed unit in which the sheet material is loaded.

[0105] [Aspect 2] The collation device of Aspect 1 is characterized in that it further comprises a plurality of visual notification means (tray indicator lamps 15, etc.) each of which is provided around each of the plurality of feeding units so as to correspond to each of the plurality of feeding units, and each of which has a changeable appearance, and when a feeding error occurs during the selective collating operation, the appearance of the visual notification means corresponding to the feeding unit in which the feeding error occurred is changed (for example, by turning on the tray indicator lamp 15). According to Aspect 2, a collated bundle is created using only sheet material fed from feeding units in which no feeding error occurred, and an operator manually removes sheet material from a feeding unit in which a feeding error has been reported by the visual notification means and places it on top of the collated bundle, thereby making it possible to create a collated bundle containing the desired sheet material.

[0106] [Aspect 3] The collation device of Aspect 1 further includes a plurality of visual notification means (tray indicator lamps 15, etc.) provided around each of the plurality of feeding units so as to correspond to each of the plurality of feeding units, each of which has a changeable appearance, and when a feeding error occurs during the selective collating operation, the appearance of the corresponding visual notification means is changed (tray indicator lamps 15 are turned on, etc.) for all of the selected feeding units (selective collation specific feeding trays, etc.). According to Aspect 3, the operator does not use a collated bundle made only of sheet material fed from a feeding unit where no feeding error occurred, but instead manually removes sheet material from the feeding unit indicated by the visual notification means and creates a collated bundle, thereby enabling the operator to create a collated bundle containing the desired sheet material.

[0107] The light-emitting means, such as the tray indicator lamp 15, serving as the visual notification means in Aspects 2 and 3 is not limited to being located to the side of the placement portion (feed tray 14) of the corresponding feeder, as in the tray indicator lamp 15 in the above-described embodiment, but may be located above the placement portion or the like, as long as the worker can visually recognize the corresponding feeder. Furthermore, if the collation device is linked to a head-mounted augmented reality wearable computer, such as smart glasses or AR glasses, the worker may visually recognize the corresponding feeder through a display on the augmented reality wearable computer's screen. Furthermore, if the collation device is linked to the augmented reality wearable computer, the augmented reality wearable computer may be used as the collation information reading means in Aspect 1 described above. In this case, the augmented reality wearable computer may recognize a collation target specific information storage unit, such as the identification code 11, within the image capture range of the augmented reality wearable computer, and a display may be displayed on the worker's display screen prompting the worker to select whether to read the collation target specific information storage unit. The selective collation operation may begin when the worker selects to read the information.

[0108] [Aspect 4] In the collation device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, even if a malfunction occurs in the selective collation operation, when the collation information reading means performs a reading operation, the selective collation operation is executed based on the reading operation. According to this, if a malfunction such as a feeding error occurs in the previous selective collation operation, the next selective collation operation is executed based on the reading operation without any special operation to confirm the malfunction, such as an operation to clear the error. Therefore, when a malfunction occurs, the operator only needs to remove the sheet material from the feeding section that was unable to feed and include it in a collated stack, and then read the collation target specific information from the next collation target specific information storage section, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0109] In addition, when a feeding error occurs, the system may be configured to notify the operator of the occurrence of the feeding error and, by having the operator perform a specific re-feeding operation, such as pressing a specific button on the collating machine handheld scanner 50, control may be executed to re-feed sheet material only from the feeding section where the feeding error occurred. With this configuration, if the feeding error is temporary, it is possible to discharge the sheet material fed from the feeding section where the temporary feeding error occurred immediately after discharging the sheet bundle created with the sheet material from the feeding section where the feeding error did not occur. In this case, the operator can create a sheet bundle containing the desired sheet material by bundling the sheet bundle discharged earlier and the sheet material discharged later, eliminating the need to manually remove the sheet material from the feeding section where the temporary feeding error occurred.

[0110] [Aspect 5] The collation device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3 is characterized in that it includes a malfunction notification means (such as a tray indicator lamp 15 that lights up or a main operation panel 16 that displays an error) that notifies the user of a malfunction in the selective collation operation, and a collation impossible notification means (such as a warning sound generator or a warning lamp) that does not execute the selective collation operation even if the collation information reading means performs a reading operation before an operation to cancel the notification of the malfunction notification means (such as an operation to turn off the tray lamp or an operation to move the sheets on the feed tray 14 upstream in the feeding direction) is performed, thereby notifying the user that the collation operation cannot be executed. This prevents sheets that should be included in the collated stack created by the selective collation operation from falling out, even if a malfunction occurs in the selective collation operation.

[0111] [Aspect 6] In the collating device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, two or more of the plurality of feeding units can be configured as sequential feeding units that feed the same sheet material, and if a feeding error occurs in one of the sequential feeding units during the selective collating operation, a collated bundle is created by stacking sheet material fed from another of the feeding units selected to feed in the selective collating operation, and sheet material is fed from another of the feeding units included in the sequential feeding unit. This makes it possible to create a collated bundle containing the desired sheet material when a feeding error occurs without the operator having to manually remove the sheet material.

[0112] [Aspect 7] The collating device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 6 further includes a sheet storage section (such as a maintenance sheet storage section) that stores the sheet materials fed by the feeding section separately from the feeding section, allows the sheet materials to be manually removed from inside, and can be associated with the feeding section that stores the same sheet materials, and the sheet storage section has a storage section visual notification means such as a storage section indicator lamp whose appearance can be changed, so that if a feeding error occurs during the selective collating operation, the appearance of the storage section visual notification means of the sheet storage section corresponding to the feeding section where the feeding error occurred changes (by lighting up the storage section indicator lamp). This makes it easier for an operator to manually remove the sheet materials than removing them from the paper feeding section.

[0113] [Aspect 8] The collation device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 7 is characterized in that it includes a plurality of visual indicators (such as tray indicator lamp 15 and storage unit indicator lamp) whose appearances can be changed to correspond to each of a plurality of feeding units, and a feeding stop setting (setting the feeding unit to a feeding stopped state) that prevents feeding from occurring for each feeding unit, and when a feeding unit that has been set to stop feeding becomes a feeding unit that feeds in a selective collating operation (such as a specific feeding tray for selective collating), the feeding unit does not perform a feeding operation, and the appearance of the corresponding visual indicator changes (such as turning on tray indicator lamp 15 or a storage unit indicator lamp). In this way, an operator can manually remove sheet material from the feeding unit or sheet material storage unit that corresponds to the visual indicator whose appearance has changed, and create a collated bundle containing the desired sheet material. In addition, by setting a feeding section that is unable to feed to a feeding stop setting and not performing a feeding operation, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of load on each component involved in feeding due to performing a feeding operation in a state where feeding is not possible, and to suppress a reduction in the component lifespan.

[0114] Aspect 9 is a collation device such as a collation machine 100 that performs a selective collation operation to create a collated bundle such as a sheet bundle by stacking sheet materials fed from each of the selected feeding units of a plurality of feeding devices 1, etc., the collation device including: a collated bundle retention unit such as a sheet bundle retention device 170 that temporarily retains the collated bundle created in the selective collation operation; a collated bundle discharge unit such as an elevating conveyor 110 that discharges the collated bundle handed over from the collated bundle retention unit to the outside; and a collation control unit such as a collation control unit 150 that controls each unit, When the system acquires collation target specification information, such as identification information for identifying multiple feeding units to feed the sheet material, it identifies the feeding unit to feed from the multiple feeding units based on the acquired collation target specification information, performs a selective collation operation to create a collated bundle, and transfers the created collated bundle to a collated bundle storage unit to store it. When at least one of the collation control unit, the collated bundle storage unit, and the collated bundle discharge unit receives a collated bundle discharge ready signal, it transfers the collated bundle in the collated bundle storage unit to the collated bundle discharge unit and discharges it to the outside. This allows the collated bundle created in the selective collation operation to be discharged at a predetermined timing, such as when the packaging box 10 is located at the discharge position. This eliminates the need for an operator to be involved in the process following the discharged collated bundle, such as placing the collated bundle in the packaging box 10, thereby reducing the number of operators required. In the above-described modified example, the signal indicating that the collected bundle can be discharged is received by the collation control unit 150. However, the signal indicating that the collected bundle can be discharged may also be received by a collected bundle storage unit such as the sheet bundle storage device 170 or a collected bundle discharge unit such as the lifting conveyor 110, and based on the received signal, the collected bundle in the collected bundle storage unit is controlled to be handed over to the collected bundle discharge unit, and the collected bundle is then discharged to the outside.

[0115] [Aspect 10] In aspect 10, in a collation device such as collation machine 100 that performs a selective collation operation to create a collated bundle of sheet bundles or the like by stacking sheet materials fed from selected feeding units of a plurality of feeding units such as feeding device 1, a collation control unit such as collation control unit 150 that controls each unit is triggered by acquiring collation target specification information such as identification information for specifying the plurality of feeding units that will feed the sheet materials in the selective collation operation, and identifies the feeding unit from the plurality of feeding units that will perform the feeding based on the collation target specification information, and performs the selective collation operation to create a collated bundle. This makes it possible to automatically perform selective collation corresponding to the input collation target specification information each time collation target specification information is input to collation control unit 150.

[0116] [Aspect 11] Aspect 11 is characterized in that in the collation device of Aspect 9 or 10, the collation target specific information is read by a collation information reading means such as the fixed collation scanner 55 from a collation target specific information storage unit such as an identification code 11 provided on an object (such as a packaging box 10) outside the sheet material transport path in the collation device. This makes it possible to automatically perform selective collation corresponding to the collation target specific information stored in the collation target specific information storage unit every time an object having a collation target specific information storage unit is acquired.

[0117] [Aspect 12] A picking system such as picking system 500 that collects multiple types of items stored in multiple item storage sections (item storage boxes 301, etc.) and places them into box materials such as packaging boxes 10 is characterized in that it includes a collating device such as collator 100 according to any of Aspects 1 to 11 as collating means for collating multiple sheet materials to be placed in the box material. This makes it possible to automatically perform selective collating, which collates the sheet materials to be placed in the box material to create a collated bundle, each time a box material is obtained. The box material for containing the items is not limited to a general box-shaped container made of a rectangular or polygonal surface, but may be any container that can move items, such as a movable tray that can hold the items, as long as it can move the items collected by the picking system as a whole.

[0118] [Aspect 13] In the picking system according to Aspect 12, a system control unit such as the system control unit 200 that controls the entire picking system acquires collation target specific information such as identification information read by a collation information reading means such as the fixed collation scanner 55 from a collation target specific information storage unit such as the identification code 11 provided on an object such as the packaging box 10, and transmits the collation target specific information to a collation control unit such as the collation control unit 150 that controls each unit of the collation device. This makes it possible to automatically perform selective collation corresponding to the collation target specific information stored in the collation target specific information storage unit every time an object having a collation target specific information storage unit is acquired.

[0119] A picking system such as picking system 500 that collects multiple types of items stored in multiple item storage units (e.g., item storage boxes 301) and places them in a box material such as packaging box 10 includes the collation device of Aspect 9 as a collation unit that collates multiple sheet materials to be placed in the box material, and a system control unit such as system control unit 200 that controls the entire picking system acquires collation target identification information such as identification information read by collation information reading unit such as fixed collation scanner 55 from a collation target identification information storage unit such as identification code 11 provided on an object such as packaging box 10, transmits the collation target identification information to a collation control unit such as collation control unit 150, and, after transmitting the collation target identification information, transmits a collated bundle discharge enable signal to at least one of the collation control unit, the collated bundle storage unit, or the collated bundle discharge unit when a predetermined condition is met. In this manner, the collated bundle prepared by the collation device can be discharged at the predetermined timing, such as when packaging box 10 is positioned at the discharge position, by transmitting the collated bundle discharge enable signal. This eliminates the need for workers to be involved in the next process for the discharged collated bundles, such as the process of putting the collated bundles into the packaging box 10, thereby reducing the number of workers required.

[0120] The characteristic configurations of aspects 2 to 8 are not limited to the collation device of aspect 1, which is configured so that the collation information reading means reads a collation target specific information holding section provided on an object outside the sheet material transport path, but can also be applied to a collation device in which the collation information reading means is provided in the sheet material transport path, such as a feed tray of a folded sheet feed section.

[0121] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Feeding device 4: Tablet terminal 9: Housing 10: Packing box 11: Identification code 14: Feeding tray 15: Tray indicator lamp 16: Main operation panel 18: Feeding mechanism 20: Feeding operation panel 22: Sub-conveying mechanism 24: Main conveying mechanism 40: Handy scanner 41: Conveying gate 45: Fixed scanner 50: Collating machine handy scanner 51: Conveying gate in front of collation machine 55: Fixed scanner for collation 100: Collating machine 110: Lifting conveying machine 111: Discharge outlet 140: Folding feeding device 141: Folding feeding tray 150: Collating control unit 160: Reject tray 170: Sheet bundle retention device 200: System control unit 300: Goods shelf 300A: First shelf area 300B: Second shelf area 301: Item storage box 302: Shelf board 310: Picking display unit 400: Roller conveyor 500: Picking system 600: Data input unit 1101: Sheet material discharge unit X: Worker X1: First worker X2: Second worker X3: Third worker

Claims

[Claim 1] In a collating device that performs a selective collating operation to create a collated bundle by stacking sheet materials fed from each of the selected feeding units among a plurality of feeding units, The system includes a collating information reading means that reads collating target identification information from a collating target identification information holding unit provided on an object outside the conveying path of the sheet material. A collating apparatus characterized by using a reading operation by the collating information reading means as a trigger to identify a feeding unit from among a plurality of feeding units to perform feeding based on the collating target identification information read, and to perform the selective collating operation to create the collated bundle.