Information processing method, stowage method, program, and information processing device

Abstract

The present invention suitably creates a stowage plan in accordance with work details. This information processing method comprises: a step for acquiring work information indicating goods to be shipped to a shipping destination; a step for calculating, on the basis of the work information, an initial solution that indicates stowage information indicating the goods to be allocated to each of multiple pallets and the stacking order of the goods in one of the pallets, and a stowage order indicating the order of stowing the pallets; a step for calculating, on the basis of the initial solution, an initial evaluation value indicating the degree of load of the shipping work in the initial solution; a step for calculating, on the basis of the initial solution, a neighborhood solution obtained by changing a part of the stowage information and the stowage order with respect to the initial solution; a step for calculating, on the basis of the neighborhood solution, a neighborhood evaluation value indicating the load degree of the shipping work in the neighborhood solution; and a step for setting the stowage information and the stowage order to be used for a stowage plan on the basis of the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value.

Description

Information processing method, stowage method, program, and information processing device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing method, a stowage method, a program, and an information processing device.

[0002] A method for shipping goods by stacking goods on trays such as pallets is known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes an automatic shipping device that transports goods trays on a belt conveyor, stacks goods on the goods trays on the belt conveyor, and ships the stacked goods.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-83486

[0004] Here, it is necessary to create an appropriate stowage plan according to the work content.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing method, a stowage method, a program, and an information processing device that are capable of creating an appropriate stowage plan depending on the work content.

[0006] The information processing method according to the present disclosure includes the steps of: acquiring work information indicating goods to be shipped to a destination; calculating, based on the work information, an initial solution indicating goods to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets, stowage information indicating the stacking order of the goods on the pallets, and a stowage order indicating the order in which the pallets will be stowed; calculating, based on the initial solution, an initial evaluation value indicating the degree of load of shipping work in the initial solution; calculating, based on the initial solution, a neighborhood solution in which part of the stowage information and the stowage order are changed with respect to the initial solution; calculating, based on the neighborhood solution, a neighborhood evaluation value indicating the degree of load of shipping work in the neighborhood solution; and setting, based on the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value, the stowage information and the stowage order to be used in a stowage plan.

[0007] The stowage method according to the present disclosure stows the items onto a plurality of pallets based on the stowage information and the stowage order set in the information processing method.

[0008] The program according to the present disclosure causes a computer to execute the following steps: acquiring work information indicating items to be shipped to a destination; calculating, based on the work information, an initial solution indicating items to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets, stowage information indicating the stacking order of the items on the pallets, and a stowage order indicating the order in which the pallets will be stowed; calculating, based on the initial solution, an initial evaluation value indicating the degree of load of shipping work in the initial solution; calculating, based on the initial solution, a neighborhood solution in which part of the stowage information and the stowage order are changed from the initial solution; calculating, based on the neighborhood solution, a neighborhood evaluation value indicating the degree of load of shipping work in the neighborhood solution; and setting the stowage information and the stowage order to be used in a stowage plan based on the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value.

[0009] The information processing device according to the present disclosure includes: a work information acquisition unit that acquires work information indicating items to be shipped to a destination; an initial solution calculation unit that calculates, based on the work information, an initial solution indicating items to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets, stowage information indicating the stacking order of the items on the pallets, and a stowage order indicating the order in which the pallets will be stowed; an initial evaluation value calculation unit that calculates, based on the initial solution, an initial evaluation value that indicates a load level of shipping work in the initial solution; a neighborhood solution calculation unit that calculates, based on the initial solution, a neighborhood solution that changes a part of the stowage information and the stowage order with respect to the initial solution; a neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit that calculates, based on the neighborhood solution, a neighborhood evaluation value that indicates a load level of shipping work in the neighborhood solution; and a setting unit that sets the stowage information and the stowage order to be used in a stowage plan based on the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, an appropriate stowage plan can be created according to the work content.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a stowage system according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an information processing device according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an initial solution. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a first neighboring solution. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a second neighboring solution. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a third neighboring solution. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a flow for setting stowage information and a stowage order. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating setting of item information. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating setting of item information. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating setting of item information. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating setting of item information. FIG. 12 is a processing flow illustrating a method for allocating individual items. FIG. 13 is a processing flow illustrating a method for allocating all items. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating setting of stacking information. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating setting of stacking information. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating setting of stacking information. FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating setting of stacking information. Fig. 18 is a flowchart explaining the processing flow for setting stowage information. Fig. 19 is a schematic diagram explaining the setting of a stowage order. Fig. 20 is a flowchart explaining the processing flow for setting a stowage order and pallets to be used. Fig. 21 is a schematic diagram explaining the setting of an initial solution for a stowage order in the third embodiment. Fig. 22 is a flowchart explaining the processing flow for setting a stowage order in the third embodiment. Fig. 23 is a flowchart explaining the processing flow for setting pallets to be used in the third embodiment.

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and when there are multiple embodiments, the present disclosure also includes configurations in which the respective embodiments are combined.

[0013] First Embodiment (Stowage System) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a stowage system according to this embodiment. The stowage system 100 according to this embodiment stows items Q onto a pallet P in a facility W based on a stowage plan. More specifically, the stowage system 100 according to this embodiment transfers items Q loaded on a supply pallet P0 to the pallet P. The facility W is a logistics-managed facility, such as a warehouse, but may be any facility where the task of stowage of items Q onto a pallet P is performed. The items Q are items to be stowed onto the pallet P, such as merchandise to be shipped. The Japan Pallet Association defines a pallet P as "a surface on which a single unit of cargo is placed, with a structure that allows for all loading, transport, and storage by hand or by dedicated vehicles such as forklifts. This includes pallets with superstructures." In this embodiment, a pallet P refers to a container or platform on which items Q are stowed. In other words, the pallet referred to here is not limited to a so-called flat platform, but may also include a basket cart or the like, and may be of any shape. Like the pallet P, the supply pallet P0 may also be a container or platform (so-called pallet) on which items Q are stacked. In this embodiment, one supply pallet P0 is loaded with only one type of item Q, whereas a pallet P may be loaded with multiple types of items Q depending on the work content (shipping order). In this embodiment, multiple items Q are stacked in layers on the pallet P. That is, for example, layers on the pallet P are stacked with multiple items Q lined up. The type and arrangement order of the items Q in one layer of the pallet P, and the stacking order of the pallet P are determined by the stowage plan.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1 , the stowage system 100 includes an information processing device 10, a mobile body 12, and a stowage device 14. The information processing device 10 is a device that creates a stowage plan for stowage of items Q on a pallet P, and will be described in detail later. The mobile body 12 is a mobile body that transports a supply pallet P0 or a pallet P. For example, the mobile body 12 may be a forklift, and more specifically, may be a so-called AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) or AGF (Automated Guided Forklift). The stowage device 14 is a device (robot) that stows items Q on a pallet P, and is a so-called palletizer. Note that a plurality of mobile bodies 12 and stowage devices 14 may be installed in the facility W.

[0015] (Facility) The facility W includes an item storage area AR1 where items Q are placed, a supply pallet placement area AR2 where supply pallets P0 are placed, a pallet placement area AR3 where pallets P are placed, a shipment placement area AR4 where pallets P that have been completely loaded are placed, and an empty pallet placement area AR5 where empty supply pallets P0 are placed. The item storage area AR1 stores items Q to be loaded onto pallets P. In the example of FIG. 1 , the item storage area AR1 stores items Q that are loaded onto supply pallets P0. However, this is not limited thereto, and items Q that are not loaded onto supply pallets P0 may also be stored. In this case, for example, a stowage device 14 may also be provided in the item storage area AR1, and an operation of loading items Q onto supply pallets P0 may be performed. The supply pallet placement area AR2 is an area where supply pallets P0 loaded with items Q are placed, and the pallet placement area AR3 is an area where pallets P to be loaded with items Q are placed. The stowage device 14 picks up items Q from a supply pallet P0 placed in the supply pallet placement area AR2 and stows the picked-up items Q onto a pallet P placed in the pallet placement area AR3. The shipment placement area AR4 is an area where pallets P that have completed stowage work in the pallet placement area AR3 are placed, and the pallets P may be shipped from here. The empty pallet placement area AR5 is an area where pallets (supply pallets P0) that have become empty and no items Q are loaded are placed. That is, for example, a supply pallet P0 that has completed transferring items Q and is now empty is placed in the empty pallet placement area AR5. The transportation of the supply pallets P0 and pallets P between the respective areas may be performed by a moving body 12. Note that the layout of the equipment W described above is an example and is not limited to the above description.

[0016] (Information Processing Device) FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an information processing device according to this embodiment. The information processing device 10 is a device that generates a stowage plan for stowage of items Q on a pallet P. In the example of FIG. 1, the information processing device 10 is installed within a facility W, but the location is not limited thereto and the information processing device 10 may be installed anywhere. The information processing device 10 is a computer, and as shown in FIG. 2, has a communication unit 20, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 24. The information processing device 10 may also have an input unit that accepts input from a user and an output unit that outputs information (e.g., a display unit that displays images). Note that the information processing device 10 may be configured as a standalone device, may be configured integrally with other devices, or may be configured as a system combining various devices such as an arithmetic circuit and a data server, and is not particularly limited thereto.

[0017] The communication unit 20 is a communication module, such as an antenna, that communicates with an external device. The information processing device 10 communicates with the external device via wireless communication, but wired communication is also acceptable, and any communication method may be used. The storage unit 22 is a memory that stores various information such as the calculation contents and programs of the control unit 24, and includes at least one of a main storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and an external storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The program for the control unit 24 stored in the storage unit 22 may be stored in a recording medium readable by the information processing device 10.

[0018] The control unit 24 is a processing device that executes calculations and includes an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 24 includes a work information acquisition unit 30, an initial solution calculation unit 32, a neighborhood solution calculation unit 34, an initial evaluation value calculation unit 36, a neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38, a setting unit 40, and an output control unit 42. The control unit 24 reads and executes a program (software) from the storage unit 22, thereby realizing the work information acquisition unit 30, the initial solution calculation unit 32, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38, the setting unit 40, and the output control unit 42 and executing these processes. The control unit 24 may execute these processes using a single CPU, or may be provided with multiple CPUs and execute the processes using the multiple CPUs. In addition, at least part of the processing of the work information acquisition unit 30, initial solution calculation unit 32, neighborhood solution calculation unit 34, initial evaluation value calculation unit 36, neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38, setting unit 40, and output control unit 42 may be realized by a hardware circuit.

[0019] The work information acquisition unit 30 acquires work information indicating work content for generating a stowage plan. The work information includes information indicating the items Q to be shipped to the destination. The initial solution calculation unit 32 calculates an initial solution indicating stowage information and a stowage order based on the work information. The neighboring solution calculation unit 34 calculates neighboring solutions based on the initial solution. A neighboring solution refers to a solution in which some of the stowage information and the stowage order are changed from the initial solution. The initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​calculates an initial evaluation value indicating the degree of load of shipping work in the initial solution based on the initial solution. The neighboring evaluation value calculation unit 38 calculates a neighboring evaluation value indicating the degree of load of shipping work in the neighboring solutions based on the neighboring solutions. The setting unit 40 sets the stowage information and stowage order to be used in the stowage plan based on the initial evaluation value and the neighboring evaluation value. The output control unit 42 outputs stowage plan information including the stowage information and the stowage order to an external device via the communication unit 20. For example, the output control unit 42 transmits information about the stowage plan to the mobile body 12 and the stowage device 14, and causes the mobile body 12 and the stowage device 14 to perform work based on the stowage plan.

[0020] (Processing of Information Processing Device) Hereinafter, specific processing contents by the information processing device 10 will be described.

[0021] (Acquisition of Work Information) The work information acquisition unit 30 acquires work information indicating work content for generating a stowage plan. The work information acquisition unit 30 may acquire work information by any method, for example, from a device (host system) that manages the equipment W via the communication unit 20. The work information is information used to set the stowage information. The work information may be any information that can be used to set the stowage information, but preferably includes at least information indicating the items Q to be shipped (item information). More specifically, in this embodiment, the work information includes shipping destination information, item information indicating the items Q to be shipped to the shipping destination, and supply pallet information indicating the supply pallet P0 on which the items Q to be shipped are loaded. The shipping destination information is information indicating the shipping destination for the current work. The item information is information indicating the type and number of items Q scheduled to be shipped for each shipping destination. In addition to the type and number of items Q, the item information may also include at least one (preferably all) of the following: information indicating the size of the items Q to be shipped (e.g., length in the vertical, horizontal, and height directions), information indicating the width of one layer of the pallet P (e.g., length in the vertical and horizontal directions), information indicating the weight of the items Q, and information on the maximum number of items Q that can be placed in one layer on the pallet P. The supply pallet information includes information on the type and number of items Q to be loaded on the supply pallet P0.

[0022] (Calculation of initial solution) The initial solution calculation unit 32 calculates an initial solution indicating stowage information and a stowage order based on the work information. The stowage information is information indicating the items Q (types of items Q) to be assigned to a pallet P and the stacking order of the items Q on that pallet P. In other words, the stowage information includes item information indicating the type and number of items Q to be assigned to the pallet P, and stacking information indicating how the items Q indicated by the pallet information are to be stacked on the pallet P. The stowage order is information indicating the order in which the pallets P are to be stowed, or in other words, the order in which the pallets P are to be finished for shipping.

[0023] The initial solution calculation unit 32 sets stowage information (item information and stacking information) in the initial solution for each of the multiple pallets P used for shipment based on the work information. The initial solution calculation unit 32 may set the stowage information in the initial solution using any method based on the work information. For example, based on the types and numbers of items Q for each destination indicated in the work information, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may calculate the number of pallets P to be used for that destination and the types and numbers of items Q to be assigned to each pallet P to be used for the destination, and use this as item information in the initial solution. Then, for each pallet P to be used for the destination, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may calculate the stacking order (stack information) of the assigned items Q, and use this as stacking information in the initial solution.

[0024] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an initial solution. In the example of Fig. 3, the stowage information in the initial solution is set so that items Qa, Qb, and Qc are stacked in this order on pallet Pa, items Qd, Qe, and Qf are stacked in this order on pallet Pb, and items Qg, Qh, and Qi are stacked in this order on pallet Pc.

[0025] The initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the stowage order in the initial solution (the order in which the pallets P are finished) based on the work information. The initial solution calculation unit 32 may set the stowage order in the initial solution using any method based on the work information. For example, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may set the stowage order in the initial solution based on stowage information in the initial solution calculated based on the work information. That is, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may calculate the stowage order in the initial solution based on the type and number of items Q assigned to each pallet P (item information in the initial solution) and the stacking order of the items Q on each pallet P (stacking information in the initial solution).

[0026] In the example of FIG. 3, the stowage order in the initial solution is set so that stowage work is carried out in the order of pallet Pa, pallet Pb, and pallet Pc.

[0027] It is preferable that the initial solution calculation unit 32 also include pallet information indicating the supply pallet P0 that is the supply source of the item Q assigned to the pallet P in the initial solution. Pallet information is set for each item Q assigned to the pallet P in the initial solution. That is, in the example of FIG. 3, the supply pallet P0 that is the supply source of each item Qa to Qi is set. The initial solution calculation unit 32 may set the pallet information using any method based on the work information. For example, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may set the pallet information by identifying the supply pallet P0 on which the item Q assigned to the pallet P in the initial solution is loaded, based on the work information.

[0028] (Calculation of Neighborhood Solutions) The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates neighborhood solutions indicating stowage information and a stowage order based on the initial solution. The neighborhood solutions are the same as the initial solution in that they include stowage information and a stowage order, but differ from the initial solution in some of the stowage information and stacking order. That is, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates, as neighborhood solutions, solutions in which some of the type and number of items Q to be loaded on a pallet P, the stacking order of the items Q on the pallet P, and the order in which the pallet P is finished are changed from the initial solution. The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may calculate multiple types of neighborhood solutions. That is, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may calculate multiple types of neighborhood solutions such that some of the stowage information and stowage order are different from the initial solution, and some of the stowage information and stowage order are different between neighboring solutions.

[0029] The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may calculate the neighborhood solution using any method based on the initial solution, but in this embodiment, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates one of the first neighborhood solution to the fourth neighborhood solution described below as the initial solution.

[0030] (First Neighborhood Solution) FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a first neighbor solution. The neighbor solution calculation unit 34 may calculate, as a neighbor solution, a first neighbor solution, which is a solution in which the items Q assigned to multiple pallets P with the same shipping destination are swapped with respect to the initial solution. That is, the neighbor solution calculation unit 34 sets new stowage information (first stowage information) by swapping the items Q assigned to a pallet P with the items Q assigned to another pallet P with the same shipping destination as the pallet P, with respect to the stowage information in the initial solution. The neighbor solution calculation unit 34 calculates, as the first neighbor solution, a solution in which the stowage information in the initial solution is changed to the first stowage information. The first neighbor solution has the same content as the initial solution except that the stowage information has been changed to the first stowage information. That is, the neighbor solution calculation unit 34 calculates the first neighbor solution so that the initial solution is not changed except for the swapping of the items Q assigned to multiple pallets P with the same shipping destination. Note that the neighbor solution may be calculated multiple times. In this case, as will be described in detail later, the solution with the higher evaluation value between the initial solution and the neighboring solution is designated as the optimal solution, and a new neighboring solution is calculated based on the optimal solution. Therefore, it can be said that the neighboring solution calculation unit 34 calculates, as the first neighboring solution, a solution in which the items Q assigned to multiple pallets P with the same shipping destination are swapped with respect to the optimal solution (the initial solution with a higher evaluation value than the calculated neighboring solution, or the calculated neighboring solution with a higher evaluation value than the initial solution).

[0031] The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may swap items Q between three or more pallets P with the same shipping destination with respect to the initial solution (optimal solution), but preferably calculates a solution in which items Q assigned to two pallets P with the same shipping destination are swapped with respect to the initial solution as the first neighborhood solution. The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may swap multiple types of items Q with respect to the initial solution (optimal solution), but preferably calculates a solution in which items Q of one type are swapped with respect to the first neighborhood solution. That is, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 preferably calculates the first neighborhood solution by swapping items Q of one type assigned to two pallets P with the same shipping destination with respect to the so-called swap neighborhood. It is preferable that the swapped items Q are of different types, but it is also possible to swap items Q of the same type but in different numbers.

[0032] FIG. 4 shows an example of a first neighbor solution in which items Q assigned to pallets Pa and Pb, which have the same shipping destination, are swapped. That is, in the example of FIG. 3 , in the initial solution, items Qa, Qb, and Qc are assigned to pallet Pa in this order, and items Qd, Qe, and Qf are assigned to pallet Pb in this order. In contrast, in the first neighbor solution shown in FIG. 4 , item Qb assigned to pallet Pa and item Qe assigned to pallet Pb are swapped. That is, in the first neighbor solution, items Qa, Qe, and Qc are assigned to pallet Pa in this order, and items Qd, Qb, and Qf are assigned to pallet Pb in this order. That is, the position of the swapped item Q on pallet P in the first neighbor solution (the stacked position of item Qe in FIG. 4 ) is the same as the position of item Q on pallet P before the swap in the initial solution (the stacked position of item Qb in FIG. 3 ).

[0033] (Second Neighbor Solution) FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a second neighbor solution. The neighbor solution calculation unit 34 may calculate a second neighbor solution by changing the stacking order of the items Q on the pallet P with respect to the initial solution as the neighbor solution. That is, the neighbor solution calculation unit 34 changes the stacking order of the items Q assigned to the pallet P with respect to the stowage information in the initial solution and sets new stowage information (second stowage information). The neighbor solution calculation unit 34 calculates a solution by changing the stowage information in the initial solution to the second stowage information as the second neighbor solution. The second neighbor solution has the same content as the initial solution except that the stowage information has been changed to the second stowage information. That is, the neighbor solution calculation unit 34 calculates the second neighbor solution so that the initial solution is not changed except for the change in the stacking order of the items Q on the pallet P. As mentioned above, since the neighboring solution may be calculated multiple times, the neighboring solution calculation unit 34 can be said to calculate a solution in which the stacking order of items Q on pallet P is changed from the optimal solution (an initial solution having a higher evaluation value than the calculated neighboring solution, or a calculated neighboring solution having a higher evaluation value than the initial solution) as the second neighboring solution.

[0034] The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may change the stacking order of three or more items Q assigned to the same pallet P relative to the initial solution (optimal solution), but preferably calculates a solution in which the stacking order of two items Q assigned to the same pallet P is changed relative to the initial solution as the second neighborhood solution. Furthermore, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may change the stacking order of the items Q on multiple pallets P relative to the initial solution (optimal solution), but preferably calculates a solution in which the stacking order of the items Q assigned to one pallet P is changed relative to the second neighborhood solution. In other words, it is preferable for the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 to calculate the second neighborhood solution by changing the stacking order of two items Q on one pallet P using so-called swap neighborhood.

[0035] 5 shows an example of the second neighboring solution in which the stacking order of items Q assigned to pallet Pa has been swapped. That is, in the example of FIG. 3, in the initial solution, items Qa, Qb, and Qc are assigned to pallet Pa in this order. In contrast, in the second neighboring solution shown in FIG. 5, the stacking order of items Qb and Qc is swapped, and items Qa, Qc, and Qb are assigned to pallet Pa in this order.

[0036] (Third Neighbor Solution) FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a third neighbor solution. The neighbor solution calculation unit 34 may calculate, as a neighbor solution, a third neighbor solution obtained by changing the order (stacking order) of the pallets P to be loaded relative to the initial solution. That is, the neighbor solution calculation unit 34 calculates, as a third neighbor solution, a solution obtained by changing the loading order of the initial solution. The third neighbor solution has the same content as the initial solution except for the changed loading order. That is, the neighbor solution calculation unit 34 calculates the third neighbor solution so that the initial solution is unchanged except for the switching of the loading order. Note that, as described above, neighbor solutions may be calculated multiple times. Therefore, it can be said that the neighbor solution calculation unit 34 calculates, as a third neighbor solution, a solution obtained by changing the order (stacking order) of the pallets P to be loaded relative to an optimal solution (an initial solution having a higher evaluation value than the calculated neighbor solution, or a calculated neighbor solution having a higher evaluation value than the initial solution).

[0037] The neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may swap the stowage order (finishing order) of three or more pallets P with respect to the initial solution (optimum solution), but preferably calculates a solution in which the stowage order of two pallets P with respect to the initial solution is swapped as the third neighborhood solution. In other words, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 preferably calculates the third neighborhood solution by swapping the stowage order of two pallets P with respect to the initial solution using so-called swap neighborhood.

[0038] Fig. 6 shows an example of the third nearest neighbor solution in which the stowage order of pallets Pa and Pb is swapped. That is, in the example of Fig. 3, pallets are stowed in the order of Pa, Pb, and Pc in the initial solution, but in the third nearest neighbor solution shown in Fig. 6, pallets are stowed in the order of Pb, Pa, and Pc.

[0039] (Fourth Nearest Solution) The neighbor solution calculation unit 34 may calculate, as a neighbor solution, a solution obtained by changing the supply pallet P0 that supplies the item Q assigned to the pallet P from the initial solution. That is, the neighbor solution calculation unit 34 calculates, as a fourth nearest solution, a solution obtained by changing the pallet information (information indicating the supply pallet P0 that is the supply source of the item Q) in the initial solution. The third nearest solution has the same content as the initial solution except for the changed pallet information. That is, the neighbor solution calculation unit 34 calculates the fourth nearest solution so that the initial solution is unchanged except for the change in the supply pallet P0. Note that, as described above, neighbor solutions may be calculated multiple times. Therefore, it can be said that the neighbor solution calculation unit 34 calculates, as a fourth nearest solution, a solution obtained by changing the supply pallet P0 from an optimal solution (an initial solution having a higher evaluation value than a calculated neighbor solution, or a calculated neighbor solution having a higher evaluation value than the initial solution).

[0040] The neighbor solution calculation unit 34 may change the supply pallets P0 for multiple types of items Q in the initial solution (optimal solution), but preferably calculates a solution in which only the supply pallet P0 for one type of item Q in the initial solution is changed as the fourth neighbor solution. Furthermore, the neighbor solution calculation unit 34 preferably calculates a solution in which the supply pallet P0 set in the initial solution (optimal solution) is replaced with another supply pallet P0 on which the same number of items Q as the supply pallet P0 are loaded as the first supply pallet P0, as the fourth neighbor solution. In other words, the neighbor solution calculation unit 34 preferably calculates the fourth neighbor solution by swapping two supply pallets P0 on which the same number of items Q are loaded, using so-called swap neighborhood.

[0041] 3, in the initial solution, item Qa is assigned to pallet Pa. In this case, for example, a solution in which the supply pallet P0 of item Qa to be assigned to pallet Pa is changed from the initial solution may be calculated as the fourth nearest neighbor solution.

[0042] (Combination of Neighborhood Solutions) When calculating multiple types of neighborhood solutions, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may calculate the multiple types of neighborhood solutions using at least one of the first neighborhood solution to the fourth neighborhood solution. That is, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may calculate the multiple types of neighborhood solutions using only any of the first neighborhood solution to the fourth neighborhood solution, may calculate the multiple types of neighborhood solutions using multiple of the first neighborhood solution to the fourth neighborhood solution, or may calculate the multiple types of neighborhood solutions using all of the first neighborhood solution to the fourth neighborhood solution.

[0043] More specifically, a priority may be set for each of the first to fourth neighbor solutions. In this case, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates multiple neighborhood solutions using the calculation method of the neighborhood solution with the highest priority among the first to fourth neighbor solutions. Then, if neighborhood solutions for all combinations are calculated using the calculation method with the highest priority before a predetermined time has elapsed (i.e., while the calculation time so far is equal to or less than a threshold), the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 may continue calculating neighborhood solutions using the calculation method of the neighborhood solution with the next highest priority. That is, for example, if the first neighbor solution has the highest priority, the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 calculates multiple first neighbor solutions by changing the pallet P or item Q to be replaced. Then, if calculation of first neighbor solutions for all combinations is completed before a predetermined time has elapsed (i.e., while the calculation time so far is equal to or less than a threshold), the neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 continues similar calculations using the calculation method of the neighborhood solution with the next highest priority.

[0044] (Calculation of initial evaluation value) Based on the initial solution, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​calculates an initial evaluation value that indicates the degree of load of shipping work in the initial solution. The initial evaluation value is an index for evaluating the initial solution. As will be described in detail later, the information processing device 10 also calculates a neighborhood evaluation value for evaluating neighboring solutions, and uses the solution with the higher evaluation between the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value for the stowage plan.

[0045] The initial evaluation value is an index that indicates the degree of workload when it is assumed that the items Q are stowed onto a pallet P in accordance with the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the initial solution, and the pallet P is shipped. The initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​may calculate the initial evaluation value using any method based on the initial solution, but in this embodiment, the initial evaluation value is calculated based on at least one of the workload of the stowage device 14 that stows the items Q onto the pallet P, the workload of the mobile body 12 that transports the pallet P, and the number of consecutive small lots.

[0046] (Workload of the stowage device) When calculating an initial evaluation value based on the workload of the stowage device 14, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​calculates the workload of the stowage device 14 based on the initial solution. The workload of the stowage device 14 here refers to the degree of load of the work performed by the stowage device 14 when it is assumed that the items Q are stowed onto the pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the initial solution. For example, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​may calculate the total number of times that the items Q are stowed from the supply pallet P0 onto the pallet P (a shipping pallet) when it is assumed that the items Q are stowed onto the pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the initial solution, and use this total number of times as the initial evaluation value.

[0047] (Workload of Mobile Body) When calculating an initial evaluation value based on the workload of the mobile body 12, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​calculates the workload of the mobile body 12 based on the initial solution. The workload of the mobile body 12 here refers to the degree of load of the work performed by the mobile body 12 when it is assumed that the items Q are stowed onto the pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the initial solution. For example, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​may calculate the total number of times the mobile body 12 transports the pallet P when it is assumed that the items Q are stowed onto the pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the initial solution, and use this total number of times as the initial evaluation value.

[0048] In addition, the facility W may be equipped with both AGVs and AGFs as the mobile bodies 12. The AGVs are mobile bodies that do not function as forklifts and do not have forks capable of lifting pallets P. The AGFs are mobile bodies that function as forklifts. The AGVs, for example, transport pallets P between the item storage area AR1, the supply pallet placement area AR2, the pallet placement area AR3, the shipment placement area AR4, and the empty pallet placement area AR5. The AGFs, for example, transport pallets P (pallets for shipping) placed in area AR4 to shelves. However, the operations performed by the AGVs and AGFs are not limited to this and may be set as appropriate. In such a case where both the AGVs and AGFs are equipped, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​may calculate at least one of the workload of the AGV and the workload of the AGF as the workload of the mobile body 12. The workload of an AGV may be, for example, the total number of times that the AGV transports a pallet P when it is assumed that items Q are stowed onto a pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the initial solution. The workload of an AGF may be, for example, the total number of times that the AGF transports a pallet P when it is assumed that items Q are stowed onto a pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the initial solution.

[0049] (Number of consecutive small lots) The number of consecutive small lots refers to the number of times that items Q (small lot items Q) assigned to a pallet P in a predetermined number or less are consecutively stacked. In other words, if the predetermined number is two, the number of times that two or fewer items Q assigned to a pallet P are consecutively stacked. When the number of items Q assigned to a pallet P is small, the work time required for the stowage device 14 to stow the items Q is short. On the other hand, when a large number of types of items Q are assigned to a pallet P, the number of times that the supply pallet P0 is transported to the supply pallet placement area AR2 increases. Therefore, when the number of consecutive small lots increases, the work time required for the stowage device 14 to perform each item Q is shortened, but the number of times that the supply pallet P0 is transported increases, increasing the risk that the supply pallet P0 will not be able to be supplied in time when the stowage device 14 is ready to start the next task. In this way, when the number of consecutive small lots increases, the stacking device 14 has to wait for the arrival of the supply pallet P0, or the number of times the mobile body 12 is transported increases, so the number of consecutive small lots can be said to be an indicator corresponding to the degree of load on shipping operations.

[0050] When calculating the initial evaluation value based on the number of consecutive small lots, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​calculates the number of consecutive small lots based on the initial solution. For example, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​may calculate the number of consecutive small lots when it is assumed that the items Q are stowed on the pallet P in accordance with the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the initial solution, and use this number of consecutive small lots as the initial evaluation value.

[0051] (Combination of Initial Evaluation Values) The initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​may calculate the initial evaluation value based on at least one of the workload of the stowage device 14, the workload of the mobile body 12, and the number of consecutive small lots. In other words, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​may calculate the initial evaluation value using only one of the workload of the stowage device 14, the workload of the mobile body 12, and the number of consecutive small lots, or may calculate the initial evaluation value using two or more of these, or may calculate the initial evaluation value using all of these.

[0052] More specifically, priorities may be set for the workload of the stowage device 14, the workload of the mobile body 12, and the number of consecutive small lots. In this case, the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​may calculate the initial evaluation value using the one with the highest priority among these. In this case, as will be described in detail later, the information processing device 10 may compare the calculated initial evaluation value with neighboring evaluation values, which will be described later, and if the evaluations are the same, may calculate the initial evaluation value using the one with the next highest priority and repeat the same process.

[0053] (Calculation of Neighborhood Evaluation Value) The neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 calculates a neighborhood evaluation value indicating the degree of load of shipping work at the neighborhood solution based on the neighborhood solution. When multiple neighborhood solutions are calculated, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 calculates a neighborhood evaluation value for each neighborhood solution.

[0054] The neighborhood evaluation value is an index that indicates the degree of workload when it is assumed that items Q are stowed onto a pallet P in accordance with the stowage information and stowage order indicated by the neighborhood solution, and the pallet P is then shipped. The neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 calculates the neighborhood solution using the same method as that for calculating the initial evaluation value, except that the initial solution is replaced with the neighborhood solution. That is, in this embodiment, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 calculates the neighborhood evaluation value based on at least one of the workload of the stowage device 14 that stows items Q onto the pallet P, the workload of the mobile body 12 that transports the pallet P, and the number of consecutive small lots.

[0055] (Workload of Stacking Device) When calculating a neighborhood evaluation value based on the workload of the stowage device 14, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 calculates the workload of the stowage device 14 based on the neighborhood solution. For example, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 may calculate the total number of times that items Q are stowed from supply pallet P0 onto pallet P (a shipping pallet) when it is assumed that items Q are stowed onto pallet P in accordance with the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the neighborhood solution, and use this total number of times as the neighborhood evaluation value.

[0056] (Workload of Mobile Body) When calculating a proximity evaluation value based on the workload of the mobile body 12, the proximity evaluation value calculation unit 38 calculates the workload of the mobile body 12 based on the neighborhood solution. For example, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 may calculate the total number of times that the mobile body 12 transports the pallet P, assuming that the items Q are stowed on the pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the neighborhood solution, and use this total number of times as the proximity evaluation value.

[0057] In addition, when both AGVs and AGFs are deployed, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 may calculate at least one of the workload of the AGV and the workload of the AGF as the workload of the mobile body 12. The workload of the AGV may be, for example, the total number of times the AGV transports the pallet P when it is assumed that the items Q are stowed on the pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the neighborhood solution. The workload of the AGF may be, for example, the total number of times the AGF transports the pallet P when it is assumed that the items Q are stowed on the pallet P according to the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the neighborhood solution.

[0058] (Number of consecutive small lots) When calculating the neighborhood evaluation value based on the number of consecutive small lots, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 calculates the number of consecutive small lots based on the neighborhood solution. For example, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 may calculate the number of consecutive small lots when it is assumed that the items Q are stowed on the pallet P in accordance with the stowage information and stowage order indicated in the neighborhood solution, and use this number of consecutive small lots as the neighborhood evaluation value.

[0059] (Combination of Proximity Evaluation Values) The proximity evaluation value calculation unit 38 may calculate the proximity evaluation value based on at least one of the workload of the stowage device 14, the workload of the mobile body 12, and the number of consecutive small lots.

[0060] More specifically, priorities may be set for the workload of the stowage device 14, the workload of the mobile body 12, and the number of consecutive small lots. In this case, the neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 may calculate the neighborhood evaluation value using the one with the highest priority among these. In this case, as will be described in detail later, the information processing device 10 may compare the initial evaluation value with the highest priority and the neighborhood evaluation value, and if the evaluations are the same, may calculate the neighborhood evaluation value using the one with the next highest priority and repeat the same process.

[0061] (Setting of stowage information and stowage order) The setting unit 40 sets the stowage information and stowage order to be used in the stowage plan based on the initial evaluation value and the neighboring evaluation value. Specifically, the setting unit 40 sets the stowage information and stowage order included in the solution with the higher evaluation value between the initial solution and the neighboring solutions as the stowage information and stowage order to be used in the stowage plan. That is, for example, if the evaluation of the initial evaluation value is higher than the neighboring evaluation value, the setting unit 40 sets the stowage information and stowage order included in the initial solution as the stowage information and stowage order to be used in the stowage plan. On the other hand, if the evaluation of the neighboring evaluation value is higher than the initial evaluation value, the setting unit 40 sets the stowage information and stowage order included in the neighboring solution as the stowage information and stowage order to be used in the stowage plan. Note that in the example of this embodiment, the initial evaluation value and the neighboring evaluation value are set so that the lower the evaluation value, the higher the evaluation. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the setting may be such that the lower the evaluation value, the higher the evaluation.

[0062] Furthermore, when multiple neighboring solutions are calculated, the setting unit 40 performs the same process for each of the neighboring solutions. That is, for example, the setting unit 40 determines the solution with the higher evaluation between the initial solution and the neighboring solutions as the optimal solution. Then, the setting unit 40 compares the evaluation value of the optimal solution with the evaluation values ​​of other neighboring solutions and determines the solution with the higher evaluation as the optimal solution. That is, the setting unit 40 compares the evaluation values ​​of the current optimal solution with those of unevaluated neighboring solutions and determines the solution with the higher evaluation as the optimal solution. Then, once the evaluation and comparison of all neighboring solutions is completed, the loading information and loading order included in the optimal solution at that time are set as the loading information and loading order to be used in the loading plan.

[0063] (Processing Flow) The flow for setting the stowage information and stowage sequence used in the stowage plan described above will now be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the flow for setting the stowage information and stowage sequence. As shown in FIG. 7, the information processing device 10 acquires work information using the work information acquisition unit 30 (step S2). Then, the information processing device 10 calculates an initial solution for the stowage information and stowage sequence based on the work information using the initial solution calculation unit 32 (step S4), and calculates an initial evaluation value corresponding to the initial solution using the initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​(step S6). Furthermore, the information processing device 10 calculates a neighboring solution for the stowage information and stowage sequence based on the initial solution using the neighboring solution calculation unit 34 (step S8), and calculates a neighboring evaluation value corresponding to the neighboring solution using the neighboring evaluation value calculation unit 38 (step S10).

[0064] The information processing device 10 compares the evaluation values ​​(here, the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value) using the setting unit 40. If the evaluation value corresponding to the new solution is higher (step S12; Yes), the new solution is set as the optimal solution (step S14). That is, for example, if the neighborhood evaluation value is higher than the initial evaluation value, the neighborhood solution corresponding to the neighborhood evaluation value is set as the optimal solution. Then, if the calculation time up to this point is less than the threshold (step S16; Yes) and it is possible to create another neighborhood solution that has not been calculated so far (step S18; Yes), the process returns to step S8, calculates another neighborhood solution that has not been calculated so far, and repeats the subsequent processes. That is, in this case, the neighborhood evaluation value corresponding to the newly calculated neighborhood solution is compared with the evaluation value corresponding to the optimal solution. If the neighborhood evaluation value corresponding to the newly calculated neighborhood solution is higher, the newly calculated neighborhood solution is updated as the optimal solution. On the other hand, if the neighborhood evaluation value corresponding to the newly calculated neighborhood solution is lower, the optimal solution is not updated.

[0065] Furthermore, if the evaluation value corresponding to the original solution is higher than the evaluation value of the new solution (step S12; No), the original solution is set as the optimal solution (step S15). That is, for example, if the initial evaluation value is higher than the neighborhood evaluation value in the first calculation, the initial evaluation value is set as the optimal solution. Also, for example, if the evaluation value corresponding to the set optimal solution is higher than the newly calculated neighborhood evaluation value after repeated calculations, the optimal solution is used as the optimal solution as is.

[0066] If the calculation time up to this point is longer than the threshold (Step S16: No), this process ends. In this case, the stowage information and stowage sequence of the optimal solution at that time are set as the stowage information and stowage sequence to be used in the stowage plan.

[0067] Similarly, if it is not possible to create another nearby solution (step S18; No), this process ends. In this case, the stowage information and stowage sequence of the optimal solution at that time are set as the stowage information and stowage sequence to be used in the stowage plan.

[0068] The determination of whether or not another nearby solution can be created in step S18 may be made by any method. For example, it is determined whether or not a nearby solution that is partially different in content (loading information or loading order) from the nearby solutions that have been calculated so far can be calculated using the currently used method of calculating the nearby solution (e.g., the method of calculating the first nearby solution). If such a nearby solution can be calculated, it is determined that another nearby solution can be created, and the other nearby solution is calculated using the currently used method of calculating the nearby solution.

[0069] On the other hand, if it is not possible to calculate a neighborhood solution that differs in some content (loading information or loading order) using the currently used neighborhood solution calculation method, it is determined whether there is a calculation method (e.g., a calculation method for the second neighborhood solution) that is different from the currently used calculation method and has not been used before. If there is such a calculation method, it is determined that it is possible to create another neighborhood solution, and the calculation method is switched to that calculation method (e.g., the calculation method for the second neighborhood solution) and calculation of the neighborhood solution is continued using that calculation method. On the other hand, if there is no calculation method that has not been used before (if all calculation methods have been used), it is determined that it is not possible to create another neighborhood solution. Note that when multiple calculation methods are used in this way, priorities may be set for the calculation methods, and the calculation methods may be applied in order of highest priority.

[0070] Furthermore, when calculating the evaluation value, a priority order may be set as to which of the workload of the stowage device 14, the workload of the mobile body 12, and the number of consecutive small lots to use. In this case, the information processing device 10 calculates the evaluation value (initial evaluation value and neighboring evaluation value) using the one with the highest priority among them. Then, as shown in steps S12 to S16, if the evaluations of the calculated evaluation values ​​differ, the solution with the higher evaluation value is set as the optimal solution. On the other hand, if the evaluations of the calculated evaluation values ​​are the same, the information processing device 10 recalculates the evaluation value (initial evaluation value and neighboring evaluation value) using the one with the next highest priority, and repeats the same process.

[0071] The priority order in calculating the evaluation value may be set as appropriate. For example, the priority order may be lowest in the order of the workload of the stowage device 14, lowest in the order of the workload of the mobile body 12, and lowest in the number of consecutive small lots. Alternatively, the priority order may be lowest in the order of the workload of the stowage device 14, lowest in the number of consecutive small lots, and lowest in the order of the workload of the mobile body 12. Alternatively, the priority order may be lowest in the order of the workload of the mobile body 12, lowest in the order of the workload of the stowage device 14, lowest in the order of the workload of the mobile body 12, lowest in the number of consecutive small lots, and lowest in the workload of the stowage device 14. Alternatively, the priority order may be lowest in the order of the number of consecutive small lots, lowest in the order of the workload of the stowage device 14, lowest in the order of the workload of the mobile body 12, lowest in the order of the number of consecutive small lots, lowest in the workload of the mobile body 12, and lowest in the workload of the stowage device 14. Furthermore, as described above, the workload of the mobile body 12 may be divided into the workload of the AGV and the workload of the AGF, and priorities may also be set for the workload of the AGV and the workload of the AGF.

[0072] (Execution of Stowage Work) The information processing device 10 calculates the initial solution and the neighboring solutions as described above, and sets stowage information and a stowage order to be used in the stowage plan based on their evaluation values ​​(initial evaluation value and neighboring evaluation value). The stowage plan may also include information on the supply pallet P0 that supplies the items Q to the pallet P. The output control unit 42 of the information processing device 10 outputs the generated stowage plan (information including the stowage information and the stowage order) to an external device. For example, in this embodiment, the output control unit 42 outputs the stowage plan to another device in the stowage system 100, and causes the other device to execute stowage work (stowage of the items Q onto the pallet P) in accordance with the stowage plan. That is, for example, the output control unit 42 transmits the stowage plan to a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of the stowage device 14, and the control unit controls the operation of the stowage device 14 to execute stowage work in accordance with the stowage plan. For example, the output control unit 42 transmits the stowage plan to a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of the mobile body 12, and the control unit controls the operation of the mobile body 12 so as to perform stowage work in accordance with the stowage plan.

[0073] (Effects) As described above, the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment calculates an initial solution and neighboring solutions, and sets the stowage information and stowage order to be used in the stowage plan based on their evaluation values ​​(initial evaluation value and neighboring evaluation value). Therefore, according to this embodiment, an appropriate stowage plan can be created depending on the work content. That is, by creating and evaluating neighboring solutions that are partially modified from the initial solution, it is possible to set a stowage plan that is optimized depending on the work content. Furthermore, by using neighboring solutions that are only partially modified from the initial solution without changing the entire initial solution, it is possible to set a stowage plan that is optimized depending on the work content while preventing the calculation load from becoming too high.

[0074] (Other) In the description of this embodiment, a stowage plan is always created by calculating a neighboring solution, but this is not limited thereto, and a determination as to whether to use a neighboring solution may be made. That is, for example, the information processing device 10 determines whether to calculate a neighboring solution, and if it is determined to calculate a neighboring solution, creates a stowage plan using the method described in the above embodiment. On the other hand, if it is determined not to calculate a neighboring solution, the information processing device 10 does not calculate a neighboring solution or a neighboring evaluation value, and sets the stowage information and stowage order of the initial solution as the solution to be used for the stowage plan. Note that the method of determining whether to calculate a neighboring solution may be arbitrary. For example, information on whether to calculate a neighboring solution may be input by a user to the information processing device 10, and the information processing device 10 may determine whether to calculate a neighboring solution based on the input result. Also, for example, the information processing device 10 may automatically determine whether to calculate a neighboring solution. In this case, for example, the information processing device 10 may determine whether to use a neighboring solution based on work information.

[0075] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a specific method for calculating an initial solution is specified. In the second embodiment, descriptions of parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0076] In the second embodiment, the initial solution calculation unit 32 calculates, as stowage information in the initial solution, item information indicating the type and number of items Q to be assigned to the pallet P, and stacking information indicating how the items Q indicated by the pallet information are to be stacked on the pallet P.

[0077] (Setting Item Information) (Calculation of the Number of Individual Items) FIGS. 8 to 11 are schematic diagrams illustrating the setting of item information. When setting item information in the initial solution, the initial solution calculation unit 32 classifies items Q to be shipped to a target destination into whole items and individual items, and calculates the number of items Q classified as individual items (the number of individual items). A whole item refers to an item Q that is stacked so as to occupy the entirety of each layer when the items Q are stacked on a pallet P so that the entire layer is occupied by the items Q. An individual item refers to an item Q that does not occupy the entirety of a layer and is left over. In other words, a whole item refers to an item Q that is stacked over the entire area of ​​a single layer of a pallet P, and an individual item refers to an item Q that is stacked only in a portion of a single layer of a pallet P. The initial solution calculation unit 32 classifies an item Q into whole items and individual items based on information on the number of items Q to be shipped to a target destination and information on the maximum number of items Q that can be placed, which are indicated in the work information. In this embodiment, the initial solution calculation unit 32 calculates the number of individual items as the remainder when the number of items Q to be shipped to the destination is divided by the maximum arrangement number. That is, taking the example of a case where 18 items Q are shipped and the maximum arrangement number is four, if the items Q are stacked on a pallet P so that each layer is entirely occupied by items Q, four layers will be stacked, leaving two items Q remaining. Therefore, in this example, the total number of items will be 16 (four layers), and the number of individual items will be two. Note that if there is no remainder when the number of items Q is divided by the maximum arrangement number (if the division is even), all of the items will be classified as total items, and the number of individual items will be zero.

[0078] The initial solution calculation unit 32 classifies the items Q into whole items and individual items for each type of item Q to be shipped to the destination, and calculates the number of individual items for each item Q. Fig. 8 shows an example in which 18 items QA, 2 items QB, 12 items QC, and 6 items QD are scheduled to be shipped to a certain destination, and illustrates a case in which the maximum number of items QA to be arranged is 4, the maximum number of items QB to be arranged is 2, and the maximum number of items QC and QD to be arranged is 3. In this case, in the example of Fig. 8, item QA is classified into 16 whole items QA1 and 2 individual items QA2, and items QB, QC, and QD, excluding the individual items, are all classified into whole items QB1, QC1, and QD1.

[0079] (Allocating Individual Items) Next, the initial solution calculation unit 32 allocates the individual items (items Q corresponding to the number of items classified as individual items) to the pallet P. Allocating items Q to the pallet P refers to selecting the items Q to be stacked on the pallet P (selecting the pallet P on which the items Q are to be stacked). The initial solution calculation unit 32 searches for whether each of the individual items of one type of item Q can be arranged on one layer of the pallet P. Based on the size of the item Q indicated in the work information and the size of one layer of the pallet P, the initial solution calculation unit 32 searches for an arrangement of the individual items in one layer where the individual items do not overlap each other. Any search method may be used here, and for example, the Bottom-Left method may be used. If an arrangement where the individual items do not overlap each other on one layer is available, the initial solution calculation unit 32 allocates the individual items of the item Q to the pallet P. On the other hand, if there is no arrangement in which the individual items Q do not overlap in one layer, the initial solution calculation unit 32 does not assign those individual items Q to that pallet P. For example, Figure 9 shows an example in which it is determined that two individual items QA2 can be arranged in one layer on the pallet PA, and therefore two individual items QA2 (all individual items QA2) are assigned to the pallet PA. Note that if it is determined that an individual item should not be assigned to a pallet P, it may search for whether that individual item can be assigned to another pallet P, or it may divide the total number of individual items into multiple groups and determine for each group whether the individual item can be assigned to a pallet P.

[0080] In this embodiment, if individual items of one type of item Q can be arranged in one layer, the individual item is assigned to the pallet PA. However, the criteria for assignment are not limited to this. For example, if there is an arrangement in one layer in which the individual items do not overlap each other, and the total height obtained by adding the height of the individual item and the height of all overall items of the same type as the individual item (total item height) is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold height, the individual item may be assigned to the pallet PA. In other words, even if there is an arrangement in one layer in which the individual items do not overlap each other, if the total height of the individual item and the overall items of the same type when stacked is higher than the threshold height, the individual item does not need to be assigned to the pallet PA. Note that the total item height may be calculated arbitrarily, for example, it may be calculated by multiplying the total number of stacked overall items, calculated by dividing the total number of overall items by the maximum number of items to be arranged, by the overall item height, and so on. For example, in the example of Figure 8, when all of the entire items QA1 of item QA are stacked, they form four layers, so the total height is the sum of the overall item height for the four layers of entire item QA1 and the height of individual item QA2, and if this total height is higher than the threshold height, individual item QA2 does not need to be assigned to that pallet PA.

[0081] When there are individual items among multiple types of items Q for one shipping destination, the initial solution calculation unit 32 allocates the individual items to the pallet P in the same manner for each type of item Q. The order in which the individual items are allocated for each type of item Q may be arbitrary, but it is preferable to allocate the individual items among the multiple types of items Q starting from the individual items Q with the shortest height.

[0082] Furthermore, when multiple types of items Q include individual items, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may assign multiple types of individual items to one layer of one pallet P. Specifically, the initial solution calculation unit 32 searches for an arrangement of individual items in one layer that does not overlap with previously assigned individual items and does not overlap with individual items to be currently assigned. If an arrangement that does not overlap with previously assigned individual items and does not overlap with individual items to be currently assigned is found, the initial solution calculation unit 32 assigns those individual items to that pallet P. On the other hand, if such an arrangement is not found, the initial solution calculation unit 32 does not assign those individual items to that pallet P, but assigns them to, for example, another pallet P. That is, for example, if two individual items QA2 of another type can be arranged on a pallet PA to which two individual items QA2 have already been assigned without overlapping in the same layer as the two individual items QA2, those two individual items will also be assigned to the same layer as the individual items QA2 on the pallet PA. On the other hand, if those individual items cannot be placed in the same layer as individual item QA2 without overlapping, those individual items are assigned to another pallet P.

[0083] The initial solution calculation unit 32 executes the process of allocating the individual items to the pallet P for each individual item.

[0084] (Allocating All Items to Pallets to Which Individual Items Have Allocated) The initial solution calculation unit 32 allocates all items (items Q corresponding to the number of items classified as all items) to pallets P to which individual items have been allocated. The initial solution calculation unit 32 preferentially allocates all items of the same type as the allocated individual items to the pallet P. Specifically, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects all items of the same type as the individual items from among the all items for the target shipping destination, and determines whether the selected all items can be allocated to the pallet P to which the individual items have been allocated. The initial solution calculation unit 32 calculates the total height of the selected all items (the height of all all items stacked together) and the total height of the allocated individual items. If the total height is equal to or less than a threshold height, the initial solution calculation unit 32 determines that all of the selected all items can be allocated to the pallet PA and performs the allocation. On the other hand, if the total height is greater than the threshold height, the initial solution calculation unit 32 does not allocate the selected all items to the pallet PA, but allocates them to another pallet P. 10, the total height of the four layers of all items QA1, including all of the items QA1, plus the height of the individual items QA2, is equal to or less than the threshold height, so all of the items QA1 are allocated to the pallet PA. By prioritizing the allocation of items QA1 of the same type as the individual items, the number of types of items Q loaded onto the pallet PA is reduced, the number of times the supply pallet P0 needs to be replaced for loading is reduced, and the work time can be reduced.

[0085] The initial solution calculation unit 32 may also allocate other types of whole items to a pallet P to which individual items and whole items have already been allocated. In this case, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a type of whole item for which allocation has not been determined from among the whole items for the target shipping destination, and determines whether the selected whole item can be allocated to a pallet P to which individual items and whole items have already been allocated. The initial solution calculation unit 32 calculates the total height of the selected whole items (the height when all whole items are stacked), the total height of the assigned whole items, and the height of the assigned individual items. If the total height is equal to or less than a threshold height, the initial solution calculation unit 32 determines that all of the selected whole items can be allocated to the pallet P and performs the allocation. On the other hand, if the total height is greater than the threshold height, the initial solution calculation unit 32 does not allocate the selected whole items to the pallet P, but allocates them to another pallet P. In the example of Figure 10, the total height of one layer including all of the overall items QB1, the height of four layers of the overall items QA1, and the height of the individual items QA2 is less than the threshold height, so all of the overall items QB1 are assigned to the pallet PA.

[0086] Note that even if no whole items of the same type as the individual items are assigned to a pallet P to which an individual item has been assigned, another kind of whole item may be assigned to that pallet P. In this case, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a type of whole item for which allocation has not been determined from among the whole items for the target shipping destination, calculates the total height of the selected whole items (the height when all whole items are stacked) and the heights of the assigned individual items, and if the total height is equal to or less than a threshold height, assigns all of the selected whole items to that pallet PA. On the other hand, if the total height is higher than the threshold height, the initial solution calculation unit 32 does not assign the selected whole items to that pallet P, but assigns them to another pallet P.

[0087] The initial solution calculation unit 32 sequentially selects all items of a type whose allocation has not yet been determined, and repeats the above-mentioned process for the pallet P to which the individual items are allocated, thereby allocating all items to the pallet P to which the individual items are allocated.

[0088] The initial solution calculation unit 32 executes the above-described allocation process of all items for each pallet P to which individual items are allocated.

[0089] (Allocating Whole Items to Pallets to Which Individual Items Are Not Allocated) After the allocation process for all items for a pallet P to which individual items are allocated is completed, the initial solution calculation unit 32 allocates all items for which allocation has not been determined (items Q corresponding to the number of items classified as all items) to pallets P to which individual items are not allocated. The initial solution calculation unit 32 selects all items of a type for which allocation has not been determined from among the all items for the target shipping destination, and determines whether the selected all items can be allocated to a pallet P to which individual items are not allocated. The initial solution calculation unit 32 calculates the total item height (the height of all all items stacked) of the selected all items, and if the total item height is equal to or less than a threshold height, determines that all of the selected all items can be allocated to the pallet P, and performs the allocation. On the other hand, if the total item height is higher than the threshold height, the initial solution calculation unit 32 does not allocate the selected all items to the pallet P. In this way, by preferentially allocating all items of the same type, the number of types of items Q stacked on a pallet PA is reduced, reducing the number of times the supply pallet P0 is replaced for stacking, and reducing operation time.

[0090] The initial solution calculation unit 32 may also allocate other types of whole items to a pallet P to which no individual items have been assigned but whole items have been assigned. In this case, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects whole items of a type for which allocation has not been determined from among the whole items for the target shipping destination, and determines whether the selected whole items can be allocated to a pallet P to which whole items have been assigned. The initial solution calculation unit 32 calculates the total height of the selected whole items and the total height of the allocated whole items. If the total height is equal to or less than a threshold height, the initial solution calculation unit 32 determines that all of the selected whole items can be allocated to that pallet P and performs the allocation. On the other hand, if the total height is higher than the threshold height, the initial solution calculation unit 32 does not allocate the selected whole items to that pallet P, but allocates them to another pallet P. In the example of FIG. 11 , the total height of four layers containing all of the whole item QC1 and two layers containing all of the whole item QC1 is equal to or less than the threshold height, so all of the whole items QC1 and QD1 are allocated to the pallet PB.

[0091] The initial solution calculation unit 32 sequentially selects all items of a type for which allocation has not been determined, and repeats the above process for pallets P to which individual items have been allocated, thereby allocating all items to pallets P to which individual items have not been allocated. In other words, if a new all item cannot be allocated to one pallet P, a new pallet P is selected, and all items are allocated to the newly selected pallet P in the same manner. Note that in the above explanation, all items of one type are allocated to one pallet P, but if all items of the entire type cannot be allocated to any pallet P, all items of the entire type may be divided by layer and allocated to a pallet P for each layer.

[0092] Using the method described above, the initial solution calculation unit 32 allocates individual items and all items to a pallet P so that, for each shipping destination, all of the items Q at the shipping destination are allocated to one of the pallets P. As a result, item information indicating the type and number of items Q allocated to each pallet P is set for each shipping destination.

[0093] In the above description, whole items are sequentially selected and allocated to pallets P to which individual items have already been assigned and to pallets P to which individual items have not yet been assigned. The order in which the whole items are selected may be arbitrary. For example, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may alternately select, from among the whole items of a type that has not yet been selected, the whole item of the type that has the largest whole item height (the height when all the whole items are stacked) and the whole item of the type that has the smallest whole item height. That is, for example, from among the whole items of a type that has not yet been selected, the whole item of the type that has the largest whole item height is selected, then from among the remaining (unselected) whole items, the whole item of the type that has the smallest whole item height is selected, and then from among the remaining whole items, the whole item of the type that has the largest whole item height is selected. By alternately selecting the whole items of the largest and smallest whole item heights in this way, it is possible to stack the whole items as high as possible on the pallet P, thereby reducing the number of pallets P used. For example, from among the whole items of a type that has not yet been selected, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may alternately select the whole item of the type that has the largest number of whole items and the whole item of the type that has the smallest number of whole items. That is, for example, from among the unselected whole items, the whole item with the largest number is selected, then from among the remaining (unselected) whole items, the whole item with the smallest number is selected, and then from among the remaining whole items, the whole item with the largest number is selected. By alternately selecting the whole items with the largest and smallest numbers in this way, it is possible to stack as many whole items as possible on a pallet P, and the number of pallets P used can be reduced.

[0094] Furthermore, if a first selection method is a method of alternately selecting the total items with the largest overall item height and the total items with the smallest overall item height, and a second selection method is a method of alternately selecting the total items with the largest number and the total items with the smallest overall item height, the initial solution calculation unit 32 may determine whether to use the first selection method or the second selection method based on the number of pallets P required to allocate all items Q for one shipping destination. In this case, for example, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects unselected total items using the first selection method, and sets item information using the method described above so that all items Q for the shipping destination are allocated to one of the pallets P (allocation of individual items and total items). Also, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects unselected total items using the second selection method, and sets item information using the method described above so that all items Q for the shipping destination are allocated to one of the pallets P (allocation of individual items and total items). Then, the initial solution calculation unit 32 compares the total number of pallets P required when all items Q are allocated using the first selection method with the total number of pallets P required when all items Q are allocated using the second selection method, and may treat the item information set using the selection method that results in a smaller total number of pallets P as the item information to be used in the stowage plan.

[0095] (Item Information Setting Flow) The process flow for setting item information in the initial solution described above will now be described. FIG. 12 is a process flow illustrating a method for allocating individual items, and FIG. 13 is a process flow illustrating a method for allocating all items. As shown in FIG. 12, when allocating individual items to a pallet P, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects individual items (step S22) and determines whether all of the selected individual items can be placed in one layer of the selected pallet P (step S24). If they can be placed in one layer (step S24; Yes), all of the individual items are allocated to that pallet P (step S26). If there are no other individual items (step S28; No), the process ends. On the other hand, if there are other individual items (step S28; Yes), the process returns to step S22, and the process of selecting other individual items and allocating them to the pallet P continues. Even if the selected individual items cannot be placed in one layer of the pallet P (step S24; No), the process proceeds to step S28. If the selected individual item cannot be placed in one layer of the selected pallet P, another pallet P may be selected to determine whether the individual item can be placed in one layer on the other pallet P.

[0096] 13 , when allocating a whole item to a pallet P, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a pallet P and the whole item (step S30), determines whether all of the selected whole items can be allocated to the selected pallet P (step S32), and if so (step S32; Yes), allocates all of the whole items to the pallet P (step S34). If there are no other whole items (step S36; No), the process ends. On the other hand, if there are other whole items (step S36; Yes), the process returns to step S30, and continues selecting and allocating other individual items to the pallet P. Also, if the selected whole item cannot be allocated to the selected pallet P (step S32; No), the process proceeds to step S36. Note that if there are still whole items for which allocation has not yet been determined after determining whether all of the whole items can be allocated to the selected pallet P, the process returns to step S30, selects another pallet P, and determines whether the whole items for which allocation has not yet been determined can be allocated to the other pallet P.

[0097] (Setting Stacking Information) The item information set in the above description indicates the type and number of items Q (individual items and all items) to be assigned to the pallet P, so it is not yet determined how the assigned items Q will be arranged on the pallet P. Therefore, in this embodiment, after setting the item information in the initial solution, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets stacking information in the initial solution that indicates how the items Q will be stacked on the pallet P. This will be explained in detail below.

[0098] 14 to 17 are schematic diagrams for explaining the setting of stacking information. The initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the stacking order of the layer groups L as stacking information, with items Q of the same type assigned to one pallet P as one layer group L. Here, a layer group L can be said to be a collection of layers including items Q of the same type. One layer group L may include one layer of items Q of the same type, or multiple layers. The number of layers included in a layer group L is, for example, the value obtained by dividing the total number of items Q by the maximum number of items to be arranged. If individual items are included, the number is the sum of the value obtained by dividing the total number of items Q by the maximum number of items to be arranged and the number of layers of the individual items. That is, for example, the layer group L of item QA shown in FIG. 10 includes a total of five layers, including four layers of total items and one layer of individual items.

[0099] The initial solution calculation unit 32 determines whether an individual item is assigned to the pallet P based on the item information of the pallet P. If an individual item is assigned, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the layer group L of the item Q including the individual item as the top layer group, which is the layer group to be placed at the top of the pallet P. On the other hand, for a pallet P to which no individual item is assigned, the top layer group is not set at this stage. In this way, by placing the layer group L including the individual item on the top layer, the item Q can be stacked appropriately. Note that in the layer group L of the item Q including the individual item, the layer of the individual item is set as the top layer of each layer of the item Q.

[0100] Furthermore, based on the item information of the pallet P, the initial solution calculation unit 32 determines whether there is a heaviest layer group among the layer groups L contained in the pallet P, which has the largest weight of items Q in one layer contained in that layer group L. If there is a heaviest layer group, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the heaviest layer group as the lowest layer group, which is the layer group to be placed at the bottom of the pallet P. In this case, for example, the initial solution calculation unit 32 can determine whether there is a heaviest layer group by calculating the weight of items Q in one layer for each layer group L from the weight of the items Q and the maximum number of items Q to be placed, and comparing these values. Note that if there is no heaviest layer group, i.e., if there are multiple layer groups L with the largest weight of items Q in one layer, it is not necessary to set a lowest layer group. In this way, by placing the heaviest layer at the lowest layer, it is possible to stow items while maintaining weight balance.

[0101] In the example of Figure 14, item QA, which includes individual item QA2, and item QB, which does not include any individual items, are assigned to pallet PA. Therefore, in the example of Figure 14, layer group L2 of item QA is set as the top layer group of pallet PA, and layer group L1 of the remaining item QB is set as the layer group below layer group L2 (the lowest layer group in this example). Also, in the example of Figure 15, items QC and QD, which do not include any individual items, are assigned to pallet PB, and the layer group of item QC is the heaviest layer group. Therefore, in the example of Figure 15, layer group L1 of item QC is set as the lowest layer group of pallet PB, and layer group L2 of the remaining item QD is set as the layer group above layer group L1 (the highest layer group in this example).

[0102] Next, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts popular items (target items) from among the items Q assigned to the pallets P of each shipping destination. Here, the popular item refers to the item Q assigned to the largest number of shipping destinations. That is, for example, if item QD is shipped to three shipping destinations and items QA, QB, and QD are shipped to two shipping destinations, item QD is the popular item. However, the popular item is not limited to the item Q assigned to the largest number of shipping destinations, but may refer to a type of item Q selected by any method from the items Q assigned to the pallets P of each shipping destination, and may refer to, for example, the item Q with the largest total number per shipping destination.

[0103] After extracting the popular items, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the first pallet with the largest number of assigned popular items among the pallets P for each shipping destination. The initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the layer group L containing the popular items assigned to the selected first pallet as the lowest layer group of the selected first pallet. Note that if there are multiple pallets P with the largest number of assigned popular items, any one of them may be selected as the first pallet. Furthermore, if the lowest layer group of the selected first pallet has already been set, the pallet with the largest number of popular items is selected as the new first pallet from among the unselected pallets P excluding the first pallet, and similar processing is performed. For example, in the example of FIG. 16 , pallet PC has the largest number of popular items QD among all pallets P, so layer group L1 of item QD is set as the lowest layer group.

[0104] The initial solution calculation unit 32 also selects the second pallet with the smallest number of assigned popular items from among the pallets P for each shipping destination. The initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the layer group L containing the popular items assigned to the selected second pallet as the second layer group from the bottom of the selected second pallet. The second layer group can also be considered the layer group immediately above the lowest layer group. Note that if there are multiple pallets P with the smallest number of assigned popular items, any one of them may be selected as the second pallet. Furthermore, if a second layer group for the selected second pallet has already been set, the pallet with the smallest number of popular items is selected as the new second pallet from among the unselected pallets P excluding the second pallet, and similar processing is performed. For example, in the example of FIG. 17 , pallet PD has the smallest number of popular items, QD, among all pallets P, so layer group L2 for QD is set as the second layer group. In the example of FIG. 17 , layer group L1 for QA is the heaviest layer group and is therefore set as the lowest layer group.

[0105] After setting the bottom layer group of the first pallet and the second layer group of the second pallet, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the first pallet and the second pallet from among the unselected pallets P that have not been selected as the first pallet and the second pallet, and repeats the process of setting the bottom layer group of the first pallet and the process of setting the second layer group of the second pallet. Furthermore, after the selection of all pallets P for the extracted popular items has been completed, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the item Q that has the largest number of assigned destinations as a new popular item from among the items Q excluding the previously extracted popular items, and repeats the process of selecting the first pallet and setting its bottom layer group, and the process of selecting the second pallet and setting its second layer group. In this way, by setting the bottom layer group of the first pallet and the second layer group of the second pallet as the same popular item, it becomes possible to stow the popular item consecutively on the second pallet and the first pallet, thereby reducing the time required for stowage and the load of the stowage work.

[0106] Next, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts pallets P for which the stacking order of all layer groups L has not been determined (pallets P for which the stacking order of at least some layer groups L has not been determined). For the extracted pallets P, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the largest layer group with the largest number of items Q from among the layer groups L for which the stacking order has not been determined, and sets the selected largest layer group as the lowest layer group among the layer groups L for which the stowage order has not been determined. That is, for example, if the lowest layer group has been determined and the second layer group (the layer group immediately above the lowest) has not been determined, the largest layer group is set as the second layer group, and if the lowest layer group and the second layer group have already been determined, the largest layer group is set as the layer group immediately above the second layer group. Note that if there are multiple layer groups L for which the number of items Q is the largest, any one of them may be selected as the largest layer group.

[0107] Next, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects, for the extracted pallet P, from among the layer groups L whose stacking order has not been determined, the smallest layer group having the smallest number of items Q, and sets the selected smallest layer group as the lowest layer group among the layer groups L whose stowage order has not been determined. Next, for the extracted pallet P, the initial solution calculation unit 32 newly selects, from among the layer groups L whose stacking order has not been determined, the largest layer group having the largest number of items Q, and sets the selected largest layer group as the lowest layer group among the layer groups L whose stowage order has not been determined. In other words, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the stacking order for the layer groups L whose stacking order has not been determined so that the largest layer group and the smallest layer group are stacked alternately from the bottom. 16 , for pallet PC, the largest layer group among the layer groups L whose stacking groups have not yet been determined is layer group L2 containing item QB, and the smallest layer group is layer group L3 containing item QC, so the stacking order is set to layer group L1, layer group L2, layer group L3. Also, for example, in the example of FIG. 17 , for pallet PD, the largest layer group among the layer groups L whose stacking groups have not yet been determined is layer group L3 containing item QC, and the smallest layer group is layer group L4 containing item QB, so the stacking order is set to layer group L1, layer group L2, layer group L3, layer group L4. In this way, by alternately stacking the largest and smallest layer groups on a single pallet P, it is possible to average out the replacement time for supply pallets P0 to be stacked on a single pallet P, thereby reducing the time required for stowage and the load of the stowage work. For example, when stacking layers L each containing a small number of items Q in succession, the stacking of the layers L may be completed early, which may result in the supply pallet P0 not being able to be replaced in time, and the stacking may have to wait until the supply pallet P0 is replaced. In contrast, by stacking the largest and smallest layer groups alternately, the number of times that the stacking must wait until the supply pallet P0 is replaced can be reduced.

[0108] The initial solution calculation unit 32 performs the above process for all palettes P, thereby setting stacking information for all palettes P.

[0109] (Setting Flow of Stowage Information) The processing flow for setting the stowage information in the initial solution described above will now be described. FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow for setting stowage information. As shown in FIG. 18 , for each pallet P for which item information has been set, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the layer group L containing individual items as the top layer group and the heaviest layer group as the bottom layer group (step S40). The initial solution calculation unit 32 then extracts popular items (step S41), selects a first pallet containing the greatest number of popular items from each pallet P, and a second pallet containing the least number of popular items (step S42), and sets the bottom layer group of the first pallet as the layer group for popular items, and the second layer group of the second pallet as the layer group for popular items (step S43). The initial solution calculation unit 32 then determines whether all pallets have been selected as first or second pallets for the extracted popular items (step S44). If the selection is not complete (step S44; No), the process returns to step S42 and continues the selection process for first and second pallets from among the unselected pallets P. If all pallets have been selected (step S44; Yes), it is determined whether extraction of all of the items Q as popular items has been completed from among the respective items Q (step S45), and if extraction has not been completed (step S45; No), the process returns to step S41 and continues the extraction process of popular items from among the remaining items Q that have not been extracted so far. If extraction has been completed (step S45; Yes), the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the stacking order for each pallet P so that the largest layer group and the smallest layer group are arranged alternately (step S46).

[0110] (Setting the stowage order) As described above, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets, for each pallet P, item information indicating the items Q to be stowed on that pallet P and stacking information indicating the stacking order of the items Q as an initial solution. Once the stowage information in the initial solution has been set, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets a stowage order in the initial solution indicating the order in which stowage work will be performed on each pallet P, based on the stowage information of each pallet P. Furthermore, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets a supply pallet P0 to be used to supply items Q to the pallet P, based on work information (supply pallet information). This will be described in detail below.

[0111] The initial solution calculation unit 32 determines, based on the stowage information, whether there are two pallets P to which layers of the same type of items Q are assigned, and if there are two pallets P to which layers of the same type of items Q are assigned, sets the stowage order of those pallets P to be consecutive. In other words, in this case, the stowage order is set so that, immediately after stowage of items Q onto one pallet P to which layers of the same type of items Q are assigned is completed, items Q are stowed onto the other pallet P. This makes it possible to supply the same type of items Q to two pallets P in consecutive stowage orders using one supply pallet P0, thereby reducing the number of times that supply pallets P0 placed in the supply pallet placement area AR2 need to be swapped, thereby reducing the workload and work time.

[0112] (Selection of First Pallet) FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating the setting of the stowage order. More preferably, in the second embodiment, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts popular items (target items) from among the items Q assigned to the pallets P of each shipping destination. The initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts, as the first pallet, a pallet P to which a popular item is assigned in a layer above the lowest layer group (a layer group equal to or higher than the second layer group) from among each pallet P. Note that, if there are multiple pallets P to which popular items are assigned in layers above the lowest layer group, any one of them may be selected as the first pallet. Note that, as described above, the popular item here refers to the item Q assigned to the largest number of shipping destinations. However, this is not limited thereto, and may refer to a type of item Q selected by any method from the items Q assigned to the pallets P of each shipping destination. For example, it may refer to the item Q with the largest total number per shipping destination.

[0113] (Selection of Pallet to Use for First Pallet) The initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a supply pallet P0 (pallet to use) for supplying the items Q other than the popular items assigned to the first pallet to the first pallet based on the stowage information for the first pallet and the supply pallet information included in the work information. The initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a pallet to use from each supply pallet P0 for supplying the items Q other than the popular items based on the type and number of the items Q other than the popular items assigned to the first pallet indicated in the stowage information and the type and number of the items Q loaded on the supply pallet P0 indicated in the supply pallet information. More specifically, in this embodiment, the initial solution calculation unit 32 determines whether there is a supply pallet P0 on which the same number of items Q (items Q of the same type) is loaded as the number of items Q other than the popular items assigned to the first pallet. If there is a supply pallet P0 on which the same number of items Q of the same type is loaded, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects that supply pallet P0 as the pallet to use for supplying the items Q to the first pallet. If there are multiple supply pallets P0 carrying the same number of items Q of the same type, any one of them may be selected as the pallet to be used. On the other hand, if there are no supply pallets P0 carrying the same number of items Q of the same type, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects, from among the supply pallets P0, the supply pallet P0 carrying the smallest number of items Q as the pallet to be used.

[0114] After selecting the pallet to be used, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the number of items Q loaded on the pallet to be used, equal to the number of items Q to be assigned to the first pallet, as the items Q to be supplied to the first pallet.

[0115] The initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a pallet to be used for each item Q other than the popular item assigned to the first pallet using the method described above. Note that for the supply pallet P0 selected as the pallet to be used, the number of items Q to be loaded on the supply pallet P0 is calculated by subtracting the number of items to be loaded on the pallet P (here, the first pallet) from the original number of items Q to be loaded on that supply pallet P0, and the selection process for the pallet to be used thereafter is performed in the same manner.

[0116] (Selection of Second Pallet and Setting of Stowage Order) The initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts, from each pallet P, a pallet P to which popular items are assigned in the lowest layer group as the second pallet. Note that if there are multiple pallets P to which popular items are assigned in the lowest layer group, any one of them may be selected as the second pallet. More specifically, in this embodiment, if the sum of the number of popular items in the lowest layer group of the pallet P and the number of popular items in the first pallet is the same as the number of popular items to be loaded on the supply pallet P0 indicated in the work information (supply pallet information), the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the pallet P (the pallet P to which popular items are assigned in the lowest layer group) as the second pallet. In other words, if there is a supply pallet P0 to which the same number of popular items as the above-mentioned sum is loaded, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the pallet P used to calculate the sum as the second pallet.

[0117] After selecting the second pallet, the initial solution calculation unit 32 determines the stowage order so that stowage of the second pallet is performed immediately after stowage of the first pallet. The initial solution calculation unit 32 also selects a supply pallet P0 containing the same number of popular items as the total number of popular items assigned to the first and second pallets as the pallet to be used to supply the popular items to the first and second pallets. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 19 , popular items QD are assigned to the second layer group L2 (above the lowest layer group) of pallet PA, and popular items QD are assigned to the lowest layer group L1 of pallet PB. The supply pallet P0A is then loaded with the same number of items QD (three layers) as the total number of items QD in the second layer group L2 of pallet PA (one layer) and the lowest layer group L1 of pallet PB (two layers). 19, the stowage order is set so that pallet PB (second pallet) is stowed immediately after pallet PA (first pallet), and supply pallet P0A is selected as the pallet to be used to supply items QD to pallets PA and PB. In this way, by setting supply pallet P0, which can use up just enough popular items on the first and second pallets, as the pallet to be used, and by performing stowage operations on the first and second pallets consecutively, it becomes possible to repurpose supply pallet P0, which has used up all of the popular items, as pallet P (here, second pallet), thereby reducing, for example, the transport load on supply pallet P0 and advantageously reducing work time and workload.

[0118] On the other hand, in this embodiment, if there is no supply pallet P0 carrying the same number of popular items as the total, the pallet P carrying the largest number of popular items is selected as the second pallet from among the pallets P with popular items assigned to the lowest layer group. The initial solution calculation unit 32 determines the stowage order so that the stowage of the second pallet is performed immediately after the stowage of the first pallet. Then, if the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the pallet P carrying the largest number of popular items as the second pallet, then it selects the supply pallet P0 carrying the largest number of popular items from each supply pallet P0 as the pallet to be used to supply the popular items to the first and second pallets. That is, for example, if there is no supply pallet P0A carrying three layers of items QD as shown in FIG. 19, the supply pallet P0 carrying the largest number of items QD from each supply pallet P0 is selected as the pallet to be used to supply the items QD to pallets PA and PB. In addition, one pallet P0 may be used as a pallet that supplies popular items to the first pallet and the second pallet, or the pallet that supplies popular items to the first pallet and the pallet that supplies popular items to the second pallet may be selected individually.

[0119] The initial solution calculation unit 32 also selects a pallet to be used for supplying the item Q other than the popular item assigned to the second pallet to the second pallet. The method for selecting a pallet to be used here is the same as the method for selecting a pallet to be used for supplying the item Q other than the popular item to the first pallet, and therefore, a description thereof will be omitted.

[0120] As described above, in this embodiment, the first and second pallets are selected, a stowage order is set so that the second pallet is stowed immediately after the first pallet, and pallets to be used for the first and second pallets are selected. The initial solution calculation unit 32 then selects the second pallet as the new first pallet, sets item Q contained in a layer above the lowest layer group of the newly selected first pallet (original second pallet) as a popular item, and performs the same processing as above. The initial solution calculation unit 32 continues this processing until all pallets have been selected as first or second pallets, thereby setting the stowage order and selecting pallets to be used for all pallets.

[0121] (Processing Flow) Next, the processing flow for setting the stowage order and the pallets to be used described above will be described. FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow for setting the stowage order and the pallets to be used. As shown in FIG. 20, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a pallet P, which is assigned a layer group L containing popular items in a layer above the lowest layer group, as the first pallet (step S50), and selects a pallet to be used for supplying items Q other than the popular items to the first pallet (step S52). The initial solution calculation unit 32 then extracts a pallet P containing popular items in the lowest layer group (step S54) and determines whether a supply pallet P0 exists on which the same number of popular items as the total number of popular items on the extracted pallet P and the first pallet is loaded (step S56). If a supply pallet P0 containing the same number of popular items as the total exists (step S56; Yes), the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the selected pallet P as the second pallet (step S58), sets the stowage order in the order of the first pallet, then the second pallet, and selects the supply pallet P0 containing the same number of popular items as the pallet to be used for supplying the popular items to the first and second pallets (step S60).The initial solution calculation unit 32 then selects a pallet to be used for supplying items other than the popular items to the second pallet (step S62).If the stowage order has been set for all pallets P (step S64; Yes), this process ends.If the stowage order has not been set for all pallets P (step S64; No), the process returns to step S52, sets the second pallet as the new first pallet, and continues the process.

[0122] Furthermore, if there is no supply pallet P0 carrying the same number of popular items as the total value (step S56; No), the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects the pallet P carrying the largest number of popular items from among the extracted pallets P as the second pallet (step S66), sets the loading order to the first pallet, then the second pallet, and selects the supply pallet P0 carrying the largest number of popular items as the pallet to be used to supply the popular items to the first and second pallets (step S68), and proceeds to step S62.

[0123] (Effects) As described above, in the second embodiment, an initial solution for the stowage order of each pallet P is set based on stowage information for the multiple pallets P. According to this embodiment, the initial solution for the stowage order of the pallets P is set according to the type, number, and stacking order of the items Q to be stowed on each pallet P. Therefore, an appropriate stowage plan can be created depending on the work content. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the stacking order of the first pallet, in which popular items are assigned to layers above the lowest layer group, and the second pallet, in which popular items are assigned to the lowest layer group, is continuous. This further appropriately reduces the number of times the supply pallets P0 placed in the supply pallet placement area AR2 are swapped, thereby reducing the workload and work time. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a supply pallet P0 that can exactly use up the popular items between the first pallet and the second pallet is set as the pallet to be used, and the first pallet and the second pallet are sequentially stowed. This allows a supply pallet P0 that has used up all of its popular items to be reused as the second pallet, thereby reducing, for example, the transport load of the supply pallet P0 and favorably reducing work time and work load.

[0124] (Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, the method of setting the stowage order in the initial solution is different from that in the second embodiment. In the third embodiment, the description of the parts of the configuration common to the second embodiment will be omitted.

[0125] (Setting Stowage Information) In the second embodiment, when setting the stowage information for the initial solution, the initial solution calculation unit 32 set the layer group L containing popular items as the lowest layer group for the first pallet, which has the largest number of popular items, and set the layer group L containing popular items as the second layer group (the second-lowest layer group) for the second pallet, which has the smallest number of popular items. In contrast, in the third embodiment, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the layer group L containing popular items as the lowest layer group for the first pallet, and sets the layer group L containing popular items as the highest layer group for the second pallet. Then, the second pallet is designated as the new first pallet, item Q in the top layer group of the new first pallet is designated as the popular item, and pallet P containing the popular item is selected as the new second pallet, and the process of setting the popular item of the second pallet as the lowest layer group is repeated. The method of setting stowage information is otherwise the same as in the second embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0126] (Setting the stowage order) Figure 21 is a schematic diagram for explaining the setting of an initial solution for the stowage order in the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the stowage order based on the stowage information of each pallet P, and preferably, when there are two pallets P to which layers of the same type of item Q are assigned, sets the stowage order of those pallets P so that they are consecutive. However, in the third embodiment, the more preferable method for setting the stowage order and the pallets to be used differs from that in the second embodiment. This will be explained in detail below.

[0127] In the third embodiment, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects, as the first pallet, the pallet P that has the largest number of items Q included in the top layer group among the pallets P. However, the method of selecting the first pallet is not limited to this, and the first pallet may be selected from each pallet P by any method.

[0128] The initial solution calculation unit 32 selects, as the second pallet, a pallet P that includes in its lowest layer group an item Q of the same type as the item Q included in the uppermost layer group of the first pallet from among the pallets P. If there are multiple pallets P that include in their lowermost layer group an item Q of the same type as the item Q included in the uppermost layer group of the first pallet, any one of them may be selected as the second pallet.

[0129] After selecting the second pallet, the initial solution calculation unit 32 determines the stowage order so that the stowage operation on the second pallet is performed immediately after the stowage operation on the first pallet. The initial solution calculation unit 32 then newly selects the second pallet as the first pallet, newly selects a second pallet whose lowest layer contains the item Q contained in the top layer group of the newly selected first pallet (the original second pallet), and performs the same process. The initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the stowage order for all pallets by performing this process until all pallets are selected as the first pallet or the second pallet. By sequentially performing stowage operations on the first pallet and the second pallet containing the same item Q in their top and bottom layer groups in this manner, the supply pallet P0 that has been transferred to the first pallet can be reused as the second pallet. This reduces the number of times the supply pallet P0 is moved from the supply pallet placement area AR2 to another location to continue stowage operations, thereby favorably reducing work time and workload.

[0130] (Selection of Pallet to be Used) After setting the stowage order, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects, for each pallet P, a pallet to be used to supply the items Q.

[0131] Specifically, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts one type of item Q1 by any method from among the items Q assigned to each shipping destination pallet P. Then, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts pallets P that include the extracted item Q1 in the lowest layer group from each pallet P for which a stowage order has been set, and selects the pallet P that includes the largest number of items Q1 from among the pallets P that include the item Q1 in the lowest layer group as the first pallet.

[0132] The initial solution calculation unit 32 selects as the second pallet a pallet P that is stacked before the first pallet and to which items Q1 included in the lowest layer group of the first pallet are assigned. The initial solution calculation unit 32 then determines whether a supply pallet P0 exists that contains the same number of items Q1 as the sum of the number of items Q1 in the lowest layer group of the first pallet and the number of items Q1 included in the second pallet. If a supply pallet P0 containing the same number of items Q1 exists, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects that supply pallet P0 as the pallet to be used to supply the items Q1 to the first and second pallets. Note that if a supply pallet P0 containing the same number of items Q1 does not exist, the initial solution calculation unit 32 newly selects as the second pallet another pallet P that is stacked before the first pallet and to which items Q1 included in the lowest layer group of the first pallet are assigned, and similar processing is performed.

[0133] For example, in the example of Figure 21, items QD are assigned to the top layer group L1 of pallet PA, and items QD are assigned to the bottom layer group L1 of pallet PB. Then, supply pallet P0A is loaded with the same number of items QD (four layers) as the sum of the number of items QD in the top layer group L1 of pallet PA (two layers) and the number of items QD in the bottom layer group L1 of pallet PB (two layers). Therefore, in the example of Figure 21, the stowage order is set so that pallet PB (second pallet) is stowed immediately after pallet PA (first pallet), and supply pallet P0A is selected as the pallet to be used to supply items QD to pallets PA and PB. In this way, by setting the supply pallet P0 that can use up exactly the amount of item Q1 between the first pallet and the second pallet as the pallet to be used, it is possible to repurpose the supply pallet P0 that has used up the amount of item Q1 required for the first pallet by transferring it as a pallet P (here, the second pallet), thereby reducing, for example, the transport load on the supply pallet P0 and advantageously reducing work time and workload.

[0134] The initial solution calculation unit 32 determines whether all palettes P correspond to the first palette or the second palette, and for those that correspond to the first palette or the second palette, assigns the palette to be used by performing the same process as above. On the other hand, for palettes P that do not correspond to the first palette or the second palette, the palette to be used is assigned by the method described below. Hereinafter, the palettes P that do not correspond to the first palette or the second palette will be referred to as residual palettes as appropriate, and the method for assigning palettes to be used will be explained.

[0135] The initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts multiple (preferably two) remaining pallets to which items Q1 are assigned from the multiple remaining pallets. The initial solution calculation unit 32 then determines whether a supply pallet P0 exists that carries the same number of items Q1 as the total number of items Q1 assigned to the multiple extracted remaining pallets. If a supply pallet P0 carrying the same number of items Q1 exists, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects that supply pallet P0 as a pallet to be used to supply the items Q1 to the multiple extracted remaining pallets. The initial solution calculation unit 32 repeats this process until no supply pallet P0 carries the same number of items Q1 as the total number of items Q1 for all remaining pallets exists.

[0136] Then, if there is a remaining pallet to which no use pallet has been assigned, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a supply pallet P0 that carries a greater number of items Q1 than the number of items Q1 assigned to the remaining pallet as a use pallet that will supply the items Q1 to the remaining pallet.

[0137] Using the above method, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a pallet to be used to supply the item Q1 to each pallet P to which the item Q1 is assigned. After that, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts, as new items Q1, items Q that have not been extracted as item Q1 from among the items Q assigned to the pallets P of each shipping destination, and performs the process of selecting a pallet to be used in the same manner as above. The initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a pallet to be used for all items Q by performing this process until all items Q are extracted as items Q1.

[0138] (Processing Flow) Next, a processing flow for setting the stowage order and the pallets to be used in the initial solution in the third embodiment will be described. Fig. 22 is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow for setting the stowage order in the third embodiment, and Fig. 23 is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow for setting the pallets to be used in the third embodiment.

[0139] 22 , when setting the stowage order, the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a first pallet from each pallet P (step S70), determines whether there is a pallet P in which the same item Q as the item Q in the top layer group of the first pallet is assigned to the bottom layer group (step S72), and if there is (step S72; Yes), selects that pallet P as the second pallet (step S74). Then, the initial solution calculation unit 32 sets the stowage order in the order of the first pallet and the second pallet (step S76). If the stowage order setting for all pallets P is completed (step S78; Yes), this process ends. If not completed (step S78; No), the process returns to step S70 and repeats. If there is no pallet P in which the same item Q as the item Q in the top layer group of the first pallet is assigned to the bottom layer group (step S72; No), the process proceeds to step S78.

[0140] 23 , when determining which pallets to use, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts item Q1 and selects the first pallet with the largest number of items Q1 in the lowest layer group from among the pallets P containing item Q1 in the lowest layer group (step S80). Then, it selects a second pallet to which item Q1 is assigned from among the pallets P stacked before the first pallet (step S82). The initial solution calculation unit 32 then determines whether there is a supply pallet P0 carrying the same number of items Q1 as the total number of items Q1 on the first and second pallets (step S84). If there is a supply pallet P0 (step S84; Yes), it selects that supply pallet P0 as the pallet to use for supplying items Q1 to the first and second pallets (step S86). Furthermore, it is preferable to use this supply pallet P0 as the supply pallet for the first pallet, and then repurpose the supply pallet P0 as the second pallet after it has finished supplying items Q1 to the first pallet. That is, once the supply pallet P0 has finished supplying the items Q1 to the first pallet, it becomes the source of the items Q1 for the second pallet, and can therefore be considered a supply pallet for the second pallet. Since it is used as the second pallet without any reloading, it can also be considered converted into the second pallet itself. Then, the process proceeds to step S88. If all pallets P have not yet been selected as the first pallet or the second pallet (step S88; No), the process returns to step S80. If all pallets P have been selected as the first pallet or the second pallet (step S88; Yes), the process proceeds to step S90. Note that even if there is no supply pallet P0 carrying the same number of items Q1 as the total number of items Q1 on the first pallet and the second pallet (step S84; No), the process also proceeds to step S88.

[0141] In step S90, the initial solution calculation unit 32 extracts multiple remaining pallets to which item Q1 is assigned from the remaining pallets for which no usable pallet has been selected to supply item Q1. The initial solution calculation unit 32 then determines whether there is a supply pallet P0 on which the same number of items Q1 as the total number of items Q1 on the multiple remaining pallets to which item Q1 is assigned (step S90). If there is a supply pallet P0 (step S90; Yes), the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects that supply pallet P0 as the usable pallet for supplying items Q1 to those remaining pallets (step S92). After executing step S92, the process returns to step S90, and the process is repeated until there is no supply pallet P0 on which the same number of items Q1 as the total number of items Q1 on the multiple remaining pallets is loaded. On the other hand, if there is no supply pallet P0 carrying the same number of items Q1 as the total number of items Q1 on the remaining pallets (step S90; No), the initial solution calculation unit 32 selects a supply pallet P0 carrying a greater number of items Q1 than the number of items Q1 assigned to the remaining pallet to which no used pallet has been assigned as a used pallet to supply the items Q1 to that remaining pallet (step S94). If the selection of used pallets to supply items Q1 for all remaining pallets has not been completed (step S96; No), the process returns to step S94. On the other hand, if the selection of used pallets to supply items Q1 for all remaining pallets has been completed, the process proceeds to step S98. If, in step S98, extraction of all items Q as items Q1 has not been completed (step S98; No), the process returns to step S80, where a new item Q is extracted as item Q1 and the process is repeated. If extraction of all items Q as items Q1 has been completed (step S98; Yes), the process ends.

[0142] In this way, in the third embodiment, by performing consecutive loading operations on the first pallet and the second pallet, which contain the same item Q in the top and bottom layer groups, the number of times that the supply pallet P0, which has already been transferred, is moved from the supply pallet placement area AR2 to another location to continue loading operations can be reduced, thereby effectively reducing work time and workload.

[0143] (Effects) As described above, the information processing method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes the steps of: acquiring work information indicating the items Q to be shipped to a destination; calculating, based on the work information, an initial solution indicating the items Q to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets P, stowage information indicating the stacking order of the items Q on the pallets P, and a stowage order indicating the order of the pallets P to be stowed; calculating, based on the initial solution, an initial evaluation value indicating the load level of the shipping work in the initial solution; calculating, based on the initial solution, neighboring solutions obtained by changing part of the stowage information and the stowage order with respect to the initial solution; calculating, based on the neighboring solutions, neighboring evaluation values ​​indicating the load level of the shipping work in the neighboring solutions; and setting the stowage information and stowage order to be used in the stowage plan based on the initial evaluation value and the neighboring evaluation value. According to the present disclosure, by creating and evaluating neighboring solutions obtained by changing part of the initial solution, it is possible to set a stowage plan that is optimized according to the work content, and to create an appropriate stowage plan according to the work content.

[0144] An information processing method according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing method according to the first aspect, wherein in the step of setting stowage information and a stowage order, if the evaluation of the neighboring evaluation value is higher than the evaluation of the initial evaluation value, the stowage information and stowage order of the neighboring solution are set as the solution to be used for the stowage plan. According to the present disclosure, by adopting the neighboring solution when the evaluation of the neighboring solution is high, it is possible to create an appropriate stowage plan according to the load level of the shipping work.

[0145] An information processing method according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing method according to the first or second aspect, wherein in the step of calculating a neighboring solution, a plurality of neighboring solutions are calculated that differ from each other in part of the stowage information and stowage order, and in the step of calculating a neighboring evaluation value, a neighboring evaluation value is calculated for each neighboring solution. According to the present disclosure, by creating a plurality of neighboring solutions, a stowage plan that is more optimized depending on the work content can be set.

[0146] An information processing method according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing method according to any of the first to third aspects, wherein in the step of calculating neighboring solutions, at least one of the following is calculated as the neighboring solution: a first neighboring solution obtained by swapping the items Q assigned to multiple pallets P with the same shipping destination with respect to the stowage information in the initial solution; a second neighboring solution obtained by changing the stacking order of the items Q on the pallet P with respect to the stowage information in the initial solution; a third neighboring solution obtained by changing the order of the pallets P on which the stowage is performed with respect to the stowage order in the initial solution; and a fourth neighboring solution obtained by changing the supply pallet P0 that supplies the items Q assigned to the pallet P with respect to the initial solution. According to the present disclosure, by using such neighboring solutions, a stowage plan that is more optimized depending on the work content can be set.

[0147] An information processing method according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein in the step of calculating the initial evaluation value and the neighboring evaluation value, the initial evaluation value and the neighboring evaluation value are calculated based on at least one of the workload of the stowage device 14 that stows the items Q onto the pallet P, the workload of the mobile body 12 that transports the pallet P, and the number of times (number of consecutive small lots) that items Q, the number of which is equal to or less than a predetermined number, are consecutively stowed onto the pallet P. According to the present disclosure, by using such evaluation values, a stowage plan that is more optimized depending on the work content can be set.

[0148] An information processing method according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is the information processing method according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, further comprising a step of determining whether to calculate a neighboring solution, and if it is determined not to calculate a neighboring solution, the neighboring solution and neighboring evaluation value are not calculated, and the stowage information and stowage order of the initial solution are set as the solution to be used for the stowage plan. According to the present disclosure, it is possible to determine whether to use a neighboring solution as needed, so that an appropriate stowage plan can be set depending on the work content and calculation load.

[0149] A stowage method according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure stows items Q onto a plurality of pallets P based on the stowage information and stowage order set in the information processing method according to any one of the first to sixth aspects. According to the present disclosure, the items Q can be stowed appropriately.

[0150] A program according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to execute the following steps: acquiring work information indicating items Q to be shipped to a destination; calculating, based on the work information, an initial solution indicating items Q to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets P, stowage information indicating the stacking order of the items Q on the pallets P, and a stowage order indicating the order of the pallets P to be stowed; calculating, based on the initial solution, an initial evaluation value indicating the load level of the shipping work in the initial solution; calculating, based on the initial solution, neighboring solutions in which the stowage information and stowage order are changed from the initial solution; calculating, based on the neighboring solutions, neighboring evaluation values ​​indicating the load level of the shipping work in the neighboring solutions; and setting the stowage information and stowage order to be used in the stowage plan based on the initial evaluation value and the neighboring evaluation value. According to the present disclosure, an appropriate stowage plan can be created depending on the work content.

[0151] An information processing device according to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure includes: a work information acquisition unit 30 that acquires work information indicating items Q to be shipped to a destination; an initial solution calculation unit 32 that calculates, based on the work information, an initial solution indicating items Q to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets P, stowage information indicating the stacking order of the items Q on the pallets P, and a stowage order indicating the order of the pallets P to be stowed; an initial evaluation value calculation unit 36 ​​that calculates, based on the initial solution, an initial evaluation value that indicates a load level of the shipping work in the initial solution; a neighborhood solution calculation unit 34 that calculates, based on the initial solution, a neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 38 that calculates, based on the neighborhood solution, a neighborhood evaluation value that indicates a load level of the shipping work in the neighborhood solution; and a setting unit 40 that sets the stowage information and stowage order to be used in the stowage plan based on the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value. According to the present disclosure, an appropriate stowage plan can be created according to the work content.

[0152] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the embodiments are not limited to the contents of these embodiments. Furthermore, the above-described components include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the so-called equivalent range. Furthermore, the above-described components can be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the above-described embodiments.

[0153] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 stowage system 10 information processing device 30 work information acquisition unit 32 initial solution calculation unit 34 neighborhood solution calculation unit 36 ​​initial evaluation value calculation unit 38 neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit 40 setting unit P pallet Q item

Claims

1. An information processing method comprising the steps of: acquiring work information indicating goods to be shipped to a destination; calculating an initial solution indicating goods to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets, stowage information indicating the stacking order of the goods on the pallets, and a stowage order indicating the order in which the pallets are to be stowed, based on the work information; calculating an initial evaluation value indicating a degree of load of shipping work in the initial solution, based on the initial solution; calculating a neighborhood solution in which a part of the stowage information and the stowage order are changed from the initial solution, based on the initial solution; calculating a neighborhood evaluation value indicating a degree of load of shipping work in the neighborhood solution, based on the neighborhood solution; and setting the stowage information and the stowage order to be used in a stowage plan, based on the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value.

2. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of setting the loading information and the loading sequence, if the evaluation of the neighborhood evaluation value is higher than the evaluation of the initial evaluation value, the loading information and the loading sequence in the neighborhood solution are set as a solution to be used for the loading plan.

3. An information processing method as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, in the step of calculating the neighborhood solution, a plurality of neighborhood solutions are calculated in which a part of the stowage information and the stowage order differ from each other, and, in the step of calculating the neighborhood evaluation value, the neighborhood evaluation value is calculated for each of the neighborhood solutions.

4. The information processing method of claim 1 or 2, wherein in the step of calculating the neighboring solutions, at least one of the following is calculated as the neighboring solutions: a first neighboring solution in which the items assigned to multiple pallets having the same shipping destination are swapped with respect to the stowage information in the initial solution; a second neighboring solution in which the stacking order of the items on the pallet is changed with respect to the stowage information in the initial solution; a third neighboring solution in which the order of the pallets to be stowed is changed with respect to the stowage order in the initial solution; and a fourth neighboring solution in which the supply pallets that supply the items assigned to the pallets are changed with respect to the initial solution.

5. An information processing method as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein in the step of calculating the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value, the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value are calculated based on at least one of the workload of a loading device that loads the items onto the pallet, the workload of a mobile body that transports the pallet, and the number of times that the items, the number of which is assigned to the pallet is equal to or less than a predetermined number, are loaded consecutively.

6. The information processing method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a step of determining whether or not to calculate the neighboring solution, and when it is determined not to calculate the neighboring solution, not calculating the neighboring solution and the neighboring evaluation value, and setting the loading information and the loading sequence in the initial solution as a solution to be used for the loading plan.

7. A stowage method comprising the steps of: stowing the goods onto a plurality of pallets based on the stowage information and the stowage order set in the information processing method according to claim 1 or 2.

8. A program causing a computer to execute the steps of: acquiring work information indicating items to be shipped to a destination; calculating an initial solution indicating items to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets, stowage information indicating the stacking order of the items on the pallets, and a stowage order indicating the order in which the pallets are to be stowed, based on the work information; calculating an initial evaluation value indicating the degree of load of shipping work in the initial solution, based on the initial solution; calculating a neighborhood solution in which a portion of the stowage information and the stowage order are changed from the initial solution, based on the initial solution; calculating a neighborhood evaluation value indicating the degree of load of shipping work in the neighborhood solution, based on the neighborhood solution; and setting the stowage information and the stowage order to be used in a stowage plan, based on the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value.

9. An information processing device comprising: a work information acquisition unit that acquires work information indicating items to be shipped to a destination; an initial solution calculation unit that calculates, based on the work information, an initial solution indicating items to be assigned to each of a plurality of pallets, stowage information indicating the stacking order of the items on the pallets, and a stowage order indicating the order in which the pallets are to be stowed; an initial evaluation value calculation unit that calculates, based on the initial solution, an initial evaluation value that indicates a load level of shipping work in the initial solution; a neighborhood solution calculation unit that calculates, based on the initial solution, a neighborhood solution in which a part of the stowage information and the stowage order are changed with respect to the initial solution; a neighborhood evaluation value calculation unit that calculates, based on the neighborhood solution, a neighborhood evaluation value that indicates the load level of shipping work in the neighborhood solution; and a setting unit that sets the stowage information and the stowage order to be used in a stowage plan based on the initial evaluation value and the neighborhood evaluation value.

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