Article processing system and article processing method

Abstract

This article processing system comprises: a plurality of rows of storage units that store articles; a first conveyor provided for each storage unit, the first conveyors transporting articles delivered from the storage units; a transport unit that transports the articles stored in a given storage unit to the first conveyor corresponding to the storage unit; a second conveyor provided on the side of the first conveyors that is located downstream in the transport direction, the second conveyor merging and transporting the articles transported by the first conveyors; a transfer device that loads articles within a prescribed range on the second conveyor onto a load-receiving unit; a calculation unit that calculates the order in which the plurality of articles are to be loaded on the load-receiving unit and, on the basis of the result of the calculation, groups the articles loaded on the load-receiving unit in a loading order according to the number of articles that fit into the prescribed range; and a control unit that, on the basis of the calculated loading order for the groups, controls the transport unit so that, for each group, the articles belonging to the group are transported from the storage unit to the second conveyor.

Description

Item processing system and item processing method

[0001] The present invention relates to an article processing system and an article processing method.

[0002] An example of an invention for stacking items transported by a conveyor onto a pallet is a stacking system disclosed in Patent Document 1. This stacking system includes a robot that places items transported by the conveyor onto a pallet, an imaging unit that captures an image of a predetermined range on the conveyor within which the robot can move the items, and an image sensor that recognizes the status of the items stacked on the pallet. This system recognizes the size of the items on the conveyor captured by the imaging unit, and calculates the optimal location on the pallet for each item on the conveyor based on the recognized size and the stacking status on the pallet recognized by the image sensor. Then, based on the calculation result, the robot picks one item from the items within the predetermined range and stacks the item on the pallet.

[0003] Patent No. 7235648

[0004] When loading items onto a pallet, there are cases where more items than the number of items within a predetermined range are transported by a conveyor and loaded onto one pallet. In the case of the loading system of Patent Document 1, since loading optimization is performed only within a predetermined range, loading efficiency may be lower than when loading calculations are performed for all items to be loaded.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to transport and efficiently stack more articles than the number of articles in a predetermined area.

[0006] The item processing system of the present invention comprises: a storage section with multiple rows of storage sections for storing items; a first conveyor provided for each of the multiple rows of storage sections and for transporting items released from the corresponding storage section; a transport section provided for each of the multiple rows of storage sections and for transporting items stored in the storage section to the first conveyor corresponding to the storage section; a second conveyor provided downstream in the transport direction of the first conveyor and for merging and transporting items transported by the multiple rows of the first conveyor; a transfer device that stacks the items within a predetermined range on the second conveyor onto a stacking section; a calculation section that calculates the stacking order of the multiple items stored in the storage section onto the stacking section, and based on the calculation result, groups the items to be stacked onto the stacking section in stacking order based on the number of items that fall within the predetermined range; and a control section that controls the transport section so that items belonging to each group are transported from the storage section to the second conveyor for each group based on the stacking order of the groups calculated by the calculation section.

[0007] The item processing method of the present invention is an item processing method in an item processing facility comprising: a plurality of rows of storage sections for storing items; a first conveyor provided for each of the plurality of rows of storage sections and transporting items released from the corresponding storage section; a transport section provided for each of the plurality of rows of storage sections and transporting items stored in the storage section to the first conveyor corresponding to the storage section; a second conveyor provided downstream in the transport direction of the first conveyor and merging and transporting items transported by the plurality of rows of first conveyors; and a transfer device that stacks the items within a predetermined range on the second conveyor onto a stacking section, the method comprising: a calculation step in which a calculation section calculates the stacking order of the plurality of items stored in the storage section onto the stacking section, and based on the calculation result, groups the items to be stacked onto the stacking section in order of stacking based on the number of items that fall within the predetermined range; and a control step in which a control section controls the transport section so that items belonging to each group are transported from the storage section to the second conveyor based on the stacking order of the groups calculated in the calculation step.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an article processing system according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a control device. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the control device. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of merging of cases on conveyors. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of an article processing system according to a modified example. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of an article processing system according to a modified example.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Furthermore, in the drawings, identical or corresponding elements are appropriately designated by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the dimensional relationships between elements may differ from those in reality. The drawings may also include portions with different dimensional relationships and ratios. Furthermore, a Cartesian coordinate system of X, Y, and Z axes is appropriately shown in the drawings, and directions are explained using this. In the space represented by the Cartesian coordinate system, the direction in which the X component increases is called the +X direction, and the direction in which the X component decreases is called the -X direction. Similarly, the Y and Z components are defined as the +Y direction, -Y direction, +Z direction, and -Z direction. For convenience of explanation, the +Z direction may be referred to as upward, and the -Z direction as downward.

[0010] [Embodiment] (Configuration of the embodiment) Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an item processing system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The item processing system 1000 includes an automated warehouse 10, conveyors 41, 61, a palletizer 70, and a code reader 81. The item processing system 1000 also includes a control device 100 that controls each part of the item processing system 1000. The configuration of the control device 100 will be described later. The item processing system 1000 is a system that palletizes cases A stored in the automated warehouse 10 onto pallets P and removes the cases from the warehouse.

[0011] Case A, which is an example of an item, is a cardboard box that contains multiple products sold in a store. The size of Case A varies depending on the products stored therein. A barcode is printed on the side of Case A to identify the product name of the stored product. Pallet P, which is an example of a loading area, is a flat pallet on which Case A is stacked. Multiple Case A are stacked on Pallet P before being shipped out.

[0012] An automated warehouse 10, which is an example of a storage unit according to the present invention, includes a storage shelf 11, a stacker crane 20, and conveyors 31 and 32. The storage shelf 11 is a shelf with multiple storage compartments 12 for storing cases A arranged in the left-right direction (X-axis direction), and is installed in multiple tiers in the up-down direction (+Z direction). The automated warehouse 10 includes multiple storage shelves 11 spaced apart. The conveyor 31 is a conveyor that transports cases A stored in the storage compartments 12 from the conveyor 41 to the vicinity of the storage shelf 11. The conveyor 32, which is an example of a first conveyor according to the present invention, transports cases A removed from the storage compartments 12 and stacked on pallets P to the conveyor 41. The conveyors 31 and 32 include a transport mechanism that transports the cases A and a drive unit, such as a motor, that drives the transport mechanism. The transport mechanism may be, for example, a roller conveyor or a chain conveyor, but is not limited to these conveyors.

[0013] A stacker crane 20, which is an example of a transport unit according to the present invention, includes rails 21 and a transfer machine 22. The rails 21 are installed in a work aisle between storage shelves 11. The transfer machine 22 is configured to be movable along the rails 21 parallel to the storage shelves 11 and also movable vertically. The transfer machine 22 retrieves cases A from the conveyor 31 and stores the retrieved cases A in the storage section 12. The transfer machine 22 also retrieves cases A from the storage section 12 and places the retrieved cases A on the conveyor 32. Note that the mechanism for transporting cases A between the storage section 12 and the conveyors 31 and 32 is not limited to the stacker crane 20. For example, the mechanism may include a self-propelled cart provided for each tier of the storage shelves 11 and a lifter for transporting cases A between the self-propelled cart on each tier and the conveyors 31 and 32.

[0014] Conveyor 41, which is an example of a second conveyor according to the present invention, has a conveying mechanism for conveying cases A and a drive unit such as a motor for driving the conveying mechanism. Conveyor 41 conveys cases A that have been depalletized from pallets P and are to be stored in storage section 12. Conveyor 41 also conveys cases A that have been removed from storage section 12 and are to be palletized onto pallets P to palletizer 70.

[0015] A code reader 81 is installed near the conveyor 41. The code reader 81 is a device that reads barcodes printed on cases A that are transported to a picking area AR (described later) by the conveyor 41. The code reader 81 is installed in the width direction of the conveyor 41, reads barcodes printed on the side of the cases A that face the width direction of the conveyor 41, and outputs information representing the read code to the control device 100.

[0016] The conveyor 61 is a conveyor that transports pallets P on which cases A are stacked. The conveyor 61 has a transport mechanism that transports the pallets P and a drive unit such as a motor that drives the transport mechanism. The transport mechanism is, for example, a roller conveyor or a chain conveyor, but is not limited to these conveyors.

[0017] A palletizer 70, which is an example of a transfer device according to the present invention, is, for example, a gantry-type palletizer. The palletizer 70 includes slide shafts 71a, 71b, and 71c and a holder 72. The two slide shafts 71a are installed parallel to the Y-axis, straddling the conveyors 41 and 61. The slide shaft 71b is suspended between the two slide shafts 71a and moves in the Y-axis direction. The slide shaft 71c is attached to the slide shaft 71b and moves the holder 72 vertically. The holder 72 is attached to the lower end of the slide shaft 71 and holds cases A transported by the conveyor 41 and places the held cases A on a pallet P. The palletizer 70 can hold cases A within a picking area AR on the conveyor 41 where the holder 72 can hold cases A. The palletizer 70 picks up cases A from the picking area AR one by one and places them on a pallet P on the conveyor 61. The palletizer 70 is not limited to a gantry-type palletizer, but may be, for example, a robot equipped with an articulated arm and a robot hand.

[0018] 2 is a block diagram of the control device 100 that controls the article processing system 1000. The control device 100 is a computer device, and includes an arithmetic processing unit 101, a main memory unit 102, an auxiliary memory unit 103, and an interface 104.

[0019] The interface 104 outputs signals to control the stacker crane 20, the drive units 31a, 32a, 41a, and 61a, and the palletizer 70. The drive units 31a, 32a, 41a, and 61a have motors and the like that drive the transport mechanisms of the conveyors 31, 32, 41, and 61. The drive units 31a, 32a, and 41a, controlled by the control device 100, drive the transport mechanisms, causing the conveyors 31, 32, and 41 to transport cases A. Furthermore, the drive unit 61a, controlled by the control device 100, drives the transport mechanism, causing the conveyor 61 to transport a pallet P.

[0020] The main memory unit 102 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) and is composed of a volatile memory. The main memory unit 102 serves as a workspace when the arithmetic processing unit 101 performs arithmetic processing, and stores the results of the arithmetic processing by the arithmetic processing unit 101. The auxiliary memory unit 103 is composed of an auxiliary storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a non-volatile memory. The ROM of the auxiliary memory unit 103, which is an example of a storage unit, stores programs executed by the arithmetic processing unit 101 to perform arithmetic processing. The non-volatile memory of the auxiliary memory unit 103 stores data used by the arithmetic processing unit 101 to perform arithmetic processing.

[0021] The arithmetic processing unit 101 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which reads a program from the auxiliary storage unit 103 and executes it using the main storage unit 102 as a workspace. The functions of the arithmetic processing unit 101 are realized by the arithmetic processing unit 101 reading and executing the program, and in this embodiment, this is realized as a calculation unit 101a and a control unit 101b. The calculation unit 101a calculates the efficient stacking of multiple cases A onto a pallet P and determines the stacking order, stacking position, and orientation of each case A. The calculation unit 101a also groups the cases A to be stacked onto the pallet P in order of stacking so that the number of cases A will fit within the picking area AR. The control unit 101b controls the conveyor 32 so that the cases A merge with the conveyor 41 in the order of the groups calculated by the calculation unit 101a.

[0022] (Example of Operation of the Embodiment) Next, an example of operation of the article processing system 1000 will be described. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the control device 100 when palletizing a case A onto a pallet P by the palletizer 70. When instructed to palletize a case A stored in the automated multi-story warehouse 3, the control device 100 performs a stowage calculation for the case A.

[0023] Specifically, when the control device 100 acquires shipping data including the names of products to be shipped and the number of cases A containing products with that product name to be shipped, the control device 100 acquires, for each product name included in the shipping data, the dimensions of the cases A containing the products with that product name from the dimensional data stored in the auxiliary storage unit 103 (step S1). The dimensional data is stored in advance in the auxiliary storage unit 103, and associates the product name with the length, width, and height dimensions of the cases A containing the products with that product name. The control device 100 uses the acquired dimensions to perform a stowage calculation for the cases A containing the products with the product name included in the shipping data, and determines the position, order, and orientation of the cases A on the pallet P for each case A to be loaded (step S2).

[0024] Next, the control device 100 divides the multiple cases A to be stacked into groups (step S3). Here, the control device 100 divides the cases A into groups based on the number of cases A that can fit within the picking area AR. For example, in the picking area AR shown in FIG. 1, four cases A can fit within the picking area AR, so the control device 100 divides the cases A into groups of four. If a total of 12 cases A are to be stacked on one pallet P, the cases are divided into a first group including the cases A to be stacked first through fourth, a second group including the cases A to be stacked fifth through eighth, and a third group including the cases A to be stacked ninth through twelfth.

[0025] Next, based on the results of the stowage calculation and grouping, the control device 100 controls the stacker crane 20 and the drive unit 32a to transport the cases A containing the products with the product names specified in the shipping data to the conveyor 41 in group order (step S4). Here, the control device 100 controls the cases A to be transported to the conveyor 41 in the following order: cases A belonging to the first group, cases A belonging to the second group, cases A belonging to the third group, and cases A belonging to the fourth group. Furthermore, when the cases A are to be merged from the conveyor 32 to the conveyor 41, the control device 100 controls the cases A to be merged to the conveyor 41 in the order that the case A that arrived at the conveyor 32 earliest within one group is merged to the conveyor 41.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the merging of cases A on the conveyor 41. Note that the numbers inside the cases A in FIG. 4 indicate the order in which they will be stacked onto the pallet P. In the example shown in FIG. 4, if the ninth through twelfth cases A in the fourth group are controlled to line up on the conveyor 41 in the order in which they will be stacked onto the pallet P, the tenth case A will have to wait until the ninth case A passes in front of it before merging, which will take time. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the cases are controlled to line up on the conveyor 41 in the order of tenth, eleventh, ninth, and twelfth, and instead of lining up on the conveyor 41 in the order in which they will be stacked onto the pallet P, they are controlled to merge in random order within a group. This prevents the cases A from having to wait when merging, allowing for efficient transport.

[0027] The control device 100 controls the drive unit 41a to transport the case A to the picking area AR on the conveyor 41 (step S5). The code reader 81 reads the barcode printed on the case A that enters the picking area AR on the conveyor 41, and outputs information representing the read code to the control device 100. The control device 100 acquires the information output from the code reader 81 (step S6).

[0028] Next, the control device 100 determines the stacking order of each of the cases A that entered the picking area AR based on the information acquired from the code reader 81 and the results of the stacking calculation (step S7). For example, if the product name identified by the first acquired barcode is the name of the product stored in the case A that is to be stacked third, the control device 100 determines that the case A that passed first is the case A that is to be stacked third, as shown in FIG.

[0029] Next, the control device 100 controls the palletizer 70 to stow the cases A in the picking area AR onto the pallet P based on the order determined in step S7 and the positions and orientations calculated in the stowage calculation (step S8). For example, if there is a case A in the picking area AR as shown in Figure 4, the control device 100 stows the cases A onto the pallet P in the following order: the case A that entered the picking area AR third, the case A that entered the picking area AR second, the case A that entered the picking area AR first, and the case A that entered the picking area AR fourth.

[0030] Next, the control device 100 determines, based on the information obtained from the code reader 81, whether all of the cases A to be stacked on one pallet have been stacked (step S9). If the product name identified by the code represented by the obtained information for the cases A stacked on the pallet P by the palletizer 70 is not the name of the product to be stacked last on the pallet P (No in step S9), the control device 100 returns the process flow to step S5. If the product name identified by the code represented by the obtained information for the cases A stacked on the pallet P by the palletizer 70 is the name of the product to be stacked last on the pallet P (Yes in step S9), the control device 100 controls the drive unit 61a to transport the pallet P on which the cases A are stacked, and transports the empty pallet P to the position where the cases A will be placed by the palletizer 70 (step S10).

[0031] As described above, according to this embodiment, when multiple cases A to be stacked on a pallet P are removed from parallel storage shelves 11, the multiple cases A are divided into groups and controlled so that within each group they merge with the conveyor 41 in no particular order, so that the cases A do not have to wait when merging and can be transported efficiently. In other words, since the items to be stacked on a pallet are divided into groups, the items are removed from multiple rows of storage units for each group and merge, and are stacked on a pallet by group by a transfer device, it is possible to efficiently stack more items than the number of items within a predetermined pickable range.

[0032] [Modifications] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be implemented in various other forms. For example, the above-described embodiments may be modified as follows to implement the present invention. The above-described embodiments and the following modifications may be combined with each other. The present invention also includes configurations in which the components of the above-described embodiments and modifications are appropriately combined. Furthermore, further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and various modifications are possible.

[0033] 5 is a schematic diagram of an article processing system 1000A according to a modified example of the present invention. The article processing system 1000A differs from the article processing system 1000 in that it further includes conveyors 51-54, which are examples of second conveyors. The conveyors 51-54, which branch off into multiple rows from the conveyor 41, are installed within the range of movement of the holding unit 72 of the palletizer 70 when viewed from above, and each include a conveying mechanism for conveying the cases A and a drive unit, such as a motor, for driving the conveying mechanism. The conveyors 51-54 transport the cases A transported by the conveyor 41 in the -Y direction.

[0034] In the case of item processing system 1000A shown in Figure 5, picking area AR is an area where conveyors 51-54 are located in addition to a portion of conveyor 41. In item processing system 1000A, the number of cases A included in picking area AR is 12, and when grouping is performed in step S3, the number of cases A included in one group is greater than the number in the previously described embodiment. In this case, the 12 cases A included in one group can be merged in any order when merging from conveyor 32 to conveyor 41, and since the number of cases A that can be merged in any order is increased, the cases A can be transported efficiently.

[0035] 6 is a schematic diagram of an article processing system 1000B according to a modified example of the present invention. Article processing system 1000B differs from article processing system 1000 in that it has a palletizer 70B instead of palletizer 70 and a conveyor 41B instead of conveyor 41. Palletizer 70B is an articulated robot equipped with an articulated arm and a robot hand that holds cases A. Palletizer 70B is controlled by control device 100, and holds cases A placed on conveyor 41B and places the held cases A on pallets P.

[0036] The shape of the conveyor path within the picking area AR of the conveyor 41B is different from that of the conveyor 41, and the conveyor 41B curves in an arc within the picking area AR. In the item processing system 1000B, because the conveyor 41B curves in an arc within the picking area AR, the number of cases A contained within the picking area AR increases, and therefore, when grouping is performed in step S3, the number of cases A contained within one group increases compared to the number in the embodiment. In this case, the cases A contained within one group can be merged in any order when merging from the conveyor 32 to the conveyor 41B, and since the number of cases A that merge in any order increases, the cases A can be transported efficiently.

[0037] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Automated warehouse 11 Storage shelf 12 Storage section 20 Stacker crane 21 Rail 22 Transfer machine 31, 32, 41, 41B, 61 Conveyor 31a, 32a, 41a, 61a Drive unit 70 Palletizer 81 Code reader 100 Control device 101 Arithmetic processing unit 101a Calculation unit 101b Control unit 102 Main memory unit 103 Auxiliary memory unit 104 Interface 1000, 1000A, 1000B Item processing system

Claims

1. An item processing system comprising: a storage section with multiple rows of items for storing items; a first conveyor provided for each of the multiple rows of storage sections, for transporting items released from a corresponding storage section; a transport section provided for each of the multiple rows of storage sections, for transporting items stored in the storage section to the first conveyor corresponding to the storage section; a second conveyor provided downstream in a transport direction of the first conveyor, for merging and transporting items transported by the multiple rows of the first conveyor; a transfer device for stacking the items that are within a predetermined range on the second conveyor to a stacking section; a calculation section that calculates a stacking order for a plurality of items stored in the storage section to be stacked in the stacking section based on the calculation result, and groups the items to be stacked in the stacking section in order of the number of items that fall within the predetermined range; and a control section that controls the transport section so that items belonging to each group are transported from the storage section to the second conveyor based on the stacking order of the groups calculated by the calculation section.

2. The article processing system according to claim 1, wherein the second conveyor branches into multiple rows.

3. The article processing system according to claim 1, wherein the second conveyor has an arcuate path within the predetermined range.

4. The article processing system according to claim 1, wherein articles belonging to said group join said second conveyor in random order for each group.

5. An item processing method for an item processing facility including: a plurality of rows of storage sections for storing items; a first conveyor provided for each of the plurality of rows of storage sections for transporting items released from the corresponding storage section; a transport section provided for each of the plurality of rows of storage sections for transporting items stored in the storage sections to the first conveyor corresponding to the storage section; a second conveyor provided downstream in the transport direction of the first conveyor for merging and transporting the items transported by the plurality of rows of first conveyors; and a transfer device for stacking the items that are within a predetermined range on the second conveyor into a stacking section, the method comprising: a calculation step in which a calculation section calculates the order in which the plurality of items stored in the storage sections will be stacked into the stacking section, and based on the calculation result, groups the items to be stacked into the stacking section in order of the number of items that fall within the predetermined range; a control step in which a control unit controls the conveying unit so that items belonging to each group are transported from the storage unit to the second conveyor for each group based on the stacking order of the groups calculated in the calculation step.

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