Conveyance system

Abstract

Provided is a conveyance system capable of more flexibly setting a conveyance permission condition for permitting a conveyance medium to convey an article than before. A conveyance system (1) comprises a conveyance medium (HB) that conveys an article (GD). The conveyance system (1) has: a first control device (10) that instructs a worker (W) to perform a work corresponding to the article (GD); and a second control device (20) that controls conveyance of the article (GD) by the conveyance medium (HB) in accordance with a command from the first control device (10). The first control device (10) specifies a relevant object number, which is the number of articles (GD) to be delivered to the conveyance medium (HB) by the worker (W). The first control device (10) sets a conveyance permission condition for permitting conveyance of the article (GD) to the conveyance medium (HB) on the basis of the relevant object number.

Description

Transport System

[0001] One aspect of the present invention relates to a transport system including a transport medium for transporting an article.

[0002] Various techniques have been proposed to improve the convenience of transporting goods, etc. For example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses an example of a weighing device used for picking.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-152440

[0004] An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a conveyance system that allows for more flexible setting of conveyance permission conditions for permitting a conveyance medium to convey an article than conventional systems.

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, a conveying system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a conveying system equipped with a conveying medium for conveying items, and includes a first control device that instructs a worker to perform work corresponding to the items, and a second control device that controls the conveying of the items by the conveying medium in accordance with instructions from the first control device, wherein the first control device identifies a target number, which is the number of items that the worker should hand over to the conveying medium, and sets conveying permission conditions that allow the conveying medium to convey the items based on the target number.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a transport system that allows transport permission conditions to be set more flexibly than conventional systems.

[0007] 1 shows an example of the configuration of a transport system in embodiment 1. FIG. 2 shows an example of a table used to identify the number of items of interest. FIG. 3 shows a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing in embodiment 1. FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of a transport system in embodiment 2. FIG. 5 shows an example of a display screen in embodiment 2.

[0008] [Embodiment 1] Embodiment 1 will be described below. For convenience of explanation, components having the same functions as those described in embodiment 1 will be denoted by the same reference numerals in the following embodiments, and their description will not be repeated. For simplicity, descriptions of well-known technical matters will also be omitted as appropriate. Unless otherwise specified, the components and numerical values ​​described in this disclosure are merely examples. Therefore, for example, unless otherwise specified, the positional relationship and connection relationship of the components are not limited to the examples in the figures.

[0009] 1 shows an example of the configuration of the conveyance system 1 according to the first embodiment. The conveyance system 1 includes a conveyance medium HB that conveys an item GD. The conveyance system 1 may be used in, for example, a logistics center.

[0010] In the first embodiment, the transport medium HB is a machine having a self-propelled function. As an example, the transport medium HB may be any type of self-propelled cart. The item GD may be any object that can be transported by the transport medium HB. In the first embodiment, the item GD is exemplified as a commodity handled in a logistics center.

[0011] The conveyance system 1 includes a first control device 10 that instructs a worker W to perform a task corresponding to an item GD. In the example of Fig. 1, the first control device 10 includes a control unit 11, a display unit 12, and a barcode reader 13. The control unit 11 comprehensively controls each unit of the first control device 10. The control unit 11 can also give commands to a second control device 20 described below.

[0012] In this specification, the number of items GD that the worker W should deliver to the transport medium HB is referred to as the target number. As an example, the first control device 10 instructs the worker W to deliver the target number of items GD to the transport medium HB. The control unit 11 may display a screen on the display unit 12 showing the instructions to be given to the worker W.

[0013] The conveying system 1 includes a second control device 20 that controls the conveyance of items GD by the conveying medium HB. In the conveying system 1, the second control device 20 receives instructions from the control unit 11. The second control device 20 then controls the conveyance of items GD by the conveying medium HB in accordance with the instructions. As an example, the second control device 20 controls the conveyance of items GD by the conveying medium HB in accordance with instructions from the control unit 11 and work by a worker W.

[0014] In this way, in the conveying system 1, the control unit 11 controls the conveyance of the goods GD by the conveying medium HB via the second control device 20. Therefore, the control unit 11 manages various information for controlling the conveyance of the goods GD by the conveying medium HB. This information includes information indicating the destination of the conveying medium HB within the logistics center and instructions to be given to the worker W. As an example, the control unit 11 may obtain this information from a higher-level controller (not shown).

[0015] FIG. 2 shows an example of table TB used to identify the number of items of interest. In the first embodiment, a case where the control unit 11 identifies the number of items of interest using table TB is illustrated. Various information related to the work of the worker W is recorded in table TB. For this reason, table TB may be referred to as a work information table. Table TB may be stored in a higher-level controller. In this case, the control unit 11 may acquire table TB from the higher-level controller.

[0016] In table TB, "product code" is associated with "product name," "order number," "operation quantity," "priority," and "operation status." In the first embodiment, a unique product code is assigned to each of a plurality of products in order to identify each of the products. In the example of FIG. 2, product codes correspond one-to-one to product names.

[0017] An order number is assigned to each order of a customer who has ordered a product. For example, in the example of Fig. 2, order number "001" represents an order from customer A, order number "002" represents an order from customer B, and order number "003" represents an order from customer C. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the order number can be used as a number to identify the final shipping destination of the product.

[0018] In the example of Figure 2, the item "Work quantity" represents the quantity (number) of products that worker W must deliver to the transport medium HB. Therefore, the work quantity corresponds to the target quantity described above. The item "Priority" represents the priority of the delivery work (the work of delivering products to the transport medium HB) by worker W. The item "Work status" represents whether the delivery work by worker W has been completed.

[0019] As an example, consider a case where a barcode representing the product code of the item GD is attached to the item GD. In this case, the product code can be read from the barcode by having the worker W use the barcode reader 13. In this way, the control unit 11 can obtain the product code through the barcode reader 13.

[0020] As an example, consider a case where the product code acquired through the barcode reader 13 is "0001." In this case, the control unit 11 extracts rows in the table TB that match the product code "0001" as candidate rows. In the example of FIG. 2, the control unit 11 extracts the first to third rows in the table TB as candidate rows.

[0021] The control unit 11 acquires the priority and work status of each of the extracted candidate rows. The control unit 11 extracts, from among the candidate rows, the row with the work status "incomplete" and the highest priority as the work target row. In the example of FIG. 2, the control unit 11 extracts the second row of table TB as the work target row. The control unit 11 acquires the work quantity indicated in the work target row as the number of items of interest. In the example of FIG. 2, the control unit 11 determines that the number of items of interest is 1.

[0022] As described above, the control unit 11 can specify the number of items of interest based on, for example, the barcode attached to the item GD. However, the method by which the control unit 11 specifies the number of items of interest is not particularly limited.

[0023] As another example, the control unit 11 may acquire an order number corresponding to the item GD from a higher-level controller. The control unit 11 may then determine the quantity of interest based on the acquired order number. For example, the control unit 11 may determine the quantity of interest by comparing the acquired order number with table TB1.

[0024] In the conveying system 1, it is intended that the conveying medium HB convey the item GD after the worker W has completed the handover of the item GD. In this specification, the conditions that permit the conveying medium HB to convey the item GD are referred to as conveyance permission conditions.

[0025] In the first embodiment, the control unit 11 sets the transport permission conditions based on the number of items of interest. Therefore, the control unit 11 can set separate transport permission conditions for when the number of items of interest is 1 and when the number of items of interest is 2 or more. In this way, the control unit 11 can change the transport permission conditions depending on the number of items of interest.

[0026] (Example when the number of items of interest is 1) When the number of items of interest is 1, it is considered that there is no problem in having the transport medium HB transport the item GD after the worker W has handed over one item GD to the transport medium HB. When the worker W hands over one item GD to the transport medium HB, the worker W first approaches the transport medium HB. Then, after handing over one item GD to the transport medium HB, the worker W moves away from the transport medium HB.

[0027] 1, the conveyance system 1 may include a sensor 30 that detects the presence or absence of an object. The sensor 30 may be capable of detecting the presence or absence of a part of the body of the worker W. In the example of FIG. 1, the second control device 20 includes the sensor 30. However, the sensor 30 may be provided outside the second control device 20.

[0028] For example, if a worker W who is close to the transported medium HB moves away from the transported medium HB, a change in the detection result of the sensor 30 may occur. Therefore, when the control unit 11 determines that the number of targets is 1, the control unit 11 may set a predetermined change event in the detection result of the sensor 30 as a transport permission condition.

[0029] By using the change event as a transport permission condition, unlike when the number of items of interest is 2 or more, which will be described later, it is not necessary for the worker W to perform a predetermined input operation indicating that the delivery work has been completed. Therefore, according to the control unit 11, when the number of items of interest is 1, convenience for the worker W can be improved.

[0030] The sensor 30 in the first embodiment may be an optical sensor that optically detects the presence or absence of an object. As an example, the optical sensor may be a light curtain. As another example, the optical sensor may be a camera.

[0031] For example, when the sensor 30 detects the presence of an object, it outputs an ON signal as the detection result. On the other hand, when the sensor 30 detects the absence of an object, it outputs an OFF signal as the detection result. The ON signal may be referred to as a presence signal, and the OFF signal may be referred to as an absence signal.

[0032] When the worker W who is close to the medium HB moves away from the medium HB, the detection result of the sensor 30 is likely to change from an ON signal to an OFF signal. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the change event may be set as an event indicating that the detection result of the sensor 30 has changed from an ON signal to an OFF signal.

[0033] The second control device 20 acquires the detection result of the sensor 30 and determines whether the transport permission conditions are met. If the second control device 20 determines that the transport permission conditions are met, it may control the transport medium HB after the item GD is handed over in accordance with instructions from the control unit 11. For example, the second control device 20 may permit the transport medium HB to move to the above-mentioned destination. After receiving the permission, the transport medium HB moves toward the destination.

[0034] (Example when the number of items of interest is two or more) When the number of items of interest is two or more, the transport medium HB should transport the items GD after the worker W has completed the task of transferring the number of items GD to the transport medium HB. However, when the number of items of interest is two or more, the number of times the above-mentioned change event occurs does not necessarily match the number of items of interest. For example, depending on the size or weight of the items GD, the worker W may be able to transfer multiple items GD to the transport medium HB at once.

[0035] Therefore, when the number of items of interest is two or more, it is not necessarily appropriate to use the change event as a transport permission condition. When the number of items of interest is two or more, it is preferable to have the worker W express his / her intention to the effect that he / she has completed the task of transferring the number of items of interest GD to the transport medium HB. This reduces the risk of a false positive determination of the transport permission condition.

[0036] Therefore, when the control unit 11 determines that the number of items of interest is 2 or more, it may set an event indicating that the worker W has performed a predetermined input operation as a transport permission condition. As an example, when the control unit 11 determines that the number of items of interest is 2 or more, it may set an event indicating that the worker W has pressed a predetermined completion button as a transport permission condition.

[0037] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1 , the conveying system 1 may have a hardware button 35. The hardware button 35 is an example of a completion button. In the example of FIG. 1 , the second control device 20 has the hardware button 35. However, the hardware button 35 may also be provided outside the second control device 20. As an example, the control unit 11 may display text or an image on the display unit 12 to prompt the worker W to press the hardware button 35 after completing the task of transferring the target number of items GD to the conveying medium HB.

[0038] The second control device 20 determines that the transport permission condition is satisfied when it receives from the hardware button 35 a press event of the hardware button 35. The subsequent processing by the second control device 20 is the same as in the example when the number of items of interest is 1.

[0039] (Effect) In conventional conveyance systems, a single conveyance permission condition is generally set regardless of whether the number of items of interest is 1 or 2 or more. Therefore, as an example, in conventional conveyance systems, a predetermined input operation by the worker W (e.g., pressing the hardware button 35) may be set as the conveyance permission condition regardless of the number of items of interest. In this case, even when the number of items of interest is 1, the worker W is required to perform the predetermined input operation. Therefore, when the number of items of interest is 1, convenience for the worker W may be reduced.

[0040] As another example, in a conventional transport system, a predetermined change event in the detection result of the sensor 30 may be set as a transport permission condition, regardless of the number of targets. However, in this case, when the number of targets is two or more, a false positive determination of the transport permission condition is likely to occur.

[0041] In response to this, the inventors of the present application created the conveyance system 1 based on the novel idea of ​​"setting transport permission conditions based on the number of items of interest." In conventional conveyance systems, the first control device acquires information about the items and then supplies only information indicating the destination of the transport medium to the second control device. In contrast, in the conveyance system 1, unlike conventional conveyance systems, the first control device 10 can identify the number of items of interest based on information about the items contained in, for example, the work information table described above. The first control device 10 can then change the transport permission conditions based on the identified number of items of interest. In other words, the conveyance system 1 allows for more flexible setting of transport permission conditions than conventional systems. In the conveyance system 1, unlike conventional conveyance systems, the first control device 10 can provide the second control device 20 with the transport permission conditions it sets.

[0042] As a result, unlike conventional conveyance systems, the conveyance system 1 does not require the worker W to perform a predetermined input operation to satisfy the conveyance permission condition when the number of items of interest is 1. Therefore, convenience for the worker W can be improved when the number of items of interest is 1. Furthermore, in the conveyance system 1, when the number of items of interest is 2 or more, a predetermined change event in the detection result of the sensor 30 is not set as a conveyance permission condition. Therefore, when the number of items of interest is 2 or more, the risk of a false positive determination regarding the conveyance permission condition can be reduced.

[0043] (Example of processing flow in conveying system 1) FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow in the conveying system 1. The order of each step in the example of FIG. 3 may be changed as appropriate as long as there is no contradiction in content. In the following description, the transport permission condition that should be set when the number of items of interest is 1 is referred to as the first permission condition, and the transport permission condition that should be set when the number of items of interest is 2 or more is referred to as the second permission condition. As described above, the first permission condition may be a predetermined change event in the detection result of the sensor 30, and the second permission condition may be an event indicating that the operator W has performed a predetermined input operation.

[0044] In step S1, the first control device 10 acquires various pieces of information about the item GD. For example, the first control device 10 acquires the product code of the item GD through the barcode reader 13 used by the worker W. The first control device 10 then performs a comparison using the product code to acquire various pieces of information about the item GD from the upper controller.

[0045] Next, in step S2, the first control device 10 identifies a target number based on each piece of information about the item GD acquired in step S1.

[0046] Next, in step S3, the first control device 10 acquires the destination of the item GD from each piece of information about the item GD, and then instructs the second control device 20 of the destination of the item GD.

[0047] In step S4, the first control device 10 determines whether the number of targets identified in step S2 is two or more.

[0048] If the answer is YES in step S4, that is, if the number of targets is 2 or more, the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, the first control device 10 sets the transport permission condition to the second permission condition. Then, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0049] On the other hand, if the determination in step S4 is NO, that is, if the number of objects of interest is 1, the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, the first control device 10 sets the transport permission condition to the first permission condition. Then, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0050] In step S7, the first control device 10 displays the handover information on the display unit 12. The handover information collectively refers to information related to the handover work performed by the worker W. The display screen 120 described in the second embodiment below is an example of a screen on which the handover information is displayed.

[0051] In step S8, the second control device 20 determines whether the transport permission condition set according to the target number is satisfied. If the second permission condition is set as the transport permission condition in step S5, the second control device 20 determines whether the second permission condition is satisfied. On the other hand, if the first permission condition is set as the transport permission condition in step S6, the second control device 20 determines whether the first permission condition is satisfied.

[0052] If the answer is YES in step S8, i.e., if the transport permission conditions are satisfied, the process proceeds to step S9. On the other hand, if the answer is NO in step S8, i.e., if the transport permission conditions are not satisfied, the process returns to step S8. In this way, the determination process of step S8 is repeated until the delivery work by the worker W is completed and the transport permission conditions are satisfied.

[0053] In step S9, the second control device 20 permits the transport medium HB to transport the item GD to the destination instructed by the first control device 10 in step S3. In this way, the second control device 20 permits the transport of the item GD by the transport medium HB when the transport permission conditions are satisfied.

[0054] [Embodiment 2] Fig. 4 shows an example of the configuration of a conveying system 2 according to embodiment 2. In embodiment 2, the control unit 11 may display a software button as the above-described completion button on the display screen. In embodiment 2, a case where the control unit 11 displays a software button on the display unit 12 is exemplified. However, the control unit 11 may also display a software button on the display screen of a device external to the first control device. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 4, the conveying system 2 does not need to have a hardware button 35.

[0055] 5 shows an example of a display screen 120 displayed on the display unit 12. The display screen 120 includes a software button 125. In FIG. 5, the fourth row of the table TB in FIG. 2 is extracted as the row to be worked on. Therefore, the number of items of interest in the example in FIG. 5 is two.

[0056] The worker W may press the software button 125 by operating a predetermined input device (e.g., a mouse). If the display unit 12 is a touch panel, the worker W may press the software button 125 with his or her finger. When the control unit 11 receives a pressing event of the software button 125 from the display unit 12, it determines that the transport permission condition is satisfied.

[0057] The notation "1 / 2" on the display screen 120 indicates that the number of items GD currently being delivered to the transport medium HB is "1" and the number of items GD of interest is "2." In the following explanation, the number of items GD currently being delivered to the transport medium HB will be referred to as the number of completed tasks.

[0058] As an example, the conveyance system 2 may have a weight sensor (not shown) that measures the weight of the items GD. In this case, for example, the control unit 11 may calculate the number of completed tasks based on the measurement result of the weight sensor. By displaying the number of completed tasks and the target number on the display screen 120, the worker W can be made aware that the number of completed tasks has reached the target number, and can then press the software button 125.

[0059] (1) As an example, the conveyance system according to one aspect of the present invention may further include a camera that captures an image of the items GD. In this case, the control unit 11 may apply any image recognition technology to the image acquired from the camera to derive the number of items GD shown in the image. The control unit 11 may then determine the derived number of items GD as the number of items to be completed.

[0060] (2) In the first and second embodiments, the conveying medium HB is a machine having a self-propelled function. However, the conveying medium HB does not necessarily have to have a self-propelled function. The conveying medium HB may be any member capable of storing the item GD.

[0061] For example, the conveying system according to one aspect of the present invention may include pouches containing the articles GD as the conveying medium HB. In this case, the conveying system further includes a conveying device that conveys the pouches. In this case, the second control device 20 controls the conveying device in accordance with instructions from the control unit 11 to control the movement of the pouches.

[0062] In this way, the control unit 11 controls the movement of the pouches by controlling the conveying device via the second control device 20. Therefore, in this example as well, the control unit 11 may set the conveyance permission conditions based on the number of pouches of interest, as described in the first embodiment.

[0063] [Example of implementation using software] The functions of the conveying systems 1 and 2 (hereinafter referred to as "devices" for convenience) can be realized by a program that causes a computer to function as the device, and a program that causes a computer to function as each control block of the device.

[0064] In this case, the device includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., a memory) as hardware for executing the program. The functions described in each of the above embodiments are realized by executing the program using the control device and storage device.

[0065] The program may be non-transitory and may be recorded on one or more computer-readable recording media. The recording media may or may not be included in the device. In the latter case, the program may be supplied to the device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0066] In addition, some or all of the functions of the control blocks can be realized by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which a logic circuit that functions as each of the control blocks is formed is also included in the scope of one aspect of the present invention. In addition, the functions of the control blocks can be realized by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0067] The processes described in the above embodiments may be executed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this case, the AI ​​may run on the control device or on another device (for example, an edge computer or a cloud server).

[0068] A computer program product for realizing each function of the above-described device is also included in the scope of one aspect of the present invention. The computer program product loads a program provided via any transmission medium onto at least one computer and causes the computer to execute at least one program instruction. This causes a processor in the at least one computer to perform processing in accordance with the program instruction, thereby realizing each function of the above-described device. The computer program product causes at least one computer into which the program is loaded to execute each step of the method for controlling the above-described device.

[0069] [Summary] The conveying system of aspect 1 of the present invention is a conveying system equipped with a conveying medium for conveying items, and includes a first control device that instructs a worker to perform work corresponding to the items, and a second control device that controls the conveying of the items by the conveying medium in accordance with instructions from the first control device, and the first control device identifies a target number, which is the number of items that the worker should hand over to the conveying medium, and sets conveying permission conditions that allow the conveying medium to convey the items based on the target number.

[0070] A conveying system according to aspect 2 of the present invention may be the same as in aspect 1, but may have a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object, and when the first control device determines that the number of objects of interest is 1, may set a predetermined change event in the detection result of the sensor as the conveying permission condition.

[0071] In a conveyance system according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the sensor may be an optical sensor that optically detects the presence or absence of the object.

[0072] In a conveying system according to aspect 4 of the present invention, in aspect 2 or 3, the sensor may output an ON signal as the detection result when it detects the presence of the object, and may output an OFF signal as the detection result when it detects the absence of the object, and the change event may be an event indicating that the detection result has transitioned from the ON signal to the OFF signal.

[0073] In a conveying system according to aspect 5 of the present invention, in any one of aspects 1 to 4, when the first control device determines that the number of items of interest is two or more, it may set an event indicating that the worker has performed a predetermined input operation as the conveying permission condition.

[0074] [Additional Notes] One aspect of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of one aspect of the present invention.

[0075] 1, 2 Conveying system 10 First control device 11 Control unit 12 Display unit 20 Second control device 30 Sensor 35 Hardware button 125 Software button GD Article HB Conveying device W Worker

Claims

1. A conveying system equipped with a conveying medium for conveying items, comprising: a first control device that instructs a worker to perform work corresponding to the items; and a second control device that controls the conveying of the items by the conveying medium in accordance with instructions from the first control device, wherein the first control device identifies a target number, which is the number of items that the worker should hand over to the conveying medium, and sets conveying permission conditions that permit the conveying medium to convey the items based on the target number.

2. The conveying system of claim 1, wherein the conveying system has a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object, and when the first control device determines that the number of objects of interest is 1, it sets a predetermined change event in the detection result of the sensor as the conveying permission condition.

3. The transport system according to claim 2, wherein the sensor is an optical sensor that optically detects the presence or absence of the object.

4. The conveying system of claim 2, wherein the sensor outputs an ON signal as the detection result when it detects the presence of the object, and outputs an OFF signal as the detection result when it detects the absence of the object, and the change event is an event indicating that the detection result has transitioned from the ON signal to the OFF signal.

5. A conveying system as described in claim 1, wherein when the first control device determines that the number of items of interest is two or more, it sets an event indicating that the worker has performed a specified input operation as the conveying permission condition.

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