Case manufacturing apparatus and case manufacturing method

Abstract

The present invention provides a case manufacturing apparatus capable of manufacturing, even when articles are conveyed out from an automated warehouse at short time intervals, a case corresponding to each article by adapting to the time intervals.　This case manufacturing apparatus comprises: a case manufacturing part for manufacturing a case; and a controller for instructing the case manufacturing part to manufacture a case. The controller uses conveyance order information for specifying the order of conveying out a plurality of articles conveyed into an automated warehouse from the automated warehouse to instruct the case manufacturing part to manufacture a case for storing each of the plurality of articles to be conveyed out from the automated warehouse.

Description

Case manufacturing device and case manufacturing method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a case manufacturing apparatus and a case manufacturing method.

[0002] The cardboard packaging used in the logistics industry involves preparing multiple standard cardboard sheets, packing them into boxes according to the items to be packed, and then shipping them. When packing a wide variety of items and multiple quantities of items, using pre-prepared standard cardboard sheets can result in wasted space around the items, reducing transportation efficiency and incurring costs for extra cushioning material. In addition, a space must be prepared in the packaging work area to store the cardboard sheets, which increases the footprint of the packaging work area.

[0003] Patent Literature 1 discloses a system that identifies three-dimensional dimensions corresponding to each of one or more items, calculates the size of the required container (case) based on the identified three-dimensional dimensions, and automatically creates a case based on the results. It is suggested that this system calculates the size of the case for items to be transported from inventory. Patent Literature 1 refers to a warehouse, and discloses that items are transported from the warehouse to a packaging facility by an automatic transport system such as a conveyor.

[0004] Patent No. 6742241

[0005] In an automated warehouse, after items are carried in, the order in which they will be carried out from the automated warehouse is specified, and the items are carried out in that order. In an automated warehouse that handles a wide variety of items and multiple quantities of items in large quantities in a short period of time, multiple items are carried out one after another from the automated warehouse at short time intervals, for example, every few seconds.

[0006] Based on the above, the present disclosure aims to provide a case manufacturing device that can manufacture cases to accommodate each item in accordance with the time intervals, even if the items are transported out of an automated warehouse at short time intervals.

[0007] The case manufacturing device according to the present disclosure includes a case manufacturing unit that manufactures cases, and a controller that instructs the case manufacturing unit to manufacture cases, and the controller instructs the case manufacturing unit to manufacture cases to accommodate the items that are to be transported from the automated warehouse based on removal order information that specifies the order in which the items are to be transported from the automated warehouse.

[0008] According to the case manufacturing device of the present disclosure, once the order in which items are to be carried out from the automated warehouse is identified, the manufacturing of cases to house the items can be started based on this carrying-out order command. Therefore, according to the present disclosure, since the manufacturing of cases can be started before the items are carried out from the automated warehouse, even if the items are carried out at short time intervals from the automated warehouse, it is possible to ensure time to manufacture cases to house each item corresponding to the time intervals.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an on-demand packing system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overview of a controller of the on-demand packing system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a time chart of the on-demand packing system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the flow of articles and cases on a first conveying path and a second conveying path according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the flow of articles and cases upstream and downstream of a packing ST according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an on-demand packing system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an on-demand packing system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] [First embodiment: see FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6] The on-demand packing system 1 is a system that produces cardboard boxes 12 of a size determined based on the three-dimensional dimensions of one item 22 or multiple items 22 collected for each order and delivered from an automated warehouse 20, and stores and delivers the one item 22 or multiple items 22 into the cardboard boxes 12. The on-demand packing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes an automated warehouse 20 that collects items delivered from a storage warehouse (not shown) for each order and delivers them to a packing ST30, an on-demand box making machine 10 as a case manufacturing device that produces and delivers cardboard boxes 12 as cases of a size determined based on the three-dimensional dimension information DI of each of the items 22 corresponding to the orders collected by the automated warehouse 20, and a packing ST30 that stores and packs the one item 22 or multiple items 22 collected for each order into the cardboard boxes 12. The on-demand packing system 1 also includes a third conveying path 300 that conveys the packed cardboard boxes 14 from the packing ST30 to the unloading area SH. The on-demand packing system 1 also includes a host controller 50 that transmits and receives information to and from each of the automated warehouse 20, the on-demand box making machine 10, and the packing ST30.

[0012] [On-demand box making machine 10: see Figures 1, 4, 5, and 6] The on-demand box making machine 10 produces cardboard boxes 12 of different sizes for each order based on order information OI, and conveys the cardboard boxes 12 to a first conveying path 100. The on-demand box making machine 10 includes a case making unit 11 that produces cardboard boxes 12 of different sizes for each order, an on-demand box making machine controller 13, a first conveying path 100 that conveys cardboard containers 101 containing the cardboard boxes 12 conveyed from the on-demand box making machine 10, and a merging device 500 that merges the cardboard containers 101 conveyed by the first conveying path 100 with a second conveying path 200.

[0013] The case production unit 11 produces cardboard boxes 12 of different sizes for each order based on order information OI. Information on one item 22 or multiple items 22 included in one order is defined as order information OI. In this embodiment, order J includes item 22a, order K includes items 22b and 22c, order L includes item 22f, and order M includes items 22d, 22e, and 22g.

[0014] Furthermore, three-dimensional dimension information DI is assigned to the item 22. The three-dimensional dimension information DI is composed of three pieces of dimension information of the item 22: width, depth, and height.

[0015] The on-demand box making machine controller 13 includes a case production control unit 13A that controls the case production unit 11 and a conveying path control unit 13B that controls the first conveying path 100 and the merging device 500.

[0016] First, the case production control unit 13A will be described. The case production control unit 13A receives order information OI, three-dimensional dimension information DI for each of the items 22 included in the order information OI, and carry-out sequence information SI that specifies the order in which the items 22 will be carried out from the automated warehouse 20, all of which are transmitted from the host controller 50. The case production control unit 13A also determines the size of the cardboard boxes 12 based on the three-dimensional dimension information DI for each of the items 22 included in the received order information OI, and generates case size information CI. Based on the carry-out sequence information SI, the case production control unit 13A generates case production sequence information MI that specifies the order in which the cardboard boxes 12 will be manufactured, corresponding to the order in which the items 22 will be carried out from the automated warehouse 20. Furthermore, the case production control unit 13A generates case production information CM based on the case production sequence information MI and the case size information CI that corresponds to the case production sequence information MI.

[0017] The case production control unit 13A instructs the case production unit 11 to start producing cardboard boxes 12 based on the case production information CM (case production step). The case production unit 11 produces cardboard boxes 12 of sizes based on the case size information CI in the order based on the case production sequence information MI. The produced cardboard boxes 12 are assigned identification information ID-3 by the case production control unit 13A. The identification information ID-3 of the cardboard boxes 12 is sent to the upper controller 50 by the case production control unit 13A.

[0018] The case production control unit 13A determines the size of the cardboard box 12 and may also determine placement information LI of the items 22 to be placed in the cardboard box 12. The placement information LI of the items 22 is sent to the upper controller 50 by the case production control unit 13A. The cardboard box 12 for which production has been completed is transported from the case production unit 11 to the first conveying path 100 and is transported to the junction 202 by the first conveying path 100. When the cardboard box 12 is transported from the case production unit 11 to the first conveying path 100, it is placed in a cardboard container 101 and is transported along the first conveying path 100 together with the cardboard container 101.

[0019] The first conveying path 100 conveys the cardboard box containers 101 containing the cardboard box 12 manufactured to a size determined based on the three-dimensional dimension information DI to the junction 202. The first conveying path 100 may be configured, for example, by a conveyor such as a roller conveyor or a belt conveyor, or a transport vehicle or the like may travel to convey the cardboard box containers 101 containing the cardboard box 12. In this embodiment, the first conveying path 100 conveys the cardboard box containers 101a containing the cardboard box 12a manufactured to a size corresponding to order J, followed by the cardboard box container 101b containing the cardboard box 12b manufactured to a size corresponding to order K, the cardboard box container 101c containing the cardboard box 12c manufactured to a size corresponding to order L, and the cardboard box container 101d containing the cardboard box 12d manufactured to a size corresponding to order M, in this order, to the junction 202.

[0020] The merging device 500 merges the cardboard box containers 101 containing the cardboard boxes 12 transported by the first transport path 100 into the merging section 202.

[0021] The conveyance path control unit 13B controls the first conveyance path 100 and the merging device 500. Specifically, the conveyance path control unit 13B causes the cardboard container 101 containing the cardboard boxes 12 to wait on the conveyance path of the first conveyance path 100 until it receives item conveyance start information SS from the host controller 50. Upon receiving the item conveyance start information SS from the host controller 50, the conveyance path control unit 13B starts conveying the cardboard container 101 waiting on the conveyance path of the first conveyance path 100 along the first conveyance path 100. Furthermore, after conveying the cardboard container 101 to the merging unit 202, the conveyance path control unit 13B causes the cardboard container 101 to merge with the merging unit 202 using the merging device 500 before or immediately before the item container 201 containing the items 22 corresponding to the order of the cardboard boxes 12 passes through the merging unit 202. Thereafter, the cardboard container 101 is transported by the second transport path 200 to the packaging ST30.

[0022] [Automated warehouse 20: see Figures 1, 4, 5, and 6] The automated warehouse 20 stores items 22 transported from a storage warehouse, and after all items 22 included in an order have been stored, it transports the items 22 for each order. Multiple items are transported from the automated warehouse 20 one after another at short time intervals, for example, every few seconds. Specifically, the items are transported every 4 to 6 seconds. The automated warehouse 20 includes multiple storage sections 21 that store the items 22 transported from the storage warehouse, a transfer section (not shown) that transfers the transported items to a predetermined storage section 21, and an automated warehouse controller 23 that controls the automated warehouse 20.

[0023] In this embodiment, the automated warehouse controller 23 receives the unloading order information SI from the host controller 50 and starts preparations for unloading the items 22. Furthermore, when the automated warehouse controller 23 receives the item transport start information SS from the host controller 50, it unloads the item container 201 containing the items 22 from the automated warehouse 20 and transports it to the packing ST30 via the second transport path 200.

[0024] [Second conveying path 200: see FIGS. 1, 4, 5, and 6] The second conveying path 200 conveys the items 22 collected by order and removed from the automated warehouse 20 to the packing ST30. The second conveying path 200 may be configured by a conveyor such as a roller conveyor or a belt conveyor, or may be a transport vehicle or the like that travels and transports the item containers 201 containing the items 22. In this embodiment, the second conveying path 200 transports the item containers 201 containing the items 22 collected by order and removed. For example, item 22a included in order J is contained in item container 201a, items 22b and 22c included in order K are contained in item container 201b, item 22f included in order L is contained in item container 201c, and items 22d, 22e, and 22g included in order M are contained in item container 201d.

[0025] The second conveying path 200 includes, downstream of the junction 202, a first branch path 210 leading to the first packing ST30-1, a second branch path 220 leading to the second packing ST30-2, a third branch path 230 leading to the third packing ST30-3, and a fourth branch path 240 leading to the fourth packing ST30-4. Downstream of the junction 202, the cardboard containers 101 and the article containers 201 conveyed by the second conveying path 200 are conveyed to the packing ST30 via their respective branch paths.

[0026] [Packing ST30: see Figures 1, 4, 5, and 6] In packing ST30, a worker W is stationed, and receives the cardboard boxes 12 placed in the cardboard container 101 and the articles 22 contained in the article container 201, which are being transported by the second transport path 200. In packing ST30, the worker W also places the articles 22 into the cardboard box 12, and the packed cardboard box 14 is transported to the third transport path 300 toward the unloading area SH.

[0027] In the packing ST30, the order information OI, cardboard box identification information ID-3, and item 22 placement information LI transmitted from the upper controller 50 are displayed on, for example, a monitor, and work information is displayed to the worker W. In this embodiment, the packing ST30 is made up of a first packing ST30-1, a second packing ST30-2, a third packing ST30-3, and a fourth packing ST30-4. A worker W is stationed at each packing ST30.

[0028] [Third conveying path 300: see FIGS. 1, 4, 5, and 6] In the third conveying path 300, a worker W positioned in the packing ST 30 places items 22 into cardboard boxes 12, and the packed cardboard boxes 14 are transported to the unloading area SH. The third conveying path 300 may be configured by a conveyor such as a roller conveyor or a belt conveyor, or a transport vehicle or the like may travel to transport the packed cardboard boxes 14. In this embodiment, the third conveying path 300 includes a first branching path 310 connecting the first packing ST 30-1 to the collecting path 301, a second branching path 320 connecting the second packing ST 30-2 to the collecting path 301, a third branching path 330 connecting the third packing ST 30-3 to the collecting path 301, and a fourth branching path 340 connecting the fourth packing ST 30-4 to the collecting path 301.

[0029] Each branch path conveys the packed cardboard boxes 14 to the collecting path 301, which then conveys the packed cardboard boxes 14 to the discharge area SH. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the first branch path 310 conveys the packed cardboard boxes 14 corresponding to order J that have been conveyed from the first packing ST30-1 to the collecting path 301. Thereafter, the collecting path 301 conveys the packed cardboard boxes 14 to the discharge area SH.

[0030] [Host controller 50: see FIGS. 2 and 3] The host controller 50 transmits carry-out sequence information SI and item transport start information SS to the automated warehouse controller 23. The host controller 50 also transmits three-dimensional dimension information DI, order information OI, carry-out sequence information SI, and item transport start information SS for each of the items 22 to the on-demand box making machine controller 13. The host controller 50 also transmits order information OI, cardboard box identification information ID-3, and placement information LI for the items 22 to the packing ST30.

[0031] [Regarding Control of the On-Demand Box Making Machine 10: See Figures 1, 2, and 3] Control of the on-demand box making machine 10 will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The on-demand box making machine controller 13 of the on-demand box making machine 10 receives carry-out sequence information SI from the host controller 50. That is, the host controller 50 transmits the carry-out sequence information SI to the on-demand box making machine controller 13 of the on-demand box making machine 10 and the automated warehouse controller 23 of the automated warehouse 20. In addition to the carry-out sequence information SI, the on-demand box making machine controller 13 also receives order information OI transmitted from the host controller 50 and three-dimensional dimension information DI for each of all items 22 included in the order information OI.

[0032] The case production control unit 13A of the on-demand box making machine controller 13 receives signals from the host controller 50, including order information OI, three-dimensional dimension information DI for each of the items 22 included in the order information OI, and carry-out sequence information SI. The case production control unit 13A determines the size of the cardboard boxes 12 based on the three-dimensional dimension information DI for each of the items 22 included in the order information OI, and generates case size information CI. The case production control unit 13A also generates case production sequence information MI, which specifies the order in which the cardboard boxes 12 will be manufactured, corresponding to the order in which the items 22 will be carried out of the automated warehouse 20, based on the carry-out sequence information SI. Furthermore, the case production control unit 13A generates case production information CM based on the case production sequence information MI and the case size information CI corresponding to the case production sequence information MI.

[0033] The case production control unit 13A causes the case production unit 11 to start producing the cardboard boxes 12 based on the case production information CM. When the production of the cardboard boxes 12 by the case production unit 11 is completed, the cardboard boxes 12 are transported from the case production unit 11 to the first transport path 100. When the cardboard boxes 12 are transported from the case production unit 11 to the first transport path 100, they are placed in the cardboard box container 101. In this embodiment, the cardboard box 12a corresponding to order J is placed in the cardboard box container 101a.

[0034] The conveyance path control unit 13B of the on-demand box making machine controller 13 causes the cardboard container 101a to wait on the conveyance path of the first conveyance path 100 until it receives item conveyance start information SS from the host controller 50. When the conveyance path control unit 13B receives the item conveyance start information SS from the host controller 50, it starts conveying the cardboard container 101a that is waiting on the conveyance path of the first conveyance path 100 along the first conveyance path 100. Furthermore, after conveying the cardboard container 101a to the junction 202, the conveyance path control unit 13B causes the cardboard container 101 to merge with the junction 202 by the junction device 500 before or just before the item container 201a containing the items 22a corresponding to Order J passes through the junction 202.

[0035] The host controller 50 transmits a signal of unloading order information SI to the automated warehouse controller 23, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, transmits item transport start information SS to the automated warehouse controller 23. Upon receiving the item transport start information SS, the automated warehouse controller 23 causes the items 22 to be transported out of the automated warehouse 20 for each order. In this embodiment, the second transport path 200 transports an item container 201a containing items 22a included in order J to the packaging ST30. Before or just before the item container 201a corresponding to order J passes through the junction 202, the cardboard container 101a corresponding to order J joins the junction 202. The cardboard container 101a is transported first to the first packaging ST30-1, and then the item container 201a is transported to the first packaging ST30-1.

[0036] The worker W arranged in the first packing ST30-1 removes all of the items 22a included in Order J from the transported cardboard container 101a and item container 201a, and places all of the items 22a included in Order J into cardboard boxes 12 for packing. After completing the packing work, the worker W carries out the packed cardboard boxes 14 to the first branch path 310. The third conveying path 300 transports the packed cardboard boxes 14 that have been transported to the first branch path 310 to the unloading area SH.

[0037] [Effects of First Embodiment] <First Effect> The on-demand box making machine 10 includes an on-demand box making machine controller 13 that instructs the case making unit 11 to make cardboard boxes 12 as cases, and the on-demand box making machine controller 13 instructs the case making unit 11 to make cardboard boxes 12 as cases for accommodating each of the items 22 to be carried out from the automated warehouse 20, based on carry-out sequence information SI that specifies the order in which the items 22 will be carried out from the automated warehouse 20. This allows the production of the cardboard boxes 12 to start before the items 22 are carried out from the automated warehouse 20, so even if the items 22 are carried out at short time intervals, it is possible to ensure time to manufacture the cardboard boxes 12 that will accommodate each of the items 22 corresponding to that time interval.

[0038] <Second Effect> The on-demand box making machine 10 determines the size of the cardboard box 12 based on the carry-out sequence information SI and the three-dimensional dimension information DI of each of the items 22. This makes it possible to manufacture cardboard box 12 of a size corresponding to the three-dimensional dimension information DI of each of the items 22.

[0039] <Third Effect> The on-demand box making machine 10 determines the size of the cardboard box 12 that will accommodate the item 22 or multiple items 22 included in the order, based on the three-dimensional dimension information DI of each of the item 22 or multiple items 22 included in the order. This makes it possible to manufacture cardboard boxes 12 that can accommodate the items 22 included in the order.

[0040] Second Embodiment: See FIG. 7 Next, an on-demand packaging system 2 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7 . In the on-demand packaging system 1 according to the first embodiment, a cardboard container 101 containing cardboard boxes 12 discharged from an on-demand box making machine 10 is conveyed along a first conveying path 100 and merged with a second conveying path 200 by a merging device 500 at a merging section 202. The second conveying path 200 then branches off and connects to each packing ST 30. In the present disclosure, as in the on-demand packaging system 2, the first conveying path 100 that conveys the cardboard container 101 containing cardboard boxes 12 discharged from an on-demand box making machine 10 can also branch off and connect to each packing ST 30, so that the cardboard container 101 containing the cardboard boxes 12 can be directly conveyed to the packing ST 30. That is, in the second embodiment, each branching path of the second conveying path 200 and each branching path of the first conveying path 100 are parallel to each other. Since the on-demand packaging system 2 does not have the merging section 202, the merging device 500 in the first embodiment is not provided.

[0041] [First Conveying Path 100: See FIG. 7] The first conveying path 100 conveys the cardboard boxes 12 manufactured by the on-demand box making machine 10 in accordance with the order information OI to the packaging ST30.

[0042] The first conveying path 100 includes, on the upstream side of the packing ST30, a first branch path 110 leading to the first packing ST30-1, a second branch path 120 leading to the second packing ST30-2, a third branch path 130 leading to the third packing ST30-3, and a fourth branch path 140 leading to the fourth packing ST30-4. The cardboard boxes 12 conveyed by the first conveying path 100 are conveyed to the packing ST30 via the respective branch paths.

[0043] [Regarding the first conveying path 100 and the second conveying path 200: See FIG. 7 ] Here, T1 represents the time it takes for the cardboard box 12 unloaded from the on-demand box making machine 10 to be transported to the packing ST 30, and T2 represents the time it takes for the items 22 unloaded from the automated warehouse 20 to be transported to the packing ST 30. When the relationship between T1 and T2 satisfies T1≦T2, the cardboard box 12 is transported to the packing ST 30 before the items 22, or the items 22 and the cardboard box 12 are transported to the packing ST 30 simultaneously. Due to this relationship between T1 and T2, the cardboard box 12 is transported to the packing ST 30 first, allowing the packing setup to begin, or the items 22 and the cardboard box 12 are transported to the packing ST 30 simultaneously, improving the work efficiency of the worker W. Furthermore, the conveying path control unit 13B controls the conveying speed of the first conveying path 100 so that the relationship between T1 and T2 satisfies T1≦T2.

[0044] Third Embodiment: See FIG. 8 Finally, an on-demand packing system 3 according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8. The on-demand packing system 1 according to the first embodiment includes an automated warehouse 20. Like the on-demand packing system 3, the present disclosure also includes a random-size article manufacturing device 40 as an article manufacturing device, and the articles 22 delivered from the random-size article manufacturing device 40 can be transported to the packing ST 30 via the second conveying path 200. In other words, in the third embodiment, although the articles 22 delivered via the second conveying path 200 share common characteristics, each of the articles 22 is manufactured and delivered in a different size.

[0045] [Regarding the on-demand box making machine 10 and the random-size article manufacturing device 40: See FIG. 8 ] The on-demand box making machine 10 includes an on-demand box making machine controller 13. The random-size article manufacturing device 40, which discharges the articles 22 at short time intervals, includes a random-size article manufacturing controller. A manufacturing schedule for the articles 22 is transmitted from a host controller 50 to the on-demand box making machine controller 13 and the random-size article manufacturing controller. The manufacturing schedule for the articles 22 includes three-dimensional dimensional information DI for each of the articles 22 to be produced. The on-demand box making machine controller 13 starts manufacturing the cardboard boxes 12 based on the received manufacturing schedule for the articles 22. This on-demand packaging system 3 also achieves the first effect.

[0046] [Additional Notes] The case manufacturing device according to the present disclosure can be understood as follows: <Additional Note 1> The case manufacturing device according to the present disclosure includes: a case manufacturing unit (11) that manufactures cases (12); and a controller (13) that instructs the case manufacturing unit (11) to manufacture the cases, and the controller (13) instructs the case manufacturing unit (11) to manufacture the cases (12) that accommodate the items (22) that are to be carried out of the automated warehouse (20), based on carry-out order information (SI) that specifies the order in which the items (22) are to be carried out of the automated warehouse (20).

[0047] <Supplementary Note 2> In Supplementary Note 1, preferably, the controller (13) identifies the size of the case (12) based on three-dimensional dimensional information (DI) of the item (22) being transported from the automated warehouse (20).

[0048] <Supplementary Note 3> In Supplementary Note 1 or Supplementary Note 2, preferably, the controller (13) determines the size of the case (12) for accommodating one or more of the items (22) included in the order based on three-dimensional dimensional information (DI) of each of the one or more items (22) included in the order.

[0049] <Supplementary Note 4> In any of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, preferably, a first conveying path (100) is provided for conveying the cases (12) from the case manufacturing device (10) to a packing work location (30), and the controller (13) causes the first conveying path (100) to start conveying the cases (12) based on item conveyance start information (SS) for starting conveyance of the plurality of items (22) to a second conveying path (200) for conveying the plurality of items (22) from the automated warehouse (20) to the packing work location (30).

[0050] <Supplementary Note 5> In any of Supplementary Notes 2 to 4, preferably, when the time taken for the case (12) to be conveyed from the case manufacturing device to the packing work location (30) by the first conveying path is T1, and the time taken for the article (22) to be conveyed from the automated warehouse (20) to the packing work location (30) by the second conveying path is T2, the controller (13) controls the conveying speed of the first conveying path (100) so as to satisfy the relationship T1≦T2.

[0051] <Supplementary Note 6> In any of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5, preferably, the controller (13) transmits the unloading order information (SI) to the automated warehouse (20), and receives the unloading order information (SI) from a higher-level controller (50) that transmits the unloading order information (SI) to the controller (13).

[0052] <Supplementary Note 7> The case manufacturing device according to the present disclosure includes a case manufacturing unit (11) that manufactures cases (12), and a controller (13) that instructs the case manufacturing unit (11) to manufacture the cases (12), and the controller (13) starts manufacturing the cases (12) that house the items manufactured by the item manufacturing device (40) based on manufacturing information that specifies the order in which the items manufactured by the item manufacturing device (40) are manufactured.

[0053] <Appendix 8> The case manufacturing method according to the present disclosure includes a case manufacturing step of starting the manufacturing of cases (12) for accommodating the items (22) to be transported from the automated warehouse (20) based on transport order information (SI) that specifies the order in which the items (22) are to be transported from the automated warehouse (20).

[0054] In addition to the above, it is possible to select and discard the configurations given in the above embodiments, or to change them to other configurations as appropriate.

[0055] 1, 2, 3 On-demand packaging system 10 On-demand box making machine 11 Case production section 12 Cardboard 13 On-demand box making machine controller 13A Case production control section 13B Conveyor path control section 20 Automated warehouse 21 Storage section 22 Article 23 Automated warehouse controller 30 Packing ST 40 Random size article manufacturing device 50 Upper controller 100 First conveyor path 101 Cardboard container 200 Second conveyor path 201 Article container 202 Junction section 210 First branch path 220 Second branch path 230 Third branch path 240 Fourth branch path 300 Third conveyor path 310 First branch path 320 Second branch path 330 Third branch path 340 Fourth branch path 500 Junction device CS Case conveyance start information DI Three-dimensional dimension information ID-1 Article identification information ID-2 Container identification information ID-3 Cardboard identification information J, K, L, M Order LI Placement information MI Case production sequence information OI Order information PF Packaging work complete RF Goods delivery complete SH Delivery area SI Delivery sequence information SS Goods transport start information W Worker

Claims

1. A case manufacturing device comprising: a case manufacturing unit that manufactures cases; and a controller that instructs the case manufacturing unit to manufacture the cases, wherein the controller instructs the case manufacturing unit to manufacture the cases that will house the items that are to be removed from the automated warehouse, based on removal order information that specifies the order in which the items are to be removed from the automated warehouse.

2. The case manufacturing device according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines the size of the case based on three-dimensional dimensional information of the item being transported from the automated warehouse.

3. The case manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines the size of the case to accommodate one or more of the items included in the order based on three-dimensional dimensional information of each of the one or more items included in the order.

4. A case manufacturing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a first conveying path for conveying the cases from the case manufacturing device to a packing work location, and the controller causes the first conveying path to start conveying the cases based on item conveyance start information for starting conveyance of a plurality of items to a second conveying path for conveying a plurality of items from the automated warehouse to the packing work location.

5. The case manufacturing device according to claim 4, wherein the controller controls the conveying speed of the first conveying path so that the relationship T1≦T2 holds, where T1 is the time taken for the case to be conveyed from the case manufacturing device to the packing work area by the first conveying path, and T2 is the time taken for the item to be conveyed from the automated warehouse to the packing work area by the second conveying path.

6. A case manufacturing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the controller transmits the discharge order information to the automated warehouse and receives the discharge order information from a higher-level controller that transmits the discharge order information to the controller.

7. A case manufacturing apparatus comprising: a case manufacturing unit that manufactures cases; and a controller that instructs the case manufacturing unit to manufacture the cases, wherein the controller starts manufacturing the cases that house the items manufactured by the item manufacturing apparatus based on a manufacturing schedule that specifies the order in which the items manufactured by the item manufacturing apparatus are to be manufactured.

8. A case manufacturing method comprising a case manufacturing step of starting the manufacture of cases to house items to be removed from an automated warehouse based on removal order information that specifies the order in which the items will be removed from the automated warehouse.

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