Article dispensing system

Abstract

The present invention provides a system contributing to automation of a process for bringing articles into one bundle.　This system has: a stock area 2; a transfer area 3; a waiting area 5; an article joining area 7; a carrying-in line 11 for connecting the stock area 2 and the transfer area 3; an input line 13 for connecting the transfer area 3 and the waiting area 5; and a control means 18. Single article sets are discharged from the stock area 2 and conveyed through the carrying-in line 11 to the transfer area 3. In the transfer area 3, articles in the single article sets are transferred to the input line 13, and sorted and introduced, through the input line 13, to waiting lines 80 in the waiting area 3 according to the article types or related articles. Articles included in an article group are dispensed from the waiting lines 80 to an article joining line 81 and sent out to the downstream side while forming a bundled article set.

Description

Item Dispensing System

[0001] The present invention relates to an article dispensing system that dispenses a plurality of different types of articles together in response to a request.

[0002] For example, in response to an order from a retail store, multiple types of goods may be delivered together. Furthermore, with the recent development of mail-order sales, individuals may order products (goods) directly from mail-order companies via the Internet or other means. When an individual simultaneously orders multiple products, the mail-order company consolidates the ordered multiple products, packs them in, for example, a single box, and ships them. Conventionally, the process of consolidating multiple ordered products has been performed manually by a worker. For example, in a warehouse containing many products, a worker pushes a cart or the like into the warehouse. Then, referring to slips or the like, the worker places the required products in the cart. Furthermore, to compensate for the need to reduce the labor required by the worker, the product dispensing devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 may be used.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-120125 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-123501

[0004] As described above, the process of bundling items together is performed manually, and automation is desirable. The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems and provides a system that contributes to the automation of the process of bundling items together.

[0005] An aspect for solving the above-mentioned problems includes a stock area, a transfer area, a waiting area, a loading area, a carry-in line connecting the stock area and the transfer area, an input line connecting the transfer area and the waiting area, and a control means, wherein information relating to one or more items is input to the control means as one item group, the stock area is an area for storing multiple single item groups each containing one type of item, the transfer area is an area for performing work to transfer items from one single item group to another, and the waiting area is an area having multiple waiting lines. the combining area is an area having a combining line, the single group of items is discharged from the stock area and transported to the transfer area by the carry-in line, the items of the single group of items are transferred to the input line in the transfer area, and the input line sorts and introduces the items by type or by related items to the waiting line in the waiting area, and the items included in the group of items are discharged from the waiting line to the combining line to form a group of items that are sent downstream.

[0006] The item dispensing system of this embodiment has a stock area, a transfer area, a waiting area, and a loading area. The stock area functions like a warehouse and is an area that stores a large number of items of the same type and multiple groups of single items. For example, a single container may contain a single type of single item in the stock area. In this case, a single container contains multiple identical items. Also, a single container may contain multiple single item groups in the stock area. In this case, a single container may be provided with partitions, and each partition may contain multiple identical items. The transfer area is an area where items from a single item group are transferred, and this work is performed by machines such as robots or by human power. In the item dispensing system of this embodiment, a single item group is discharged from the stock area and transported to the transfer area by a carry-in line. In the transfer area, the items of a single group are transferred to a loading line, which sorts them by type or by related items and introduces them to waiting lines in the waiting area. The items included in the group are then dispensed from the waiting line to a consolidation line, where they are sent downstream as a group of items.

[0007] In the above-mentioned aspect, it is desirable that the stock area has an inlet section, a circulating conveying path, and a discharge section, and that the single item group is introduced from the inlet section into the circulating conveying path, and the required single item group moves along the circulating conveying path to the discharge section.

[0008] According to this aspect, the stored group of single articles can be circulated along the circulating conveying path and led to the discharge section, and therefore the group of single articles moved along the circulating conveying path can be led to the discharge section and discharged.

[0009] In each of the above aspects, it is desirable that the items are extracted from the single group of items in the transfer area manually or by a robot.

[0010] In each of the above aspects, it is desirable that the waiting area has multiple waiting lines arranged three-dimensionally, and that the multiple waiting lines are arranged in multiple rows horizontally to form one floor, and that this floor is installed on multiple floors.

[0011] According to this aspect, it is possible to install many standby lines in a limited area, and to handle a larger number of articles.

[0012] In the above aspect, it is desirable that the matching line has a conveying path with a spiral trajectory and passes through a plurality of floors of the waiting area.

[0013] Here, the "spiral trajectory" refers to a trajectory whose height changes as it progresses, and the planar shape does not matter. For example, the planar shape may be circular or elliptical. Furthermore, the planar shape of the spiral trajectory may be rectangular. According to this embodiment, the matching line can receive articles from more waiting lines, and the number (types) of articles that can be handled can be increased.

[0014] In each of the above aspects, it is desirable that the input line has a plurality of branching sections, and that the branching sections distribute and introduce the articles into the waiting lines in the waiting area.

[0015] According to this aspect, the throughput for allocating articles to waiting areas is high, and more articles can be introduced to the waiting line per unit time.

[0016] In each of the above aspects, it is desirable that the input line has a swinging path, and the tip side of the swinging path is connected to the standby line so that articles are introduced therein.

[0017] According to this aspect, the area occupied by the input line is small, and the article dispensing system can be made compact.

[0018] According to the present invention, the process of bundling articles can be automated to a greater extent.

[0019] 1A and 1B are plan views of an article dispensing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. (a) is a plan view of the article dispensing system of Fig. 1, in which (a) is a plan view of a stock area drawn with a solid line and other parts drawn with a two-dot chain line, and (b) is a plan view of a transfer area drawn with a solid line and other parts drawn with a two-dot chain line. (a) is a plan view of a waiting area drawn with a solid line and other parts drawn with a two-dot chain line, and (b) is a plan view of a loading area drawn with a solid line and other parts drawn with a two-dot chain line. (a) is a plan view of an article dispensing device composed of a part of a loading line, a waiting area, and a loading area drawn with a solid line and other parts drawn with a two-dot chain line, and (b) is a plan view of a packaging area drawn with a solid line and other parts drawn with a two-dot chain line. 1A is a plan view of the item dispensing system of FIG. 1, in which (a) is a plan view of the carry-in line connecting the stock area and the transfer area, drawn with a solid line, and other parts drawn with a two-dot chain line; and (b) is a plan view of the input line connecting the transfer area and the waiting area, drawn with a solid line, and other parts drawn with a two-dot chain line. 1A is a plan view of the item dispensing system of FIG. 1, in which (a) is a plan view of the circular line connecting both ends of the packing area via the packaging area, drawn with a solid line, and other parts drawn with a two-dot chain line; and (b) is a plan view of the circular conveyor 60, drawn with a solid line, and other parts drawn with a two-dot chain line. 1B is a perspective view of the stock area. 1C is a perspective view of the item dispensing device. 1D is a perspective view of the transfer area. 1E is a plan view of the first branch area of ​​the branch conveyor, which is the connection between the transfer area and the input line. 1F is a plan view of the second branch area of ​​the input line. 1G is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating the stock area. 1G is a diagram illustrating the operation of the input device and the output device of the stock area. 10(a) to 10(c) are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the storage area of ​​the stock area. (a) and (b) are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the storage area of ​​the stock area following FIG. 14. The article dispensing system of FIG. 1 is a perspective view explaining the work in the transfer area shown in FIG. 9. The article dispensing system of FIG. 1 is a plan view explaining the movement of transported articles at the connection portion between the transfer area and the input line shown in FIG. 10. The article dispensing system of FIG. 1 is a plan view explaining the movement of transported articles at the second branch area of ​​the input line shown in FIG. 10.20(a) and 20(b) are plan views illustrating the movement of the swing path of the input line of the article dispensing system of FIG. 1. (a) and 20(b) are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of the article dispensing device shown in FIG. 8, illustrating a process in which articles belonging to an article group are dispensed from a waiting area to a matching area. (a) and 20(b) are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of the article dispensing device shown in FIG. 8, illustrating a process in which articles belonging to an article group are dispensed from a waiting area to a matching area, which is a process following the process of FIG. 20. (a) and 20(b) are explanatory diagrams illustrating the behavior of articles dispensed from a waiting area to a matching area. (a) and 20(b) are explanatory diagrams illustrating the behavior of articles dispensed from a waiting area to a matching area, which is a state following FIG. 22. (b) is a block diagram of a control device for the article dispensing system of FIG. 1. (b) is a perspective view of a pot (article tray). (c) is a perspective view showing two pots (article trays) containing four different types of article groups. (d) is a perspective view of two sets of article groups. (c) is a plan view of an article dispensing system of another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 31 is a plan view of a branching section of a feeding line of the article dispensing system of Fig. 28. Fig. 32 is a plan view showing an example of a branching section employed in the article dispensing system of the present embodiment. Fig. 33 is a perspective view of a conveying roller of a conveyor device employed in the article dispensing system of the present embodiment. Fig. 34 is an enlarged view of a conveying area of ​​the conveyor device of Fig. 31.

[0020] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The goods dispensing system 1 of this embodiment is installed, for example, in a warehouse or sorting area of ​​a mail-order business, and is a system that subdivides products delivered from various manufacturing plants and compiles multiple products for individual consumers. That is, a large number of single products are delivered in bulk from product manufacturers to a mail-order business's warehouse. For example, a considerable number of single products are delivered in bulk from each manufacturer, such as 100 cases (500 packets) of copy paper from a paper company, 100 cases (1,200 pens) of ballpoint pens from a writing implement manufacturer, or 100 packets of toner from a copier manufacturer.

[0021] Meanwhile, mail-order businesses receive product orders from individuals and businesses via, for example, the Internet. The orders received from individuals and businesses are for a wide variety of products in small quantities. For example, the number of items is large, such as three packs of copy paper, three ballpoint pens, and one toner cartridge, but the number of each item is small. The mail-order business takes three packs from a 100-case delivery of copy paper (500 packs) and three ballpoint pens from a 100-case delivery of ballpoint pens (1,200 pens), and places these in a box, packs them, and ships them. The item dispensing system 1 of this embodiment automates or semi-automates these tasks.

[0022] The article dispensing system 1 of this embodiment has a stock area 2 (FIG. 2a), a transfer area 3 (FIG. 2b), a waiting area 5 (FIG. 3a), a combination area 7 (FIG. 3b), and a packing area 10 (FIG. 4b). It also has a carry-in line 11 (FIG. 5a) connecting the stock area 2 and the transfer area 3, and a feed line 13 (FIG. 5b) connecting the transfer area and the waiting area 5. It also has a circulation line 15 (FIG. 6b) connecting both ends of the combination area 7 via the packing area 10.

[0023] Here, the input line 13, waiting area 5, and matching area 7 work in conjunction with each other to form a single item dispensing device 8 (FIGS. 4a and 8). Therefore, the item dispensing system 1 of this embodiment can be said to be a combination of a stock area 2 with a warehouse function and an item dispensing device 8 with a sorting function, with a transfer area 3 installed between them. The stock area 2 and the transfer area 3 are connected by a carry-in line 11. A packing area 10 is located downstream of the item dispensing device 8, and the packing area 10 and the item dispensing device 8 are connected by a circular line 15.

[0024] The system also has a control device 18 that controls each area and each conveying line. Each of the above-mentioned components is controlled by the control device (control means) 18. Figure 24 explains the control specific to this embodiment, and omits well-known parts such as the control for driving the conveyor. The control device 18 has a CPU and memory, and stores computer programs that realize desired functions. The control device 18 of this embodiment functionally has an order / shipping management unit 100, a stock area management unit 101, and a sorting management unit 103. The order / shipping management unit 100 receives and manages orders from individuals and companies, and also has the function of checking the status of shipments.

[0025] The stock area management unit 101 controls the stock area 2. In addition to the above-mentioned control, the stock area management unit 101 also stores information on which items are stored in the storage area 25 on each floor. Below, each area and the conveyance lines connecting the areas will be described.

[0026] (Configuration of Stock Area 2) In reality, each floor of the stock area 2 is divided into multiple areas, and each area has a storage area 25, which will be described later, but for ease of understanding, the description will be given assuming that each floor has only one storage area 25. In reality, the storage area 25 has multiple rows of conveyors, which form multiple circulation transport paths, but for ease of understanding, the description will be given assuming that a simple circulation transport path is formed.

[0027] As shown in Figures 7, 12 to 15, the stock area 2 of this embodiment has a storage device 20 that stores items (pods 200, described below), a carry-in device 21 that carries the items into the storage device 20, and an unloading device 22 that unloads the items from the storage device 20. The stock area 2 employed in this embodiment has a multi-story structure, as shown in Figure 7. In this embodiment, the stock area 2 is four stories high, and the storage device 20 has four storage areas 25 in the height direction. Correspondingly, the carry-in device 21 and the unloading device 22 have an inlet section 50 and an outlet section 51 that are connected to the storage area 25 on each floor, as shown in Figures 7, 12, and 13.

[0028] As shown in Figure 14, the storage area 25 is a circular, planar arrangement of short conveyors 26 called zone conveyors. That is, the storage area 25 has a rectangular layout with long sides 27 arranged in parallel and short sides 28 connecting the opposing long sides 27. The zone conveyors are short conveyors that are driven and stopped individually.

[0029] Conveyors 26a forming the center of long side 27 can transport items in only one direction, as shown by the arrow in Figure 12(a). Conveyors 26b, located at the corners and connected to carry-in device 21, can transport items in two directions, a straight direction and a perpendicular direction, as shown by the arrow. Conveyors 26c, located at both ends of one long side, can transport items by changing direction at a right angle. Conveyor 26d, located at the portion connected to carry-out device 22, can transport items in two directions, a straight direction and a perpendicular direction, as shown by the arrow. Conveyors 26 are arranged in a ring in storage area 25, and a circulating transport path is formed by the conveyors 26.

[0030] In the storage area 25, a conveyor 26b provided at a portion connected to the carry-in device 21 functions as an introduction section 50 that introduces items into the storage area 25. A conveyor 26d at a portion of the storage area 25 connected to the carry-out device 22 functions as a discharge section 51 that discharges items from the storage area 25. A sensor 30 for identifying items is installed near the carry-out device 22. That is, the sensor 30 is installed near the discharge section 51. The sensor 30 is a barcode reader or a two-dimensional code reading sensor that identifies the item tray (pod 200) by reading a barcode or two-dimensional code attached to the item tray (pod 200) described below. The structure and principle of the sensor 30 are not limited as long as it can read information, and it may be one that reads information optically, or one that uses magnetism or radio waves. The sensor 30 may also be one that reads information from an information storage member such as an RFID. A sensor 31 for identifying the item tray (pod 200) is also installed at the entrance of the storage area 25. That is, a sensor 31 for identifying an article is also installed near the introduction section 50. The sensor 31 is also a barcode reader or a two-dimensional code reading sensor, and identifies the article tray (pod 200).

[0031] The carry-in device 21 has a single spiral conveying path section 35 and multiple introduction path sections 36. The spiral conveying path section 35 has short conveyors 37 called zone conveyors arranged in a spiral staircase shape, allowing items to be moved upward. In each figure, the planar shape of the spiral conveying path section 35 is elliptical, but this planar shape is not limited to this shape and the planar shape of the spiral conveying path section 35 may be rectangular, for example. The spiral conveying path section 35 has a branching section 38, and the branching section 38 and the conveyor 26b of the storage area 25 are connected by an introduction path section 36. The introduction path section 36 also has a row of short conveyors 37.

[0032] The configuration of the branching section 38 is not limited, but for example, a direction changer 40 as shown in FIG. 30 can be employed. The direction changer 40 has a driver 41 arranged in a plane. The driver 41 is a roller that rotates around a rotation axis, and the roller rotates by receiving power from a motor (not shown). The roller can also be rotated around a vertical axis by another motor (not shown), changing the direction of the roller.

[0033] The direction changer 40 can arbitrarily change the conveying direction of the articles. That is, by orienting the driver 41 of the direction changer 40 in the forward direction relative to the spiral conveying path 35 and rotating the driver 41 in that position, the articles (pods 200) can be moved in a linear direction passing through the branching section 38, as shown in FIG. 13( a). Also, by tilting the driver 41 toward the introduction path 36 and rotating the driver 41 in that position, the articles can be advanced from the branching section 38 toward the introduction path 36, as shown in FIG. 13( b). In this embodiment, a sensor 45 for identifying the article tray (pod 200) is installed immediately before the branching section 38. The sensor 45 is also a barcode reader or a two-dimensional code reading sensor and identifies the article tray.

[0034] The direction changer is not limited to one having a drive body 41, and known branching devices or transfer devices can be used. For example, the direction changer may be a branching device having a guide rod that swings to guide the articles in the branching direction. The direction changer may also be a transfer device that has a main conveying path and a sub-conveying path and raises and lowers them to switch the conveying direction.

[0035] The structure of the carry-out device 22 is substantially the same as that of the carry-in device 21. That is, the carry-out device 22 has a spiral conveying path section 55 and a discharge path section 56. The spiral conveying path section 55 is the same as the spiral conveying path section 35 of the carry-in device 21 described above, and includes short conveyors 37 called zone conveyors arranged in a spiral staircase shape to move items downward. The spiral conveying path section 55 has a junction section 58, and the junction section 58 and the conveyor 26d of the discharge section 51 of the storage area 25 are connected by a discharge path section 56. The discharge path section 56 also has a row of short conveyors 37. The junction section 58 is provided with the direction change device 40 described above.

[0036] As described above, the stock area 2 has the storage device 20 that stores item trays (pods 200), the carry-in device 21 that carries items into the storage device 20, and the carry-out device 22 that carries items out of the storage device 20. The stock area 2 has the storage device 20 in the center, with the carry-in device 21 and the carry-out device 22 installed on both sides of it. In this embodiment, the carry-in device 21 is installed on the left side of the storage device 20, and the carry-out device 22 is installed on the right side.

[0037] The storage device 20 has a storage area 25 on each floor. The storage area 25 on each floor is a circulating conveying path in which short conveyors 26 called zone conveyors are arranged in a ring shape. The storage device 20 also has an inlet section 50 and a discharge section 51. The carry-in device 21 has a spiral conveying path section 35, which has multiple branch sections 38. The branch sections 38 are connected to the lead-in path section 36. The lead-in path section 36 is also connected to the inlet section 50 of the storage device (circulating conveying path) 20. The carry-out device 22 has a spiral conveying path section 55 and a discharge path section 56. The discharge path section 56 of the carry-out device 22 is connected to the discharge section 51 of the storage device (circulating conveying path) 20. The spiral conveying path section 55 also has multiple junction sections 58. The discharge path section 56 is connected to the junction section 58.

[0038] Next, the function of the stock area 2 will be described. (Function of the Stock Area 2) The stock area 2 is controlled by the control device 18. In particular, the stock area 2 is driven by the stock area management unit 101 of the control device 18. The item tray (pod 200) is placed at the start end of the spiral conveying path section 35 of the carry-in device 21 and moves along the conveyor line of the spiral conveying path section 35. The item moves up the slope of the spiral conveying path section 35. The item then reaches the branching section 38 on one of the floors, moves to the introduction path section 36, and enters the storage area 25 from the introduction section 50 via the introduction path section 36.

[0039] The storage area 25 of a floor on which the item tray (pod 200) will enter is determined by a command from the control device 18. That is, a sensor 45 for identifying items is provided before each branching section 38, and the item tray is identified by the sensor 45. If the item is an item tray that should be stored in the storage area 25 of that floor, the direction change device 40 of the branching section 38 is switched to the lead-in path section 36 side, and the item enters the storage area 25 from the lead-in path section 36 through the lead-in section 50. If the item is not an item tray that should be stored in the storage area 25 of that floor, the direction change device 40 of the branching section 38 is not switched, and the item tray proceeds along the spiral conveying path section 35 to reach the upper floor. When the item tray (pod 200) enters the storage area 25, it passes in front of a sensor 31 installed at the entrance. The item tray is identified by the sensor 31, and information indicating which storage area 25 the item tray (pod 200) has been stored in is sent to the control device 18.

[0040] The article trays introduced into the storage area 25 are sequentially moved to the back by the conveyor 26 as shown in Fig. 14(b) and lined up on a circular conveyor line as shown in Fig. 14(c). In the stock area 2 of this embodiment, the article trays (pods 200) are stored while being placed on the conveyor 26.

[0041] When items are to be discharged from the storage area 25, the conveyor 26 in the storage area 25 is driven, and the item tray (pod 200) is moved along a circulating transport path formed by connecting multiple conveyors 26. Then, when the desired item tray (pod 200) moves along the circulating transport path and reaches the discharge section 51, the traveling direction of the conveyor 26d forming the discharge section 51 is switched to the discharge path section 56 side of the carry-out device 22, and the item tray (pod 200) is moved from the discharge section 51 to the carry-out device 22.

[0042] Specifically, a command from the stock area management unit 101 of the control device 18 sends a signal to the stock area 2 to discharge a specific item tray (pod 200). In the stock area 2, the storage area 25 containing the item tray (pod 200) is identified and the conveyor 26 for the storage area 25 is driven. For example, if item A to be carried out is located in the position shown in FIG. 14(c), driving the conveyor 26 causes the item tray A to proceed along the circulating conveyance path as shown in FIG. 14(c) and eventually reach the discharge section 51 as shown in FIG. 15(a). In this embodiment, a sensor 30 for identifying the item tray (pod 200) is installed near the discharge section 51. When the sensor 30 detects item tray A, the traveling direction of the conveyor 26d is switched to the discharge path section 56, and item tray A is sent to the carry-out device 22.

[0043] Next, the transfer area 3 will be described. (Configuration of the transfer area 3) As shown in Figures 2(b) and 9, the transfer area 3 is composed of a transfer area 65 of the circular conveyor 60 and a transfer section 67 of the branch conveyor 61. As shown in Figure 3(b), the circular conveyor 60 is a conveyor that connects both ends of the stock area 2, and has the carry-in line 11, a transfer area 65, and a return conveyor section 66. The transfer area 65 of the circular conveyor 60 is a low-speed / stop area where items can be moved at a low speed or temporarily stopped. The return conveyor section 66 is provided in series with the transfer area 65 and is a conveyor that moves items at a normal speed.

[0044] The branch conveyor 61 is composed of a transfer section 67 and a distribution area 68. The transfer section 67 is a linear conveyor device. As shown in Figures 5(b), 10, and 17, the distribution area 68 is an area connected to the transfer section 67, has multiple branch sections 70, and distributes items transported from the transfer section 67 to multiple main conveyance paths 90 of the input line 13. Each branch section 70 is equipped with the above-mentioned direction change device 40. The branch conveyor 61 is connected to a short conveyor called a zone conveyor, and uses special conveyor rollers 72. The conveyor rollers 72 used in the branch conveyor 61 have a large diameter section 73 and a small diameter section 75, as shown in Figures 31 and 32. 32, adjacent conveying rollers 72 of the branch conveyor 61 are arranged such that the large diameter portion 73 of one conveying roller 72 fits into the position of the small diameter portion 75 of the other conveying roller 72. Therefore, the gap between the adjacent conveying rollers 72 is small, and articles are less likely to fall in or get caught between the conveying rollers 72.

[0045] As shown in Figures 9 and 16, the transfer area 3 has the transfer region 65 of the circular conveyor 60 and the transfer section 67 of the branch conveyor 61 arranged side by side. In this embodiment, the transfer region 65 of the circular conveyor 60 and the transfer section 67 of the branch conveyor 61 are both linear and arranged parallel to each other. A standing position for workers is located outside of both. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the standing position for workers may be located between the transfer region 65 and the transfer section 67. Furthermore, to ensure a large work area, the transfer region 65 and the transfer section 67 may form a curved path.

[0046] (Article Dispensing Device 8) In this embodiment, the input line 13, the waiting area 5, and the matching area 7 work in conjunction with one another to form a single article dispensing device 8 (FIGS. 4a and 8). Each conveyor constituting the article dispensing device 8 is composed of transport rollers 72 having a large diameter portion 73 and a small diameter portion 75, as shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, with the large diameter portion 73 of one transport roller 72 positioned in the small diameter portion 75 of the other transport roller 72. However, for ease of illustration, the shape of the transport rollers 72 is omitted in FIG. 8, and they are depicted as ordinary rollers. The article dispensing device 8 will be described below.

[0047] (Configuration of waiting area 5 and combining area 7) The waiting area 5 functions as a temporary storage section that temporarily stores multiple items, and the items are placed on a waiting line 80 consisting of a storage conveyor 83 for waiting. The waiting area 5 is equipped with multiple waiting lines 80 as shown in Figure 8. Each waiting line 80 is a linear storage conveyor 83, and the storage conveyor 83 is made up of multiple zone conveyors connected in series. The zone conveyors transport items using conveying rollers 72 as shown in Figures 31 and 32, and as shown in Figure 32, the gaps between the conveying rollers 72 are small, so that items are less likely to fall in or get caught between the conveying rollers 72.

[0048] As shown in Figure 8, the combining area 7 is a single conveyor line with a spiral combining transport path (combining line) 81. That is, the combining transport path 81 has multiple horizontal straight sections 76 and inclined straight sections 77, which are connected by curved paths. The combining area 7 also uses a zone conveyor using transport rollers 72. The conveyor line in the combining area 7 has a branching section (not shown), from which articles can also be taken out.

[0049] In this embodiment, the waiting area 5 has a three-dimensional structure. That is, in this embodiment, multiple waiting lines 80 are arranged in multiple rows horizontally to form one floor, and the floor is installed on multiple floors. In this embodiment, the waiting area 5 is five stories tall and has four layers of waiting lines 80 in the vertical direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, each floor has three sets of six waiting lines 80. That is, the waiting lines 80 on each floor are divided into a left set consisting of six waiting lines 80 on the left side of the drawing, a central set consisting of six waiting lines 80 in the center of the drawing, and a right set consisting of six waiting lines 80 on the right side of the drawing. As shown in Figures 4(a) and 8, the horizontal straight section 76 of the loading area 7 is connected to the end of the waiting lines 80 on each floor.

[0050] Each of the waiting lines 80 in the waiting area 5 is quite long, and can temporarily store multiple items on each waiting line 80. The waiting line 80 is equipped with a storage conveyor 83 and a dispensing means for dispensing items to the carry-out line, and the requested items are dispensed onto the combining conveying path 81 to form a group of items that can be sent downstream. In other words, each floor of the waiting area 5 is made up of a large number of waiting lines 80 arranged in parallel, each storing items in a single row. Each waiting line 80 is composed of a storage conveyor 83.

[0051] Each storage conveyor 83 is divided into multiple zones. Each zone is composed of a zone conveyor. The storage conveyor 83 is composed of multiple zone conveyors connected in series. The zone conveyors are equipped with inventory sensors (not shown). The zone conveyors of the storage conveyor 83 are driven individually to load items forward. That is, the zone conveyors of the storage conveyor 83 are always stopped. When an item is introduced to the upstream end of the storage conveyor 83, the zone conveyor and the zone conveyor in front of it are driven to move the item forward. This operation is repeated sequentially until the item stops in the leading zone of the storage conveyor 83. When the next item is introduced to the upstream end of the storage conveyor 83, the zone conveyor and the zone conveyor in front of it are driven to move the item forward, as in the previous case, until the next item stops in the zone in front of the previously transported item. This operation is repeated sequentially until the storage conveyor 83 is filled with items.

[0052] In this embodiment, the leading zone conveyor of the storage conveyor 83 functions as the discharging means. That is, the articles stored in the waiting line 80 are discharged to the goods-consolidating conveying path (goods-consolidating line) 81 by driving the leading zone conveyor (discharging means). In this embodiment, the leading zone conveyor of the storage conveyor 83 functions as the discharging means, but an independent pusher may also be placed thereon as the discharging means.

[0053] The waiting area 5 is a plane in which waiting lines 80 are arranged with substantially no gaps, as shown in FIG. 8. The storage conveyor 83 of the waiting line 80 extends in a plane. Therefore, the waiting line 80 employed in this embodiment can accommodate many articles. In this embodiment, the waiting line 80 stores one type of article.

[0054] The goods-matching conveying path (goods-matching line) 81 is a conveyor (export conveyor) in which a plurality of zone conveyors are connected in series, similar to the storage conveyor 83 described above. The zone conveyors of the goods-matching conveying path (goods-matching line) 81 also convey goods using the conveying rollers 72 shown in Figures 31 and 32, and as shown in Figure 32, the gaps between the conveying rollers 72 are small, so that goods are less likely to fall in or get caught between the conveying rollers 72. The direction of travel of goods on the storage conveyor 83 in the waiting area 5 and the direction of travel of goods on the goods-matching conveying path (goods-matching line) 81 are perpendicular to each other.

[0055] As shown in Figures 8, 20 to 23, the leading end of each storage conveyor 83 in the waiting area 5 abuts the side of the combining conveying path (combining line) 81. As described above, the combining conveying path 81 is made up of a plurality of zone conveyors connected in series. The combining conveying path 81 has a zone conveyor corresponding to each storage conveyor 83, and the leading end of each storage conveyor 83 abuts the side of the corresponding zone conveyor of the combining conveying path (combining line) 81. The height of the conveying surface of each storage conveyor 83 is approximately equal to the height of the conveying surface of the combining conveying path 81. That is, the height of the conveying surface of each storage conveyor 83 is approximately equal to the height of the conveying surface of the combining conveying path 81 above ground. In this embodiment, the height of the conveying surface of each storage conveyor 83 is the same as the height of the conveying surface of the combining conveying path 81. It is desirable that the height of the conveying surface of each storage conveyor 83 is the same as the height of the conveying surface of the goods-matching conveying path 81, but the storage conveyor 83 side may be slightly higher.

[0056] Next, the input line 13 will be described. (Configuration of the Input Line 13) The input line 13 is a conveying path connecting the transfer area 3 and the waiting area 5. As shown in Figures 5b and 10, the input line 13 has a main conveying path 90 branching off from the sorting area 68 of the branch conveyor 61 in the transfer area 3. Because the waiting area 5 used in this embodiment has a five-tiered structure, the input line 13 accordingly has five independent main conveying paths 90. That is, it has a first main conveying path 90a, a second main conveying path 90b, a third main conveying path 90c, a fourth main conveying path 90d, and a fifth main conveying path 90h. That is, the sorting area 68 of the branch conveyor 61 in the transfer area 3 has five branching points 70. The direction changer 40 described above is installed at the branching points 70. Furthermore, a sensor 96 is installed near the branching points 70. The sensor 96 is also a bar code reader or a two-dimensional code reading sensor, and is used to identify the article. For convenience of explanation, the area where the main transport path 90 branches off from the branch conveyor 61 in the transfer area 3 will be referred to as a first branch area 97.

[0057] Each main conveying path 90 branches into three sub-conveying paths 93a, 93b, and 93c, corresponding to the left, center, and right groups of the waiting line 80 in the waiting area 5, as shown in FIGS. 5(b) and 11. The structure of each of the three branching sections 85a, 85b, and 85c is essentially the same as the branching section 38 of the loading device 21, and they are branched by a direction changer 40. For convenience of explanation, the area where the sub-conveying path 93 branches off from the main conveying path 90 is referred to as the second branching area 98. A sensor 86 is provided near the branching section 85 of each main conveying path 90. The sensor 86 is also a barcode reader or a two-dimensional code reader sensor for identifying articles. A sorting device 91 is provided at the end of each of the sub-conveying paths 93a, 93b, and 93c, as shown in FIG. 8. The sorting device 91 has a swinging path 92. The oscillating path 92 is a conveyor device capable of linearly transporting articles. One end of the oscillating path 92 is journaled to each of the sub-transport paths 93a, 93b, and 93c, and the other end is free. One end of the oscillating path 92 is connected to each of the sub-transport paths 93a, 93b, and 93c of the input line 13, as shown in FIG. 8. The other end of the oscillating path 92 is moved horizontally by a motor (not shown), and is selectively connected to one of the standby lines 80.

[0058] The article dispensing device 8 is controlled by a sorting management unit 103. Next, the sorting management unit 103 of the control device 18 will be described. (Sorting management unit 103) The sorting management unit 103 controls the article dispensing device 8. That is, the sorting management unit 103 controls the input line 13, the waiting area 5, and the matching area 7. That is, the sorting management unit 103 functionally has a input line control unit 112 that controls the input line 13, and a carry-out control unit 105 that controls the dispensing means of the waiting area 5. The input line control unit 112 of the sorting management unit 103 controls the branching unit 70 of the first branching area 97 of the input line 13, the branching unit 85 of the second branching area 98, and the sorting device 91 to store articles in a predetermined waiting line 80.

[0059] The input line control unit 112 has an item destination information storage unit 115 that stores item destination information that associates an item with the waiting line 80 that should store the item, and an item guiding means 116. The item destination information storage unit 115 stores the waiting line 80 that should store the item. In other words, the waiting area 5 used in this embodiment has many waiting lines 80, but each waiting line 80 stores only a specific type of item. The item destination information storage unit 115 stores information on which waiting line 80 the item should be stored in.

[0060] The article guiding means 116 switches between the branching sections 70, 85 and changes the direction of the sorting device 91 so that articles are properly stored on the waiting line 80. That is, a signal from a sensor 96 provided near the branching section 70 of the first branching area 97 of the feeding line 13 and a signal from a sensor 86 provided near the branching section 85 of the second branching area 98 of the feeding line 13 are input to the article guiding means 116 of the feeding line control unit 112. Then, control signals are sent from the article guiding means 116 to the direction changing device 40 of the branching section 70 of the first branching area 97, the direction changing device 40 of the branching section 85 of the second branching area 98, and the sorting device 91 so that articles are properly stored on the waiting line 80. That is, the direction changing device 40 of the branching section 70 of the first branching area 97 is switched in accordance with the signal from the sensor 96 provided near the branching section 70 of the first branching area 97 of the feeding line 13. Furthermore, a signal from a sensor 86 provided near the branch point 85 of the second branch area 98 of the input line 13 switches between the direction change device 40 at the branch point 85 of the second branch area 98 and the sorting device 91. Furthermore, the sorting device 91 is swung to connect the sub-conveyor paths 93a, 93b, and 93c to predetermined waiting lines 80.

[0061] In this way, the article guiding means 116 accommodates an article in a predetermined waiting line 80 based on the article information read from the sensor 96 provided near the branch point 70 of the first branch area 97 of the input line 13, the article information read from the sensor 86 provided near the branch point 85 of the second branch area 98, and the article destination information stored in the article destination information storage unit 115. Specifically, the article is identified from the article information read from the sensor 96 provided in the first branch area 97 of the input line 13 and the article information read from the sensor 86 provided near the branch point 85 of the second branch area 98, and the destination of the identified article is compared with the information stored in the article destination information storage unit 115 to determine the waiting line 80 on which the article should be accommodated. Then, the direction change device 40 of the branch point 85 and the sorting device 91 are driven so that the article is correctly transported to the waiting line 80.

[0062] That is, when a sensor 96 detects in the first branching area 97 that an item that should proceed to the corresponding main conveying path 90 has arrived from a specific branching section 70, the direction of the direction changer 40 of the corresponding main conveying path 90 is changed, and the item is sent to a specific auxiliary conveying path 93. Furthermore, the direction changer 40 of the branching section 85 in the second branching area 98 and a signal from the item guiding means 116 change the direction of the sorting device 91, and the item is sent to the auxiliary conveying path 93. Furthermore, the sorting device 91 operates in response to a signal from the item guiding means 116, and connects the auxiliary conveying path 93 with the waiting line 80, which is the destination. The item passes through the sorting device 91 and is stored on the waiting line 80. Note that if there are a large number of items to be stored, the same item may be stored on multiple waiting lines 80.

[0063] Next, the carry-out control unit 105 will be described. The carry-out control unit 105 functionally includes a placement space determination means 120, a corresponding storage line determination means 121, a space movement distance calculation means 122, and a pulse integration means 123. The carry-out control unit 105 receives item group information from the order receiving and shipping management unit 100. Here, an item group refers to a group of items that are desirably grouped together. For example, it is an item to be shipped to a specific customer or store. For example, it is a group of items that are delivered in a single box or sent by courier. An item group may include different items, such as one caramel A, one chocolate B, and one soft drink E. Alternatively, there may be multiple items of the same type, such as three soft drinks C. Of course, there may also be multiple types and multiple quantities, such as three caramels A, five chocolates B, and two soft drinks F. In short, item group information is information about one or more items.

[0064] Further, the carry-out control unit 105 receives a pulse signal corresponding to the rotation speed of the zone conveyor of the goods-matching conveying path (goods-matching line) 81 .

[0065] The placement space determination means 120 determines the placement space (area) required to place all of the items belonging to an item group in a planar manner on the combination conveying path (combining line) 81. That is, the placement space determination means 120 determines the placement space (area) required to accommodate all of the items belonging to an item group in a planar manner on the combination conveying path (combining line) 81, and specifies the placement space. For example, a length of 20 centimeters is required to place two cartons of milk in a planar manner on the combination conveying path (combining line) 81, and a length of 40 centimeters is required to place three bottles of beer in a planar manner on the combination conveying path 81. If an item group consists of two cartons of milk and three bottles of beer, the placement space (area) for that product group will be a total of 60 centimeters. If an item group consists of one bag of carton of milk and two cans of beer, for example, the placement space (area) for that product group will be 50 centimeters. In this way, the space (area) determined by the placement space determination means 120 varies depending on the type and number of items belonging to the item group.

[0066] The placement space is an area of ​​the consolidation conveying path (consolidation line) 81 where all of the items belonging to a specific item group that have been removed from the waiting area 5 are expected to be stored in the future. In this embodiment, the placement space is converted into the number of pulses of the motor of the conveyor that constitutes the consolidation conveying path (consolidation line) 81. For example, if the placement space is 20 cm, it is converted into 10 pulses, and if the placement space is 30 cm, it is converted into 15 pulses. Since the consolidation conveying path (consolidation line) 81 is a conveyor, when the conveyor is driven, the space also moves. Multiple item groups are input into the control device 18, and the above-mentioned item groups are continuously formed, and the placement space is continuously determined and specified.

[0067] The corresponding storage line determination means 121 specifies the standby lines 80 in which the items included in the item group are stored. For example, if caramel A is stored in standby line 80A, chocolate B is stored in standby line 80B, and soft drink E is stored in standby line 80E, and the item group is, for example, one caramel A, one chocolate B, and one pack of soft drink E, the standby lines 80A, 80B, and 80E are selected and determined as the corresponding storage lines.

[0068] The space movement distance calculation means 122 calculates the movement distance of the placement space from a specific reference point. Specifically, the pulse accumulating means 123 accumulates pulses corresponding to the number of rotations of the drive motor (not shown) output from the zone conveyor when the placement space moves, thereby calculating the movement distance of the placement space from the specific reference point. When the movement distance of the placement space corresponds to the position of the waiting line 80 that stores the items included in the item group, a signal is sent to the dispensing means corresponding to the waiting line 80, and the items are dispensed onto the combining conveying path (combining line) 81. Note that in this embodiment, an item included in the item group that is newly dispensed from the waiting line 80 to the combining conveying path 81 is dispensed ahead of items that have already been dispensed from other waiting lines 80 to the combining conveying path 81 and are moving along the combining conveying path 81.

[0069] Next, the operation of the article dispensing device 8 will be described. That is, the operation of the input line 13, the waiting area 5 and the goods matching area 7 will be described.

[0070] (Operation of the item dispensing device 8) As described above, the input line 13, the waiting area 5, and the matching area 7 work in conjunction with each other to function as a single item dispensing device 8. The item dispensing device 8 performs a storage operation to store items in the waiting area 5, and a discharge operation to discharge items belonging to an item group together.

[0071] (Storage Operation) Items are stored in the waiting area 5 using the input line 13. In this embodiment, the items pass from the main flow path 88 of the input line 13 through the first branch area 97 and enter each main conveying path 90. They are then transported to the sorting device 91 through the second branch area 98. The sorting device 91 swings in response to a command from the corresponding storage line determination means 121 of the control device 18, and moves its tip end to the waiting line 80 that should store the item. The items pass through the sorting device 91 and enter the waiting line 80 in the waiting area 5. In this way, each item is stored in a different waiting line 80.

[0072] When any of the waiting lines 80 is full and an item to be stored in that waiting line 80 is supplied from the input line 11, the item passes through the corresponding branch section 85abc and flows downstream, enters a return line not shown, and returns to the base end of the input line 13.

[0073] (Carry-Out Operation) Next, the carry-out operation will be described. In this embodiment, items can be placed directly on the combined conveying path (combining line) 81 for transport without using baskets or trays. In this embodiment, the conveying speed of the combined conveying path 81 is the same in all zones, and items are transported at a relatively fast speed. In this embodiment, item group information is input from the order receiving / shipping management unit 100 of the control device 18. Let's assume that this is a first item group, and information about this first item group is input to the control device 18. The placement space determination means 120 of the control device 18 determines the placement space (area) required to place all of the items belonging to the first item group in a horizontal manner on the combined conveying path (combining line) 81. For example, if the first item group consists of one bag of sugar cubes, one pack of miso paste, and one pack of soy sauce, and a length of 50 cm is required to place these items in a horizontal manner, a first placement space 125 equivalent to 25 pulses is secured ( FIG. 20 a).

[0074] Next, information about the second item group is input to the control device 18. The placement space determination means 120 of the control device 18 determines the second placement space (area) required to place all of the items belonging to the second item group in a horizontal manner on the combination conveying path 81. For example, if the second item group consists of two bags of sugar cubes and two packs of miso paste, and a length of 60 cm is required to place these items in a horizontal manner, a second placement space 126 equivalent to 30 pulses is secured (FIG. 20b). If a length of 40 cm is required to place the items included in the subsequent third item group in a horizontal manner, a third placement space 127 equivalent to 20 pulses is secured (FIG. 21a).

[0075] Since the combining conveyor path (combining line) 81 is a conveyor, as shown in Figure 21a, when the conveyor is driven, the first placement space 125, second placement space 126, and third placement space 127 also move. There is a fixed distance between each placement space 125, 126, and 127. The space movement distance calculation means 122 of the control device 18 monitors the position of each placement space 125, 126, and 127 based on pulses corresponding to the rotation speed of the drive motor of the combining conveyor path (combining line) 81. When each placement space 125, 126, and 127 reaches the front of the standby line 80 containing the corresponding item, the dispensing means (first zone conveyor) of that standby line 80 is activated to dispense the item into the area of ​​the combining conveyor path (combining line) 81 corresponding to the placement spaces 125, 126, and 127.

[0076] In the article dispensing device 8 of this embodiment, the height of the conveying surface of each storage conveyor 83 and the height of the conveying surface of the combining conveying path (combining line) 81 are approximately equal, so that the articles are less likely to be damaged when they move from the waiting line 80 to the combining conveying path (combining line) 81. The article dispensing device 8 of this embodiment does not use baskets or trays, and does not throw articles into baskets or trays as in the past. That is, the ground height of the bottom of the articles when they are dispensed by the dispensing means is approximately equal to the ground height of the combining conveying path (combining line) 81, so there is little impact on the articles when they are transferred. In the article dispensing device 8 of this embodiment, the drop when the articles are dispensed from the storage conveyor 83 to the combining conveying path (combining line) 81 is small, so the external force applied to the articles is small and the articles are less likely to be damaged. That is, in the article dispensing device 8 of this embodiment, there is no step between the dispensing means and the combining conveying path (combining line) 81, so there is little impact when they are transferred. In addition, since the height of the conveying surface of each storage conveyor 83 and the height of the conveying surface of the goods-combining conveying path 81 are approximately equal, goods do not overlap on the goods-combining conveying path 81. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the conveying speed of the dispensing means is relatively slow, so goods are less likely to be damaged.

[0077] In this embodiment, for example, when the first placement space 125 reaches in front of the standby line 80 containing sugar cubes, one bag of sugar cubes is dispensed from the standby line 80, when the first placement space 125 reaches in front of the standby line 80 containing miso, one pack of miso is dispensed from the standby line 80, and when the first placement space 125 reaches in front of the standby line 80 containing soy sauce 132, one pack of soy sauce 132 is dispensed from the standby line 80. In this way, all of the items belonging to the first item group are gathered in the first placement space 125 and transported downstream.

[0078] The second placement space 126 advances at a fixed interval from the first placement space 125. When the second placement space 126 reaches the front of the waiting line 80 containing sugar cubes, two bags of sugar cubes are dispensed from the waiting line 80, and when the second placement space 126 reaches the front of the waiting line 80 containing miso, two packs of miso are dispensed from the waiting line 80. A specified item is also dispensed from the third placement space 127. In this way, all of the items belonging to the first item group are gathered in the first placement space 125, all of the items belonging to the second item group are gathered in the second placement space 126, and all of the items belonging to the third item group are gathered in the third placement space 127, and they are transported downstream (Figure 21b).

[0079] Furthermore, as a control unique to this embodiment, when an item is already in the placement space 125 and another item is to be newly dispensed into the placement space 125, the new item is dispensed ahead of the item that has already been dispensed from another waiting line 80 to the combining conveying path (combining line) 81 and is moving along the combining conveying path 81. Hereinafter, an example of the first placement space 125 will be described with reference to Figures 22 and 23. For example, as shown in Figure 22(a), if a sugar cube 130 has been dispensed first into the first placement space 125 and is moving on the combining conveying path (combining line) 81, the next item, miso 131, is dispensed ahead of the sugar cube, as shown in Figure 22(b). Specifically, just before the sugar cube 130, which is the first item, reaches the waiting line 80 containing the miso 131, the dispensing means of the waiting line 80 for the miso 131 is driven to place the miso 131 just before the sugar cube 130 moving along the combining conveying path (combining line) 81. Here, the combining conveying path 81 is moving at a normal speed, and the sugar cube 130 moving along the combining conveying path 81 is also moving at the normal speed, whereas the miso 131, which is the second item introduced from the waiting line 80, does not have a velocity component in the moving direction of the combining conveying path 81. Therefore, the newly introduced miso 131, which is the second item, is slower than the sugar cube 130 which was introduced earlier and is moving along the combining conveying path 81. Therefore, as shown in Figure 22(b), the sugar cube 130 moving behind catches up with the miso 131 which is ahead of them, and the gap between them becomes extremely small. Therefore, the sugar cubes 130 and miso paste 131 are grouped together, and with the miso paste 131 at the front, they proceed along the combined conveying path (combined conveying line) 81. Similarly, as shown in Figure 23, soy sauce 132 is introduced before the miso paste 131 and proceeds along the combined conveying path 81.

[0080] The item dispensing device 8 used in this embodiment does not use baskets or trays, but instead loads items onto the loading conveying path 81, loads the items, and transports them downstream. However, containers such as baskets or trays can also be placed on the loading conveying path 81, and items can be loaded into the baskets, etc.

[0081] Next, the packing area 10 will be described. (Packing Area 10) The packing area 10 is a packing work area where various packing devices and labeling devices are installed. Description of these devices will be omitted.

[0082] Next, the carry-in line 11 will be described. (Carry-in Line 11) The carry-in line 11 is the upstream portion of the circular conveyor 60, and is a conveyor that connects the carry-in device 21 and the unloading device 22 in the stock area 2. The circular conveyor 60 passes through the transfer area 3 halfway. The carry-in line 11 is a conveyor that functionally connects the stock area 2 and the transfer area 3. Specifically, the carry-in line 11 connects the discharge path section 56 of the carry-out device 22 in the stock area 2 and the delivery area 65 in the transfer area 3. Next, the layout of the article dispensing system 1 and the interrelationships between the devices will be described.

[0083] (Layout) As described above, the item dispensing system 1 of this embodiment has the stock area 2, the transfer area 3, the item dispensing device 8 (waiting area 5 and loading area 7), and the packing area 10. In this embodiment, the stock area 2 is located at the back and is installed horizontally in the drawing. The item dispensing device 8 (waiting area 5 and loading area 7) is installed in front of the stock area 2, and the packing area 10 is installed further in front of that. The carry-in device 21 for the stock area 2 is located to the left of the stock area 2, and the carry-out device 22 is located on the opposite side, with the storage area 25 in between. The transfer area 3 is installed in front of the stock area 2, next to (to the right of) the item dispensing device 8 (waiting area 5 and loading area 7).

[0084] The stock area 2 and the transfer area 3 are connected by a carry-in line 11 formed by the upstream portion of the circular conveyor 60. That is, the circular conveyor 60 is a conveyor that connects the carry-out device 22 and the carry-in device 21 of the stock area 2, but its route makes a large detour, with the middle part being the delivery area 65 of the transfer area 3. That is, the discharge path section 56 of the carry-out device 22 of the stock area 2 and the delivery area 65 of the transfer area 3 are connected by the carry-in line 11 formed on the upstream side of the circular conveyor 60. The end of the delivery area 65 leads to the delivery device 21 of the stock area 2.

[0085] The transfer area 3 and the waiting area 5 for the article dispensing device 8 are connected by a feed line 13. Each level of the feed line 13 branches into three paths, with a sorting device 91 at the end of each branch path. In this embodiment, the ends of the sorting devices 91 are arranged to reach each waiting line 80 in the waiting area 5. The combining area 7 is a conveyor line with a spiral path. That is, the combining area 7 has a spiral combining conveying path (combining line) 81. In this embodiment, the starting and ending ends of the combining conveying path (combining line) 81 are connected by a circulating line 15. That is, the starting end of the combining conveying path 81 is at the left end of the top floor, and the ending end is at the right end of the bottom floor. The circulating line 15 connects the right end of the combining conveying path 81 on the bottom floor to the left end of the combining conveying path 81 on the top floor. In this embodiment, the planar shape of the loading area 7 is oval, but is not limited to this planar shape and may be, for example, rectangular. The middle part of the circulating line 15 extends significantly to the front of the article dispensing system 1 and reaches the packing area 10. In other words, the circulating line 15 is a conveyor line that starts from the loading conveying path 81, passes through the packing area 10, and returns to the starting end of the loading conveying path 81.

[0086] As described above, there is a branching portion (not shown) in the conveyor line in the goods-gathering area 7. In this embodiment, there is a bypass line (not shown) that connects the branching portion in the goods-gathering area 7 and the circulation line 15.

[0087] (Overall Operation) Next, the overall operation of the item dispensing system 1 of this embodiment will be described. As described above, the item dispensing system 1 of this embodiment is installed, for example, in a warehouse or sorting area of ​​a mail-order company, and subdivides products delivered from each manufacturing factory, etc., and consolidates multiple products for individual consumers, etc. An example of how the item dispensing system 1 is used is described below. Products delivered from each manufacturing factory, etc. are transferred to an item tray called a pod 200, for example, as shown in FIG. 25. The pod 200 is not limited to this, but for example, as shown in FIG. 25, the storage section of the pod 200 is divided into four compartments 201a, 201b, 201c, and 201d, and as shown in FIG. 26, different items are stored in each compartment. The number of compartments into which the storage section is divided is arbitrary and may be four or more or less than four. The storage section does not have to be divided.

[0088] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 26, a plurality of different items are stored in each of the compartments 201a, 201b, 201c, and 201d of the storage section of the pod 200a. Each of the compartments 201a, 201b, 201c, and 201d stores a single group of items 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d, each of which is a group of items 300a, 300b, 300c, and 300d of the same type. Specifically, compartment 201a of pod 200a contains a single group of items 301a, which is a group of multiple items 300a, compartment 201b contains a single group of items 301b, which is a group of multiple items 300b, compartment 201c contains a single group of items 301c, which is a group of multiple items 300c, and compartment 201d contains a single group of items 301d, which is a group of multiple items 300d. In addition, compartment 201e of pod 200b contains a single item group 301e, which is a group of multiple items 300e, compartment 201f contains a single item group 301f, which is a group of multiple items 300f, compartment 201g contains a single item group 301g, which is a group of multiple items 300g, and compartment 201h contains a single item group 301h, which is a group of multiple items 300h.

[0089] In this embodiment, identification information (not shown), such as a barcode or a two-dimensional code, is attached to each pod 200. Identification information (not shown) is also attached to each of the individual items 300a to 300h. The relationship between the items 300 and the pods 200 in which they are stored is recorded in the order receiving and shipping management unit 100.

[0090] The item dispensing system 1 of this embodiment removes and sorts individual items 300 from a single item group 301, which is a group of items of the same type, and packages the items into groups 310 as shown in Figure 27. That is, package 312a is a package of item group 310a, which includes one item 300a, one item 300b, and one item 300h. Package 312b is a package of item group 310b, which includes one item 300b, two items 300c, one item 300f, and one item 300g. In this embodiment, each item 300 is also assigned identification information such as a barcode or two-dimensional code.

[0091] In the item dispensing system 1 of this embodiment, orders from client companies or individuals are input to the order receiving and shipping management unit 100 of the control device 18. An order corresponds to the items in the package described above, and often includes multiple items 300. Information about one or more items included in the order is input to the order receiving and shipping management unit 100 of the control device 18 and stored as a single item group.

[0092] Furthermore, a plurality of pods 200 are stored in the stock area 2. That is, the stock area 2 is an area that stores a plurality of single-item groups 301, each group consisting of one type of item 300. The pods 200 stored in the stock area 2 are moved to the transfer area 3 by the carry-in line 11. In the transfer area 3, the items 300 are removed from the pods 200 by hand or a robot, as shown in FIG. 16 , and transferred to the input line 13. That is, each individual item 300 is transferred to an item dispensing device 8. The items 300 transferred to the item dispensing device 8 are sorted on the input line 13 and enter the respective designated waiting lines 80. Then, the items 300 included in the item group are dispensed from the waiting area 5 to the item combining conveying path (item combining line) 81, form a group of items, and are sent downstream, where they are packed and shipped in the packing area 10.

[0093] As described above, a plurality of pods 200 are stored in the stock area 2. That is, products delivered from each manufacturing plant or the like are transferred onto an item tray called a pod 200. At this time, barcodes or the like affixed to the items 300 by an operator and barcodes or the like affixed to the pods 200 are read by a barcode reader or the like, and the relationship between the items 300 and the pods 200 stored therein is recorded in the stock area management unit 101 of the control device 18. The pods 200 are then placed one after another by the operator at the beginning of the spiral conveying path 35 of the carry-in device 21 in the stock area 2.

[0094] The carry-in device 21 is automatically activated when it detects a pod 200, and the pod 200 moves sequentially on the conveyor line of the spiral transport path section 35. When the pod 200 reaches the designated floor, the direction change device 40 installed at the branch section 38 switches to the lead-in path section 36 side, and the item passes through the lead-in path section 36 and enters the storage area 25 from the lead-in section 50. In this manner, a large number of pods 200 are stored in the storage area 25 on each floor of the storage device 20. In this embodiment, each pod 200 is stored while placed on the conveyor 26 that constitutes the circulating transport path. The stock area 2 is placed on standby in this state.

[0095] Then, as required, the pod 200 is taken out from the storage device 20, and the articles 300 are taken out from the pod 200, and the articles 300 are loaded into the waiting area 5 of the article dispensing device 8. Loading of articles into the waiting area 5 includes initial loading and additional loading.

[0096] Initial filling is a process that is carried out at the beginning of operation of the article dispensing system 1 or immediately after an inventory, and is a task of putting as many articles 300 as possible into the waiting area 5. In initial filling, pods 200 are discharged one after another from the stock area 2. That is, the pods 200 discharged from the storage area 25 to the carry-out device 22 are placed on the carry-in line 11 (circular conveyor 60) and moved to the transfer area 3.

[0097] Then, in the transfer area 3, the articles 300 are removed from the pod 200 by hand or by a robot from the transfer area 65 of the circular conveyor 60 and transferred to the transfer section 67 of the branch conveyor 61. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the transferred articles proceed from the transfer section 67 of the branch conveyor 61 to the sorting area 68 (first branch area 97). Each article 300 then enters the main conveying path 90 of the input line 13 from the sorting area 68. That is, in the first branching area 97, the barcode or the like attached to each article 300 is read by a sensor 96, and the read information is sent to the article guiding means 116 of the control device 18. The direction change device 40 is switched at the branching section 70 connected to the main conveying path 90 that is the destination of the article 300, and each article 300 is sent out to the respective designated main conveying path 90. The articles 300 that have advanced onto the main conveying path 90 enter a predetermined sub-conveying path 93 at the second branching area 98, and then pass through the sorting device 91 to be stored on the waiting line 80. When the transfer area 3 is fully loaded, the initial filling is completed and the waiting line 80 enters a waiting state.

[0098] Furthermore, when the goods 300 are dispensed from the transfer area 3 by the goods dispensing device 8 and a space becomes available on the waiting line 80, the goods 300 are additionally loaded into the transfer area 3. When a space becomes available on the waiting line 80, only the goods 300 to be loaded onto the waiting line 80 are removed from the stock area 2. That is, the pod 200 containing the missing goods 300 is selectively removed from the storage device 20. Specifically, a command to eject the pod 200 containing the missing goods 300 is sent from the control device 18 to the stock area 2.

[0099] In the stock area 2, the storage region 25 in which the pod 200 is stored is identified, and the conveyor 26 of that storage region 25 is driven. Then, by driving the conveyor 26 as described above, the desired pod 200 is advanced in one direction until it reaches the discharge section 51, where it is discharged from the storage region 25 and sent to the carry-out device 22. The subsequent operations are the same as those in the case of initial filling, and the pod 200 discharged to the carry-out device 22 is placed on the carry-in line 11 and moved to the transfer area 3, where it is transferred to the main flow path 88 of the input line 13, and further passed through the input line 13 to be stored on the predetermined standby line 80. The stock area 2 waits in this state.

[0100] In the additional filling, only the missing items 300 are extracted from the pod 200. As a result, other items 300 may remain in the pod 200. In this case, the pod 200 passes through the transfer area 65 to the carry-in device 21 in the stock area 2, and is returned to the storage device 20 in the stock area 2.

[0101] When an order is received from a client company or individual, the order is input to the order receipt and delivery management section 100 of the control device 18. The control device 18 drives the item delivery device 8 and performs the above-mentioned delivery operation to discharge the items 300 included in the order as a single item group. That is, as described above, item group information is input from the order receipt and delivery management section 100 of the control device 18. Then, the item combination conveying path (item combination line) 81 is driven, and the items 300 included in the item group are delivered from the standby line 80 in the standby area 5 to a specific area on the conveyor of the item combination conveying path 81.

[0102] In the article dispensing device 8 employed in this embodiment, the waiting area 5 has a three-dimensional configuration, and multiple waiting lines 80 are arranged in multiple horizontal rows to form one floor, and multiple floors are installed. As described above, the goods combining area 7 is a single conveyor line with multiple horizontal straight sections 76 and inclined straight sections 77, and has a spiral structure in which the two are connected by curved paths. The horizontal straight sections 76 on each floor of the goods combining area 7 correspond to the waiting lines 80 on each floor, and articles 300 are discharged from the waiting lines 80 on each floor to the horizontal straight sections 76 on each floor.

[0103] As described above, since the combining area 7 is a single conveyor line, it is possible to discharge articles 300 from waiting lines 80 on different floors to the combining area 7, for example, by discharging two articles 300a from the waiting line 80 on the fourth floor to the fourth floor portion of the combining area 7, and discharging two articles 300c from the waiting line 80 on the second floor to the second floor portion of the combining area 7. That is, in the article dispensing device 8 employed in this embodiment, the arrangement space determination means 120 determines the arrangement space (area) required to place all of the articles belonging to an article group in a planar manner on the combining conveying path (combining line) 81, and drives the combining conveying path 81 to move the arrangement spaces 125, 126, 127. Then, when each placement space 125, 126, 127 reaches in front of the waiting line 80 containing the corresponding item, the dispensing means (the leading zone conveyor) of that waiting line 80 is driven to dispense the item into the area of ​​the goods combination conveying path 81 corresponding to the placement spaces 125, 126, 127.

[0104] The goods-collecting conveying path 81 employed in this embodiment is a spiral trajectory, but is essentially a single conveyor line. Therefore, each placement space 125, 126, 127 travels a long distance and passes in front of more waiting lines 80. This allows a wider variety of goods 300 to be collected.

[0105] The items belonging to the group of items collected in the combining area 7 are transported on the circular line 15 to the packing area 10, where they are packed and shipped. That is, they form a group of items and are sent downstream.

[0106] As mentioned above, there is a bypass line (not shown) that connects the branching point of the goods-collecting area 7 with the circular line 15. Therefore, if all of the items belonging to an item group have already been placed in the placement spaces 125, 126, and 127 in the middle of the goods-collecting conveying path 81, the items can be discharged from the branching point onto the bypass line and transported to the circular line 15.

[0107] The article dispensing device 8 employed in this embodiment can also convey articles by placing them directly on the article-matching conveying path (article-matching line) 81 without using baskets or trays. Of course, baskets or trays can also be used with the article dispensing device 8 employed in this embodiment. In this case, trays or the like are fed onto the article-matching conveying path (article-matching line) 81, and desired articles are placed onto the trays. The trays are conveyed along the circulating line 15 to the packing area 10, where they are packed and shipped. Empty trays are also conveyed along the circulating line 15 back to the article-matching conveying path (article-matching line) 81.

[0108] The input line 13 described above branches articles into multiple main conveyance paths 90, which in turn branches into multiple sub-conveyance paths 93, with a sorting device 91 provided at the end of each sub-conveyance path 93. The oscillating path 92 of the sorting device 91 is then oscillated to transport articles 300 to the desired waiting line 80. With this configuration, the input line 13 occupies a small area, allowing the article dispensing system 1 to be installed in a small space. However, the above configuration requires many drive units and is therefore complex in structure. Furthermore, since it takes a certain amount of time to move the oscillating path 92, there is a problem in that the amount of items sorted per unit time is small.

[0109] For example, as shown in Figure 28, a configuration is also possible in which the conveying path is branched into smaller branches so that the articles 300 reach the desired waiting line 80 without using a sorting device 91. The input line 150 shown in Figure 28 has two branching sections 152 on the sub-conveyor path 151. At these branching sections 152, the articles 300 can be branched in three directions: a straight line, a rightward direction, and a leftward direction. The input line 150 shown in Figure 29 has four branching conveying paths 153 on the sub-conveyor path 151, and the conveying paths 151, 153 are each connected to a different waiting line 80.

[0110] In the embodiment described above, one type of item is stored in one waiting line 80, and the items 300 included in the item group are delivered from each waiting line 80 to the delivery conveyance path (delivery line) 81 to be delivered and consolidated. However, the item delivery system 1 of this embodiment is not limited to this usage. For example, the items 300 included in the item group may be delivered to one waiting line 80 for temporary storage, and all items 300 included in the item group may be delivered from one waiting line 80 upon request. In particular, when a configuration is adopted in which the conveyance path branches finely to allow the items 300 to reach the desired waiting line 80, as shown in Figures 28 and 29, it is easy to deliver the items 300 included in the item group to one waiting line 80 for temporary storage. Furthermore, one waiting area 5 may have both waiting lines 80 that deliver only one type of item and waiting lines 80 that deliver multiple types of items.

[0111] This disclosure includes items 1 to 7 below.

[0112] [Item 1] A system including a stock area, a transfer area, a waiting area, a loading area, an input line connecting the stock area and the transfer area, an input line connecting the transfer area and the waiting area, and a control means, wherein information relating to one or more items is input to the control means as one item group, the stock area is an area for storing multiple single item groups each containing one type of item, the transfer area is an area where work is performed to transfer items from one single item group, the waiting area is an area with multiple waiting lines, and the loading area is an area with a loading line, An item delivery system characterized in that the single item group is discharged from the stock area and transported to the transfer area by the carry-in line, the items of the single item group are transferred to the input line in the transfer area, and the input line sorts and introduces the items by type or by related items to the waiting line in the waiting area, and the items included in the item group are delivered from the waiting line to the loading line to form a consolidated item group and sent downstream.

[0113] [Item 2] The stock area has an introduction section, a circulating conveying path, and a discharge section, and the single-item group is introduced from the introduction section to the circulating conveying path, and the required single-item group moves along the circulating conveying path to reach the discharge section. This is the item dispensing system described in item 1.

[0114] [Item 3] The article delivery system according to item 1 or 2, characterized in that in the transfer area, an article is picked up from the single group of articles manually or by a robot.

[0115] [Item 4] The article dispensing system according to any one of Items 1 to 3, characterized in that the waiting area has a plurality of waiting lines arranged three-dimensionally, the plurality of waiting lines arranged in multiple rows horizontally to form one floor, and the floor is installed over multiple floors.

[0116] [Item 5] The article dispensing system according to Item 4, wherein the matching line has a conveying path with a spiral trajectory and passes through a plurality of floors of the waiting area.

[0117] [Item 6] The article dispensing system according to any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the input line has a plurality of branching sections, and the branching sections distribute and introduce articles into the waiting lines in the waiting area.

[0118] [Item 7] The article dispensing system according to any one of items 1 to 6, wherein the input line has a swinging path, and the tip side of the swinging path is connected to the standby line so that articles are introduced therein.

[0119] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Item dispensing system 2 Stock area 3 Transfer area 5 Waiting area 7 Combining area 8 Item dispensing device 10 Packing area 11 Carry-in line 13 Insertion line 15 Circulating line 18 Control device 80 Waiting line 81 Spiral consolidation conveying path (consolidation line) 200 Pod 301 Single item group 310 Item group

Claims

1. An item dispensing system comprising: a stock area, a transfer area, a waiting area, a loading area, an infeed line connecting the stock area and the transfer area, an input line connecting the transfer area and the waiting area, and control means, wherein information relating to one or more items is input to the control means as a single item group, the stock area is an area that stores multiple single item groups, each group containing one type of item, the transfer area is an area where work is done to transfer items from the single item group, the waiting area is an area with multiple waiting lines, and the loading area is an area with loading lines, wherein the single item group is discharged from the stock area and transported to the transfer area by the infeed line, the items of the single item group are transferred to the input line in the transfer area, and the input line sorts the items by type or by related items and introduces them into the waiting lines in the waiting area, and the items included in the item group are discharged from the waiting line to the input line to form a group of items that are sent downstream.

2. The item dispensing system described in claim 1, characterized in that the stock area has an introduction section, a circulating conveying path, and an ejection section, and the single item group is introduced from the introduction section to the circulating conveying path, and the required single item group moves along the circulating conveying path to the ejection section.

3. The article delivery system according to claim 1, wherein articles are extracted from the single article group in the transfer area manually or by a robot.

4. The item dispensing system described in claim 1, characterized in that the waiting area has multiple waiting lines arranged three-dimensionally, and the multiple waiting lines are arranged in multiple rows horizontally to form one floor, and the floor is installed on multiple floors.

5. The article dispensing system according to claim 4, wherein the matching line has a spiral path and passes through multiple floors of the waiting area.

6. The goods delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the input line has a plurality of branching sections, and the branching sections distribute and introduce goods into the waiting lines in the waiting area.

7. The article dispensing system according to claim 1, wherein the input line has a swinging path, the tip of which is connected to the waiting line to introduce articles.

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