Transport system, control device, and control method

Abstract

According to the present invention, when a plurality of work stations that correspond to work have been designated as a plurality of target location candidates for a targeted transport device that is one of a plurality of transport devices, a control device calculates a passage hindrance level that is the level to which the passage of one or more other transport devices that are not the targeted transport device could be hindered for each of the plurality of work stations, determines one of the plurality of work stations to be a target location for the targeted transport device on the basis of evaluation values that are based on the passage hindrance levels calculated for the plurality of work stations, and transmits a movement command that gives the determined work station as a target location to the targeted transport device.

Description

Transport system, control device and control method

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a technology for transporting an object by running a transport device.

[0002] In logistics centers, the work of picking items (e.g., merchandise) corresponding to orders from each storage facility, sorting them into packaging units, and packing them into order containers is a burdensome task that involves moving items between storage facilities. In particular, while the e-commerce market is expanding, problems such as a shortage of workers at logistics centers are occurring, and there is a strong need to reduce the workload.

[0003] Therefore, in order to reduce the workload of sorting work even when the storage locations of multiple items corresponding to an order span multiple storage facilities, there is a transport system that automates the sorting work using a transport device such as an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle). That is, the transport device loads order containers (e.g., cardboard boxes) corresponding to the order, travels around workstations (typically work spaces where workers are located) in each storage facility, and collects the items corresponding to the order into the order containers. This makes it possible to perform the sorting work without the worker having to move, even when the storage locations of multiple items corresponding to an order span multiple storage facilities. Note that such a transport system can be used when multiple items are stored in the same storage facility but the storage locations are far apart.

[0004] In such a conveying system, the control device of the conveying device sequentially sets the next destination position each time the conveying device moves. Specifically, for example, the following steps (a) to (f) are performed. Steps (c) and (d) are repeated as necessary. (a) The control device determines the work area where the ordered containers will be loaded as the destination position of the conveying device, and sets the determined destination position on the conveying device. (b) The conveying device moves and arrives at the work area (destination position), completing the loading of the ordered containers. (c) The control device determines the work station in the storage facility as the destination position of the conveying device, and sets the determined destination position on the conveying device. (d) The conveying device moves and arrives at the work station (destination position), completing the collection of the items. If collection at another work station is required, the process returns to step (c). (e) When collection of all items is complete, the control device determines the packaging area where the ordered containers will be packed as the destination position, and sets the determined destination position on the conveying device. (f) The conveying device moves and arrives at the packaging area (destination position), and packaging is performed.

[0005] When setting the next destination location (for example, in any of (a), (c), and (e)), it may be possible to determine (select) any destination location candidate from multiple destination location candidates. For example, if there are multiple work areas where the same type of order containers are loaded, it does not matter which work area is set as the destination location. However, depending on the destination location determined, transport devices may be inundated with a specific location, causing congestion and reducing transport efficiency. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology aimed at suppressing a decrease in transport efficiency due to congestion in transport devices.

[0006] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-177468

[0007] According to the technology described in Patent Document 1, by selecting a work area with fewer nearby transport devices as the destination location, it is expected that congestion around the work area will not occur.

[0008] However, in reality, there are cases where congestion is unlikely to occur even if there are many transport devices around the work area, and conversely, there are cases where congestion is likely to occur even if there are few transport devices around.

[0009] A typical example of the former case is when there is no other transport device traveling across a waiting line of multiple transport devices heading toward a work area. In such a case, even if multiple transport devices are queuing in front of the work area, they do not obstruct the movement of other transport devices, so there is no actual congestion that causes harm.

[0010] A typical example of the latter case is when a small number of transport devices heading to the work area are waiting in a queue and other transport devices are traveling across the queue. In such a case, even if there are only a few transport devices heading to the work area, they may obstruct the movement of other transport devices, causing a harmful congestion.

[0011] The technology described in Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration whether the destination location of a transport device selected will obstruct the passage of other transport devices, and therefore cannot prevent congestion in the above-mentioned cases.

[0012] In consideration of these circumstances, the object of the present invention is to prevent congestion from occurring in a transportation environment in which any destination location candidate can be determined (selected) as the destination location from multiple destination location candidates, thereby preventing a decrease in transportation efficiency.

[0013] When a target conveying device is one of a plurality of conveying devices and there are a plurality of work stations corresponding to tasks designated as a plurality of destination position candidates for the target conveying device, the control device calculates a degree of traffic obstruction for each of the plurality of work stations, which is the degree to which the work stations may obstruct the passage of one or more other conveying devices other than the target conveying device, and determines one of the plurality of work stations as the destination position of the target conveying device based on an evaluation value based on the calculated degree of traffic obstruction for each of the plurality of work stations, and sends a movement instruction to the target conveying device with the determined one work station as the destination position.

[0014] According to the present invention, congestion is less likely to occur in a transportation environment in which any destination location candidate can be determined (selected) as the destination location from multiple destination location candidates, thereby preventing a decrease in transportation efficiency. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become clear from the following description of the embodiment of the invention.

[0015] 1 is a diagram showing an overview of multiple types of areas in the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of a movement area. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a conveying device and loading onto the conveying device. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another example of a conveying device and loading onto the conveying device. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a flat placement area. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an automated warehouse area. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a shelf conveying area. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a moving shelf area. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a packing area. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a part of a specific configuration example of elements in a conveying system. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the rest of a specific configuration example of elements in a conveying system. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an order table. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an inventory table. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a storage area table. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a conveying device table. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a movement area table. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a shipping box table. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a loading work management table. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a picking work management table. Fig. 1 is a flowchart showing a control flow for determining one destination position candidate from a plurality of destination position candidates as a destination position of a transport device and transporting the transport device to that destination position. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for evaluating a traffic obstruction degree. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for evaluating a traffic obstruction degree. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for evaluating a movement cost. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for evaluating a movement cost. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining determination of a destination position that balances the traffic obstruction degree and the movement cost.

[0016] In the following description, an "interface apparatus" may be one or more interface devices. The one or more interface devices may be at least one of the following: - One or more I / O (Input / Output) interface devices. The I / O (Input / Output) interface device is an interface device for at least one of an I / O device and a remote display computer. The I / O interface device for the display computer may be a communication interface device. The at least one I / O device may be a user interface device, for example, either an input device such as a keyboard and a pointing device, or an output device such as a display device. - One or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more homogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., one or more NICs (Network Interface Cards)) or two or more heterogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., a NIC and an HBA (Host Bus Adapter)).

[0017] In the following description, "memory" refers to one or more memory devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices, and may typically be a primary storage device. At least one memory device in the memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

[0018] In the following description, a "persistent storage device" may refer to one or more persistent storage devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices. A persistent storage device may typically be a non-volatile storage device (e.g., an auxiliary storage device), and more specifically, may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a non-volatile memory express (NVME) drive, or a storage class memory (SCM).

[0019] Also, in the following description, "storage device" may be "memory" and / or "persistent storage device."

[0020] In the following description, a "processor" may refer to one or more processor devices. The at least one processor device may typically be a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also be another type of processor device such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The at least one processor device may be a single-core or multi-core. The at least one processor device may also be a processor core. At least one processor device may be a processor device in a broad sense, such as a circuit that is a collection of gate arrays written in a hardware description language that performs some or all of the processing (for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

[0021] In the following description, information that provides an output in response to an input may be described using expressions such as "xxx table." However, this information may be data of any structure (for example, structured data or unstructured data), or may be a neural network that generates an output in response to an input, or a learning model such as a genetic algorithm or random forest. Therefore, "xxx table" may be referred to as "xxx information." In the following description, the structure of each table is an example, and one table may be divided into two or more tables, or all or part of two or more tables may be one table.

[0022] In the following description, processing may be described using a "program" as the subject. However, because a program is executed by a processor to perform a predetermined process using a storage device and / or an interface device as appropriate, the subject of the process may also be the processor (or a computer, device, or system having the processor). A program may be installed in a device such as a computer from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable recording medium (e.g., a non-transitory recording medium). In the following description, two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0023] Furthermore, any information (for example, at least one of "ID," "name," and "number") may be employed as information for identifying an element (identification information, identifier).

[0024] In addition, in the following description, when describing elements of the same type without distinguishing between them, common reference symbols will be used, and when describing elements of the same type with distinction between them, reference symbols will be used.

[0025] In the following description, the unit of "date and time" may be a unit that is coarser or finer than the year, month, day, hour, minute.

[0026] Hereinafter, several embodiments of the present invention will be described. <First embodiment>

[0027] A transfer system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 26. FIG.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of multiple types of areas in the first embodiment. The multiple types of areas illustrated in FIG. 1 may be, for example, parts of a logistics facility (e.g., a warehouse or a logistics center). A logistics facility is, for example, a storage facility used by a mail-order company or a device manufacturing company to store goods. The goods stored in the logistics facility may be, for example, products or parts.

[0029] The conveying system includes a plurality of conveying devices 3 traveling within a moving area 150 and a control device 4 that remotely controls the movement of each conveying device 3. Shipping boxes 87 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B ) are loaded onto the conveying devices 3, and items (e.g., products or parts) are placed in the shipping boxes 87. The "shipping boxes 87" are containers (e.g., boxes) that contain items packed in the same box (e.g., cardboard box) as a shipping unit (packaging unit), and may also be referred to as "order containers." Items packed in different boxes as shipping units are not placed in the same shipping box 87, but are placed in shipping boxes 87 corresponding to each shipping unit. Once all the items are gathered in the shipping boxes 87, the items in the shipping boxes 87 are inspected and packaged before being shipped. The items placed in the shipping boxes 87 may be transferred to shipping boxes (e.g., cardboard boxes) by a worker or a robot, packaged, and shipped. Alternatively, the shipping boxes 87 may be the shipping boxes themselves.

[0030] The movement area 150 includes an inspection area 103, a charging area 104, a waiting area 105, and an abnormality response area 106. The inspection area 103 is an area where inspection of items in shipping boxes 87 loaded on the conveying device 3 is carried out. The charging area 104 is an area where the conveying device 3 is charged. The waiting area 105 is an area where the conveying device 3 waits. The abnormality response area 106 is an area where abnormalities in the conveying device 3 are responded to. At least one of the areas 103 to 106 may be located outside the movement area 150. Furthermore, instead of or in addition to at least one of the areas 103 to 106, another area may be provided inside or outside the movement area 150. In addition, in this embodiment, inspection is performed when the conveying device 3 passes through the inspection area 103 in the movement area 150, but instead, inspection may be performed after the item is handed over to the packing area 102 (in this case, there may be no inspection area 103 in the movement area 150, and the packing area 102 may also serve as the inspection area).

[0031] Outside the transfer area 150, there are a shipping box supply area 100, multiple storage areas 101, and a packing area 102. The shipping box supply area 100 is an area where shipping boxes 87 are supplied, and the shipping boxes 87 are loaded onto the conveying device 3. In this embodiment, it is assumed that empty shipping boxes 87 are supplied in the shipping box supply area 100, but shipping boxes 87 that are partially filled with items to be packed in the same box as a shipping unit may also be supplied, for example, items obtained outside the conveying system may be supplied in the shipping box 87. The storage area 101 is an area where items are stored (arranged). The packing area 102 is an area where shipping boxes 87 containing items are packed.

[0032] The multiple storage areas 101 differ in at least one of the storage method, retrieval method, and picking method. Examples of the multiple storage areas 101 include a flat storage area 101A, an automated warehouse area 101B, a shelf transport area 101C, and a flow shelf area 101D. The storage areas 101A to 101D will be described later.

[0033] 2 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the moving area 150. For convenience, the two-dimensional directions are defined as the x direction and the y direction orthogonal to the x direction.

[0034] The movement area 150 may be managed by dividing it into a plurality of rectangular sections 201 of a predetermined size. The sections 201 can be expressed as sections (α, β), where α is the x-coordinate (section position along the x-direction) and β is the y-coordinate (section position along the y-direction).

[0035] For example, if the transfer area 150 includes areas on multiple floors or areas above and below a mezzanine, the z-coordinate can be used to represent the height position of each area. In this case, the section 201 may be represented by a coordinate system such as section (α, β, γ). α is the x-coordinate (section position along the x-direction), β is the y-coordinate (section position along the y-direction), and γ is the z-coordinate (area position in the height direction). When the transfer area 150 spans multiple floors, transport between floors, or transport between the top and bottom of a mezzanine when a mezzanine is provided, may be performed by, for example, a vertical conveyor. In this case, the vertical conveyor may transport only the shipping boxes, or the vertical conveyor may transport the conveyor device 3 loaded with shipping boxes.

[0036] A marker (not shown) indicating the position of each section 201 may be marked within each section 201. The marker may include information for identifying the position of the section, such as the position information of the section or information associated with the position information of the section (e.g., identification information of the section 201). The marker is information that can be read by the sensor 14 (see FIG. 6 ) of the transport device 3, and may be, for example, a one-dimensional code, a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark), or an RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) ​​tag. For example, the transport device 3 reads the marker in each section 201 when passing through that section 201. Each transport device 3 transmits the read marker information together with the identification information of the transport device 3 to the control device 4. The control device 4 identifies the position of each transport device 3 based on the identification information of the transport device 3 and the marker information received from each transport device 3. The entire area of ​​the compartment 201 is provided with a plate-like member, and movement from the compartment 201 to another adjacent compartment 201 is possible, and the conveying device 3 may be able to turn within the compartment 201.

[0037] The conveying device 3 and the shipping box 87 may be smaller than, for example, one compartment 201. The manner in which the compartments are set may be modified in various ways. Also, a compartment (for example, compartment (3, 1)) into which the conveying device 3 must not enter may be provided.

[0038] For each section 201 in the movement area 150, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 2, the direction in which the conveyance device 3 can move within that section 201 may not be limited (for example, the +x direction, the −x direction, the +y direction, and the −y direction may all be directions in which the conveyance device 3 can move). Furthermore, the sections 201 may be set to allow movement in both directions, or may be set to allow movement in only one direction. For example, by setting some sections 201 to allow movement in only one direction, it is expected that congestion of the conveyance device 3 can be suppressed or reduced, and overall movement efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, if there are many sections 201 between which movement can only be made in one direction, the movement path of the conveyance device 3 may be long. Therefore, the direction in which the conveyance device 3 can move may be set in advance based on the number of conveyance devices 3 in the movement area 150, the position of each section 201, the section setting 1202, etc., or such a direction may be dynamically set or changed by the control device 4.

[0039] Referring again to FIG. 1 , the conveying device 3 is a device that moves in accordance with movement instructions from the control device 4 and may typically be an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle). For example, in accordance with one or more movement instructions from the control device 4, the conveying device 3 starts moving from the shipping box supply area 100 while loaded with empty shipping boxes 87, moves to two or more (or one) storage areas 101, and arrives at the packing area 102 via the inspection area 103 with items placed in the shipping boxes 87 from each of the two or more (or one) storage areas 101. Specifically, for example, the movement order of the conveying device 3A is, as shown in the figure, shipping box supply area 100 → flat placement area 101A → automated warehouse area 101B → shelf transport area 101C → inspection area 103 → packing area 102. The movement order of the conveying device 3B is as shown in the figure: shipping box supply area 100 → flow shelf area 101D → shelf conveying area 101C → flat placement area 101A → inspection area 103 → packing area 102.

[0040] Some orders specify multiple different items. For each order, the control device 4 assigns one or more shipping boxes 87 to the order, and the one or more shipping boxes 87 are loaded onto one or more conveyance devices 3. For example, if all items corresponding to an order are packed in the same box as a shipping unit, the order (all items corresponding to the order) may be assigned to one shipping box 87. However, if the items do not all fit in the same shipping box 87, the order may be assigned to multiple shipping boxes 87. The control device 4 prevents one shipping box 87 from being assigned to multiple orders with different delivery destinations. The order order from the shipping box supply area 100 to the packing area 102 may be specified in a single movement instruction, or may be determined by a combination of multiple movement instructions. The "movement instruction" sent to the conveyance device 3 is associated with information indicating the movement task assigned to the conveyance device 3. In this embodiment, the "movement" of the conveyance device 3 refers to the general movement of the conveyance device 3, regardless of whether or not there are any items to be transported (shipping boxes 87 or items in the shipping boxes 87). The "movement" of the conveying device 3 may be rephrased as the "travel" of the conveying device 3. The "movement" of the conveying device 3 while it is carrying an object to be conveyed may be particularly referred to as "transportation." A movement task is a task for moving the conveying device 3 to an area specified in the movement task (movement instruction), and may include a task for making the conveying device 3 transport the shipping box 87 to the specified area. Information representing a movement task may include, for example, a movement path along which the conveying device 3 moves and a movement direction of the conveying device 3.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 3A, the conveying device 3 has a platform 85, and shipping boxes 87 are loaded on the platform 85. One conveying device 3 may be loaded with one shipping box 87 as shown in Fig. 3A, or may be loaded with multiple (two or more) shipping boxes 87 as shown in Fig. 3B.

[0042] When the remaining charge of the battery (not shown) mounted on the transport device 3 falls below a predetermined value, the transport device 3 moves to the charging area 104 and automatically charges. For example, when the remaining charge of the battery of the transport device 3 falls below a predetermined value, the transport device 3 may request charging from the control device 4, and the control device 4 may respond to the charging request and instruct the transport device 3 to move to the charging area 104 and charge.

[0043] The following describes the multiple storage areas 101A to 101D. In this description, the "stopping area" for each storage area 101 may be an area within the movement area 150 (for example, an area adjacent to the storage area 101 and configured by one or more sections 201 of the movement area 150), or may be an area outside the movement area 150 (for example, within the storage area 101).

[0044] FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram showing an example of the flat placement area 101A.

[0045] The flat area 101A is an example of an area to which PTG (Person to Goods) is applied. According to PTG, a worker (Person) walks to a storage location 2 of an item (Goods) and picks it up.

[0046] The flat storage area 101A includes an item area 400 and one or more work areas 163A, and a stopping area 164A adjacent to the work area 163A is provided for each work area 163A. The item area 400 is an area that includes storage locations 2 where items are placed flat. The item area 400 may be provided with shelves as storage locations 2, and items may be placed on the shelves. The stopping area 164A is an area where the conveying device 3 stops. In the work area 163A, in accordance with work instructions from the control device 4, a worker places (loads) items picked from the storage locations 2 into a shipping box 87 of the conveying device 3 that is stopped in the stopping area 164A adjacent to the work area 163A.

[0047] FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram showing an example of the automated warehouse area 101B.

[0048] The automated warehouse area 101B is an example of an area to which GTP (Goods To Person) is applied. According to GTP, goods (goods) are transported by a robot (or other device) to the location of a worker (person) who will pick the goods.

[0049] The automated warehouse area 101B includes an automated warehouse 161B, one or more conveyors 162, and one or more work areas 163B. Each work area 163B is provided with a stop area 164B adjacent to the work area 163B. The automated warehouse 161B outputs (ships) items to one of the conveyors 162 in accordance with an output instruction from the control device 4. The conveyor 162 transports the items output from the automated warehouse 161B to the work area 163B (the destination WS and / or output destination WS). The work area 163B is an area where an operator picks up items being transported by the conveyor 162. The stop area 164B is an area where the transport device 3 stops. The operator places the items picked in the work area 163B into a shipping box 87 of the transport device 3 stopped in the stop area 164B adjacent to the work area 163B.

[0050] The transfer area 150 may or may not have a temporary waiting area 165 corresponding to each storage area 101. The temporary waiting area 165 corresponding to each storage area 101 may be a temporary waiting area 165 corresponding to each work area 163 or a temporary waiting area 165 corresponding to each stop area 164, or a temporary waiting area 165 corresponding to a plurality of work areas 163 or stop areas 164. In this embodiment, a temporary waiting area 165 corresponding to the automated warehouse area 101B may be provided. The temporary waiting area 165 is an area where the transport device 3 moving to the stop area 164B temporarily waits. The temporary waiting area 165 may be provided near the stop area 164B. For example, when the transport device 3 has already stopped in all the stop areas 164B, the transport device 3 temporarily waits in the temporary waiting area 165. The temporary waiting area 165 may be provided in the automated warehouse area 101B or another storage area 101 instead of or in addition to the transfer area 150. The temporary waiting area 165 may also be provided inside or outside the storage area 101. For example, the temporary waiting area 165 may be included in the waiting area 105.

[0051] FIG. 4C is a schematic diagram showing an example of a shelf transport area 101C.

[0052] The shelf transport area 101C is an example of an area to which GTP is applied. A plurality of shelves 5 are arranged in the shelf transport area 101C, and a plurality of items are placed on the shelves 5. In the shelf transport area 101C, a transport device 161C transports the shelves 5 in accordance with an out-of-stock instruction (movement instruction) from the control device 4. The shelf transport area 101C includes one or more work areas 163C, and a stopping area 164C adjacent to each work area 163C is provided. The work area 163C is an area where an operator picks an item from the shelf 5 transported by the transport device 161C. The stopping area 164C is an area where the transport device 3 stops. The operator places the item picked in the work area 163C into a shipping box 87 of the transport device 3 stopped in the stopping area 164C adjacent to the work area 163C.

[0053] FIG. 4D is a schematic diagram showing an example of a flow shelf area 101D.

[0054] The flow shelf area 101D includes a flow shelf 450 and one or more work areas 163D, and each work area 163D is provided with a stopping area 164D adjacent to the work area 163D. The flow shelf 450 has trays arranged vertically, and items are lined up on each tray. In the work area 163D, a worker picks an item from the flow shelf 450 in accordance with work instructions from the control device 4 and places the picked item into a shipping box 87 of a conveyance device 3 parked in the stopping area 164D adjacent to the work area 163D.

[0055] In this way, the storage areas 101A to 101D differ in at least one of the storage method, retrieval method, and picking method.

[0056] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the packing area 102.

[0057] The packing area 102 includes one or more conveyors 171, each of which includes a packing machine 172 and a work area 173. Each conveyor 171 also has a stopping area 174. For example, stopping areas 174 may be provided for different shipping box sizes, such as large, medium, and small. The number of stopping areas 174 for each shipping box size does not necessarily have to be one, and multiple stopping areas 174 may be provided. For example, if the number of large shipping boxes is greater than the number of medium and small shipping boxes, two stopping areas 174 for large sizes may be provided, as shown in the figure.

[0058] For each conveyor 171, the stopping area 174 is located near (e.g., adjacent to) the work area 173. In the work area 173, a worker transfers a shipping box 87 from a conveyance device 3 parked in the stopping area 174 to the conveyor 171. If the shipping box 87 is a box to be shipped (e.g., a cardboard box), the shipping box 87 being transported by the conveyor 171 is packed by a packing machine 172, and the packed shipping box 87 is transported by the conveyor 171 and eventually shipped (delivered). Alternatively, the item placed in the shipping box 87 may be transferred by a worker to a box to be shipped (e.g., a cardboard box), the box to be shipped is transported by the conveyor 171 and packed by the packing machine 172, and the packed box is transported by the conveyor 171 and eventually shipped (delivered).

[0059] The stopping area 174 may be an area within the transfer area 150 (e.g., an area adjacent to the packing area 102 and consisting of one or more sections 201 of the transfer area 150) or an area outside the transfer area 150 (e.g., within the packing area 102).

[0060] 6 and 7 are diagrams showing specific configuration examples of elements of the transport system according to this embodiment.

[0061] The conveying system includes a control device 4, a conveying device 3, a material handling facility 161, a station terminal 710, and a network 551 (for example, a wireless communication line such as a wireless LAN (Local Area Network)). There may be one or more of each component of the conveying system. Each of the conveying device 3, the control device 4, the material handling facility 161, and the station terminal 710 can communicate via the network 551. The conveying system may also be called a "logistics system."

[0062] The transport device 3 includes a drive device 11, a storage device 12, an interface device 13, multiple types of sensors 14, a battery, and a controller 10 connected to these devices.

[0063] The controller 10 is a controller that controls the operation of the transport device 3 in accordance with movement instructions from the control device 4, the charge state of the built-in battery, etc. The drive device 11 includes drive wheels 20, auxiliary wheels 21, and an actuator (not shown) such as a motor for driving the drive wheels 20 to rotate.

[0064] The interface device 13 is a device for communicating with the control device 4 by a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be configured, for example, by a wireless LAN card.

[0065] The sensor 14 is a device for collecting information about the floor surface on which the conveying device 3 travels and various information about the conveying device 3. For example, the sensor 14 can read information about markers on the section 201 on the floor. The conveying device 3 may be equipped with multiple types of sensors 14, such as a camera for capturing images of the state of the section 201, a vibration sensor for detecting vibrations received by the conveying device 3 while moving, a speed sensor for measuring the speed of the conveying device 3, an acceleration sensor for measuring the acceleration of the conveying device 3, a weight sensor for measuring the weight of the load (conveyed object), and a gyro sensor for measuring the orientation of the conveying device 3.

[0066] The storage device 12 stores, for example, a route table 23, a device table 24, a map table 25, a measurement table 27, and a performance table 28. The controller 10 stores a communication program 29, a movement control program 30, a measurement program 31, and a position estimation program 32. The communication program 29, the movement control program 30, the measurement program 31, and the position estimation program 32 are executed by the controller 10 to realize a communication unit, a travel control unit, a measurement unit, and a position estimation unit.

[0067] The route table 23 is a table that stores the aforementioned movement instructions received from the control device 4 and information representing the movement route specified in the movement instruction (the information representing the movement route may include information about the sections of the movement route, etc.). The device table 24 is a table that stores the ID, current position (section), and status (e.g., "standby," "moving," or "transporting") of the transport device 3. The map table 25 is a table that stores information representing the position and attributes of each section (e.g., which area it belongs to). The map table 25 may include information such as that shown in FIG. 2. The measurement table 27 is a table that stores values ​​measured by multiple types of sensors 14 (e.g., speed, acceleration, rotation, weight, position (values ​​read from markers), captured images of the section, etc.). The performance table 28 is a table that stores information representing the movement performance of the transport device 3, including the route and date and time traveled.

[0068] The communication program 29 is a program having a function of exchanging commands and information with the control device 4 via the interface device 13. For example, the communication program 29 transmits at least some of the information in tables 23 to 25, 27, and 28 to the control device 4 in response to (or without) a request from the control device 4. The communication program 29 of each transport device 3 may transmit each of these pieces of information to the control device 4 at regular or irregular intervals.

[0069] The movement control program 30 is a program that controls the movement of the transport device 3 in accordance with a movement instruction received from the control device 4 via the communication program 29. For example, the movement control program 30 controls the drive device 11 to move along a specified movement path in accordance with the movement instruction from the control device 4.

[0070] The measurement program 31 registers the output (measurement results) of each sensor 14 in the measurement table 27. The position estimation program 32 estimates the position of the transport device 3 based on the markers (markers in the section 201 of the movement area 150) detected by the sensors 14 of the transport device 3.

[0071] The control device 4 may be one or more physical computers having hardware such as a processor 40, a memory 41, a storage device 42, an input device 43, an output device 44, and an interface device 45, or may be a system (e.g., a cloud computing system) implemented on one or more physical computers (e.g., a cloud platform). Each device included in the control device 4 may be located on a single physical computer, or may be distributed across multiple physical computers. The programs and information stored in the storage device 42 may be stored in a single storage device, or may be distributed across multiple storage devices. Instead of the input device 43 and the output device 44, information may be input and output via a client system that can communicate via the interface device 45.

[0072] The processor 40 is a device that controls the overall operation of the control device 4. The memory 41 is used as a work memory for the processor 40. The storage device 42 stores programs and tables. The input device 43 is composed of, for example, a mouse or a keyboard, and is used by the operator to input necessary information and instructions to the control device 4. The output device 44 may be a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The interface device 45 is a device for communicating with the conveying device 3, the material handling equipment 161, and the station terminal 710 via a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be composed of, for example, a wireless LAN card.

[0073] The storage device 42 stores, for example, a transport device table 53, an inventory table 54, an order table 55, a map table 56, a storage area table 57, an operation management table 58 (a picking operation management table 581 and a loading operation management table 582), a shipping box table 59, and a movement area table 60. The map table 56 is information representing a map of the movement area 150 (and each stop area) (for example, a table storing the position (coordinates) and attributes of each section) (this table 56 may be distributed to each transport device 3 and saved as the map table 25 in each transport device 3). The map table 56 may include information such as that shown in FIG. 2.

[0074] The storage device 42 stores an integrated WCS program 51 and multiple WCS programs 50. The integrated WCS and WCS are realized by the processor 40 executing the integrated WCS program 51 and the WCS program 50. WCS stands for Warehouse Control System. The integrated WCS program 51 comprehensively controls the conveying device 3 and the material handling equipment 161. The WCS program 50 controls the material handling equipment 161 or the conveying device 3. For example, the first WCS program 50 controls the material handling equipment 161 (specifically, the automated warehouse 161B) in the automated warehouse area 101B. The second WCS program 50 controls the shelf transport area (specifically, the conveying device 161C). The third WCS program 50 controls the conveying device 3.

[0075] The material handling equipment 161 is provided in the storage area 101 (typically, a storage area to which GTP is applied) and is equipment used for storing, storing, retrieving, etc., from the storage area 101. The material handling equipment 161 is, for example, an automated warehouse 161B in the automated warehouse area 101B or a transport device 161C in the shelf transport area 101C. The material handling equipment 161 has, for example, an interface device 711, a memory device 713, a drive device 714, a sensor 715, and a processor 712 connected to these.

[0076] The interface device 711 is a device for communicating with the control device 4 via a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be configured, for example, by a wireless LAN card. The drive device 714 is a device for driving the material handling equipment 161. The sensor 715 may be a sensor for detecting the position of the material handling equipment 161, etc.

[0077] The storage device 713 stores an inventory table 760 and an incoming / outgoing table 761. The inventory table 760 may be a table that contains the same information as at least a portion of the inventory table 54 of the control device 4. The incoming / outgoing table 761 may be a table that contains information related to the incoming and outgoing of goods. The processor 712 executes a program in the storage device 713 to control the operation of the entire material handling equipment 161 based on, for example, the inventory table 760 and the incoming / outgoing table 761.

[0078] The station terminal 710 is an information processing terminal provided in a WS (work station (i.e., work area 163)), which displays a work management table 770, which is an example of information related to the work of the worker (for example, picking work or loading work), and which accepts input from the worker when the work is completed. When the work completion is input, the work status of the target work is updated. The station terminal 710 has an interface device 731, a storage device 732, and a processor 733 connected to them. The WS may also be called a work station or a working station.

[0079] The interface device 731 is a device for communicating with the control device 4 via a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be composed of, for example, a wireless LAN card. The storage device 732 stores a work management table 770. The work management table 770 may be a table containing information corresponding to the WS from among the work management tables 58 held by the control device 4. The processor 733 executes a program in the storage device 732 to control the overall operation of the station terminal 710, for example, based on the work management table 770. The station terminal 710 may include an input device and an output device. The input device may accept input of information related to work by a worker, such as completion of work. The output device may output instructions related to the work to the worker.

[0080] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the order table 55. As shown in FIG.

[0081] The order table 55 is a table that stores various information related to orders from customers. The order table 55 has a record for each item. Each record holds information such as a status 601, a slip number 602, a shipping box ID 603, a store ID 604, an item name 605, an item ID 606, a quantity 607, a delivery date 608, a received date and time 609, a work date and time 610, and a priority flag 611. Take one item as an example (referred to as the "item of interest" in the explanation of FIG. 8). According to the example shown in FIG. 8, if the slip number 602 is the same, items may be treated as a single order even if the type of item (e.g., the item name 605 and item ID 606) is different.

[0082] The status 601 indicates the work status for the item of interest. The slip number 602 indicates the number (slip number) of the order in which the item of interest is specified.

[0083] The shipping box ID 603 indicates the ID of the shipping box 87 assigned to the item of interest. The store ID 604 indicates the ID of the store that sells or manufactures the item.

[0084] The item name 605 indicates the name of the item of interest, the item ID 606 indicates the ID of the item of interest, and the quantity 607 indicates the number of items of interest (the number of items ordered).

[0085] The delivery date 608 indicates the deadline by which the item of interest is to be delivered to the delivery destination (typically a customer). The reception date and time 609 indicates the date and time when an order specifying the item of interest is received. The work date and time 610 indicates the date and time when a specific work related to the item of interest (e.g., picking, loading, inspection, packing, etc.) is performed. In addition to or instead of this information, information on work deadlines and shipping deadlines may also be included.

[0086] The priority flag 611 is a flag that is assigned to orders (slip numbers or shipping box groups) that should be prioritized, such as unexpected orders or orders with approaching deadlines. An order with the priority flag 611 set to "Yes" has a higher priority than an order without the priority flag 611. The priority flag 611 may have multiple levels of priority, such as "high," "normal," and "low."

[0087] The priority flag 611 may be assigned automatically, for example, when there is less than a predetermined time remaining until the deadline, when the order is an express order, etc., or may be assigned by input by a manager and / or worker. Also, if an order is divided into multiple shipping boxes and the status 601 of some shipping boxes indicates that picking has been completed, but the status 601 of the remaining shipping boxes indicates that picking has not been completed, the priority flag 611 may be assigned to the remaining shipping boxes for the purpose of improving efficiency, such as preventing items related to the order from being backed up.

[0088] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the inventory table 54. As shown in FIG.

[0089] The inventory table 54 is a table that stores information about items. The inventory table 54 has a record for each pair of an item and a storage area 101. The inventory table 54 may also have a record for each pair of an item and an in-area location 705 of the storage area 101. Each record holds information such as an item name 701, an item ID 702, an inventory quantity 703, a storage area 704, an in-area location 705, a storage container ID 706, an in-container location 707, a number of deliveries 708, and an item size and weight 709. Take one item as an example (referred to as the "item of interest" in the description of FIG. 9).

[0090] The item name 701 represents the name of the item of interest. The item ID 702 represents the ID of the item of interest. The stock quantity 703 represents the stock quantity of the item of interest. The storage area 704 represents the ID of the storage area 101 in which the item of interest is located. The position within area 705 represents the position of the item of interest in the storage area 101. The storage container ID 706 represents the ID of the storage container located at the position represented by the position within area 705. The position within container 707 represents the position of the item of interest in the storage container. The number of times the item has been taken out 708 represents the number of times the item has been taken out. The item size and weight 709 represents the size or weight of the item.

[0091] The configuration of the information 705 to 707 differs depending on the storage area 101. For example, if the storage area 101 is the automated warehouse area 101B, the in-area position 705 is composed of values ​​representing the ID of the automated warehouse area 101B and the position within the automated warehouse (column, row, and column), the storage container ID 706 is composed of a value representing the ID of a bucket, which is a storage container used in the automated warehouse area 101B, and the in-container position 707 is composed of a value representing the opening within the bucket. If the storage area 101 is the flat storage area 101A, the in-area position 705 is composed of values ​​representing the ID of the flat storage area 101A and the position within the flat storage area 101A (for example, column, row, and column (or column, row)). When the storage area 101 is the shelf transport area 101C, the in-area position 705 is composed of values ​​representing the storage section ID (or address) of the movable shelf, the surface of the movable shelf, the level of the movable shelf, and the frontage of the movable shelf, the storage container ID 706 is composed of values ​​representing the ID of the movable shelf, and the in-container position 707 is composed of values ​​representing the position within the frontage of the movable shelf.When the storage area 101 is the fluidized shelf area 101D, the in-area position 705 is composed of values ​​representing the ID of the fluidized shelf, and the in-container position 707 is composed of values ​​representing the position within the fluidized shelf.

[0092] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the storage area table 57. As shown in FIG.

[0093] The storage area table 57 is a table that stores information about the storage area 101. The storage area table 57 has a record for each location within the area. Each record holds information such as a storage area 801, a method 802, a temporary waiting area 803, a location within the area 804, and a station ID 805. Take one location within the area as an example ("location within the area of ​​interest" in the explanation of FIG. 10).

[0094] The storage area 801 indicates the type of the storage area 101 having the position within the area of ​​interest. The method 802 indicates the method of retrieval or picking.

[0095] The temporary waiting area 803 indicates whether or not there is a temporary waiting area. The presence or absence of a temporary waiting area may be managed for each storage area 101, or may be managed for each WS (or WS group (two or more WSs)). A temporary waiting area may be reserved for each WS, or multiple WSs may share a temporary waiting area.

[0096] The in-area position 804 indicates a position within the area of ​​interest. The station ID 805 indicates the ID of a WS (WS from which a vehicle can be taken out) corresponding to the in-area position.

[0097] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the transport device table 53. As shown in FIG.

[0098] The transport device table 53 is a table that stores information about each transport device 3. The transport device table 53 has a record for each transport device 3. Each record holds information such as a device ID 1101, a shipping box ID 1102, a location 1103, a remaining battery level 1104, a device status 1105, a storage area 1106, a destination location 1107, and an expected arrival date and time 1108. Take one transport device 3 as an example (referred to as "target transport device 3" in the explanation of FIG. 11).

[0099] The device ID 1101 represents the ID of the target transport device 3. The shipping box ID 1102 represents the ID of the shipping box 87 loaded on the target transport device 3. When multiple shipping boxes 87 are loaded on the target transport device 3, multiple IDs are recorded as the ID of the target transport device 3. For example, in the example of FIG. 11 , the records with the device IDs 1101 of "AGV04-R" and "AGV04-L" represent that a shipping box with a shipping box ID of "B08" is loaded on the right side (R) of the front of the device with the device ID of "AGV04", and a shipping box with a shipping box ID of "B09" is loaded on the left side (L) of the front of the device with the device ID of "AGV04".

[0100] The position 1103 indicates the coordinates of the section where the particular transport device 3 is located (that is, the current section). The remaining battery capacity 1104 indicates the remaining capacity of the battery of the particular transport device 3.

[0101] The device status 1105 indicates the status of the particular transport device 3. "Moving" means that the particular transport device 3 is moving. "Free" means that no shipping box has been assigned to the particular transport device 3. "Stopped" means that the particular transport device 3 is parked in a stopping area (or temporary waiting area).

[0102] The storage area 1106 represents a storage area to which the particular transport device 3 is to be moved. The destination position 1107 represents a location to which the particular transport device 3 is to be moved, and may be a location related to the storage area 1106 or a location near the storage area 1106. For example, it may be a parking area in front of the WS (work area) of the storage area 1106, or a temporary waiting area.

[0103] The expected arrival date and time 1108 is the expected date and time when the target transportation device 3 will arrive at the destination. The expected arrival date and time 1108 may be, for example, a date and time calculated by the integrated WCS program 51 (or the WCS program 50) based on the movement route of the target transportation device 3 to the destination.

[0104] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the movement area table 60. As shown in FIG.

[0105] The travel area table 60 holds information for each section in the travel area 150. The travel area table 60 has a record for each section. Each record holds information such as an address 1201, a section setting 1202, a station ID 1203, an unusable flag 1204, a turn-prohibited flag 1205, and a direction 1206. Take one section as an example (the "section of interest" in the explanation of FIG. 12).

[0106] Address 1201 indicates the address (location information) of the section of interest. Section setting 1202 indicates what type of section the section of interest is set as. For example, a "transport section" is a section through which the transport device 3 travels. A "stopping area" is a section that belongs to the stopping area. A "temporary waiting area" is a section that belongs to the temporary waiting area. Station ID 1203 indicates the ID of the WS that corresponds to the section of interest.

[0107] The unusable flag 1204 is a flag indicating whether the target section is unusable (cannot be a component of a movement route). The unturnable flag 1205 indicates whether the target section is unusable for the conveyance device 3 to turn. The direction 1206 indicates the direction in which the conveyance device 3 present in the target section can move.

[0108] When a transport device such as an AGV travels within the storage area 101, a table similar to the movement area table 60 may be managed for the storage area 101. In this case, the WCS program 50 that controls the transport device may primarily refer to or update the table.

[0109] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the shipping box table 59.

[0110] The shipping box table 59 is a table that stores information about each shipping box. The shipping box table 59 has a record for each size category of the shipping box. Each record holds information such as a size category 1301, a loadable size 1302, a loadable weight 1303, a loadable number 1304, and a shipping box ID 1305. Take one shipping box as an example (the "shipping box of interest" in the explanation of FIG. 13).

[0111] The size category 1301 indicates the size category (e.g., large, medium, or small) to which the target shipping box belongs. The loadable size 1302 indicates the size (e.g., width, depth, and height) of the item that can be loaded onto the target shipping box. The loadable weight 1303 indicates the weight of the item that can be loaded onto the target shipping box.

[0112] The loadable number 1304 indicates the maximum number of shipping boxes that can be loaded onto the conveying device 3 and that belong to the same size category as the shipping box of interest.

[0113] The shipping box ID 1305 represents the ID of the shipping box of interest. Specifically, for each size category, the shipping box ID 1305 is a list of IDs of the shipping boxes of interest that belong to that size category. The IDs included in the shipping box ID 1305 may include all shipping boxes, or may include only IDs of shipping boxes that have not been assigned to the slip number (i.e., empty shipping boxes) (i.e., when the ID of a shipping box to be assigned is selected from the shipping box ID 1305, that ID may be deleted from the shipping box ID 1305).

[0114] In addition, the shipping box table 59 may have a record for each shipping box, and in addition to the information 1301 to 1305 mentioned above, the allocation status of each shipping box (unallocated or allocated status, allocated slip number, ID of allocated conveying device 3, etc.) may be managed.

[0115] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the loading operation management table 582.

[0116] The loading operation management table 582 is a table related to loading operations. The loading operation management table 582 has a record for each loading operation. Each record holds information such as a station ID 1401, a slip number 1402, a device ID 1403, a shipping box ID 1404, an item ID 1405, a quantity 1406, a scheduled start date and time 1407, a scheduled end date and time 1408, and an operation status 1409. Take one loading operation as an example ("loading operation of interest" in the explanation of FIG. 14).

[0117] The station ID 1401 indicates the ID of the WS where the target loading operation is performed. The slip number 1402 indicates the slip number of the order corresponding to the target loading operation. The device ID 1403 indicates the ID of the transport device 3 that transports the shipping box 87 into which the items are to be placed (loaded) during the target loading operation to the WS.

[0118] The shipping box ID 1404 indicates the ID of the shipping box into which the items are to be placed (loaded) in the loading work of interest, the item ID 1405 indicates the ID of the item, and the quantity 1406 indicates the number of items to be loaded in the loading work of interest.

[0119] The scheduled start date and time 1407 indicates the scheduled start date and time of the target loading operation. The scheduled end date and time 1408 indicates the scheduled end date and time of the target loading operation. The scheduled start date and time 1407 may be calculated by the integrated WCS program 51 or the WCS program 50 based on the scheduled date and time of the transport device 3's arrival at the WS along the travel route and the estimated length of time (or the scheduled end date and time) required for loading operations performed before the target loading operation. The scheduled end date and time 1408 may be calculated by the integrated WCS program 51 or the WCS program 50 based on the scheduled start date and time 1407 and the estimated length of time required for the target loading operation. The estimated length of time required for the loading operation may be calculated by the integrated WCS program 51 or the WCS program 50 based on at least one of the quantity of items to be loaded, the average time required for the loading operation, and the past loading operation history of the worker performing the loading operation. Note that the loading operation may be performed by a robot instead of or in addition to a worker.

[0120] The work status 1409 indicates the status of the target loading work. "Before work" means that the target loading work has not yet started. "In work" means that the target loading work has started but not yet completed. "Completed" means that the target loading work has been completed. The work status 1409 may be changed based on input from the worker performing the target loading work, or may be changed automatically based on values ​​automatically detected regarding the target loading work.

[0121] In addition, the loading work management table 582 may manage records for each WS, for example, by creating a table for each WS, so that the status of loading work at each WS can be known, and the order of the records may be the order in which the conveying device 3 (shipping box 87) arrives at each WS.

[0122] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the picking work management table 581.

[0123] The picking work management table 581 is a table related to picking work. The picking work management table 581 has a record for each picking work. Each record holds information such as a station ID 1501, a slip number 1502, a storage container ID 1503, an item ID 1504, a quantity 1505, a scheduled start date and time 1506, a scheduled end date and time 1507, and a work status 1508. Take one picking work as an example (referred to as the "pickup work of interest" in the explanation of FIG. 15).

[0124] The station ID 1501 indicates the ID of the WS where the target picking operation is performed. The slip number 1502 indicates the slip number of the order corresponding to the target picking operation. The storage container ID 1503 indicates the ID of the storage container that contains the item to be picked in the target picking operation.

[0125] The item ID 1504 indicates the ID of the item to be picked in the target picking operation, and the quantity 1505 indicates the number of items to be picked.

[0126] The estimated start date and time 1506 represents the estimated start date and time of the target picking operation. The estimated end date and time 1507 represents the estimated end date and time of the target picking operation. The estimated start date and time 1506 may be calculated by the integrated WCS program 51 or the WCS program 50 based on the estimated date and time of the storage container's arrival at the WS and the estimated length of time (or estimated end date and time) required for picking operations performed before the target picking operation. The estimated end date and time 1507 may be calculated by the integrated WCS program 51 or the WCS program 50 based on the estimated start date and time 1506 and the estimated length of time required for the picking operation. The estimated length of time required for the picking operation may be calculated by the integrated WCS program 51 or the WCS program 50 based on at least one of the quantity of items to be picked, the average time required for the picking operation, and the past picking operation history of the operator performing the picking operation. Note that the picking operation may be performed by a robot instead of or in addition to an operator.

[0127] The work status 1508 indicates the status of the target picking work. "Before work" means that the target picking work has not yet started. "In work" means that the target picking work has started but not yet been completed. "Completed" means that the target picking work has been completed. The work status 1508 may be changed based on input from the worker performing the target picking work, or may be changed automatically based on values ​​automatically detected regarding the target picking work.

[0128] In addition, the picking work management table 581 may manage records for each WS, for example, by creating a table for each WS, so that the status of picking work at each WS can be understood, and the order of the records may be the order in which the items (storage containers) arrive at each WS.

[0129] There is also a voucher number 1502 that represents multiple different voucher numbers (e.g., "81" and "85"), which is related to the loading work management table 582 (e.g., a record having voucher numbers 1402 "81" and "85") and indicates that items of different orders with the voucher numbers are picked together in a single picking operation.

[0130] An example of processing performed in this embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, the integrated WCS program 51 or the WCS program 50 appropriately updates the relevant portions of the tables 53 to 60 based on information (e.g., information including sensor measurements) that the control device 4 receives periodically or irregularly from each transport device 3, each material handling facility 161, and each station terminal 710.

[0131] 16 to 21 are flowcharts showing the flow of order processing. In the following explanation, "WCS program 50X" is the WCS program 50 corresponding to the material handling equipment 161 in the destination storage area 101. "WCS program 50Y" is the WCS program 50 corresponding to the transport device 3.

[0132] 16, in S1601, the integrated WCS program 51 selects one or more records whose operation date / time 610 corresponds to a predetermined operation date / time from the order table 55. Note that an order whose priority flag 611 is "Yes" may be given priority in at least some of the following order processing steps compared to orders without a priority flag (for example, this includes priority in the order of retrieval of items from the material handling equipment 161 in the storage area 101, and the order of arrival and / or waiting of the conveying device 3 in the parking area 164).

[0133] In S1602, the integrated WCS program 51 references the order table 55, identifies slip numbers for which the shipping box ID 603 is not assigned, and performs the shipping box selection process ( FIG. 22 ). Here, for example, if all items corresponding to the identified slip number cannot fit into a single shipping box, it determines that the items should be divided into multiple shipping boxes. Furthermore, if there are multiple shipping box sizes, the shipping box sizes are identified, and it is determined whether multiple shipping boxes will be loaded onto a single conveyance device 3 (and, if multiple shipping boxes will be loaded, the number of shipping boxes to be loaded is determined). By performing S1602, information about the shipping boxes for each of all records identified in S1601 (e.g., some or all of the information, such as the shipping box group ID, shipping box size, number of shipping boxes to be loaded onto the conveyance device 3, shipping box group combination, and shipping box ID, corresponding to each record) is set (determined) and recorded in the order table 55.

[0134] In step S1603, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to the transport device table 53.

[0135] In S1604, the integrated WCS program 51 identifies a transport device 3 to which a shipping box has not been allocated (device status 1105 is "empty").

[0136] In S1605, the integrated WCS program 51 sends a movement request to the WCS program 50Y to move the identified transport device 3 to the supply WS (WS in the shipping box supply area 100). The movement request specifies the device ID of the transport device identified in S1604 and the destination area (for example, the destination stopping area).

[0137] In S1606, the WCS program 50Y transmits a movement instruction to the designated transport device 3 to move to the supply WS in accordance with the movement request.

[0138] In S1607, the WCS program 50Y receives a notification from the transport device 3 that the transport device 3 has arrived at the supply WS, and reports to the integrated WCS that the transport device 3 has arrived at the supply WS.

[0139] In S1608, the integrated WCS program 51 receives the arrival completion report.

[0140] 17, in S1609, the integrated WCS program 51 transmits a request to load a shipping box to the supply WS station terminal 710. The loading request includes, for example, information about the shipping box identified in S1602 (e.g., some or all of the information such as the shipping box group ID, the size of the shipping box, the number of shipping boxes to be loaded on the conveyor 3, the shipping box group combination, and the shipping box ID).

[0141] In S1610, the station terminal 710 of the supply WS displays loading instructions for the shipping boxes based on the loading request. The displayed loading instructions contain information about the shipping boxes to be loaded onto the conveyance device 3 that has arrived at the stop area corresponding to the supply WS, including the information included in the loading request. The loading work is performed according to the displayed loading instructions. For example, at the supply WS, a worker or a work robot may input information about the shipping box IDs to be loaded into the station terminal 710 by scanning (reading) the codes (e.g., including the shipping box IDs) attached to the shipping boxes of the "shipping box size" and "number of shipping boxes" specified in the loading instruction using a scanning terminal such as a code reader. The worker or the work robot loads the shipping boxes whose codes have been scanned onto the conveyance device 3 of the WS. If there are multiple shipping box sizes, the displayed loading instructions include information about the shipping box sizes. The worker loads shipping boxes of that size (that is, one or more shipping boxes are loaded onto one conveying device 3 in accordance with the loading instructions).

[0142] As a modified example, a separate supply WS may be used for each shipping box size, in which case the integrated WCS program 51 may send a movement request to the WCS program 50Y to move the conveying device 3 to the supply WS that corresponds to the size of the shipping box.As another modified example, when there is a conveying device 3 that corresponds to the device status 1105 "empty," the shipping box may be loaded in advance at the supply WS, and then an unassigned slip number (shipping box group) may be assigned to the shipping box.

[0143] In S1611, the station terminal 710 receives input from the worker indicating that loading is complete, and reports the completion of loading (including, for example, information on the shipping box ID) to the integrated WCS program 51.

[0144] In S1612, the integrated WCS program 51 receives the report of the completion of loading and updates the transport device table 53 (for the target transport device 3, the ID of the loaded shipping box is set as the shipping box ID 1102).

[0145] In S1613, the integrated WCS program 51 updates the order table 55. For example, the integrated WCS program 51 assigns the loaded shipping boxes to the target slip number (shipping box group). When multiple shipping boxes are loaded on the same conveying device, the integrated WCS program 51 assigns the loaded shipping boxes to each shipping box group corresponding to the target combination of shipping box groups. In the order table 55, the integrated WCS program 51 sets the ID of the loaded (assigned) shipping box as the shipping box ID 603 in the record of each item corresponding to each shipping box group.

[0146] As a variant example, if a shipping box ID is set in S1602 (Figure 22) and the loading request in S1609 and the loading instruction in S1610 include information about the shipping box ID, a worker or work robot may load the shipping box with the shipping box ID specified in the loading instruction onto the conveying device 3.

[0147] As shown in FIG. 18, in S1614, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to the order table 55 and the inventory table 54 to identify the storage area 101 that stores the item corresponding to the target slip number (the item whose status 601 indicates that picking or loading is incomplete).

[0148] In S1615, the integrated WCS program 51 references the work management table 58 (picking work management table 581 and loading work management table 582), storage area table 57, transfer area table 60, and transport device table 53 (further referencing, for example, the inbound / outbound table 761 of each material handling facility 161). From the referenced tables, the integrated WCS program 51 identifies the work status of each WS (e.g., work capacity and congestion status), the location and transfer status of each transport device 3 (e.g., transfer destination and estimated arrival date and time), and the items to be shipped, and determines (selects) the destination storage area and destination location (e.g., a WS or temporary waiting area in the destination storage area 101). Based on this determination, the integrated WCS program 51 determines the patrol order (all or part of the destinations, including at least the first destination). The integrated WCS program 51 updates the transport device table 53 (e.g., the device status 1105, storage area 1106, and destination location 1107).

[0149] In S1616, the integrated WCS program 51 determines whether the destination storage area 101 is a GTP area (an area to which GTP is applied) by referring to the storage area table 57. If the determination result in S1616 is false (S1616: NO), the process proceeds to S1632 (FIG. 20).

[0150] If the determination result in S1616 is true (S1616: YES), in S1617, the integrated WCS program 51 sends a movement request to the WCS program 50Y to move the transport device 3 to the destination position.

[0151] In S1618, the WCS program 50Y transmits a movement instruction to the transport device 3 to move the transport device 3 to the destination position in accordance with the movement request.

[0152] In S1619, the WCS program 50Y receives a notification from the transport device 3 that the transport device 3 has arrived at the destination position, and reports the arrival completion to the integrated WCS program 51.

[0153] In S1620, the integrated WCS program 51 receives the arrival completion report.

[0154] As shown in Figure 19, in S1621, the integrated WCS program 51 sends a shipping request to ship an item (the item corresponding to the target slip number) from the destination storage area 101 to the corresponding WCS program 50X, which is the material handling equipment 161 in the destination storage area 101.

[0155] In S1622, in accordance with the shipping request, the WCS program 50X transmits a shipping instruction to ship the item corresponding to the target slip number to the corresponding material handling equipment 161. Note that the shipping instruction may include, for example, some or all of information indicating the shipping destination WS in the storage area 101 and the arrival order and timing of the items.

[0156] For example, the WCS program 50X refers to the inventory table 54 to identify the in-area location 705 corresponding to the item name 701 and / or item ID 702 of the item to be shipped. The WCS program 50X refers to the storage area table 57 to identify the in-area location 804 corresponding to the in-area location 705, identify the station ID 805 corresponding to the in-area location 804, and identify (determine) the WS to which the item will be shipped (shipping destination WS, transport destination WS).

[0157] In addition, when there are multiple station IDs, the WCS program 50X may refer to the picking work management table 581 and determine the WS to which the item will be delivered, taking into consideration the status of the picking work task at each WS so that the work tasks at each WS are leveled or optimized (based on the work processing speed of the worker, etc.). Furthermore, when it is more efficient to pick the item together with other picking work tasks (picking work tasks for the same or different items, such as items corresponding to other slip numbers), the WCS program 50X may determine the delivery destination WS so that the delivery destination WS is the same WS so that the items can be picked together, and may also determine the order and / or timing of arrival of the items at the delivery destination WS.

[0158] As another example when there are multiple station IDs, the WCS program 50X may determine a WS to be the destination of delivery so as to reduce the degree of obstruction to traffic when the conveyance device 3 that wants the item to be delivered heads toward the WS. Alternatively, the WCS program 50X may determine a WS to be the destination of delivery so as to reduce the travel cost of the conveyance device 3 that wants the item to be delivered.

[0159] The "degree of traffic obstruction" is an index that indicates the degree to which a specific transport device 3 may obstruct the passage of other transport devices 3, such as when there is another transport device 3 that crosses multiple transport devices 3 forming a waiting line extending from the destination position, and specific calculation methods will be described later. The "travel cost" is an index that indicates the cost related to traveling to the destination position, and specifically, it may be the travel distance to the destination position or the time required to travel to the destination position. Both the degree of traffic obstruction and the travel cost are indices for the destination position candidate (destination position).

[0160] As yet another example, the WCS program 50X may determine the WS to which the item will be delivered by combining the three examples described above, namely, leveling or optimizing the work tasks of each WS, reducing the degree of traffic obstruction, and reducing the movement cost of the conveying device 3. Specific combination methods and further developments of these methods will be described later. While all of these processes are typically performed by the WCS program 50X, this is not necessarily a limitation, and all or part of the processes may be performed by the integrated WCS program 51 or the WCS program 50Y.

[0161] In S1623, the WCS program 50X receives status information indicating the shipping status and transport status of the items from the material handling equipment 161 and reports the status information to the integrated WCS. The status information may include, for example, information indicating the shipping destination WS in the storage area 101 and the arrival order and timing of the items.

[0162] In S1624, the integrated WCS program 51 receives a report containing status information on the shipping status and the transport status.

[0163] In S1625, the integrated WCS program 51 sends an output request (a request to display work instructions for picking and loading) to the station terminal 710 of the storage WS (WS in the destination storage area 101), or sends a movement request to the WCS program 50Y. Specifically, for example, the integrated WCS program 51 sends an output request to the station terminal 710 of the storage WS based on status information (for example, information on the destination WS and the order and timing of arrival of the items), or determines a movement request such that the order and timing of arrival of the transport device 3 at the stop area 164 corresponding to the storage WS are the same as the order and timing of arrival of the items at the destination WS, and sends the movement request to the WCS program 50Y. The work instruction includes information indicating the items to be picked in the destination storage area 101 and loaded onto the transport device 3, the number of items, and the item positions (positions within the area or positions within the container).

[0164] In S1626, the WCS program 50Y transmits a movement instruction to the transport device 3 to the destination position (WS in the storage area 101) of the transport device 3 in accordance with the movement request. Note that if multiple IDs are listed in the station ID 1401 of the loading operation management table 582, the integrated WCS program 51 may determine the destination position so that it corresponds to the destination WS determined by the WCS program 50X. Alternatively, as described above, the destination WS may be determined by the integrated WCS program 51 or the WCS program 50Y. In such a case, these programs may simultaneously determine the destination position of the transport device 3. These processes may be executed by any of the integrated WCS program 51, the WCS program 50X, and the WCS program 50Y, or some of the processes may be shared among them.

[0165] In S1627, the WCS program 50Y receives a notification from the transport device 3 that the transport device 3 has arrived at the destination position, and reports the arrival completion to the integrated WCS program 51.

[0166] In S1628, the station terminal 710 of the storage WS displays work instructions for picking and / or loading based on the output request.

[0167] In S1629, the station terminal 710 receives input from the worker indicating that picking and / or loading is complete, and reports the completion of the work to the integrated WCS program 51.

[0168] In S1630, the integrated WCS program 51 receives the arrival completion report.

[0169] In S1631, the integrated WCS program 51 receives the report of completion of picking and / or loading, and updates the status 601 in the order table 55 (updating the status 601 of the item corresponding to the target slip number to "picking and / or loading completed"). After the status 601 indicates "picking and loading completed," the process proceeds to S1640 (FIG. 21).

[0170] 18: NO, as described above, the process proceeds to S1632 in Fig. 20. In S1632, the integrated WCS program 51 sends a movement request to the WCS program 50Y to move the transport device 3 to the destination position (storage WS) in the destination storage area 101.

[0171] In S1633, the WCS program 50Y transmits to the transport device 3 an instruction to move the transport device 3 to the destination position in accordance with the movement request.

[0172] In S1634, the WCS program 50Y receives a notification from the transport device 3 that the transport device 3 has arrived at the destination position, and reports the arrival completion to the integrated WCS program 51.

[0173] In S1635, the integrated WCS program 51 receives the arrival completion report.

[0174] In S1636, the integrated WCS program 51 transmits an output request, which is a request to display work instructions for picking and loading, to the station terminal 710 of the storage WS. The work instructions include information indicating the items to be picked in the destination storage area 101 and loaded onto the conveying device 3, the number of items, and the item positions (positions within the area or positions within the container).

[0175] In S1637, the station terminal 710 displays work instructions for picking and loading based on the output request.

[0176] In S1638, the station terminal 710 receives input from the worker indicating that picking or loading has been completed, and reports the completion of the work to the integrated WCS program 51.

[0177] In S1639, the integrated WCS program 51 receives the report of the work completion and updates the status 601 in the order table 55 (updating the status 601 of the item corresponding to the target slip number to "picking and / or loading completed"). After the status 601 indicates that picking and loading have been completed, the process proceeds to S1640 (FIG. 21).

[0178] As shown in FIG. 21, in S1640, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to the status 601 of each item in the order table 55 that corresponds to the target slip number (and / or the target shipping box ID).

[0179] In S1641, the integrated WCS program 51 determines whether the status 601 of each item corresponding to the target slip number (or the target shipping box ID, or multiple shipping box IDs loaded onto the same conveyance device 3) is "Completed" (i.e., whether all items corresponding to the target slip number have been loaded into the shipping box). If the determination result in S1641 is false (S1641: NO), the process returns to S1614 in FIG. 18. In other words, another destination storage area is identified, and the same process continues.

[0180] If the determination result in S1641 is true (S1641: YES), in S1642, the integrated WCS program 51 sends a movement request to move the conveying device 3 to the destination position in the inspection area 103 to the WCS program 50Y.

[0181] In S1643, the WCS program 50Y transmits a movement instruction to the transport device 3 in accordance with the movement request to move the transport device 3 to the destination position (inspection area 103).

[0182] In S1644, the WCS program 50Y receives a notification from the transport device 3 that the transport device 3 has arrived at the destination position, and reports the arrival completion to the integrated WCS program 51.

[0183] In S1645, the integrated WCS program 51 receives the arrival completion report and transmits an inspection instruction to the inspection device (not shown) in the inspection area 103.

[0184] In S1646, the integrated WCS program 51 receives the inspection completion report and sends a movement request to the WCS program 50Y to move the conveying device 3 to the destination position in the packing area 102. As described in FIG. 5 , if there are multiple stopping areas 174 corresponding to the same shipping box size, the WCS program 50Y may arbitrarily determine (select) the destination position from among the candidate stopping areas 174. At this time, the destination position (stopping area 174 and corresponding work area 173) may be determined taking into consideration the status of the packing work tasks of each WS so that the work tasks in the packing area 102 are leveled or optimized (based on the work processing speed of the workers, etc.).

[0185] As another example of determining (selecting) the destination position, the WCS program 50Y may determine the destination position so as to reduce the degree of traffic obstruction. Alternatively, the WCS program 50Y may determine the destination position so as to reduce the movement cost of the transport device 3. As yet another example, the WCS program 50Y may determine the destination position by combining the three examples described above, i.e., the example of leveling or optimizing work tasks, the example of reducing the degree of traffic obstruction, and the example of reducing the movement cost of the transport device 3. Specific combination methods and further developments of these methods will be described later.

[0186] In S1647, the WCS program 50Y transmits a movement instruction to the conveying device 3 in accordance with the movement request to move the conveying device 3 to the destination position (packing area 102).

[0187] In S1648, the WCS program 50Y receives a notification from the transport device 3 that the transport device 3 has arrived at the destination position, and reports the arrival completion to the integrated WCS program 51.

[0188] In S1649, the integrated WCS program 51 receives the arrival completion report and sends a request to the station terminal 710 of the WS in the packing area 102 to output a loading instruction to transfer the shipping box to the packing area 102. The integrated WCS program 51 updates the device status 1105 of the conveying device 3 from which the shipping box was removed to "empty" and sends a movement request to the WCS program 50Y to move the conveying device 3 to the next destination position (for example, the waiting area 105 or the shipping box supply area 100).

[0189] FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the flow of the shipping box selection process.

[0190] In S2201, the integrated WCS program 51 calculates the total size and weight (total of size and / or weight) corresponding to the target slip number (a slip number to which a shipping box has not been assigned). Specifically, for example, the integrated WCS program 51 identifies the item name 605, item ID 606, and quantity 607 corresponding to the target slip number from the order table 55. For each pair of item name 605 and item ID 606, the integrated WCS program 51 identifies the item size and weight 709 corresponding to the pair from the inventory table 54, and calculates the product of the identified item size and weight 709 and the quantity 607 corresponding to the pair. The integrated WCS program 51 calculates the total size and weight corresponding to the target slip number by adding up all the calculated products.

[0191] In S2202, the integrated WCS program 51 determines whether the total size weight calculated in S2201 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value.

[0192] If the determination result in S2202 is false (S2202: NO), in S2203, the integrated WCS program 51 divides the multiple items corresponding to the target slip number into multiple small groups so that the total size and weight is below a predetermined threshold. A "small group" corresponds to a shipping box. In other words, S2202: NO means that it has been determined that the multiple items corresponding to the target slip number cannot fit into a single shipping box. In this case, the integrated WCS program 51 decides to divide the multiple items into multiple shipping boxes. Note that if at least one item exceeds the total size and weight threshold, the integrated WCS program 51 may notify the administrator of an error (or a manual picking request).

[0193] Here, a group (unit) of multiple items assigned to one shipping box is sometimes called a "shipping box group (order container group)." For example, if the determination result of S2202 is false (S2202: NO), and multiple items corresponding to the target slip number are divided into multiple "small groups," each "small group" becomes a "shipping box group." Also, if the determination result of S2202 is true (S2202: YES), and all items corresponding to the target slip number are placed in the same shipping box, all items corresponding to the target slip number become the same "shipping box group." The integrated WCS program 51 assigns a shipping box group ID, which is unique identification information, to each "shipping box group."

[0194] After S2203, or if the judgment result of S2202 is true (S2202: YES), in S2204, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to the shipping box table 59 (for example, the column of size classification 1301) and determines whether there are multiple shipping box sizes.

[0195] If the judgment result of S2204 is true (S2204: YES), in S2205, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to the shipping box table 59 and the inventory table 54, and identifies the size of the shipping box that can accommodate the total size and weight of the target shipping box group based on the loadable size 1302 and / or loadable weight 1303 and the item size weight 709 of each item.

[0196] After S2205, or if the determination result of S2204 is false (S2204: NO), in S2206, the integrated WCS program 51 refers to the shipping box table 59 and determines whether the size of the shipping box is such that multiple shipping boxes can be loaded onto the conveyance device 3. Specifically, the integrated WCS program 51 determines whether the value of the loadable number 1304 corresponding to the shipping box size category 1301 is "2" or greater.

[0197] If the determination result in S2206 is true (S2206: YES), in S2207, the integrated WCS program 51 determines whether the time remaining until the work deadline (or shipping deadline) is equal to or greater than a threshold. Note that information on the work deadline (and / or shipping deadline) corresponding to each order may be included in the order table 55, for example.

[0198] If the judgment result of S2207 is true (S2207: YES), in S2208, the integrated WCS program 51 decides to load multiple shipping boxes onto the conveying device 3, and determines the number of shipping boxes to be loaded onto the conveying device 3 (for example, the loadable number 1304 corresponding to the size category 1301 of the shipping box).

[0199] Furthermore, when multiple shipping boxes are loaded onto the conveying device 3, the integrated WCS program 51 selects "other unassigned shipping box groups" to be assigned to other shipping boxes that are loaded onto the same conveying device 3 as the shipping box to which the "target shipping box group" is assigned. For example, the integrated WCS program 51 also performs the shipping box selection process of Figure 22 for other unassigned slip numbers, specifies the size of the shipping box to be assigned to the "other unassigned shipping box group," and selects "other unassigned shipping box groups" that match the size of the other shipping boxes.

[0200] Furthermore, when multiple shipping boxes are loaded onto one conveying device 3, the integrated WCS program 51 selects (determines) a combination of shipping box groups to be assigned to the multiple shipping boxes in order to improve the efficiency of picking, loading, and / or transportation. For example, the integrated WCS program 51 may refer to the order table 55, and if there is another unassigned shipping box group with the same slip number as the target shipping box group, the integrated WCS program 51 may select that other unassigned shipping box group. Since items with the same slip number can be transported to the inspection area 103 or the packing area 102 when they are gathered in each shipping box, the efficiency of transportation, inspection, and packing can be improved.

[0201] For example, the integrated WCS program 51 may refer to the order table 55 and select "other unassigned shipping box groups" that have items with a high overlap rate (degree of overlap), such as items that are the same as the items corresponding to the target shipping box group or that have many of the same items. By picking the same items together and loading them into each shipping box transported by the same transport device 3, the picking work, loading work, and / or transportation can be made more efficient. Furthermore, for example, the integrated WCS program 51 may refer to the order table 55, inventory table 54, and storage area table 57 and select "other unassigned shipping box groups" that have items with a high overlap rate (degree of overlap) in storage areas (or destination WSs that can be delivered) that are the same as the items corresponding to the target shipping box group, such as items that are the same as the items corresponding to the target shipping box group in storage areas (or destination WSs that can be delivered). This not only improves the movement efficiency of the conveying device 3, but also reduces the waiting time for the conveying device 3 to arrive at the destination WS, and further reduces the amount of time that picked items remain at the WS, thereby improving the efficiency of picking and loading operations.In addition to or instead of the above selection criteria, the integrated WCS program 51 may refer to the order table 55, inventory table 54, storage area table 57, etc., and select "other unassigned shipping box groups" based on other selection criteria, such as so as to meet the work deadline (by calculating the scheduled work completion date and time and ensuring that the time from the scheduled work completion date and time to the work deadline is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold), so as to prevent the charge rate of the conveying device 3 from falling below a threshold (by calculating the transfer time and ensuring that the transfer time is within a predetermined range), and so that the number of transfer destinations in the storage area (destination WS) is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, since the transfer time (including waiting time) of the conveying device 3 becomes longer as the number of destinations in the storage area (destination WS) increases. The integrated WCS program 51 may select "other unassigned shipping box groups" so as to streamline (optimize) processing not only for the target shipping box group but also for all slip numbers included in the work date and time.

[0202] In S1609 and S1610, the integrated WCS program 51 controls so that the shipping box to which the target shipping box group is assigned and the shipping box to which the selected "other unassigned shipping box group" is assigned are loaded onto the same conveyance device 3 (requests loading of shipping boxes, instructs loading). Note that the combination of the target shipping box group and the selected shipping box group is sometimes called the "shipping box group combination."

[0203] The integrated WCS program 51 may record information about the shipping box (e.g., shipping box group ID, shipping box size, number of shipping boxes to be loaded on the conveying device 3, combination of shipping box groups, etc.) corresponding to the target shipping box group in the order table 55.

[0204] If the determination result in S2206 is false (S2206: NO), or if the determination result in S2207 is false (S2207: NO), in S2209 the integrated WCS program 51 determines to load one shipping box onto the conveying device 3. Specifically, for example, the integrated WCS program 51 records information about the shipping box (e.g., shipping box group ID, shipping box size, number of shipping boxes to be loaded onto the conveying device 3, etc.) in the order table 55 in correspondence with the target shipping box group.

[0205] As an example, when setting a shipping box ID in the shipping box selection process of Figure 22, after S2208 and S2209, the integrated WCS program 51 may refer to the shipping box table 59 and set the IDs of unallocated shipping boxes that correspond to the size identified in S2205 and that are in the number identified in S2208 or S2209 (the number of shipping boxes to be loaded on the conveying device 3) as the shipping box ID 603 corresponding to the target shipping box group, and record this in the order table 55.

[0206] In the process illustrated in FIG. 22 , at least step S2207 may be optional. For example, when multiple shipping boxes corresponding to multiple invoice numbers are loaded onto one conveying device 3, it takes time to complete collection of items into all of the shipping boxes. Therefore, if time is a priority in relation to a work deadline, such as when the deadline for the target invoice number is approaching, the integrated WCS program 51 may decide to load only one shipping box. However, even if multiple shipping boxes are loaded onto the conveying device 3, one of the shipping boxes may be given priority for collecting items, and that shipping box may be inspected and packed first. The conveying device 3 may then move sequentially from the packing area 102 to one or more storage areas 101 to collect items corresponding to the remaining shipping boxes that have not yet been packed.

[0207] 23 to 26 will be used to describe an example of a destination position determination method in which the destination position of the conveying device 3 can be arbitrarily determined (selected) from multiple destination position candidates. While FIGS. 23 to 26 illustrate an example in which the destination position is selected from multiple stopping areas 184, the stopping area 184 may be the stopping area 174 in the packing area 102, the stopping area 164 corresponding to the WS in the storage area 101, or any other stopping area. Also, in FIGS. 23 to 26, the working area 183 may be the working area 173 in the packing area 102, the working area 163 in the storage area 101, or any other working area. The conveying device 3 targeted for determining (selecting) the destination position will be referred to hereinafter as the "target conveying device 3." In the following description, the processing primarily performed by the "processor 40" may be processing performed by the processor 40 executing the integrated WCS program 51 (or the WCS program 50).

[0208] 23 is a flowchart showing a control flow for determining a destination position of the transport device 3 from a plurality of destination position candidates and transporting the transport device 3 to the destination position. Note that the processing shown in FIG. 23 may be performed in at least one of S1605, S1615, S1621, S1625, S1632, S1642, and S1646, for example.

[0209] The processor 40 (for example, the integrated WCS program 51) executes S2301 for all destination location candidates. In other words, S2301 is looped.

[0210] In S2301, the processor 40 calculates an evaluation value of the degree of traffic obstruction and an evaluation value of the travel cost of the destination location candidate, and calculates an overall evaluation value of the destination location.

[0211] When the loop of S2301 is completed, in S2302, the processor 40 determines (selects) the destination position candidate with the smallest overall evaluation value as the destination position. At this time, the processor 40 may set the position data (e.g., coordinates) of the determined candidate (destination position) in the destination position 1107 of the transport device table 53.

[0212] In S2303, the processor 40 controls the target transport device 3 to move to the destination position. For example, the destination position may be set in a movement request, and the movement request may be sent to the WCS program 50. The WCS program 50 may set the destination position set in the movement request in a movement instruction, and send the movement instruction to the target transport device 3.

[0213] As described above, the control device 4 in this embodiment determines, as the destination location, a candidate with a balanced traffic obstruction degree and travel cost, i.e., a candidate with the smallest overall evaluation value. As described above, in order to reduce congestion on the transport device, it is important to determine the destination location from one or both of the two perspectives of reducing the traffic obstruction degree and the travel cost. It is preferable to adopt both perspectives. Since there may be a trade-off between reducing the traffic obstruction degree and reducing the travel cost, it is important to determine the destination location by balancing the two. Therefore, by determining the destination location in this manner, it is possible to prevent congestion on the transport device 3 from increasing. A detailed method for evaluating the traffic obstruction degree and the travel cost will be described later.

[0214] As mentioned above, the destination location may be determined so as to level or optimize the work tasks. Also, as mentioned above, the destination location selection from the viewpoint of the degree of traffic obstruction and travel cost may be combined with the destination location selection from the viewpoint of leveling or optimizing the work tasks.

[0215] 24A and 24B are schematic diagrams for explaining a method for evaluating the degree of traffic obstruction.

[0216] There are various methods for evaluating the degree of traffic obstruction, but one simple example is to evaluate the degree of traffic obstruction based on the length of the waiting queue made up of multiple conveyance devices 3 (including the target conveyance device 3) heading towards a stop area 184 that is a candidate destination location, as shown in FIG. 24A. The longer the waiting queue, the more likely it is that it will cross (block) the travel route of other conveyance devices 3 and obstruct the travel of other conveyance devices 3, so the processor 40 can evaluate the length of the waiting queue in the stop area 184 (an example of a candidate destination location) as the degree of traffic obstruction for the stop area 184. This can be expressed mathematically as Equation (1). Cobst = Nwait (1)

[0217] Here, Cobst is the evaluation value of the traffic obstruction degree of the stopping area 184, and Nwait is the length of the waiting queue formed by multiple conveyance devices 3 heading towards the stopping area 184.

[0218] 24B is a schematic diagram illustrating a more advanced method for evaluating the degree of traffic obstruction, taking into account the presence or absence of routes that cross the waiting queue. As shown in the figure, the directions in which the conveying device 3 can travel are defined for each section around (near) the stopping area 184. A section in which multiple entry directions or multiple exit directions are defined is a section with a branch. On the other hand, a section with only one entry direction and one exit direction is a section without a branch. A series of sections without a branch is called a "one-way section group."

[0219] The area around the stop area 184A is made up of sections with branches. At this time, there is a possibility that conveyance devices 3 other than those heading to the stop area 184A will also pass through these sections. In contrast, the area around the stop area 184B is made up of a group of one-way sections. At this time, only conveyance devices 3 heading to the stop area 184B (or conveyance devices 3 that have departed from the stop area 184B) have the possibility of passing through the group of one-way sections.

[0220] In such a case, even if the length of the waiting queue formed by the conveying devices 3 heading for the stopping area 184A is equal to the length of the waiting queue formed by the conveying devices 3 heading for the stopping area 184B, the conveying devices 3 heading for the stopping area 184A have a high degree of traffic obstruction because they may obstruct the passage of other conveying devices 3, while the conveying devices 3 heading for the stopping area B have a low degree of traffic obstruction because they may not obstruct the passage of other conveying devices 3. Therefore, for example, when evaluating the degree of traffic obstruction based on the length of the waiting queue, the processor 40 can evaluate the degree of traffic obstruction more in line with reality by weighting the number of branches included in the group of sections that form the waiting queue. This can be expressed mathematically as Equation (2). Cobst = Σ(Nbr) ... (2)

[0221] Here, Σ is a sum symbol for the group of partitions forming the waiting queue, and Nbr is the number of branches included in each partition.

[0222] In addition, if there is a mixture of one-way sections and sections with branches around the stopping area 184, the processor 40 may control the conveying device 3 to form a waiting line preferentially in the one-way sections.

[0223] To further evaluate the degree of traffic obstruction in accordance with the actual situation, instead of (or in addition to) weighting the number of branches (Nbr) included in the group of sections forming the waiting queue in equation (2), processor 40 may weight the evaluation value of the frequency with which each branch is used. In other words, since some branches are used less frequently and some more frequently, processor 40 does not simply weight the number of branches in the sections forming the waiting queue, but weights the frequency with which each branch in the sections forming the waiting queue is used. This can be expressed mathematically as equation (3). Cobst = Σ(Pbr) ... (3)

[0224] where Σ is the sum symbol for all branches in the partition that constitutes the waiting queue, and Pbr is an evaluation value of the frequency with which each branch is used.

[0225] There are various possible methods for calculating the evaluation value Pbr of the frequency with which each branch is used, but for example, the processor 40 may record the number of times that the branch in each section has actually been used, and the recorded value (number of times) may be used as Pbr. Alternatively, for all stop areas 184 that exist within the movement area 150, the processor 40 may find all combinations of two stop areas 184 (for example, if there are stop areas A, B, and C, all combinations of A-B, B-C, and A-C may be found), and for each combination, the processor 40 may find the routes that travel between the two stop areas 184 that make up that combination, and count the total number of routes that use that branch to calculate Pbr.

[0226] In order to evaluate the degree of traffic obstruction in accordance with the actual situation, instead of (or in addition to) using the waiting line length Nwait in equations (1) to (3), the processor 40 may use a predicted value Nwait' of the future waiting line length. There are various possible methods for calculating the predicted value Nwait' of the future waiting line length, but for example, in order to calculate Nwait' for the stop area 184, the processor 40 may calculate Nwait' for the stop area 184 by adding Nmove, which is the number of conveyance devices 3 that are heading towards the stop area 184 but are still moving and not forming a waiting line, to the current waiting line length Nwait. This can be expressed mathematically as equation (4). Nwait' = Nwait + Nmove (4)

[0227] By performing calculations in this manner, it is possible to not only take into account the length of the waiting line at the time of evaluation, but also to estimate the degree of traffic obstruction in anticipation of a sudden increase in the length of the waiting line in the near future as a result of the movement of the conveying device 3.

[0228] Cobst may be calculated based on at least one of equations (1) to (4). For example, Cobst may be calculated using at least one of Nwait, Σ(Nbr), Σ(Pbr), and Nwait'. Furthermore, at least one element (at least one of Nwait, Σ(Nbr), Σ(Pbr), and Nwait') used in the calculation of Cobst may be multiplied by a weighting factor, and the weighting factor may be adjusted (determined) by processor 40 based on data identified from at least one table stored in storage device 42 regarding the element to be multiplied by the weighting factor.

[0229] As described above, the processor 40 evaluates the degree of traffic obstruction for each of the multiple stopping areas 184, which are examples of multiple destination location candidates, and determines (selects) the stopping area 184 as the destination location so as to lower the degree of traffic obstruction, thereby adjusting the length of the waiting queue that occurs at the destination location and making it less likely to obstruct the passage of other conveyance devices 3. This makes it possible to prevent multiple conveyance devices 3 from becoming congested, particularly around the destination location.

[0230] 25A and 25B are schematic diagrams for explaining a method for evaluating movement costs. There are various possible methods for evaluating movement costs, but one simple example is to evaluate the movement distance from the target transport device 3 to each of the destination position candidates. This can be expressed mathematically as Equation (5). Cmove=L (5)

[0231] where Cmove is the evaluation value of the movement cost, and L is the movement distance. There are various possible methods for calculating L.

[0232] 25A, L may be the Manhattan distance from the current position of the transport device 3 to the destination position candidate. In this example, for the target transport device 3, the travel distance to the stopping area 184A is shorter than the travel distance to the stopping area 184B, and therefore the travel cost to the stopping area 184A is smaller than the travel cost to the stopping area 184B.

[0233] 25B, it may be the path length of the shortest movement path that takes into account the travelable directions defined in the sections within the movement area 150. According to this example, for the target conveyance device 3, the movement distance to the stopping area 184A is longer than the movement distance to the stopping area 184B, and therefore, unlike the example shown in FIG. 25A, the movement cost to the stopping area 184A is greater than the movement cost to the stopping area 184B.

[0234] Furthermore, the processor 40 may consider the positions of other transport devices 3 and determine a movement route toward the destination position while avoiding other transport devices 3, and may use the length of the route as the distance (L) to the candidate destination position of the target transport device 3. If a destination position with a low movement cost is selected, the travel time of the transport device 3 can be shortened, and therefore the time that each transport device 3 is present in the movement area 150 can be shortened, thereby preventing congestion from increasing.

[0235] Furthermore, to evaluate the movement cost in accordance with the actual situation, the movement time may be used in place of (or in addition to) the movement distance to evaluate the movement cost. When the transport device 3 moves, it takes time to turn on the spot to change direction, and it also takes time to decelerate or accelerate immediately before or after turning on the spot. Therefore, using the movement time that takes this into consideration is expected to more accurately evaluate the length of time that the transport device 3 is in the movement area 150. This can be expressed mathematically as Equation (6). Cmove = T ... (6)

[0236] Here, T is the travel time. There are various possible methods for calculating T, but for example, a travel route to a candidate destination position may be found in the same way as when calculating the travel distance L, and the time required to travel along the travel route may be calculated based on the acceleration / deceleration rate and the turning speed of the conveyance device 3.

[0237] As described above, the processor 40 evaluates the travel cost for each of the multiple stop areas 184, which are examples of multiple destination location candidates, and determines (selects) the stop area 184 as the destination location so as to reduce the travel cost, thereby reducing the time the transport device 3 remains in the movement area 150. This makes it easier to reduce the frequency with which the transport device 3 obstructs the travel of other transport devices 3, thereby reducing congestion among multiple transport devices 3 throughout the movement area 150. Furthermore, the evaluation of travel costs can avoid, for example, the following problem. That is, for example, when two stop areas 184 are located far from each other, if the stop area 184 with the higher travel cost from the target transport device 3 is determined as the destination location, the travel time of the target transport device 3 increases. If the travel time of multiple transport devices 3, including the target transport device 3, increases, each transport device will remain in the movement area 150 for a longer period of time, which will lead to increased congestion. This problem can be avoided.

[0238] From this perspective, it is expected that congestion can be prevented from worsening by determining (selecting) the stopping area 184 with the lowest travel cost from the perspective of the target conveyance device 3 as the destination location, but determining the destination location from this perspective may once again result in the problem of obstructing the passage of other conveyance devices. For this reason, it is preferable to determine the destination location by balancing the degree of traffic obstruction and the travel cost.

[0239] FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram for explaining how a destination position is determined by balancing the degree of road obstruction and travel cost.

[0240] In many cases, a high traffic obstruction level (e.g., Cobst = Nwait) directly leads to congestion of conveyance devices 3 compared to a high movement cost (e.g., Cmove = L). Therefore, reducing the traffic obstruction level is considered particularly important for preventing congestion. However, as shown in FIG. 26 , even if the traffic obstruction level is low, if a destination location candidate (stop area 184A) with a significantly high movement cost is selected as the destination location, the target conveyance device 3 may obstruct the passage of many conveyance devices 3 on the way to the destination location, resulting in congestion. This problem is particularly pronounced when, for example, there is a bottleneck section 2600 (a narrow section in the movement area 150 that must be passed through to move from one position to another) along the way. In such a case, it is preferable to select a stop area 184B with a relatively high traffic obstruction level but a relatively low movement cost as the destination location, rather than selecting a stop area 184A with a significantly high movement cost.

[0241] Therefore, as mentioned above, it is possible to determine the destination location while balancing the need to lower the degree of traffic obstruction and the need to reduce the movement cost. There are various ways to achieve this balance, but one typical example is to calculate an overall evaluation value by weighting the sum of the evaluation values ​​of both, and select the destination location that minimizes this. This can be expressed mathematically as Equation (7): F = αCobst + βCmove ... (7)

[0242] where F is the overall evaluation value, and α and β are weighting coefficients. Using the weighted sum as in the above formula makes it possible to select a destination location where both the traffic obstruction level and the travel cost are kept relatively low, rather than selecting a destination location where the traffic obstruction level is reduced but the travel cost is extremely high (or vice versa). In cases where the travel cost is significantly high, as shown in FIG. 26 , or conversely, where the traffic obstruction level is significantly high (not shown), congestion often increases significantly and transportation efficiency decreases significantly. Therefore, by using formula (7) to select a destination location that balances the two, such situations can be prevented. Furthermore, by adjusting α and β, it is possible to adjust which of the traffic obstruction level and the travel cost is given more importance.

[0243] 26 shows an extreme example, but in a more general case, two destination location candidates may have the same degree of traffic obstruction or the same travel cost. In such a case, by using Equation (7), it is possible to select the one with the lower travel cost if the two destination location candidates have the same degree of traffic obstruction, or to select the one with the lower travel cost if the two destination location candidates have the same travel cost.

[0244] As described above, according to the transport system of this embodiment, when the destination position of the transport device 3 can be arbitrarily determined (selected) from a plurality of destination position candidates, it is possible to balance the degree of traffic obstruction and the travel cost and select a destination position that keeps both low to a certain extent, thereby preventing the transport device 3 from becoming overcrowded and preventing a decrease in transport efficiency.

[0245] Next, a transfer system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The following mainly focuses on the differences between the transfer system according to the second embodiment and the transfer system according to the first embodiment.

[0246] If there is a work area 183 corresponding to the stopping area 184, or if there is a subsequent process for the work performed in the stopping area 184 (for example, transportation by conveyor 171 or packaging by packaging machine 172), the work speed in the work area 183 or the speed at which the subsequent process is processed (hereinafter referred to as the processing speed) may be used as a factor (variable) in calculating the degree of traffic obstruction.

[0247] As previously mentioned, a method for calculating Nwait' (a predicted value of the future length of the waiting queue) used when evaluating the degree of traffic obstruction is to add up Nwait (the length of the waiting queue formed by conveyance devices 3 heading for the stop area 184) and Nmove (the number of conveyance devices 3 heading for the stop area 184 but still moving and not forming a waiting queue). However, when comparing a stop area 184 with a fast processing speed with a stop area 184 with a slow processing speed, even if the value of Nwait + Nmove is the same, it can be predicted that the stop area 184 with the fast processing speed will have a shorter waiting queue length that will actually occur in the future. Therefore, for example, the processing speed may be weighted when calculating the predicted value of the future waiting queue length. This can be expressed mathematically as follows: Nwait' = (Nwait + Nmove) f(Vop) (8)

[0248] where Vop is the processing speed, and f(x) is a monotonically decreasing function with x as input. Various functions f(x) can be used, but for example, f(x) = 1 / x may be used. In this case, Vop is set to a value greater than 0. By calculating in this manner, the faster the processing speed of a stop area 184, the smaller the predicted value of the future waiting line length will be, resulting in a more accurate prediction. This allows for a more accurate evaluation of the degree of traffic obstruction, making it possible to select a destination location that is less likely to experience congestion.

[0249] Furthermore, various methods can be considered for calculating the processing speed Vop. For example, the processing speed measured as an actual result in each work area 183 may be used to calculate Vop, or Vop may be estimated based on the type and amount of work to be performed in each work area 183.

[0250] Furthermore, although Vop is assumed to be a value greater than 0 in the above description, in reality, Vop may temporarily become 0 when, for example, a worker in the work area 183 temporarily leaves his / her seat or when a malfunction occurs in a downstream device. In such cases, instead of (or in addition to) calculating Nwait' using equation (8), a very large value may be substituted for Nwait' to select a destination location, or the target stopping area 184 may be explicitly excluded from the candidates for destination location selection. Alternatively, by using a function f(x) whose domain also includes 0, such as f(x) = 1 / (x + 0.01), the degree of traffic obstruction can be evaluated using equation (8), even when Vop is 0.

[0251] As described above, according to the transport system of this embodiment, by taking processing speed into consideration when evaluating the degree of traffic obstruction, the degree of traffic obstruction can be evaluated more accurately, making it possible to select a destination location where congestion is less likely to occur, and preventing a decrease in transport efficiency.

[0252] Although several embodiments have been described above, these are merely examples for explaining the present invention, and it is not intended that the scope of the present invention be limited to these embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms.

[0253] Furthermore, for example, the shape of the section is not limited to a rectangle and may be other shapes. Sections of different sizes or shapes may be mixed. Furthermore, the position of a section may be identified by other methods instead of being identified by a marker on the section.

[0254] Furthermore, for example, the integrated WCS program 51 and the WCS program 50 may be executed by the transport device 3 instead of or in addition to the control device 4. Furthermore, the transport device 3 may also function as the control device 4.

[0255] The above description can be summarized as follows, for example: The following summary may include supplementary explanations to the above description and explanations of modifications of the above embodiment.

[0256] The control device (e.g., control device 4) includes an interface device (e.g., interface device 45) and a processor (e.g., processor 40) that controls, via the interface device, movement of a plurality of conveyance devices (e.g., a plurality of conveyance devices 3) in a movement area (e.g., movement area 150). For a target conveyance device that is one of the plurality of conveyance devices, when there are a plurality of work stations corresponding to a specified task as a plurality of destination position candidates for the target conveyance device, the processor calculates a traffic obstruction degree (the degree to which the passage of one or more other conveyance devices other than the target conveyance device) for each of the plurality of work stations, determines one of the plurality of work stations as a destination position for the target conveyance device based on an evaluation value based on the calculated traffic obstruction degree for each of the plurality of work stations, and transmits a movement instruction to the target conveyance device via the interface device, with the determined one work station as a destination position.

[0257] The degree of traffic obstruction is calculated for each of a plurality of work stations, and the destination position of the target conveying device is determined based on an evaluation value based on the degree of traffic obstruction for each work station, so that an appropriate destination position can be determined, making it less likely that congestion will occur, and thereby preventing a decrease in conveying efficiency in the moving area.

[0258] In this summary, the "designated work" may be work to be performed on the target conveying device, such as work determined for the target conveying device according to a predetermined work sequence or other policy. The work may be loading or unloading an order container such as a shipping box 87, or charging the conveying device. The "work station" may be any location where work is performed, such as the aforementioned stopping area 184 or work area 183, or at least one of the inspection area 103, charging area, and abnormality response area 106. The "multiple work stations corresponding to the designated work" are work stations where the designated work is performed, and the designated work can be performed at any of the multiple work stations.

[0259] For each of the plurality of work stations, the processor may calculate the degree of traffic obstruction based on the following (a): (a) the length of the queue of one or more transport devices waiting to enter the work station;

[0260] The longer the waiting queue, the more likely it is that it will obstruct the passage of other conveyance devices, so an appropriate degree of traffic obstruction is expected. Note that a "waiting queue" is typically a single linear line, but the line does not necessarily have to be linear.

[0261] For each of the plurality of work stations, the processor may calculate the degree of traffic obstruction based on a value based on the following (b) in addition to (a): (b) whether or not there is a route that crosses the waiting queue for the work station, and if there is such a route, the layout of the route that crosses the queue.

[0262] If there is no route that crosses the waiting queue, a predetermined degree (value) may be calculated as the traffic obstruction degree regardless of the length of the waiting queue. Also, if there is a route that crosses the waiting queue, the traffic obstruction degree may be calculated according to the extent to which the routes that other conveyance devices can take cross the waiting queue. In this way, a more appropriate traffic obstruction degree can be expected.

[0263] For each of the plurality of work stations, the processor may predict the following (c) based on (a), and calculate the degree of traffic obstruction based on (c): (c) the length of the waiting queue in the future.

[0264] This is expected to enable more appropriate calculation of the degree of traffic obstruction.

[0265] For each of the plurality of work stations, the processor may calculate (c) based on (a) and the number of conveyance devices for which the work station is the destination location but is not yet included in the waiting queue at the work station, thereby enabling an appropriate calculation of (c), and thus a more appropriate traffic obstruction degree can be expected.

[0266] The movement area may be composed of a plurality of sections. For each of the plurality of sections, one or more entry directions for the section and one or more exit directions for the section may be defined. If a section has multiple entry directions defined for it or multiple exit directions defined for it, the section may be a section with a branch. For each of the plurality of work stations, the value based on (b) in the case where there is a crossing route may be based on the number of sections with a branch among one or more sections where one or more conveying devices that make up the waiting queue are located. This improves the accuracy of the evaluation of the extent to which the route crosses the waiting queue, and thus a more appropriate degree of traffic obstruction is expected.

[0267] For each of the plurality of work stations, the processor may calculate the degree of traffic obstruction based on a value based on (d) below in addition to (a): (d) whether or not there is a waiting space for the work station, and if there is such a waiting space, the location of the waiting space.

[0268] If there is no waiting space, the traffic obstruction degree may be calculated as a degree (value) according to the length of the waiting line. Also, if there is waiting space, other conveyance devices can wait without detouring the waiting line, so the traffic obstruction degree may be calculated as a lower degree than when there is no waiting space. In this way, a more appropriate traffic obstruction degree can be expected.

[0269] For each of the plurality of work stations, the processor may calculate the degree of traffic obstruction based on a value based on the following (e) in addition to (a): (e) the work speed at the work station.

[0270] The speed (degree) at which the waiting line shortens or lengthens varies depending on the work speed, so by using the work speed as the basis for the traffic obstruction degree, a more appropriate traffic obstruction degree can be expected.

[0271] For each of the multiple work stations, the processor may calculate the travel cost for the target transport device to arrive at the work station, and calculate an evaluation value based on both the traffic obstruction level and the travel cost. If the travel cost is high even though the traffic obstruction level is low, the target transport device will stay in the travel area for a long time relative to the traffic obstruction level. Similarly, if the travel cost is high even though the traffic obstruction level is low, the target transport device will stay in the travel area for a long time relative to the travel cost. In this way, the evaluation of the length of time the target transport device will stay in the travel area is based on both the traffic obstruction level and the travel cost, so a more appropriate evaluation value can be expected for each work station taken into consideration when determining the work station as the destination location.

[0272] For each of the plurality of work stations, the processor determines a travel route of the target transport device to the corresponding work station, and calculates a travel cost based on at least one of the length of the travel route and the travel time, which is the time it takes to travel along the travel route and arrive at the corresponding work station. This allows an appropriate travel cost to be expected, and therefore an appropriate evaluation value to be expected.

[0273] For each of the plurality of work stations, the processor may determine a first coefficient that is a weighting coefficient for the traffic obstruction degree and a second coefficient that is a weighting coefficient for the travel cost based on the traffic obstruction degree for that work station, and calculate an evaluation value based on the traffic obstruction degree and the determined first coefficient, and the travel cost and the determined second coefficient. In this way, the first and second coefficients are determined according to the traffic obstruction degree for each work station, so a more appropriate evaluation value is expected.

[0274] The control device may include a storage device (e.g., storage device 42), and a processor may be connected to the storage device. The storage device may store management information, which may include at least some of the following: information indicating the position of each of the multiple transport devices (e.g., current position and destination position); information regarding the movement area (e.g., information indicating the position of each of the multiple sections constituting the movement area and the entry and exit directions defined for the section); and information indicating the positions of the multiple work stations. The processor may calculate a traffic obstruction degree (an evaluation value based on the traffic obstruction degree) and a movement cost for each of the multiple work stations corresponding to the specified work, based on the management information stored in the storage device.

[0275] 3: conveying device, 4: control device

Claims

1. A control device comprising: an interface device; and a processor that controls movement of a plurality of conveyance devices in a movement area through said interface device; when a target conveyance device that is one of said plurality of conveyance devices has a plurality of work stations corresponding to a specified task as a plurality of destination position candidates for said target conveyance device, said processor calculates a degree of traffic obstruction for each of said plurality of work stations, which is the degree to which the passage of one or more other conveyance devices other than said target conveyance device may be obstructed; based on an evaluation value based on the calculated traffic obstruction degree for each of said plurality of work stations, determines one of said plurality of work stations as the destination position of said target conveyance device; and transmits a movement instruction to said target conveyance device through said interface device, with said determined one work station as the destination position.

2. The control device described in claim 1, wherein the processor calculates the degree of traffic obstruction for each of the plurality of work stations based on the following (a): (a) the length of the waiting queue formed by one or more conveying devices waiting to enter the work station.

3. The control device described in claim 2, wherein for each of the plurality of work stations, the processor calculates the degree of traffic obstruction based on a value based on (b) below in addition to (a): (b) whether or not there is a route that crosses the waiting queue for the work station, and if there is a route that crosses the queue, the layout of the route that crosses the queue.

4. The control device described in claim 2, wherein for each of the plurality of work stations, the processor predicts the following (c) based on (a), and calculates the degree of traffic obstruction based on (c): (c) the future length of the waiting queue.

5. The control device according to claim 4, wherein for each of the plurality of work stations, the processor calculates (c) based on (a) and the number of transport devices for which the work station is a destination position but which are not yet included in the waiting queue at the work station.

6. The control device described in claim 2, wherein the movement area is made up of a plurality of sections, and for each of the plurality of sections, one or more entry directions into the section and one or more exit directions into the section are defined, and when a plurality of entry directions are defined for a section or a plurality of exit directions are defined for a section, the section is a section with a branch, and the value based on (b) when there is a crossing route for each of the plurality of work stations is based on the number of sections with a branch out among the one or more sections in which one or more conveying devices constituting the waiting queue are located.

7. For each of the plurality of work stations, the processor calculates the degree of traffic obstruction based on a value based on (d) below in addition to (a): (d) whether or not there is a waiting space for the work station, and if there is such a waiting space, the location of such waiting space. The control device described in claim 2.

8. The control device described in claim 2, wherein for each of the plurality of work stations, the processor calculates the degree of traffic obstruction based on a value based on the following (e) in addition to (a): (e) the work speed at the work station.

9. The control device described in claim 1, wherein for each of the plurality of work stations, the processor calculates the travel cost for the target conveying device to arrive at the work station, and calculates the evaluation value based on both the degree of traffic obstruction and the travel cost.

10. The control device according to claim 9, wherein for each of the plurality of work stations, the processor determines a movement path of the target conveying device to the work station, and calculates the movement cost based on at least one of the length of the movement path and the travel time, which is the time it takes to travel along the movement path and arrive at the work station.

11. The control device described in claim 9, wherein for each of the plurality of work stations, the processor determines a first coefficient that is a weighting coefficient for the degree of traffic obstruction and a second coefficient that is a weighting coefficient for the movement cost based on the degree of traffic obstruction for that work station, and calculates the evaluation value based on the degree of traffic obstruction and the determined first coefficient, and the movement cost and the determined second coefficient.

12. A conveying system comprising: a plurality of conveying devices; and a control device that controls the movement of the plurality of conveying devices in a movement area; and when a target conveying device that is one of the plurality of conveying devices has a plurality of work stations corresponding to a specified task as a plurality of candidate destination locations for the target conveying device, the control device calculates, for each of the plurality of work stations, a degree of traffic obstruction that is the degree to which the passage of one or more other conveying devices other than the target conveying device may be obstructed, based on an evaluation value based on the calculated traffic obstruction levels for each of the plurality of work stations, determines one of the plurality of work stations as the destination location for the target conveying device, and sends a movement instruction to the target conveying device with the determined one work station as the destination location.

13. A control method performed by a computer, in which, for a target conveying device that is one of a plurality of conveying devices, there are a plurality of work stations corresponding to a specified task as a plurality of candidate destination locations for the target conveying device, the control method calculates a degree of traffic obstruction for each of the plurality of work stations, which is the degree to which the passage of one or more other conveying devices other than the target conveying device may be obstructed, determines one of the plurality of work stations as the destination location for the target conveying device based on an evaluation value based on the calculated degree of traffic obstruction for each of the plurality of work stations, and sends a movement instruction to the target conveying device with the determined one work station as the destination location.

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