JP7756539B2 - Transport system and method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention generally relates to technology for transporting objects by moving a transport device.

Background technology in this technical field includes technology related to AGVs (Automatic Guided Vehicles) that transport shelves to their destinations, such as the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1.

WO2015/097736

To improve the storage efficiency of transported goods in a storage space (e.g., a warehouse) for transported goods (or for other purposes), it is conceivable to provide multiple tiered areas in the space, with transported goods being placed in each area. Specifically, for example, a mezzanine may be installed in the warehouse, and transported goods may be placed in both the area above the mezzanine and the floor area of the warehouse, including the area below the mezzanine. The number of tiers in the area may be two or more.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to improve the transport efficiency of transported items in a multi-tier area set up in a storage space for transported items.

The transport system includes a first transport device that travels through a first area according to an assigned transport task to transport objects located in the first area; a second transport device that travels through a second area according to an assigned transport task to transport objects located in the second area; an inter-area transport vehicle that transports objects between the first and second areas; and a control device that controls the transport tasks assigned to each of the first and second transport devices. The first and second areas are located in a storage space for the objects. The first area is an area where predetermined work is performed on the objects. The second area is located higher than the first area. The transport tasks assigned to each of the first and second transport devices include the movement direction of the transport device. An aisle for the second transport device is provided in the second area. The control device controls the movement direction of the transport task assigned to the second transport device based on the extension direction of the aisle in the second area.

This invention can improve the efficiency of transporting items in a multi-tier area provided in a storage space for the items. Other issues, configurations, and advantages will become clear from the description of the following embodiments of the invention.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a transport system according to an embodiment; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the first stage area. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the second-stage area. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a section in the second area. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of sections in the second-stage area. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the transport device. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the bottom configuration of the transport device. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the transport of shelves in the first-tier area. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the transportation of shelves from the second-tier area to the first-tier area. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the configuration of elements in a transport system. 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating the remaining specific configuration examples of elements in the transport system. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an order table. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an inventory table. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a shelf table. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an equipment transport table. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a shelf transport table. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a vertical conveying table. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a picking table. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a floor table. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a boundary table. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a transport control process. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a shelf arrangement layout change process. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a shelf storage position change process. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of the floor table.

In the following description, an "interface apparatus" may refer to one or more interface devices, which may be at least one of the following:
One or more I/O (Input/Output) interface devices. The I/O (Input/Output) interface devices are interface devices 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 communications 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)).

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.

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).

Also, in the following description, "storage device" may refer to at least memory, including memory and persistent storage devices.

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 single-core or multi-core. The at least one processor device may also be a processor core. The at least one processor device may also be a broader processor device 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 (e.g., an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

In the following explanation, information that produces an output in response to an input may be described using expressions such as "xxx table," but this information may be data of any structure (for example, structured 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" can also be referred to as "xxx information." In the following explanation, 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.

In addition, in the following explanation, processing may be described using the "program" as the subject; however, because a program is executed by a processor to perform predetermined processing using a storage device and/or interface device as appropriate, the subject of the processing may also be the processor (or a device or system having that processor). A program may also be installed on 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 addition, in the following explanation, two or more programs may be realized as a single program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

In addition, any information (for example, at least one of "ID," "name," and "number") may be used as information for identifying an element (identification information, identifier).

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

Also, in the following explanation, the unit of "date and time" may be coarser or finer than year, month, day, hour, minute.

Figure 1 shows the schematic configuration of a conveying system according to an embodiment. For convenience, the two-dimensional directions are the x direction and the y direction, which is perpendicular to the x direction.

The conveying system comprises multiple conveying devices 3 that travel within a warehouse 2 (an example of a storage space), and a control device 4 that remotely controls the movement of each conveying device 3. In this embodiment, "movement" of a conveying device 3 refers to the general movement of the conveying device 3, regardless of whether or not it has shelves 5. "Movement" of a conveying device 3 may also be referred to as "traveling" of the conveying device 3. "Movement" of a conveying device 3 when it has shelves 5 is specifically referred to as "conveyance." A shelf 5 is an example of an object that can be transported by a conveying device 3. Instead of or in addition to a shelf 5, objects such as trays, pallets, or containers may also be examples of objects.

Warehouse 2 is a storage facility used by companies such as online retailers to store goods. The goods stored in Warehouse 2 may be products or parts. In this embodiment, we will explain the example of goods stored in Warehouse 2. Warehouse 2 is equipped with a multi-tier area 122 and a vertical conveyor 202.

The multi-tiered area 122 is an example of an area with multiple tiers located at different heights. The multi-tiered area 122 has a first-tier area 200A and a second-tier area 200B. Multiple shelves 5 are installed in a movable state in each of the multiple areas 200A and 200B that make up the multi-tiered area 122. Note that the same type of transported goods does not have to be placed in all areas 200. For example, shelves 5 may be placed in the first-tier area 200A and pallets may be placed in the second-tier area 200B. Each shelf 5 stores one or multiple items (e.g., products for sale) in a predetermined position. The shelves 5 are sometimes called movable shelves.

The first-tier area 200A is an example of a first area, and an example of the main area through which the conveying device 3 travels. The conveying device 3 travels through the first-tier area 200A, allowing it to transport shelves 5 to the picking station 6. The first-tier area 200A is an area that covers the entire floor area or a portion of the warehouse 2. Picking is performed at the picking station 6, which is an example of a predetermined task related to the transported items. For example, the picking station 6 may also perform warehousing tasks such as replenishing shelves 5 with products, or ancillary tasks such as inventory taking, and may simply be called a station.

When the transport device 3 transports items to the picking station 6, the destination (destination position) may be a predetermined position at the picking station 6 where an operator or picking device can pick items (for example, the section in front of the picking station 6), or it may be another predetermined position related to the picking station 6. Examples of other predetermined positions include a waiting position in front of or near the picking station 6 if there is another shelf 5 in the section in front of the picking station 6, or a location where the shelf 5 is handed over to the transport equipment (such as a conveyor) for the shelf 5 if there is such transport equipment in the section in front of the picking station 6.

Similarly, when the conveying device 3 conveys from the picking station 6, the origin (starting position) of the conveyance may be a predetermined position at the picking station 6 where an operator or picking device can pick (for example, the section in front of the picking station 6), or it may be another predetermined position related to the picking station 6. An example of another predetermined position may be, for example, if there is conveying equipment (such as a conveyor) for the shelves 5 in the section in front of the picking station 6, the location where the shelves 5 are received from that conveying equipment.

The second-tier area 200B is an example of a second area, and an example of a sub-area in which the conveying device 3 travels. In this embodiment, the second-tier area 200B is an area on a mezzanine. A wall or fence 191 may be provided surrounding the second-tier area 200B. In addition, the second-tier area 200B may be provided with a conveyor as an example of a conveying device that transports the shelves 5 arranged in the second-tier area 200B.

The vertical conveyor 202 is an example of an inter-area conveyor. The vertical conveyor 202 is a conveyor that moves up and down vertically. Specifically, the vertical conveyor 202 conveys a shelf 5 from the second-tier area 200B to the first-tier area 200A by descending (or waits in the first-tier area 200A for a shelf to be conveyed from the first-tier area 200A to the second-tier area 200B). The vertical conveyor 202 also conveys a shelf 5 from the first-tier area 200A to the second-tier area 200B by ascending (or waits in the second-tier area 200B for a shelf to be conveyed from the second-tier area 200B to the first-tier area 200A). The vertical conveyor 202 may be, for example, an elevator or a car on an elevator. The vertical conveyor 202 can also be replaced by another inter-area conveyor, such as a forklift, that can convey shelves 5 vertically.

When each transport device 3 receives a movement instruction associated with a transport task assigned to that transport device 3, it transports a shelf 5 present in the first-tier area 200A or the second-tier area 200B in accordance with the movement instruction. According to the example shown in FIG. 1, this is as follows.
After transporting shelf 5A to picking station 6, transport device 3A waits for the completion of product picking from shelf 5A. After the worker or picking device has finished picking products at picking station 6, transport device 3A transports shelf 5A from picking station 6 to the storage position of shelf 5A.
The transport device 3B that transports the shelf 5B to the picking station 6 is waiting for the movement of the transport device 3A. When the transport device 3A moves from the picking station 6, the transport device 3B becomes able to transport the shelf 5B to the picking station 6.
The conveying device 3C is moving to transport the shelf 5C that has been transported to the first-tier area 200A by the vertical conveying machine 202.
The transport device 3D is moving to transport the shelf 5D, whose placement position is the first-tier area 200A.
- The transport device 3E is traveling in the second stage area 200B.
The height of each of the transport devices 3 is lower than the height of the stand 192, and each of the transport devices 3 can pass under the stand 192.
When the conveying device 3 moves in the second-tier area 200B, both the destination position and the starting position are on the second-tier area 200B. Similarly, when the conveying device 3 moves in the first-tier area 200A, both the destination position and the starting position are on the first-tier area 200A.

In the second-tier area 200B, a platform 192 is provided in front of the entrance/exit of shelf 5 for the vertical conveyor 202. Also in the second-tier area 200B, a row of platforms (platforms 192 lined up in the x direction) is lined up along the y direction. Shelves 5 are placed on the platforms 192. Note that in the first-tier area 200A, platforms 192 are also provided in positions where shelves 5 are placed (for example, in front of the entrance/exit of shelf 5 for the vertical conveyor 202 and at the storage position of shelf 5).

In the second-tier area 200B, shelf rows L1 to L5 are lined up from the vertical conveyor 202. Shelf row Ln (n = 1, 2, ..., 5) is a row of shelves 5 lined up in the x-direction. The second-tier area 200B has a high-density arrangement area and a low-density arrangement area. The high-density arrangement area is located farther from the vertical conveyor 202 than the low-density arrangement area. A "high-density arrangement area" is an area where multiple shelves 5 and a shelf 5E surrounded by those multiple shelves 5 are arranged, and where movement of shelf 5E requires movement of at least one shelf (e.g., shelf 5F) among the multiple shelves 5. On the other hand, a "low-density arrangement area" is an area where one or more shelves 5 are arranged, and where there is no shelf 5 surrounded by multiple shelves 5. Shelf rows L3 to L5 are in the high-density arrangement area, and shelf rows L1 to L2 are in the low-density arrangement area.

In this embodiment, for example, at least one of the following may be adopted.
There may be a plurality of vertical conveyors 202. Each vertical conveyor 202 may move up and down the shelves 5, or some of the vertical conveyors 202 may be dedicated to moving up, and the remaining vertical conveyors 202 may be dedicated to moving down.
The shelves 5 and the stand 192 may be integrated. The transported objects (including the shelves 5) may be objects with legs (objects with legs) or objects without legs (objects without legs). Objects without legs are stored on the stand 192. Objects with legs may be stored in a storage position without the stand 192. Whether the objects are objects with legs or objects without legs stored on the stand 192, the transport device 3 can enter under the objects and lift them up for transport. If all the objects have legs and the transport device 3 can enter under the objects and lift them up for transport, the stand 192 may not be provided.
Furthermore, the platform 192 is not limited to the structure illustrated in Fig. 1 as long as it is a structure that supports the transported object so that there is space below the transported object for the transport device 3 to enter and lift the transported object so that the transport device 3 can enter under the transported object. The platform 192 may also be called a support unit, transported object storage equipment, or transported object support equipment.
The vertical conveyor 202 may raise and lower the conveying device 3 together with the shelf 5. Specifically, when the shelf 5 moves between the first-tier area 200A and the second-tier area 200B, one of the starting position and the destination position may be in the first-tier area 200A and the other may be in the second-tier area 200B, and the vertical conveyor 202 may be part of the movement path of the conveying device 3 when the conveying device 3 moves from the starting position to the destination position.

Figure 2A is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the first-tier area 200A. Figure 2B is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the second-tier area 200B. In the examples shown in Figures 1, 2A, and 2B, the first-tier area 200A and the second-tier area 200B overlap in a planar view, but they do not necessarily have to overlap. Also, Figures 2A and 2B schematically illustrate areas 200A and 200B, and the areas 200A and 200B illustrated in Figures 2A and 2B do not completely match the areas 200A and 200B illustrated in Figure 1.

The first-tier area 200A is divided into multiple rectangular sections 201 of a predetermined size and managed. Hereinafter, sections 201 (and section 251, described below) may be referred to as sections (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). In this embodiment, the value of γ is "1" (first-tier area) or "2" (second-tier area).

A marker (not shown) indicating the location of each section 201 may be marked within each section 201. The marker may contain information for identifying the section's location, such as the section's location information or information associated with the section's location information (e.g., identification information for the section 201). The marker is information that can be read by the sensor 14 of the conveying 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. In this embodiment, a QR code (registered trademark) is used as an example of a marker. For example, as the conveying device 3 passes through each section 201, it reads the marker in that section 201. Each conveying device 3 transmits the read marker information along with the conveying device 3's identification information to the control device 4. The control device 4 determines the location of each conveying device 3 based on the conveying device 3's identification information and marker information received from each conveying device 3. There are plate-like members throughout the entire compartment 201, allowing movement from that compartment 201 to another adjacent compartment 201, and the conveying device 3 may also be able to rotate within that compartment 201.

In a plan view, the first-tier area 200A includes sections (6,13,1) and (13,13,1) where the vertical conveyor 202 is located, sections (7,13,1) and (12,13,1) where shelves 5 transported by the vertical conveyor 202 are temporarily placed, shelf storage sections (3,3,1) and (3,4,1) where shelves 5 are stored (placed) (sections with the same pattern in Figure 2A), section (1,1,1) where the battery station is located, and sections (6,15,1) and (13,15,1) where the picking station 6 is located. Hereinafter, sections where shelves 5 are temporarily placed may be referred to as "buffer sections." In this embodiment, there is one buffer section for each vertical conveyor 202, but there may be two or more buffer sections for at least one vertical conveyor 202. In other words, for each vertical conveyor 202, the number of buffer sections (the number of shelves 5 that can be buffered (temporarily placed) in the first-tier area 200A) may be a predetermined number M (M is a natural number). The shelves 5 may be, for example, approximately the same size as one section 201, or may be smaller than one section 201. Note that there may be various variations in how the sections are set. Also, a section into which the conveyor device 3 must not enter (for example, section (3,1,1)) may be provided.

For each section 201 in the first-tier area 200A, as shown by the arrows in Figure 2A, the direction in which the conveying device 3 can move within that section 201 does not need to be limited (for example, the conveying device 3 can move in any of the +x, -x, +y, and -y directions). Between shelf storage sections, a conveying device 3 that is not loaded with a shelf 5 can move in the direction of the arrow. Note that, to prevent collisions with shelves stored in the shelf storage section, the control device 4 may prevent a conveying device 3 that is loaded with a shelf 5 from traveling within the shelf storage section.

The sections 201 may be set to allow movement in both directions, or only in one direction. For example, by setting some sections 201 to allow movement in only one direction, it is possible to prevent or reduce congestion of the conveying device 3 and improve overall conveying efficiency. Furthermore, if there are many sections 201 between which movement can only be made in one direction, the movement path of the conveying device 3 may become long. Therefore, the direction in which the conveying device 3 can move may be set in advance based on the number of conveying devices 3 in the first-tier area 200A or the position and type of each section 201, or such a direction may be dynamically set or changed by the control device 4.

The second-tier area 200B is divided into multiple rectangular sections 251 of a predetermined size and managed. In a plan view, the second-tier area 200B includes sections (6,13,2) and (13,13,2) where the vertical conveyor 202 is located, buffer sections (7,13,2) and (12,13,2), and shelf storage sections (3,2,2) and (3,3,2), etc. (sections with the same pattern in Figure 2B). Like section 201, section 251 also has a marker 300, as shown in Figure 2D.

When installing a mezzanine, it is necessary to comply with the various laws and regulations of the installation location (e.g., country and region). Examples of laws and regulations include the Building Standards Act and Fire Service Act in Japan, and depending on the specifications, various applications may be required or fire protection equipment may need to be installed. In addition to laws and regulations, there may also be standards and guidelines that must be complied with.

The specifications of mezzanines that can be installed vary depending on the specifications of the logistics center or warehouse where the mezzanine will be installed, time costs, financial costs, customer needs, and compliance with laws and regulations. For example, one specification for the second-tier area 200B, which is the area on the mezzanine, may be a structure in which a plate-like floor (e.g., steel plates) is laid across the entire surface of each section 251 in which the conveying device 3 travels in the second-tier area 200B, as shown in Figure 2C. Markers 300 may be provided in the section 251, as in section 201. Furthermore, in the section 251 shown in Figure 2C, the direction in which the conveying device 3 can move may be set as described for the first-tier area 200A (similar to the first-tier area 200A). Furthermore, the conveying device 3 can turn in the section 251 shown in Figure 2C.

As another specification for the second-tier area 200B, it may be configured with an aisle 310 for the conveying device 3, as illustrated in FIG. 2D. Note that as another specification for the second-tier area 200B, it may include both the section 251 illustrated in FIG. 2C and the section 251 illustrated in FIG. 2D. As an example of this embodiment, the following description will describe in detail a case where the section 251 to which the specification illustrated in FIG. 2D is applied is used for the second-tier area 200B. The section 251 with the aisle 310 spans the entire (or part of) travel range of the second-tier area 200B, which is the range within which the conveying device 3 can travel.

In section 251, path 310 is composed of, for example, multiple parallel plate-like (strip-like) members (e.g., steel plates) on which the wheels of conveying device 3 can run. The wheels of conveying device 3 may not run on any area of section 251 other than path 310. Path 310 may be a rail.

The sections 251 in the travel range are either x-passage sections, y-passage sections, or both-passage sections. An "x-passage section" is a section that has an x-direction passage 310X (a passage extending in the x-direction) but does not have a y-direction passage 310Y (a passage extending in the y-direction) (the upper left and lower left sections in Figure 2D). A "y-passage section" is a section that has a y-direction passage 310Y but does not have an x-direction passage 310X (not shown in Figure 2D). A "both-passage section" is a section that has an x-direction passage 310X and a y-direction passage 310Y that intersect (the upper right and lower right sections in Figure 2D). Here, the "intersection" of the passages 310 may be perpendicular or T-shaped. The x-direction passage 310X and the y-direction passage 310Y may be collectively referred to as a "single passage." Two-dimensional elements with one passage (for example, rectangular elements the same size as the compartments) and two-dimensional elements with both passages (x-direction passage and y-direction passage) may be laid out in the second-tier area 200B.

The conveying device 3 cannot turn in either the x-path section or the y-path section, but it can turn (change its direction of movement) in both path sections. For example, as shown by the dotted circles in the two path sections in the upper right of Figure 2D, the conveying device 3 can turn in both path sections by passing its wheels over the x-direction path 310X and the y-direction path 310Y.

The x-direction passage 310X in each section (relative position) is the same for the x-passage section and both passage sections. For example, an "x-passage section and an x-passage section," an "x-passage section and both passage sections," or "both passage sections and both passage sections" can be adjacent along the x direction. With this configuration, a long x-direction passage 310X in the x direction is created in the sections lined up along the x direction, and the conveying device 3 can travel along the x-direction passage 310X between multiple sections along the x direction.

Note that the section adjacent to the x-passage section in the y direction is usually the x-passage section or both. For example, since there is no y-direction passage 310Y between adjacent x-passage sections in the y direction, the conveying device 3 cannot move in the y direction between the x-passage sections. Note that there may be structures between adjacent x-passage sections in the y direction, between adjacent y-passage sections in the x direction, or at positions 315X, 315Y at the ends of the second-tier area 200B. Examples of structures may include walls, pillars, or structures that form a platform on which a shelf is placed.

The position (relative position) of the y-direction passage 310Y in each section is the same for the y passage section and both passage sections. For example, a "y passage section and a y passage section," a "y passage section and both passage sections," or "both passage sections and both passage sections" can be adjacent in the y direction. With this configuration, a y-direction passage 310Y that is long in the y direction is created on the sections lined up in the y direction, and the conveying device 3 can travel along the y-direction passage 310Y that spans multiple sections along the y direction.

Note that the section adjacent to the y passage section in the x direction is usually the y passage section or both. For example, since there is no x-direction passage 310X between y passage sections adjacent to each other in the x direction, the conveying device 3 cannot move in the x direction between the y passage sections.

As described above, in the second-tier area 200B, the direction in which the conveying device 3 can move is along (parallel to) the direction in which the passage 310 extends (e.g., the longitudinal direction of the plate-like members that make up the passage 310). Note that in the section 251, the x-direction passage 310X or the y-direction passage 310Y may be capable of traveling in both directions (both +x and -x directions in the case of the x-direction passage 310X; and both +y and -y directions in the case of the y-direction passage 310Y). However, in cases where the number of passage sections in the second-tier area 200B that can turn (both passage sections that can change direction) is limited, allowing travel in only one direction between at least some of the sections 251 can prevent or reduce congestion of the conveying device 3 and is expected to improve conveying efficiency. For example, as shown by the arrows in Figure 2B, the direction in which the conveying device 3 can move may be limited to a direction that circulates in a fixed direction through at least some of the second-tier area 200B. For example, the transport device 3 may be movable in both x directions (+x and -x directions) in shelf storage compartments, but in transfer compartments between shelf storage compartments (for example, (4,6,2) or (6,3,2) in Figure 2B), the x direction may be limited to one x direction (+x or -x direction), or the y direction may be limited to one y direction (+y or -y direction).

In Figure 2B, the reason why the transport device 3 in the shelf storage section can move in both x directions but not both y directions is because the shelf storage area (the area made up of multiple shelf storage sections connected in the x and y directions) is shorter in the x direction than in the y direction. In other words, if the shelf storage area is shorter in the y direction than in the x direction, the transport device 3 in the shelf storage section can move in both y directions but not both x directions.

Furthermore, the direction of movement in the sections 251 must be along the extension direction of the passage 310. For example, the direction of movement in the x passage section cannot be limited to the +y or -y direction, and the direction of movement in the y passage section cannot be limited to the +x or -x direction. In other words, if all sections 251 in the travel range are considered to be both passage sections, the direction of movement in any section 251 can be limited to either the x or y direction. However, because the passage area of the x passage section and the y passage section is smaller than that of the both passage sections, the fewer the number of both passage sections, the more reduction in work hours and the weight and resource conservation can be expected.

When compartment 251 with the specifications illustrated in FIG. 2D is used in second-tier area 200B, it can be made lighter than compartment 251 with a structure in which the entire surface is covered with a plank-like floor (e.g., steel plate) as illustrated in FIG. 2C, and the materials (e.g., iron) and energy required to manufacture compartment 251 can be reduced. Therefore, by using compartment 251 of FIG. 2D in second-tier area 200B, it is possible to reduce the weight and resource usage of second-tier area 200B and mezzanine. Reducing the weight of the mezzanine can, for example, reduce the load on the floor on which the mezzanine is installed, make it easier to install the mezzanine, and reduce floor costs (costs associated with installing and maintaining the mezzanine, etc.). Furthermore, resource-saving mezzanine construction can reduce the environmental impact.

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 is typically an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle). The object to be conveyed is, for example, a shelf 5 or a pallet. If the object to be conveyed is capable of carrying one or more items (e.g., a shelf 5 or a pallet), the object to be conveyed may also be called a storage unit (storage device) or a loading platform. In this embodiment, a shelf 5 is described as an example of the object to be conveyed by the conveying device 3. The object to be conveyed may also be called a transported object. For example, in accordance with a movement instruction from the control device 4, the conveying device 3 lifts the shelf 5 specified in the movement instruction and transports the shelf 5 to the picking station 6 specified in the movement instruction (or the picking station 6 closest to the current position of the conveying device 3). After the required items are removed by an operator at the picking station 6 (i.e., after picking), the shelf 5 is returned to its original section (or another section) by the conveying device 3.

The transport route to picking station 6 and the transport route from picking station 6 to the original storage section (or another storage section) of shelf 5 may be specified in a single movement instruction or in separate movement instructions. As an example of this different location, a shelf that stores products that are picked frequently (e.g., frequently) and is transported frequently (e.g., frequently) to picking station 6 may be installed in a shelf storage section located close to picking station 6 or in the first-tier area 200A where picking station 6 is located. A shelf that is transported infrequently to picking station 6 may be installed in a shelf storage section located far from picking station 6 or in an area other than the area where picking station 6 is located (e.g., second-tier area 200B). In this way, transport efficiency can be improved by changing the shelf installation location depending on the number of times products are transported to picking station 6.

As shown in Figure 3A, the conveying device 3 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped overall. As shown in Figure 3B, drive wheels 20 are arranged on the underside (bottom) of the conveying device 3, allowing the conveying device 3 to turn and move forward, and auxiliary wheels 21 are arranged at the four corners of the underside of the conveying device 3. Furthermore, a cylindrical lifting body 22 is provided in the center of the top surface of the conveying device 3, allowing it to move up and down and rotate freely. At least one of the drive wheels 20 and auxiliary wheels 21 is the "wheel" of the conveying device 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, the conveying device 3 rotates the drive wheels 20 to move below the shelf 5 to be conveyed, then raises the lifting body 22 to lift the shelf 5, and conveys the shelf 5 by traveling in this state within the warehouse 2. At this time, the conveying device 3 can also change the orientation of the lifted shelf 5 by rotating the lifting body 22. The conveying device 3 can also rotate (pivot) without rotating the lifted shelf 5 by rotating (pivoting) the main body other than the lifting/rotating body 22 relative to the lifting/rotating body 22.

For example, the transportation of a shelf 5 from the second-tier area 200B to the first-tier area 200A is as shown in Figure 5. The transport device 3 in the second-tier area 200B transports the shelf 5 from the starting position in the second-tier area 200B (e.g., a shelf storage section) to the section immediately preceding the vertical conveyor 202 (the buffer section of the second-tier area 200B). The transport equipment in the second-tier area 200B transports the shelf 5 from the buffer section into the vertical conveyor 202 (upper left diagram in Figure 5). The transport equipment transporting the shelf 5 to this vertical conveyor 202 may be the transport device 3 in the second-tier area 200B, or may be another transport device (loading/unloading device such as a conveyor) in the second-tier area 200B. The vertical conveyor 202 containing the shelf 5 descends from the second-tier area 200B to the first-tier area 200A, transporting the shelf 5 to the first-tier area (upper right diagram in Figure 5). The conveying equipment in the first-tier area 200A moves the shelf 5 from the vertical conveyor 202 that has arrived at the first-tier area 200A to the buffer section of the first-tier area 200A (see the lower left diagram in Figure 5). The conveying equipment that transports the shelf 5 to this buffer section may be the conveying device 3 in the first-tier area 200A, or another conveying device (loading/unloading device such as a conveyor) in the first-tier area 200A. The shelf 5 temporarily placed in the buffer section is transported by the conveying device 3 to the destination location (e.g., the picking station 6 or a shelf storage section in the first-tier area 200A) (see the lower right diagram in Figure 5).

Similarly, the transportation of a shelf 5 from a starting position in the first-tier area 200A to a destination position in the second-tier area 200B will be described. The transport device 3 in the first-tier area 200A transports the shelf 5 from the starting position in the first-tier area 200A (e.g., a shelf storage section or picking station 6) to the section immediately preceding the vertical conveyor 202 (the buffer section in the first-tier area 200A). The transport equipment in the first-tier area 200A transports the shelf 5 from the buffer section into the vertical conveyor 202. The transport equipment transporting the shelf 5 to this vertical conveyor 202 may be the transport device 3 in the first-tier area 200A, or may be another transport device (an input/output device such as a conveyor) in the first-tier area 200A. The vertical conveyor 202 containing the shelf 5 rises from the first-tier area 200A to the second-tier area 200B, transporting the shelf 5 to the second-tier area. The transport equipment in the second-tier area 200B moves the shelf 5 from the vertical transport machine 202 that has arrived at the second-tier area 200B to the buffer section of the second-tier area 200B. The transport equipment that transports the shelf 5 to this buffer section may be the transport device 3 in the second-tier area 200B, or another transport device (loading/unloading device such as a conveyor) in the second-tier area 200B. The shelf 5 that is temporarily placed in the buffer section is transported by the transport device 3 to the destination position (for example, a shelf storage section in the second-tier area 200B).

The vertical conveyor 202 and the loading/unloading device may be an integrated conveying facility (which may also be called a vertical conveying system, vertical conveyor, or inter-area conveyor), or may be separate devices.

The transport device 3 is equipped with an automatic charging function, and if the remaining charge of the onboard battery (not shown) falls below a predetermined value, the transport device 3 moves to a battery station and automatically charges.

The control device 4 is wirelessly connected via a wireless communication line such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) to each conveying device 3 in the warehouse 2, inter-area conveying devices such as the vertical conveying device 202, and each piece of conveying equipment (such as the conveying equipment in the first-tier area 200A and second-tier area 200B). Movement instructions are sent from the control device 4 to the equipment (conveying device 3, vertical conveying device 202, conveying equipment, etc.) that will perform the movement (including conveyance), and the equipment that receives the movement instruction moves in accordance with the movement instruction.

For example, in response to an order from a customer, the control device 4 identifies the shelf 5 on which the ordered product is stored and transmits a movement instruction (hereinafter, such a movement instruction is referred to as a movement instruction) to the conveying device 3 to transport the shelf 5 to the picking station 6. If the identified shelf 5 is located in the second-tier area 200B, the control device 4 transmits a movement instruction to the conveying device 3 in the second-tier area 200B to transport the shelf 5 from its placement position (shelf storage position) to the vertical conveyor 202 (or buffer section). If the shelf 5 has been transported to the buffer section, the control device 4 transmits a movement instruction to the conveying equipment in the second-tier area 200B to transport the shelf 5 from the buffer section into the vertical conveyor 202. The control device 4 causes the vertical conveyor 202 to transport the shelf 5 from the second-tier area 200B to the first-tier area 200A. When transporting the shelf 5 to the buffer compartment, the control device 4 sends a movement instruction to the transport equipment in the first-tier area 200A to transport the shelf 5 from the vertical transporter 202 to the buffer compartment. The control device 4 then sends a movement instruction to the transport device 3 to transport the shelf 5 from its location (vertical transporter 202 or buffer compartment) to the picking station 6.

Furthermore, when the shelf 5 is transported using the vertical conveyor 202, the control device 4 may issue a transport instruction to the vertical conveyor when the conveyor device 3 is instructed to transport the shelf 5 to the vertical conveyor 202, or when the conveyor device 3 is transporting the shelf 5 to the vertical conveyor 202 (for example, when it approaches the vertical conveyor 202, such as when it is within a predetermined distance from the vertical conveyor 202). Issuing a transport instruction in advance allows the vertical conveyor 202 to be prepared for transport, improving transport efficiency. Here, an example of preparing the vertical conveyor 202 for transport may be to move the portion of the vertical conveyor 202 that carries the shelf 5 (the elevator car) to the second-stage area 200B when transporting the shelf 5 downward, or to move the portion of the vertical conveyor 202 that carries the shelf 5 to the first-stage area 200A when transporting the shelf 5 upward. The control device 4 may also send a transport instruction to the vertical transport device 202 when the transport device 3 has completed transporting the shelf 5 to the buffer compartment, or when the transport device 3 has moved out of the buffer compartment after transport has been completed.

If there are multiple transport tasks using the vertical conveyor 202 at the same time, the control device 4 may adjust the processing order of the transport tasks for the vertical conveyor 202 based on predetermined criteria, such as the earliest transport task or transport instruction for the shelf 5, the earliest transport to the vertical conveyor 202, or the highest priority of the transport task, and send a movement instruction to the vertical conveyor 202 or the transport device 3. The control device 4 may reserve both or at least one of the vertical conveyor 202 and the buffer partition in association with the transport task, so that they do not compete with other transport tasks while reserved.

The control device 4 also issues movement instructions to each conveyance device 3, vertical conveyance machine 202, etc. for each of the multiple conveyance tasks, allowing the entire conveyance system to process multiple conveyance tasks in parallel. For shelves 5 that have been moved and removed by the vertical conveyance machine 202, a movement instruction is sent to the nearest conveyance device 3 that can be transported. Furthermore, at the picking station 6, picking operations may be performed in the order in which the shelves were transported to the picking station 6 (in the order of arrival).

The "movement instruction" sent to the transport device 3 is associated with information representing the transport task assigned to the transport device 3. The transport task determines which shelf 5 to transport to which section. The information representing the transport task may include, for example, the shelf ID of the shelf 5 to be transported, the movement route along which the transport device 3 will travel, and the direction of movement of the transport device 3. The movement route may include the route from the transport device 3's current section (the section to which the current location belongs) to the shelf section (the section where the shelf 5 to be transported is located) and the route from the shelf section to the destination section (e.g., picking station 6), or it may be a portion of that route (e.g., the route to be traveled immediately). After the worker picks an item from the shelf 5 at picking station 6, the control device 4 issues a "movement instruction" to the transport device 3 to the designated position in order to return the shelf 5 to the designated position. This movement route may also include the route from the picking station 6 to the designated position. Of the compartments adjacent to picking station 6 and the battery station, at least the compartment adjacent to picking station 6 may be an example of a destination compartment (the compartment to which the destination location belongs).

Figures 6 and 7 are diagrams showing specific configuration examples of the elements of the conveyance system in this embodiment. The conveyance system includes a control device 4, a conveyance device 3, a vertical conveyor 202, a picking terminal 710, and a network 551. The conveyance system may also include other conveyance equipment (e.g., an input/output device that transports shelves 5 between the vertical conveyor 202 and the buffer compartment), a multi-tier area 122 (e.g., a mezzanine), a platform 192, shelves 5, and all or part of a picking station 6. There may be one or more of each component of the conveyance system. For example, the configuration illustrated in Figure 1 may be realized by introducing the conveyance system into warehouse 2.

The conveying device 3, the control device 4, the vertical conveyor 202, and the picking terminal 710 can communicate with each other via the network 551. There may be multiple vertical conveyors 202 and multiple picking terminals 710.

The transport device 3 includes a drive unit 11, a memory device 12, an interface device 13, multiple types of sensors 14, a battery, and a controller 10 connected to these.

The controller 10 controls the operation of the transport device 3 in response to movement instructions from the control device 4 and the charge state of the built-in battery. The drive device 11 includes drive wheels 20, auxiliary wheels 21, and a lifting body 22, as well as an actuator (not shown) such as a motor for driving the drive wheels 20 to rotate, and an actuator (not shown) such as a motor for raising, lowering, and rotating the lifting body 22.

The interface device 13 is a device for communicating with the control device 4 using a specified wireless communication method, and may be composed of, for example, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) wireless LAN (Local Area Network) card.

The sensor 14 is a device for collecting information about the floor surface on which the conveying device 3 travels and various information related to the conveying device 3. For example, multiple types of sensors 14 are capable of reading information about markers 300 on sections 201 and 251 on the floor. The conveying device 3 may be equipped with sensors such as a camera for capturing images of the conditions of sections 201 and 251, a vibration sensor for detecting vibrations experienced 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, and a gyro sensor for measuring the orientation of the conveying device 3.

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. Execution of the communication program 29, movement control program 30, measurement program 31, and position estimation program 32 by the controller 10 realizes a communication unit, a driving control unit, a measurement unit, and a position estimation unit.

The route table 23 is a table that stores information representing the travel route specified in the above-mentioned travel instruction received from the control device 4 (the information representing the travel route may include the arrangement of storage locations of the sections and the date and time the travel route was located in each section). The device table 24 is a table that stores the ID of the transport device 3, the storage location of the current section, and its status (e.g., "waiting," "moving," or "transporting"). The map table 25 is a table that stores information representing the location and attributes of each section (e.g., which area it belongs to). Note that an example of the map table 25 may be the information illustrated in Figures 2A and 2B. The measurement table 27 is a table that stores values measured by multiple types of sensors 14 (e.g., speed, acceleration, rotation, weight, storage location (value read from a two-dimensional barcode), photographed images of the section, etc.). The performance table 28 is a table that stores information representing the travel history of the transport device 3, including the route and date and time traveled.

The communication program 29 is a program that has the 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 23-25, 27, and 28 to the control device 4 in response to a request from the control device 4 (or without a request). The communication program of each transport device 3 may transmit each of these pieces of information to the control device 4 at regular or irregular intervals.

The movement control program 30 is a program that controls the movement of the conveying device 3 in accordance with movement instructions received from the control device 4 via the communication program 29. For example, in accordance with movement instructions from the control device 4, the movement control program 30 controls the drive device 11 to lift a specified shelf 5 and move it to the picking station 6 along a specified movement path, or controls the drive device 11 to return the shelf 5 to its original position (or another position) along the specified movement path.

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 300 affixed to each section 201, 251 in the first-tier area 200A and second-tier area 200B) detected by the sensors 14 of the transport device 3.

The control device 4 may be one or more physical computers having hardware such as a processor 40, memory 41, storage device 42, input device 43, output device 44, and 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 infrastructure). Furthermore, 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 output device 44, information may be input and output via a client system that can communicate via the interface device 45.

The processor 40 is a device that controls the overall operation of the control device 4. The memory 41 is used as 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 keyboard, and is used by the operator to input necessary information and instructions into 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, vertical conveyor 202, and picking terminal 710 via a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be composed of, for example, a Wi-Fi card.

The storage device 42 stores, for example, an equipment transport table 53, an inventory table 54, a shelf table 57, a map table 56, a vertical transport table 61, an order table 55, a picking table 58, a shelf transport table 59, a floor table 60, and a boundary table 62. Tables 53-55 and 57-62 will be described later. The map table 56 is a table that stores information representing the maps of the first-tier area 200A and the second-tier area 200B (e.g., information representing the position (coordinates) and attributes of each section (e.g., whether each section corresponds to a shelf storage section, picking station 6, battery station, vertical transport 202, or buffer section) for each of the areas 200A and 200B) (this table 56 may be distributed to each transport device 3 and saved as a map table 25 on each transport device 3).

The floor table 60 and boundary table 62 may be examples of area information. The equipment transport table 53, shelf transport table 59, and vertical transport table 61 may be examples of transport management information (e.g., information including information indicating the allocation relationship between transport tasks and transport devices 3). Specifically, for example, the equipment transport table 53 and a portion of the shelf transport table 59 (information about shelves in the first-tier area 200A and second-tier area 200B) may be examples of information about transport by one or more transport devices 3. A portion of the shelf transport table 59 (e.g., information about buffer sections, information about shelves in the first-tier area 200A and second-tier area) and the vertical transport table 61 may be examples of information about transport by an inter-area transport device.

The storage device 42 stores a storage program 50 and a processing program 51. The storage program 50 and processing program 51 are executed by the processor 40 to realize a storage unit and a processing unit. The storage program 50 stores these tables 53 to 62 in the storage device 42.

The vertical conveyor 202 has an interface device 711, a memory device 713, a drive device 714, a sensor 715, and a processor 712 connected to them.

The interface device 711 is a device for communicating with the control device 4 using a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be configured, for example, with a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) wireless LAN (Local Area Network) card. The drive device 714 is a device that drives the vertical conveyor 202 to raise and lower it or to wait for it to come into standby. The sensor 715 may be a sensor that detects the position of the vertical conveyor 202, etc.

The memory device 713 stores a vertical conveyance table 760. The vertical conveyance table 760 may be a table containing at least a portion of the same information as the vertical conveyance table 61 of the control device 4. The processor 712 executes the program in the memory device 713 to control the overall operation of the vertical conveyor 202, for example, based on the vertical conveyance table 760.

The picking terminal 710 is an information processing terminal for managing picking operations at the picking station 6. The picking terminal 710 has an interface device 731, a storage device 732, and a processor 733 connected to these.

The interface device 731 is a device for communicating with the control device 4 via a specified wireless communication method, and may be configured, for example, by a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) wireless LAN (Local Area Network) card. The memory device 732 stores a picking table 770. The picking table 770 may be a table containing at least a portion of the same information as the picking table 58 held by the control device 4 (for example, a table showing information for identifying the order to be processed, the planned work time, and the actual progress status). The processor 733 executes the program in the memory device 732 to control the operation of the entire picking terminal 710, for example, based on the picking table 770.

The picking terminal 710 may be equipped with an input device and an output device. The input device may accept input of information regarding the picking work by the worker, such as the completion of the picking work. The output device may output instructions regarding the picking work to the worker.

Figure 8 shows an example of the configuration of the order table 55.

Order table 55 is a table that stores various information related to orders from customers. Order table 55 has a record for each order. Each record holds information such as a processing ID 601, slip number 602, store name 603, store code 604, product name 605, product ID 606, quantity 607, delivery date 608, receipt date and time 609, and processing date and time 610. Take one order as an example (referred to as the "order of interest" in the explanation of Figure 8). According to the example shown in Figure 8, even if the slip number 602 is the same, if the product type (for example, product name 605 and product ID 606) is different, it is treated as a separate order. One order may be managed as two or more separate orders, or two or more orders may be managed as a single order.

Processing ID 601 represents the ID of the order of interest. Invoice number 602 represents the invoice number.

Store name 603 indicates the name of the store to which the product specified in the order of interest will be shipped, and store code 604 indicates the code of that store.

Product name 605 indicates the name of the product specified in the target order, product ID 606 indicates the ID of the product, and quantity 607 indicates the number of the product.

The delivery date 608 represents the deadline by which the product specified in the target order is to be delivered to the customer (typically a customer). The processing program 51 may calculate the deadline by which the product will actually be picked at the picking station by working backwards from the delivery date 608. The processing program 51 may determine the timing of sending a movement instruction to the transport device 3 based on the calculated deadline, or may specify in the movement instruction the date and time by which the transport device 3 should arrive at the picking station.

The reception date and time 609 indicates the date and time when the target order was received. The work date and time 610 indicates the date and time when the work of transporting the shelf 5 on which the product specified in the target order is placed to the picking station 6 will be performed.

Figure 9 shows an example of the configuration of the inventory table 54.

Inventory table 54 is a table that stores information about products. Inventory table 54 has a record for each product. Each record holds information such as product name 701, product ID 702, quantity in stock 703, shelf ID 704, product location 705, and number of pickings 706. Take one product as an example ("product of interest" in the explanation of Figure 9). Note that if the same product is stored on different shelves, multiple records exist for the same product. Similarly, if the same product is stored in different product locations on the same shelf, multiple records exist for the same product.

Product name 701 represents the name of the product of interest. Product ID 702 represents the ID of the product of interest. Stock quantity 703 represents the number of items in stock of the product of interest. Shelf ID 704 represents the ID of the shelf 5 on which the product of interest is located. Product position 705 represents the position of the product of interest on that shelf 5. For example, "U3R2" means "third from the top (U), second from the right (R)."

The number of pickings 706 indicates the number of times the product of interest has been picked. The number of pickings 706 may be counted by shelf, or may be the number of products picked. The number of pickings 706 may be used to rearrange shelves 5 or to replace products within shelves 5. The number of pickings 706 may also be reset or updated at regular intervals, and may represent, for example, the number of pickings in a specified period of time, and therefore may be referred to as the "picking frequency."

Figure 10 shows an example configuration of the shelf table 57.

Shelf table 57 is a table that stores information about shelves 5. Shelf table 57 has a record for each shelf 5. Each record holds a shelf ID 801, storage location 802, shelf weight 803 (units, for example, [kg]), product weight 804 (units, for example, [kg]), and number of transports 805. Let's take one shelf 5 as an example ("target shelf 5" in the explanation of Figure 10).

Shelf ID 801 represents the ID of the shelf 5 of interest. Storage location 802 represents the section and area height in which the shelf 5 of interest is located. Specifically, storage location 802 is expressed as "(column number, row number, tier number)". For example, (3, 3, 1) means tier (3, 3) in the first-tier area 200A. If the shelf 5 of interest is located in a buffer tier, storage location 802 represents the position of that buffer tier. If the shelf 5 of interest is currently being transported, storage location 802 may represent the status of the shelf 5 of interest being "transported". If the shelf 5 of interest is currently being picked, storage location 802 may represent the status of the shelf 5 of interest being "picked".

Shelf weight 803 represents the weight of the shelf of interest 5. Product weight 804 represents the total weight of all products placed on the shelf of interest 5. Product weight 804 may be calculated by the processing program 51, for example, based on the inventory quantity 703 of the product corresponding to the shelf ID 704 of the shelf of interest 5 and the weight of each product.

The number of transfers 805 is information indicating the number of times a transfer task for the shelf of interest 5 has been executed. Each time a transfer task for the shelf of interest 5 is executed, the number of transfers 805 corresponding to the shelf of interest 5 is updated, for example, by the storage program 50. For example, the shelf 5 with shelf ID "S634" has a low number of transfers 805 and is therefore stored in a section with high transfer costs. The number of transfers 805 may be incremented each time the shelf of interest 5 is transported, regardless of the destination section, or the number of transfers 805 may not be incremented even if the shelf of interest 5 is transported, depending on the destination section. For example, the number of transfers 805 corresponding to the shelf of interest 5 may be updated each time a transfer task to picking station 6 is executed as the destination section. The "number of transfers" may be reset or updated at regular intervals, and may be the number of transfers in a specified period, for example, and therefore may be referred to as the "transfer frequency."

For each shelf 5, the processing program 51 determines whether the area in which the shelf 5 is located should be divided into the low-density arrangement area of the first-tier area 200A, the low-density arrangement area of the second-tier area 200B, or the high-density arrangement area of the second-tier area 200B, based on the number of transports 805 in the shelf table 57 (for example, statistics on the number of transports 805 for all shelves 5). This is expected to maintain the optimum division for the shelf 5 depending on the number of transports 805. For example, the processing program 51 determines the position of a shelf 5 with a relatively low number of transports 805 (for example, the shelf 5 with shelf ID "S634") in the high-density arrangement area of the second-tier area 200B. This is expected to maintain high transport efficiency. Details will be described later.

Figure 11 shows an example configuration of the device transport table 53.

The device transport table 53 is a table that stores information obtained from each transport device 3. The device transport table 53 has a record for each transport device 3. Each record holds information such as a device ID 1101, shelf flag 1102, position 1103, remaining battery level 1104, device status 1105, shelf ID 1106, destination position 1107, and estimated arrival date and time 1108. Take one transport device 3 as an example (referred to as "target transport device 3" in the explanation of Figure 11).

Device ID 1101 indicates the ID of the selected transport device 3. Shelf flag 1102 indicates whether the selected transport device 3 is loaded with a shelf. Position 1103 indicates the coordinates of the section in which the selected transport device 3 is located (i.e., the current section). Battery remaining capacity 1104 indicates the remaining battery capacity of the selected transport device 3.

The device status 1105 indicates the status of the selected transport device 3. "Moving" means that the selected transport device 3 is moving. "Available" means that the selected transport device 3 has not been assigned a shelf ID (specifically, a transport task including a shelf ID). The shelf ID 1106 indicates the shelf ID included in the transport task assigned to the selected transport device 3 (i.e., the ID of the shelf 5 to be transported specified in the transport task). The destination position 1107 indicates the destination position of the shelf 5 to be transported by the selected transport device 3. This may be location information such as the destination address (coordinates), or information (ID) identifying the destination section, such as the destination ID that can identify the destination position. For example, the destination of the transport device 3 in the first-tier area 200A may be the ID of the picking station 6 (which may be the position (coordinates) corresponding to the picking station 6), the storage position of the shelf 5, or the ID (or coordinates) of the vertical transport device 202 (or the buffer section of the first-tier area 200A). Furthermore, for example, the destination of the conveying device 3 in the second-tier area 200B may be the storage position on the shelf 5 or the ID (or coordinates) of the vertical conveying machine 202 (or the buffer section of the second-tier area 200B).

The estimated arrival date and time 1108 is the estimated date and time when the target transportation device 3 is expected to arrive at the destination (e.g., picking station 6). The estimated arrival date and time 1108 may be, for example, a date and time calculated by the processing program 51 based on the movement route of the target transportation device 3 to the destination.

The processing program 51 of the control device 4 refers to the device transport table 53 and assigns a transport task to a transport device 3 whose device status 1105 is "free." However, even if the current device status 1105 of a transport device 3 is "in motion," if the expected arrival date and time 1108 is close and its destination position 1107 is close to the location where the next transport task will be carried out, the transport of the next transport task may be carried out earlier than other transport devices 3. In this case, the processing program 51 may refer to the device transport table 53 and assign (or reserve or manage) the next transport task to the "in motion" transport device 3.

According to the table 53 illustrated in FIG. 11, for example, the following can be seen.
The transport device 3 with the shelf flag 1102 set to “present” and the device status 1105 set to “moving” is currently transporting the shelf 5 identified by the shelf ID 1106 to the picking station 6 .
A transport device 3 whose shelf flag 1102 is "absent" and whose device status 1105 is "moving" is moving to acquire (e.g., load) a shelf 5 represented by a shelf ID 1106. After acquiring the shelf 5, the shelf flag 1102 is updated to "present," and the transport device 3 transports the shelf 5 to the picking station 6.

Figure 12 shows an example configuration of the shelf transport table 59.

Shelf transport table 59 is a table that stores information related to transporting shelf 5. Shelf transport table 59 has a record for each shelf 5 (or transport task for shelf 5). Each record holds information such as shelf ID 1101, storage location 1202, level 1203, shelf status 1204, equipment ID 1205, equipment status 1206, scheduled transport start date and time 1207, transport destination 1208, and scheduled transport end date and time 1209. Let's take one shelf 5 as an example ("target shelf 5" in the explanation of Figure 12).

Shelf ID 1201 represents the ID of the shelf 5 of interest. Storage location 1202 represents the storage location (column number, row number, tier number) of the shelf 5 of interest before it was transported. When the shelf 5 of interest is moved from its storage location, storage location 1202 becomes blank "-". When the shelf 5 of interest is moved from its storage location, the transport device 3 transporting the shelf 5 of interest may read the mark and update the location information based on the marker information (location information) transmitted to the control device 4. Storage location 1202 may be the latest location of the shelf 5 of interest. When the shelf 5 of interest is temporarily placed in a buffer location for transport by the vertical transport device 202, storage location 1202 may be the location information (address) of the buffer location.

Level 1203 indicates which level area (e.g., first level area 200A or second level area 200B) the target shelf 5 is located in.

Shelf status 1204 represents the status of the shelf that was placed in the second-tier area 200B. "Waiting" means that the shelf of interest 5 has been transported to the first-tier area 200A and is waiting in the buffer section. "Moving" means that the shelf of interest 5 is being moved from the vertical conveyor 202 that has arrived in the first-tier area 200A to the buffer section. "Before moving" means that the shelf of interest 5 has not yet been transported to the first-tier area 200A by the vertical conveyor 202 and is waiting in the second-tier area 200A to be transported by the vertical conveyor 202.

Device ID 1205 represents the ID of the transport device 3, vertical transport machine 202, or each piece of transport equipment to which the transport task for the target shelf 5 has been assigned, and device status 1206 represents the status of the transport device 3, vertical transport machine 202, or each piece of transport equipment. "Loading" means that the target shelf 5 has already been loaded onto the transport device 3, vertical transport machine 202, or each piece of transport equipment and is moving (i.e., the target shelf 5 is being transported). "Moving" means that the transport device 3, vertical transport machine 202, or each piece of transport equipment is moving to the storage position (placement position, current position) of the target shelf 5 in order to load it.

The planned transport start date and time 1207 represents the planned date and time when transport of the target shelf 5 by the transport device 3, vertical transport machine 202, or each transport facility is scheduled to begin, or the date and time when transport has already begun. For example, when the processing program 51 determines a movement route from the storage location 802 of the target shelf 5 and the location 1103 of the transport device 3 to which the target shelf 5 is assigned, the planned transport start date and time 1207 may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on information representing that movement route and the standard movement speed of the transport device 3. Instead of or in addition to this method, the calculation of the planned transport start date and time 1207 may take into account an average transport speed estimated from past transport history.

The destination 1208 is information that indicates the destination location of a transport task or a movement route, and is expressed as an address or identification information that can identify the destination location (for example, a picking station ID). For example, information such as the picking station ID or the address of a shelf storage location is stored as the destination 1208.

The scheduled transport end date and time 1209 is the scheduled end date and time of the transport task, and may be calculated by the processing program 51 by adding the estimated required time based on the standard movement speed of the transport device 3, vertical transport machine 202, or each piece of transport equipment, etc., to which the transport task for the target shelf 5 is assigned, to the scheduled transport start date and time 1207.

The processing program 51 may manage transport tasks using the shelf transport table 59. In addition to the information shown in FIG. 12 for multiple pieces of transport equipment (e.g., transport device 3, vertical transport machine 202, etc.), when transporting shelves between areas, the shelf transport table 59 may also store information on the source, destination, equipment status, scheduled start date and time of transport (or start date and time of transport), and scheduled end date and time of transport (end date and time of transport) for each piece of transport equipment to which a transport task is assigned.

By managing currently executing transport tasks using the shelf transport table 59, the processing program 51 can coordinate with other transport tasks to control efficient transport overall. For example, if there is a transport task that transports the same shelf 5 at different picking stations, the transport task can be adjusted based on the shelf transport table 59 to transport from the first picking station 6 to the next picking station 6 (without returning it to its original storage position on the shelf), and a transport instruction can be issued.

Figure 13 shows an example configuration of the vertical conveying table 61.

The vertical conveyance table 61 is a table that stores information about conveyances by the vertical conveyor 202. The vertical conveyance table 61 has a record for each vertical conveyance. Each record holds information such as a vertical ID 1301, a conveyance mode 1302, a shelf ID 1303, a shelf status 1304, a conveyance start date and time 1305, and a buffering start date and time 1306. Take one vertical conveyance as an example (referred to as the "target vertical conveyance" in the explanation of Figure 13). Note that a "vertical conveyance" is an example of an inter-area conveyance, and in this embodiment, it is either a conveyance from the second-tier area 200B to the first-tier area 200A, or a conveyance from the first-tier area 200A to the second-tier area 200B. When there are three or more areas, a conveyance from the source area to the destination area may be a "vertical conveyance" (an example of an inter-area conveyance). There are zero or more areas between the source area and the destination area.

The vertical ID 1301 represents the ID of the vertical conveyor 202 that performs the vertical conveyance of interest. Note that the vertical ID 1301 may not be present, and a vertical conveyance table 61 may exist for each vertical conveyor 202.

The transport mode 1302 indicates the transport direction of the vertical transport device 202 carrying a shelf 5. "Up" means that the vertical transport device 202 transports the shelf 5 from the first-tier area 200A to the second-tier area 200B. "Down" means that the vertical transport device 202 transports the shelf 5 from the second-tier area 200B to the first-tier area 200A. Records corresponding to the vertical transport device 202 moving to the first-tier area 200A or second-tier area 200B without a shelf 5 (for example, moving to receive the shelf 5 to be transported at the first-tier area 200A or second-tier area 200B) do not need to exist in this table 61.

Shelf ID 1303 indicates the ID of the shelf 5 to be transported by the target vertical transport. Shelf status 1304 indicates the status of the shelf 5 to be vertically transported. "Up and down" means that the shelf 5 is being transported by the vertical transport device 202. "Waiting" means that the shelf 5 is waiting to be vertically transported at a waiting position (buffer section) in front of the vertical transport device 202. "Moving" means that the shelf 5 is in the process of being moved to the vertical transport device 202. "Before moving" means that the shelf 5 is waiting at its current location (e.g., a shelf storage section) to be transported to the vertical transport device 202.

The transfer start date and time 1305 represents the date and time when the target vertical transfer started or is scheduled to start. For example, the transfer start date and time 1305 may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on information about the transfer status of the vertical conveyor 202 and information about the date and time when the shelf 5 will arrive at the vertical conveyor 202. The date and time when the shelf 5 will arrive at the vertical conveyor 202 may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on the storage location of the shelf 5, the standard transfer time (or standard transfer speed) of the conveyor device 3, and information about the transfer of other shelves 5 that will be transferred first. In addition, the transfer completion date and time (date and time when the vertical transfer is scheduled to be completed) may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on the transfer start date and time 1305 and the standard transfer time (or standard transfer speed) of the vertical conveyor 202, and this information may be stored in the vertical conveyance table 61.

The buffering start date and time 1306 is the date and time when the shelf 5 targeted for the target vertical transfer is placed in a buffer section in the area where the vertical transfer is to be performed, and represents the date and time when the shelf 5 begins waiting in the buffer section for transfer to the destination location, or the date and time when the shelf 5 is scheduled to begin waiting in the buffer section. Specifically, for example, a shelf 5 that arrives in the first-tier area 200A by the vertical conveyor 202 is transported by transport equipment (e.g., placed on a platform conveyor (not shown) and transported to the buffer section by the platform conveyor). The buffering start date and time 1306 is the date and time when the shelf 5 is transported to the buffer section by the transport equipment. For example, the processing program 51 may calculate the buffering start date and time 1306 based on the transfer start date and time 1305, the standard transport time (or standard transport speed) of the vertical conveyor 202, the time required for delivery from the vertical conveyor 202 to the transport equipment (e.g., the platform conveyor), and the time required for transport by the transport equipment.

For example, when transporting a shelf 5 from a buffer section to a destination location (e.g., picking station 6), the control device 4 references the device transport table 53, assigns a transport task to a nearby transport device 3 with an "empty" device status 1105 that is in the same area as the buffer section, and sends a movement instruction. For example, the control device 4 may reference the vertical transport table 61 and instruct the transport device 3 to wait near the buffer section in advance or to start moving to the buffer section in advance so that the shelf 5 can be transported immediately from the buffering start date and time 1306. Furthermore, if there are multiple shelves 5 in a buffer section, the control device 4 may control (instruct movement) the transport task to be transported first, and may also instruct movement to transport shelves 5 in order of earliest buffering start date and time 1306. This prevents backlogs in the buffer section and enables efficient transport.

Figure 14 shows an example configuration of the picking table 58.

Picking table 58 is a table related to picking work. Picking table 58 has a record for each picking work. Each record holds information such as picking station ID 1401, process ID 1402, equipment ID 1403, shelf ID 1404, product ID 1405, quantity 1406, scheduled start date and time 1407, scheduled end date and time 1408, and picking status 1409. Let's take a single picking work as an example (referred to as the "pickup work of interest" in the explanation of Figure 14).

Picking station ID 1401 indicates the ID of the picking station where the picking operation of interest is performed. Picking station ID 1401 may be omitted, and a picking table 58 may be provided for each picking station 6.

Processing ID 1402 is the processing ID of the order corresponding to the target picking operation. Device ID 1403 is the ID of the transport device 3 that transports the shelf containing the product to be picked in the target picking operation to the picking station 6.

Shelf ID 1404 represents the ID of the shelf that holds the product to be picked in the target picking operation, product ID 1405 represents the ID of that product, and quantity 1406 represents the number of products to be picked. According to table 58, in which records are arranged in ascending order of scheduled start date and time 1407, if the same shelf ID 1404 is consecutive, different products corresponding to different process IDs can be consecutively picked from a single shelf 5.

The estimated start date and time 1407 represents the estimated start date and time of the target picking task. The estimated end date and time 1408 represents the estimated end date and time of the target picking task. The estimated start date and time 1407 may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on the estimated date and time of arrival of the transport device 3 at the picking station 6 along the movement route and the estimated length of time required for picking tasks performed before the target picking task. The estimated end date and time 1408 may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on the estimated start date and time 1407 and the estimated length of time required for the picking task. The estimated length of time required for the picking task may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on at least one of the quantity of products to be picked, the average time required for the picking task, and the past picking task history of the worker performing the picking task. Note that the picking task may be performed by a robot instead of or in addition to a worker.

The picking status 1409 indicates the status of the picking operation in question. "Before operation" means that the transport device 3 carrying the shelf 5 has arrived at the picking station 6 and the picking operation has not yet begun. "In operation" means that the picking operation has begun but not yet been completed. "Completed" means that the picking operation has been completed. The picking status 1409 may be changed based on input from the picking operator, or may be changed automatically based on values automatically detected regarding the picking operation. For example, if a waiting transport device 3 transports the shelf 5 after the completion of the picking operation in question, the picking status 1409 corresponding to the next picking operation after the picking operation in question may be changed from "before operation" to "in operation."

Figure 15 shows an example configuration of the floor table 60.

The floor table 60 holds information for each section in the first-level area 200A and second-level area 200B. The floor table 60 has a record for each section. Each record holds information such as the address 1501, section setting 1502, unusable flag 1503, section type 1504, aisle direction 1505, turnable/unturnable flag 1506, and transport cost 1507. Let's take one section as an example (referred to as the "section of interest" in the explanation of Figure 15).

Address 1501 indicates the address (location information) of the section of interest. Section setting 1502 indicates the type of section the section of interest is set as. For example, a "shelf storage section" is a section where shelves are stored (placed). A "transport section" is a section through which the transport device 3 travels to transport shelves in the shelf storage section. The sections that make up the transport path may mainly be transport sections.

The unusable flag 1503 is a flag that indicates whether the target section is unusable (cannot be a component of a transport route).

The section type 1504 indicates whether the section of interest has an aisle. For example, the section illustrated in FIG. 2C may have the section type 1504 set to "floor" (no aisle). The section illustrated in FIG. 2D may have the section type 1504 set to "aisle" (has an aisle). The floor table 60 may also store information on whether the section falls into the "x aisle section," "y aisle section," or "both aisle section" category as the section type 1504. In this embodiment, the sections with aisles are sections in the second-tier area 200B.

If the section of interest has a passage, the passage direction 1505 indicates the direction in which the passage extends. The passage direction 1505 is the direction in which the conveying device 3 can move. The "X axis" refers to the x direction, the "Y axis" refers to the y direction, and the "XY axes" refer to the x and y directions.

Even in the case of an "x-passage section" or "both-passage section," if there is a direction in which the conveying device 3 cannot move at the end of the x-direction passage 310X (for example, if there are no adjacent sections, or if the adjacent section does not have an x-direction passage), only the directions in which the conveying device 3 can move may be set as the passage direction 1505. Similarly, even in the case of a "y-passage section" or "both-passage section," if there is a direction in which the conveying device 3 cannot move at the end of the y-direction passage 310Y (for example, if there are no adjacent sections, or if the adjacent section does not have a y-direction passage), only the directions in which the conveying device 3 can move may be set as the passage direction 1505. Therefore, the passage direction 1505 may be set to one or more of the "X-axis," "Y-axis," "XY-axis," "+X-axis," "-X-axis," "+Y-axis," and "-Y-axis."

The rotation possibility flag 1506 indicates whether the conveying device 3 can rotate in the section of interest. If the section of interest is an "x aisle section" or "y aisle section," rotation is not possible, so the rotation possibility flag 1506 is set to "not possible." If the section of interest is a "both aisle section" or a "floor," rotation is possible, so the rotation possibility flag 1506 can be set to "possible." However, even if the section of interest is a "both aisle section" or a "floor," the rotation possibility flag 1506 may be set to "not possible" in specific sections where rotation should be prohibited or where rotation is not desired, such as an unusable section, battery station, or shelf storage section.

Transportation cost 1507 is a value set when the section of interest is a shelf storage section, and represents the transportation cost as a value according to the travel distance from the section of interest to the picking station 6 (or the travel time when the transport device 3 travels at a standard speed). The value of the transportation cost may also be based on the weight of the shelf 5.

Specifically, the transportation cost of the section of interest may be, for example, as follows: X1 is the travel distance to the picking station 6 (for example, the number of sections passed before reaching the picking station 6), X2 is the number of times the vertical conveyor 202 is used, X3 is the number of shelves 5 that need to be moved for transportation of the shelves 5 in the high-density arrangement area, X4 is the number of times the shelves 5 are raised and lowered, and X5 is the number of times the shelves 5 are raised and lowered. In this way, if the elements related to the transportation cost for the section of interest are Xi and the coefficient of each element is Ai, then for elements i = 1 to n, the processing program 51 of the control device 4 may calculate the transportation cost C of the section of interest using the following formula:
C=A1*X1+A2*X2+A3*X3+A4*X4+A5*X5+...+An*Xn

A1, A2, ..., An may be coefficients that do not change depending on the section. Note that other factors not listed above may also be used as factors in the transportation cost (for example, if a passage included in the movement route from the section of interest is prone to congestion, the transportation cost may be higher). In addition, the travel distance or number of floors traveled by the vertical conveyor 202 may be used as a factor related to the transportation cost, and the larger this factor, the higher the transportation cost. Note that the calculation formula for transportation cost C is an example, and for example, the calculation may be performed excluding some factors. Other methods (different calculation formulas or simulations) may also be used to calculate the transportation cost.

Furthermore, since the number of vertical conveyors 202 is generally smaller than, for example, conveying devices 3, and they are a valuable resource with limited conveying capacity, the above-mentioned coefficient A3 may be set higher than coefficients A1 and A2 so that the transportation costs when using vertical conveyors 202 are higher. Furthermore, if it is necessary to move another shelf to transport shelf 5 from the target section, the above-mentioned coefficient A4 may be set higher than coefficients A1 and A2.

If a section in the second-tier area 200B (an area where the vertical conveyor 202 must be used to transport shelves 5 to the picking station 6) is a section surrounded by shelves in a high-density arrangement area, the section has a relatively high transport cost, and the processing program 51 of the control device 4 may control the section to be placed with shelves 5 that are relatively unlikely to be transported to the picking station 6 (shelves 5 with a relatively low number of transports).

Figure 16 shows an example of the configuration of the boundary table 62.

The boundary table 62 holds information about each boundary between adjacent partitions. The boundary table 62 has a record for each boundary. Each record holds information such as a boundary ID 1601, an address 1602, an address 1603, a direction 1604, and a boundary section 1605. Let's take one boundary as an example (the "target boundary" in the explanation of Figure 16).

Boundary ID 1601 represents the ID of the boundary of interest.

Address 1602 represents the address (location information) of one of the adjacent partitions across the boundary of interest. Address 1603 represents the address (location information) of the other of the adjacent partitions across the boundary of interest.

Direction 1604 represents the direction in which the transport device 3 can pass (move) through the boundary of interest. For example, while the passage 310 described above physically restricts the direction in which the transport device 3 can move, direction 1604 logically restricts the direction in which the transport device 3 can move. Direction 1604 can restrict the direction in which the transport device 3 can move so that the transport device 3 does not move in a direction in which there is no passage 310. Furthermore, even if there is a passage 310 and the direction in which the transport device 3 can physically move is in this direction, direction 1604 can logically restrict the direction in which the transport device 3 can move.

Boundary section 1605 indicates whether a transport device 3 can pass through the boundary of interest when it is loaded with a shelf 5. If boundary section 1605 is "no shelf/with shelf," this means that the transport device 3 can pass through the boundary of interest whether it is loaded with a shelf 5 or not. On the other hand, if boundary section 1605 is "no shelf," this means that a transport device 3 without a shelf 5 can pass through the boundary of interest, but a transport device 3 with a shelf 5 loaded cannot pass through the boundary of interest.

According to the boundary table 62 illustrated in FIG. 16, for example, the following is true:
The boundary with boundary ID "L1-3343" is not a boundary in a high-density placement area. Therefore, shelf 5 can be removed from an adjacent transfer section. Therefore, the transport device 3 is set to be unable to cross between shelf storage sections when loaded with shelf 5 (boundary category "no shelf").
The boundaries with boundary IDs "L1-93103", "L1-9293" and "L1-9394" can each be moved in only one direction.
The boundary with boundary ID "L2-3343" is a boundary in a high-density arrangement area. Therefore, the boundary is set to allow the transport device 3, loaded with shelves 5, to cross between the shelf storage sections (boundary classification "without shelves/with shelves").

An example of the processing performed in this embodiment is described below. In this embodiment, tables 53 to 62 are stored in the storage device 42 by the storage program 50. Based on information (e.g., information including sensor measurement values) received by the control device 4 periodically or irregularly from each conveying device 3, each vertical conveyor 202, and each picking terminal 710, the storage program 50 updates the relevant portions of tables 53 to 62 as appropriate.

Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of the transport control process. The transport control process is performed repeatedly (e.g., periodically).

In S1501, the processing program 51 sorts the orders (records in the order table 55) in ascending order of the operation date and time 610. The orders may also be sorted in an order other than ascending order of the operation date and time 610. S1502 to S1504 are performed for each sorted order. The processing program 51 may also combine multiple orders into a single order, and perform S1502 to S1504 for such a combined order. The multiple orders combined into a single order may be orders that share a certain type of element, such as orders for products on the same shelf. Here, we will take one order as an example (the order of interest in the explanation of Figure 17).

In S1502, the processing program 51 identifies the shelf 5 on which the product to be picked is located and the location of that shelf 5 based on the target order. Specifically, for example, the following processing is performed: Based on the order table 55, inventory table 54, and shelf table 57, the processing program 51 identifies from the inventory table 54 the shelf ID 704 corresponding to the product name 701 and product ID 702 that match the product name 605 and product ID 606 specified in the target order. The processing program 51 identifies from the shelf table 57 the storage location 802 corresponding to the shelf ID 801 that matches the identified shelf ID 704.

In S1503, the processing program 51 selects a transport device 3 for the target order to transport the shelf 5 located at the shelf position identified in S1502 (storage position 802 of the shelf 5) based on the map table 56, the device transport table 53, the shelf table 57, the vertical transport table 61, the floor table 60, and the boundary table 62, and creates a movement route for transport by the selected transport device 3. In other words, in S1503, the transport device 3 to which the transport task according to the target order is assigned is determined. The transport task may be a task for transporting the shelf 5 to be transported along the created movement route. Specifically, in S1503, for example, the processing program 51 may perform at least one of the following:
The processing program 51 selects one transport device 3 from one or more transport devices 3 that meet a predetermined condition. The "predetermined condition" here may be that at least the shelf flag 1102 is "none." The selection of the transport device 3 may be based on the device status 1105, shelf flag 1102, position 1103, and storage location 802 of the shelf 5 to be transported (the distance between the storage location 802 and the location of the destination section) of each transport device 3. For example, the processing program 51 may refer to the device transport table 53 and select the transport device 3 that is located in the same area as the storage location 802 of the shelf 5 to be transported and whose device status 1105 is "empty" and that is located in the position 1103 closest to the storage location 802.
The processing program 51 creates a movement route (including the movement direction) based on the position 1103 of the selected conveyance device 3, the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be conveyed, the position of the destination section (typically the position of the picking station 6 or the vertical conveyor 202), and records for each section and each boundary on each route (e.g., aisle direction 1505, rotation possibility flag 1506, direction 1604, and boundary section 1605) for each of multiple routes connecting the position of the selected conveyance device 3 and the position of the destination section. The movement route may be, for example, a route from the position 1103 of the selected conveyance device 3 to the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be conveyed, or a route from the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be conveyed to the position of the destination section.
The processing program 51 may refer to the picking table 58. For example, the processing program 51 may identify a relatively vacant picking station 6 (e.g., a picking station 6 with a relatively small number of corresponding records in the picking table 58) and determine the vacant picking station 6 as the destination section.

In S1504, the processing program 51 sends a movement instruction to the transport device 3 selected in S1503, which is associated with the transport task assigned to that transport device 3 (the transport task according to the target order).

When a shelf 5 in the second-tier area 200B is transported to a picking station 6 in the first-tier area 200A, the processing program 51 may, in S1503, create the following movement routes, for example: a route from the position 1103 of the transport device 3 in the second-tier area 200B to the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be transported; a route from the storage position 802 of the shelf 5 to be transported to the position of the vertical transport device 202 (or a buffer section in the second-tier area 200B); a transport route on the vertical transport device 202; and a route from the position of the vertical transport device 202 (or a buffer section in the first-tier area 200A) to the picking station 6. Then, in S1504, movement instructions for each movement route are sent to the transport device 3 in the second-tier area 200B, the vertical transport device 202, each transport facility, and the transport device 3 in the first-tier area 200A.

In this transport control process, the transport task determined and assigned for each order is a task that meets the delivery date 608 of that order.

Figure 18 is a flowchart showing the flow of the shelf arrangement layout change process. The shelf arrangement layout process may be executed in response to a request from an operator (an example of a user), or may be executed at a specified regular or irregular timing (e.g., when a specific section becomes unavailable due to maintenance, etc.).

The processing program 51 receives a selection of the shelf 5 layout (e.g., selection of one of multiple shelf layout patterns) or the creation of a shelf 5 layout from an operator (an example of a user) (S1601). Here, for example, it may be determined where in the second-tier area 200B at least one of the low-density layout area and the high-density layout area will be located.

The processing program 51 displays a UI (User Interface) based on the floor table 60 and boundary table 62, for example, on the output device 44, and accepts the setting of the direction 1604 and boundary section 1605 for each boundary (S1602). Note that for a boundary, at least one of the direction 1604 and boundary section 1605 may be determined by calculation, such as a simulation, by the processing program 51. In this case, the direction 1604 may be set to a direction 1604 that follows the corridor direction 1505 (a direction 1604 that does not contradict the corridor direction 1505).

For each shelf storage section, the processing program 51 calculates the transportation cost based on the shelf 5 layout and the direction 1604 and boundary section 1605 of the boundary between that shelf storage section and its adjacent section, and stores the calculated transportation cost in the floor table 60 (S1603).

The processing program 51 executes the shelf storage position change process (S1604).

Figure 19 is a flowchart showing the shelf storage position change process.

The processing program 51 identifies the shelf 5 (S1701). Specifically, for example, at least one of the following (A), (B), and (C) may be performed.

(A) The processing program 51 sorts the records in the order table 55 in ascending order by the work date and time 610 and identifies the target shelf 5. The "target shelf" here refers to a shelf 5 that meets a specified condition, and may be, for example, a shelf 5 whose work date and time 610 belongs to the next day. In this case, at least one shelf 5 located in the second-tier area 200B among the "target shelves 5" may have its destination (change destination) set to a shelf storage section in the first-tier area 200A in S1702, and may be lowered to the first-tier area 200A before the start of the picking operation (for example, during the night of the previous day) in S1703.

(B) The processing program 51 identifies a shelf 5 whose shelf transport count 805 (or picking count 706) is equal to or greater than the first count threshold. For the shelf 5 identified here, in S1702, the destination (change destination) is set to a shelf storage section with a relatively low transport cost. A "shelf storage section with a relatively low transport cost" may be a shelf storage section in the first-tier area 200A for the entire first-tier area 200A and second-tier area 200B, or a section relatively close to the vertical conveyor 202 (e.g., a section in a low-density allocation area) for the second-tier area 200B. As a result, for example, the shelf storage section of a shelf whose shelf transport count 805 (or picking count 706) is equal to or greater than the first count threshold is changed from the second-tier area 200B to the first-tier area 200A, or changed from the high-density allocation area in the second-tier area 200B to the low-density allocation area in the second-tier area 200B.

(C) The processing program 51 identifies shelves whose shelf transport count 805 (or picking count 706) is less than a second threshold. The "second count threshold" is the same as or smaller than the first count threshold. For the shelves identified here, in S1702, the destination (change destination) is set to a shelf storage section with a relatively high transport cost. The "shelf storage section with a relatively high transport cost" may be a shelf storage section in the second-tier area 200A for the entire first-tier area 200A and second-tier area 200B, and may be a section relatively far from the vertical conveyor 202 (for example, a section in a high-density arrangement area) for the second-tier area 200B. As a result, for example, the shelf storage section of a shelf where the number of transports 805 (or number of pickings 706) is less than the second number threshold is changed from the first-tier area 200A to the second-tier area 200B, or changed from a low-density allocation area in the second-tier area 200B to a high-density allocation area in the second-tier area 200B.

The processing program 51 determines the shelf storage section to which the shelf 5 identified in S1701 will be moved, selects a transport device to transport the shelf 5, for example, based on the device transport table 53, and creates a movement route (including the movement direction) connecting the shelf's current shelf storage section and the shelf storage section to which the shelf will be moved, based on the map table 56, floor table 60, boundary table 62, etc. (S1702). The processing program 51 then sends a movement instruction to the transport device selected in S1702, which associates a transport task for transporting the shelf (the shelf identified in S1701) along the movement route (including the movement direction) created in S1702 (S1703).

Figure 20 shows floor table 2060, another example configuration of floor table 60.

The floor table 2060 holds information for each section in the first-tier area 200A and second-tier area 200B. The floor table 2060 has a record for each section. Each record holds information such as the address 1501, section setting 1502, unusable flag 1503, section type 1504, aisle direction 1505, turnable/unturnable flag 1506, transport cost 1507, direction (no shelves) 1508, and direction (with shelves) 1509. Let's take one section as an example (referred to as the "section of interest" in the explanation of Figure 20).

Since the records 1501-1507 of the floor table 2060 in Figure 20 are the same as the records 1501-1507 of the floor table 60 in Figure 15, a description thereof will be omitted. The direction (no shelf) 1508 is the direction in which a transport device 3 without a shelf (without a shelf 5 loaded) can move from the target section, and can be set to logically restrict the direction in which the transport device 3 can move. Similarly, the direction (with shelf) 1509 is the direction in which a transport device 3 with a shelf (with a shelf 5 loaded) can move from the target section, and can be set to logically restrict the direction in which the transport device 3 can move. By setting the direction (no shelf) 1508 and the direction (with shelf) 1509, it is possible to, for example, prohibit movement in some of the directions in which the transport device 3 is physically capable of moving, and restrict movement to only the remaining directions; for example, one-way traffic can be set.

In the example of Figure 20, the possible directions for direction (no shelf) 1508 and direction (shelf present) 1509 are expressed as either "+x", "-x", "+y", "-y", "±x", or "±y", or a combination thereof, but they may be expressed in other ways. For example, for each section, whether movement is possible when the transport device 3 is loaded with a shelf 5, and whether movement is possible when the transport device 3 is not loaded with a shelf 5, may be set for each of the "+x direction", "-x direction", "+y direction", and "-y direction".

The direction (no shelf) 1508 and direction (shelf present) 1509 of the floor table 2060 in Figure 20 can be said to be a re-expression of the direction 1604 and boundary section 1605 of the boundary table 62 for each section. Therefore, the processing performed by the processing program 51 with reference to the direction 1604 and boundary section 1605 of the boundary table 62 may also be performed with reference to the direction (no shelf) 1508 and direction (shelf present) 1509 of the floor table 2060.

In addition, there may be multiple shelves 5 that store the quantity of product specified (requested) in a certain order (target order). The processing program 51 of the control device 4 may select (determine) which shelf 5 to transport to the picking station 6 to process the target order, depending on the locations of these multiple shelves 5.

For example, the processing program 51 may select a shelf 5 in the first-tier area 200A over a shelf 5 in the second-tier area 200B to improve transport efficiency. Transporting a shelf 5 in the second-tier area 200B requires transport by the transport device 3, vertical transport machine 202, and transport device 3 in the second-tier area 200B, so transport costs are likely to be higher than in the first-tier area 200A. Similarly, the processing program 51 may select another shelf 5 (for example, a shelf 5 in a low-density area or a shelf 5 in the first-tier area 200A) over a shelf 5 in a high-density area (particularly a shelf 5 surrounded by shelves 5) to improve transport efficiency. Furthermore, the processing program 51 may select a shelf 5 from multiple shelves 5 that is closer to the destination picking station 6 to improve transport efficiency.

For the above selection, the processing program 51 may refer to the order table 55, shelf table 57, and floor table 2060 to identify the sections of multiple shelves 5 where the target product of the target order is located, and select the shelf 5 in the section with the lowest transportation cost 1507 based on the transportation cost 1507 of each section (address 1501). For the above selection, the processing program 51 may also refer to the order table 55, shelf table 57, and floor table 2060 to identify the sections of multiple shelves 5 where the target product of the target order is located, and select the shelf 5 in the section with the lowest transportation cost 1507 based on the address 1501 and layout information of each section by identifying the section's location and attributes (second-tier area 200B or first-tier area 200A, high-density placement area or low-density placement area, etc.). It is also possible for any of the tables to hold additional information required for such selection.

Although several embodiments have been described above, these are merely examples for the purpose of explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to these embodiments alone. The present invention can also be implemented in a variety of other forms.

Furthermore, for example, the shape of the compartment is not limited to a rectangle and may be other shapes. Furthermore, compartments of different sizes or shapes may be mixed. Furthermore, the position of a compartment may be identified by other methods instead of being identified from a two-dimensional barcode on the compartment.

Furthermore, for example, the storage program 50 and the processing program 51 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 serve as the control device 4.

In addition, for example, in this embodiment, an example has been shown in which the vertical conveyor 202 is used as the inter-area conveyor, but the vertical conveyor 202 can be replaced with another inter-area conveyor, such as a forklift, that can transport the shelf 5 vertically. In this case, the control device 4 may determine the position at which the forklift will vertically transport the shelf 5.

Items transported by a forklift from an area other than the first-tier area 200A to the first-tier area 200A may be transferred directly to the conveying device 3.

The present invention can also be applied to conveyance systems for transporting items in factories, workshops, and other locations other than storage warehouses used by companies such as online retailers to store their products. Specifically, the items transported by the conveyance device 3 may be items other than shelves 5, such as trays, boxes, pallets, or items. In this case, the trays, boxes, and pallets may or may not contain items (for example, when the trays, boxes, and pallets themselves are the items to be transported). In this case, it is sufficient to simply replace "shelf" with "item to be transported," and a detailed explanation will be omitted. Furthermore, the work performed on such items may be processing, assembly, packaging, inspection, or other work other than picking. In this case, it is sufficient to simply replace "picking" or "picking work" with "work," and a detailed explanation will be omitted.

The above explanation can be summarized, for example, as follows. The summary below may include supplementary explanations to the above explanations and explanations of variations of the above embodiments.

Shelf transport is performed by the transport device 3 not only in the first-tier area 200A but also in the second-tier area 200B. For convenience, one transport device in the first-tier area 200A will be referred to as the "first transport device," and one transport device in the second-tier area 200B will be referred to as the "second transport device."

The second-tier area 200B is provided with an aisle 310 for the conveying device 3. The control device 4 controls the direction of movement in the conveying task assigned to the second conveying device for moving the second conveying device to a destination in the second-tier area 200B based on the direction of the aisle 310. The conveying of shelves 5 in the second-tier area 200B can also be controlled by the travel control of the conveying device 3, as in the first-tier area 200A. Since the direction of movement of the second conveying device in the second-tier area 200B is controlled based on the direction of the aisle 310, the efficiency of conveying shelves 5 in multi-tier areas can be improved.

The aisle 310 may span all or part of the travel range of the second-tier area 200B, which is the range within which the second conveying device can travel. (Specifically, for example, the second-tier area 200B may be composed of multiple sections 251 arranged along the x and y directions, and of the multiple sections 251, the sections 251 included in the travel range may be x-passage sections, y-passage sections, or both.) The control device 4 may create a travel path for the second conveying device based on area information including information indicating the extension direction of the aisle 310 for each position (e.g., each section 251) within the travel range, and control the travel direction of the transport task assigned to the second conveying device. The creation of an appropriate travel path is expected to improve the transport efficiency of the shelves 5. The area information may include information indicating the relationship between a location (e.g., section 251), the passage 310 at that location (e.g., section 251), and the permitted movement direction, and the control device 4 may create a movement path for the second conveyance device based on the movement direction of the second conveyance device identified from the area information. This is expected to further improve conveyance efficiency by restricting the movement direction.

The second-tier area 200B may have a high-density arrangement area. The control device 4 may control the direction of movement in a transport task for moving at least one shelf 5 to move the enclosed shelves 5 based on the direction in which the aisle 310 in the second-tier area 200B extends. This is expected to improve storage efficiency while minimizing declines in transport efficiency.

The first-tier area 200A may have a low-density arrangement area and not a high-density arrangement area. In this way, improved storage efficiency can be achieved in the second-tier area 200B, while improved transport efficiency can be expected.

Furthermore, high-density storage areas may be present in both the first-tier area 200A and the second-tier area 200B. This is expected to improve storage efficiency.

Furthermore, in the second-tier area 200B, the high-density arrangement area may be located farther from the position where the shelves 5 are placed on the vertical conveyor 202 than the low-density arrangement area. This is expected to improve storage efficiency while minimizing a decrease in conveyance efficiency.

In the second-tier area 200B, a high-density placement area may be provided near the vertical conveyor 202 to improve storage efficiency.

For each shelf 5 in the second-tier area 200B, the control device 4 may determine the placement position of that shelf 5 based on the number of transports 805 or number of picks 706 for that shelf 5 and the transport cost of each position in the second-tier area 200B, and assign a transport task to the second transport device to place that shelf 5 at the determined placement position. For each position in the second-tier area 200B, the transport cost increases the longer the travel path or travel time between that position and the position where the shelf 5 is placed on the vertical transport device 202. High-density placement areas are located in positions with relatively high transport costs, while low-density placement areas are located in positions with relatively low transport costs. Shelves 5 with a relatively low number of transports 805 or number of picks 706 may be placed in high-density placement areas, and shelves 5 with a relatively high number of transports 805 or number of picks 706 may be placed in low-density placement areas. This is expected to improve storage efficiency while minimizing declines in transport efficiency.

In addition, across the entire first-tier area 200A and second-tier area 200B, items with a relatively high number of conveyances 805 or pickings 706 may be placed in the first-tier area 200A, and items with a relatively low number of conveyances 805 or pickings 706 may be placed in the second-tier area 200B. In this case, items with a relatively low number of conveyances 805 or pickings 706 in the second-tier area 200B may be placed in a position relatively far from the position where the shelf 5 is placed on the vertical conveyor 202 (for example, a position in a high-density placement area). This is expected to improve storage efficiency while minimizing declines in conveyance efficiency.

3: Conveyor device, 4: Control device

Claims (10)

a first conveyance device that travels through a first area in accordance with an assigned conveyance task to convey an object in the first area;
a second conveyance device that conveys the object in the second area by traveling in the second area according to the assigned conveyance task;
an inter-area conveyor that conveys an object between the first area and the second area;
a control device that controls a transport task assigned to each of the first and second transport devices;
Equipped with
the first area and the second area are present in a storage space for the transported item,
the first area is an area where a predetermined operation is performed on the transported object,
the second area is an area located at a higher position than the first area,
a passageway along which the second transport device can travel is provided in the second area;
The control device controls a movement direction in a transport task assigned to the second transport device for movement of the second transport device to a destination in the second area based on an extension direction of a passage in the second area;
The control device, for each of the transported objects in the first area and the second area,
determining a placement position of the transported object based on the number of transports of the transported object and the transport cost of each position in the first area and the second area;
assigning a transport task of placing the object at the determined placement position to the second transport device;
For each location in the second area, the transportation cost is a cost based on the direction in which the path in the second area extends;
For each location in the first area and the second area, the transportation cost is based on the length of a travel path or travel time between the location and a location where the predetermined work is performed;
An object that has a relatively low number of times of transportation or a relatively low number of predetermined operations is placed in the second area,
In the second area, an object that has a relatively low number of times of conveyance or a relatively low number of predetermined operations is disposed at a position relatively far from a position where the object is placed on the inter-area conveyor,
An object that is transported a relatively large number of times or that is subjected to a predetermined operation is placed in the first area.
Conveying system. the passage extends over the entire or part of a travel range in the second area, which is a range in which the second conveying device can travel,
the control device creates a movement path for the second conveyance device based on area information including information representing the direction in which the passage extends for each position in the travel range, and controls the movement direction in the conveyance task assigned to the second conveyance device.
The transport system according to claim 1 . the area information includes information representing a relationship between a location, a path at the location, and an allowed direction of movement;
the control device creates a movement path for the second transport device based on a direction in which the second transport device can move, the direction being identified from the area information.
The transport system according to claim 2 . the second area is composed of a plurality of sections arranged along an x direction and a y direction perpendicular to the x direction,
Among the plurality of sections, a section included in a travel range in which the second conveying device can travel is any one of an x-passage section, a y-passage section, and a both-passage section,
The x-path section is a section that has an x-direction path that is a path extending in the x direction but does not have a y-direction path that is a path extending in the y direction,
the y-path section is a section having a y-direction path but no x-direction path;
the passage sections are sections having intersecting x-direction passages and y-direction passages;
the control device creates a movement route for the second conveyance device based on area information including information indicating the direction in which a passage for each section in the travel range extends, and controls the movement direction in the conveyance task assigned to the second conveyance device.
The transport system according to claim 1 . the area information includes information representing a relationship between a section, a passage in the section, and a permitted direction of movement;
the control device creates a movement path for the second transport device based on a direction in which the second transport device can move, the direction being identified from the area information.
The transport system according to claim 4 . the second area has a high density placement region;
the high-density arrangement area is an area in which a plurality of transported items and an item surrounded by the plurality of transported items are arranged, and movement of at least one of the plurality of transported items is required for movement of the surrounded item,
the control device controls a movement direction in a transport task for moving the at least one transport object for the movement of the enclosed transport object based on an extension direction of a passage in the second area;
The transport system according to claim 1 . the first area has a low-density placement region and does not have the high-density placement region;
The low-density arrangement area is an area in which a plurality of transported objects are arranged but no transported object is surrounded by the plurality of transported objects.
The transport system according to claim 6 . the second area has a low-density arrangement region in addition to the high-density arrangement region,
the low-density arrangement area is an area in which a plurality of transported objects are arranged but no transported object is surrounded by the plurality of transported objects;
the high-density arrangement area is provided at a position farther from a position where the transported objects are placed on the inter-area transporter than the low-density arrangement area.
The transport system according to claim 6 . The control device, for each conveyed object in the second area,
determining a placement position of the transported object based on the number of transports of the transported object or the number of predetermined operations and the transport cost of each position in the second area;
assigning a transport task of placing the object at the determined placement position to the second transport device;
For each position in the second area, the transportation cost is higher as the travel path or travel time between the position and the position where the object is placed on the inter-area transporter is longer;
The high-density arrangement area is located in a position where transportation costs are relatively high,
The low-density arrangement area is located in a position where transportation costs are relatively low,
An object that is transported relatively less frequently or that has a predetermined task performed relatively less frequently is placed in the high-density placement area,
An object that has a relatively high number of times of conveyance or a relatively high number of predetermined operations is placed in the low-density placement area.
The transport system according to claim 8 . controlling a transport task to be assigned to a first transport device that transports an object in a first area by traveling in the first area according to the transport task;
controlling a movement direction in a transport task to be assigned to a second transport device that travels through a second area in accordance with the transport task to transport an object in the second area, based on an extension direction of a passage in the second area;
For each of the transported articles in the first area and the second area,
determining a placement position of the transported object based on the number of transports of the transported object and the transport cost of each position in the first area and the second area;
assigning, to the second conveying device, a conveying task for placing the object at the determined placement position;
This is done by computer,
the first area and the second area are present in a storage space for the transported item,
the first area is an area where a predetermined operation is performed on the transported object,
the second area is an area located at a higher position than the first area,
An inter-area conveyor conveys an object between the first area and the second area,
the passage in the second area is a passage provided in the second area through which the second conveying device can travel,
For each location in the second area, the transportation cost is a cost based on the direction in which the path in the second area extends;
For each location in the first area and the second area, the transportation cost is based on the length of a travel path or travel time between the location and a location where the predetermined work is performed;
An object that has a relatively low number of times of transportation or a relatively low number of predetermined operations is placed in the second area,
In the second area, an object that has a relatively low number of times of conveyance or a relatively low number of predetermined operations is disposed at a position relatively far from a position where the object is placed on the inter-area conveyor,
An object that is transported a relatively large number of times or that is required to perform a predetermined task is placed in the first area.
Transport control method.