JP7819683B2 - Item processing system and item processing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an item processing system and an item processing method.

One example of an invention for stacking items transported by a conveyor onto a pallet is the stacking system disclosed in Patent Document 1. This stacking system includes a robot that places items transported by the conveyor onto a pallet, an imaging unit that captures an image of a predetermined range on the conveyor within which the robot can move the items, and an image sensor that recognizes the state of the items stacked on the pallet. This system recognizes the size of the items on the conveyor captured by the imaging unit, and then calculates the optimal position on the pallet for each item on the conveyor based on the recognized size and the stacking state on the pallet recognized by the image sensor. Then, based on the calculation results, the robot picks one item from those within the predetermined range and stacks it on the pallet.

Patent No. 7235648

When loading items onto a pallet, there are cases where more items than fit within a specified range are transported by a conveyor and loaded onto a single pallet. In the case of the loading system in Patent Document 1, loading optimization is only performed within a specified range, which can result in lower loading efficiency than when loading calculations are performed for all items to be loaded.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above, and aims to transport and efficiently stack more items than the number of items within a specified area.

The item processing system of the present invention comprises: a storage unit with multiple rows of storage units for storing items; a first conveyor provided for each of the multiple rows of storage units for transporting items released from the corresponding storage unit; a transport unit provided for each of the multiple rows of storage units for transporting items stored in the storage unit to the first conveyor corresponding to the storage unit; a second conveyor provided downstream in the transport direction of the first conveyor for merging and transporting items transported by the multiple rows of first conveyors; a transfer device that stacks the items within a predetermined range on the second conveyor onto a stacking unit; a calculation unit that calculates the stacking order of the multiple items stored in the storage unit onto the stacking unit and, based on the calculation result, groups the items to be stacked onto the stacking unit in order of the number of items that fall within the predetermined range; and a control unit that controls the transport unit so that items belonging to each group are transported from the storage unit to the second conveyor based on the stacking order of the groups calculated by the calculation unit.

The item processing method of the present invention is an item processing method in an item processing facility comprising: a plurality of rows of storage sections for storing items; a first conveyor provided for each of the plurality of rows of storage sections and transporting items released from the corresponding storage section; a transport section provided for each of the plurality of rows of storage sections and transporting items stored in the storage section to the first conveyor corresponding to the storage section; a second conveyor provided downstream in the transport direction of the first conveyor and merging and transporting items transported by the plurality of rows of first conveyors; and a transfer device that stacks the items within a predetermined range on the second conveyor onto a stacking section, the method comprising: a calculation step in which a calculation section calculates the stacking order of the plurality of items stored in the storage section onto the stacking section, and based on the calculation result, groups the items to be stacked onto the stacking section in order of stacking based on the number of items that fall within the predetermined range; and a control step in which a control section controls the transport section so that items belonging to each group are transported from the storage section to the second conveyor based on the stacking order of the groups calculated in the calculation step.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an article processing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control device. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the control device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the merging of cases on a conveyor. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an article processing system according to a modified example. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an article processing system according to a modified example.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. In the drawings, identical or corresponding elements are appropriately designated by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, please note that the drawings are schematic, and the dimensional relationships between elements may differ from those in reality. The drawings may also include portions with different dimensional relationships and ratios. In addition, a Cartesian coordinate system of X, Y, and Z axes is shown in the drawings as appropriate, and directions are explained using this. In the space represented by the Cartesian coordinate system, the direction in which the X component increases is called the +X direction, and the direction in which the X component decreases is called the -X direction. Similarly, the Y and Z components are defined as the +Y direction, -Y direction, +Z direction, and -Z direction. For ease of explanation, the +Z direction may be referred to as upward, and the -Z direction as downward.

[Embodiment]
(Configuration of the embodiment)
1 is a schematic diagram of an item processing system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The item processing system 1000 includes an automated warehouse 10, conveyors 41 and 61, a palletizer 70, and a code reader 81. The item processing system 1000 also includes a control device 100 that controls each part of the item processing system 1000. The configuration of the control device 100 will be described later. The item processing system 1000 is a system that palletizes cases A stored in the automated warehouse 10 onto pallets P and removes the cases from the warehouse.

Case A, an example of an item, is a cardboard box that contains multiple products sold in a store. The size of Case A varies depending on the products it contains. A barcode is printed on the side of Case A to identify the product name of the product contained therein. Pallet P, an example of a loading area, is a flat pallet on which Case A is stacked. Pallet P is used to load multiple Case A before being shipped out.

Automated warehouse 10, an example of a storage unit according to the present invention, includes storage shelves 11, a stacker crane 20, and conveyors 31 and 32. Storage shelves 11 are shelves with multiple storage compartments 12 for storing cases A, arranged horizontally (in the X-axis direction), and are arranged in multiple tiers vertically (in the +Z direction). The automated warehouse 10 includes multiple storage shelves 11 spaced apart. Conveyor 31 transports cases A stored in storage compartments 12 from conveyor 41 to the vicinity of storage shelves 11. Conveyor 32, an example of a first conveyor according to the present invention, transports cases A removed from storage compartments 12 and stacked on pallets P to conveyor 41. Conveyors 31 and 32 include a transport mechanism for transporting cases A and a drive unit, such as a motor, for driving the transport mechanism. The transport mechanism may be, for example, a roller conveyor or a chain conveyor, but is not limited to these conveyors.

A stacker crane 20, an example of a transport unit according to the present invention, includes rails 21 and a transfer machine 22. The rails 21 are installed in the work aisle between the storage shelves 11. The transfer machine 22 is configured to be able to move along the rails 21 parallel to the storage shelves 11 and also move vertically. The transfer machine 22 retrieves cases A from the conveyor 31 and stores them in the storage section 12. The transfer machine 22 also retrieves cases A from the storage section 12 and places them on the conveyor 32. Note that the mechanism for transporting cases A between the storage section 12 and the conveyors 31 and 32 is not limited to the stacker crane 20. For example, it may include a self-propelled cart provided for each tier of the storage shelves 11 and a lifter that transports cases A between the self-propelled cart on each tier and the conveyors 31 and 32.

Conveyor 41, an example of a second conveyor according to the present invention, has a conveying mechanism for conveying cases A and a drive unit such as a motor for driving the conveying mechanism. Conveyor 41 conveys cases A that have been depalletized from pallets P and stored in storage section 12. Conveyor 41 also conveys cases A that have been removed from storage section 12 and palletized onto pallets P to palletizer 70.

A code reader 81 is installed near the conveyor 41. The code reader 81 is a device that reads barcodes printed on cases A transported by the conveyor 41 to the picking area AR, which will be described later. The code reader 81 is installed in the width direction of the conveyor 41, reads barcodes printed on the side of cases A facing the width direction of the conveyor 41, and outputs information representing the read code to the control device 100.

Conveyor 61 is a conveyor that transports pallets P on which cases A are stacked. Conveyor 61 has a transport mechanism that transports pallets P and a drive unit such as a motor that drives the transport mechanism. The transport mechanism is, for example, a roller conveyor or a chain conveyor, but is not limited to these conveyors.

The palletizer 70, an example of a transfer device according to the present invention, is, for example, a gantry-type palletizer. The palletizer 70 includes slide shafts 71a, 71b, and 71c and a holder 72. The two slide shafts 71a are installed parallel to the Y-axis, straddling the conveyors 41 and 61. The slide shaft 71b is suspended between the two slide shafts 71a and moves in the Y-axis direction. The slide shaft 71c is attached to the slide shaft 71b and moves the holder 72 vertically. The holder 72 is attached to the lower end of the slide shaft 71 and holds cases A transported by the conveyor 41 and places the held cases A on a pallet P. The palletizer 70 can hold cases A within a picking area AR on the conveyor 41 where the holder 72 can hold cases A. The palletizer 70 picks up cases A one by one from the picking area AR and places them on a pallet P on the conveyor 61. Note that the palletizer 70 is not limited to a gantry-type palletizer, but may also be, for example, a robot equipped with an articulated arm and a robot hand.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of the control device 100 that controls the item processing system 1000. The control device 100 is a computer device and has an arithmetic processing unit 101, a main memory unit 102, an auxiliary memory unit 103, and an interface 104.

The interface 104 outputs signals to control the stacker crane 20, drive units 31a, 32a, 41a, 61a, and palletizer 70. The drive units 31a, 32a, 41a, 61a have motors and the like that drive the transport mechanisms of the conveyors 31, 32, 41, 61. The drive units 31a, 32a, 41a, controlled by the control device 100, drive the transport mechanisms, causing the conveyors 31, 32, 41 to transport cases A. The drive unit 61a, controlled by the control device 100, drives the transport mechanism, causing the conveyor 61 to transport pallets P.

The main memory unit 102 is, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory) and is composed of volatile memory. The main memory unit 102 serves as a workspace when the arithmetic processing unit 101 performs arithmetic processing, and stores the results of the arithmetic processing by the arithmetic processing unit 101. The auxiliary memory unit 103 is composed of an auxiliary storage device such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and non-volatile memory. The ROM of the auxiliary memory unit 103, which is an example of a storage unit, stores programs executed by the arithmetic processing unit 101 to perform arithmetic processing. The non-volatile memory of the auxiliary memory unit 103 stores data used by the arithmetic processing unit 101 to perform arithmetic processing.

The arithmetic processing unit 101 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which reads programs from the auxiliary memory unit 103 and executes them using the main memory unit 102 as a workspace. The functions of the arithmetic processing unit 101 are realized by the arithmetic processing unit 101 reading and executing programs, and in this embodiment, this is realized as a calculation unit 101a and a control unit 101b. The calculation unit 101a calculates the efficient stacking of multiple cases A onto a pallet P, and determines the stacking order, stacking position, and orientation of each case A. The calculation unit 101a also groups the cases A to be stacked onto the pallet P in order of stacking so that the number of cases A will fit within the picking area AR. The control unit 101b controls the conveyor 32 so that the cases A merge with the conveyor 41 in group order, based on the groups calculated by the calculation unit 101a.

(Example of operation of the embodiment)
Next, an example of the operation of the article processing system 1000 will be described. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the control device 100 when palletizing a case A onto a pallet P by the palletizer 70. When the control device 100 is instructed to palletize a case A stored in the automated warehouse 3, it performs a stowage calculation for the case A.

Specifically, when the control device 100 acquires shipping data including the name of the product to be shipped and the number of cases A containing the product with that product name to be shipped, it acquires the dimensions of the cases A containing the product with that product name from the dimensional data stored in the auxiliary memory unit 103 for each product name included in the shipping data (step S1). The dimensional data is pre-stored in the auxiliary memory unit 103, and associates the product name with the length, width, and height dimensions of the cases A containing the product with that product name. The control device 100 uses the acquired dimensions to perform a stacking calculation for the cases A containing the product with the product name included in the shipping data, and determines the position, order, and orientation of the cases A on the pallet P for each case A to be stacked (step S2).

Next, the control device 100 divides the multiple cases A to be stacked into groups (step S3). Here, the control device 100 divides the cases into groups based on the number of cases A that can fit within the picking area AR. For example, in the picking area AR shown in Figure 1, four cases A can fit within the picking area AR, so the control device 100 divides the cases into groups with four cases A per group. If a total of 12 cases A are to be stacked on one pallet P, the cases will be divided into a first group containing the cases A to be stacked first through fourth, a second group containing the cases A to be stacked fifth through eighth, and a third group containing the cases A to be stacked ninth through twelfth.

Next, based on the results of the stowage calculation and grouping, the control device 100 controls the stacker crane 20 and the drive unit 32a to transport cases A containing products with the product names specified in the shipping data to the conveyor 41 in group order (step S4). Here, the control device 100 controls the cases A to be transported to the conveyor 41 in the following order: cases A belonging to the first group, cases A belonging to the second group, cases A belonging to the third group, and cases A belonging to the fourth group. Furthermore, when joining cases A from the conveyor 32 to the conveyor 41, the control device 100 controls the cases A to join the conveyor 41 in the order that the case A that arrived at the conveyor 32 earliest within one group joins the conveyor 41.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the merging of cases A on the conveyor 41. Note that the numbers inside the cases A in Figure 4 indicate the order in which they will be stacked onto the pallet P. In the example shown in Figure 4, if the ninth through twelfth cases A in the fourth group are controlled to line up on the conveyor 41 in the order in which they will be stacked onto the pallet P, the tenth case A will have to wait until the ninth case A passes in front of it before merging, which will require time. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the cases are controlled to line up on the conveyor 41 in the order of tenth, eleventh, ninth, and twelfth, and instead of lining up on the conveyor 41 in the order in which they will be stacked onto the pallet P, they are controlled to merge in any order within a group. This means that cases A do not have to wait when merging, and can be transported efficiently.

The control device 100 controls the drive unit 41a to transport case A to the picking area AR on the conveyor 41 (step S5). The code reader 81 reads the barcode printed on case A as it enters the picking area AR on the conveyor 41, and outputs information representing the read code to the control device 100. The control device 100 acquires the information output from the code reader 81 (step S6).

The control device 100 then determines the stacking order of each case A that entered the picking area AR based on the information acquired from the code reader 81 and the results of the stacking calculation (step S7). For example, if the product name identified by the first acquired barcode is the name of the product contained in the case A that is to be stacked third, the control device 100 will determine that the case A that passed first is the case A that is to be stacked third, as shown in Figure 4.

The control device 100 then controls the palletizer 70 to stack the cases A in the picking area AR onto the pallet P based on the order determined in step S7 and the positions and orientations calculated in the stacking calculation (step S8). For example, if case A is present in the picking area AR as shown in FIG. 4, the control device 100 will stack the cases A onto the pallet P in the following order: case A that entered the picking area AR third, case A that entered the picking area AR second, case A that entered the picking area AR first, and case A that entered the picking area AR fourth.

Next, the control device 100 determines, based on the information obtained from the code reader 81, whether all of the multiple cases A to be stacked on a single pallet have been stacked (step S9). If the product name identified by the code represented by the obtained information for the cases A stacked on the pallet P by the palletizer 70 is not the name of the product to be stacked last on the pallet P (No in step S9), the control device 100 returns the processing flow to step S5. If the product name identified by the code represented by the obtained information for the cases A stacked on the pallet P by the palletizer 70 is the name of the product to be stacked last on the pallet P (Yes in step S9), the control device 100 controls the drive unit 61a to transport the pallet P on which the cases A are stacked, and transports the empty pallet P to the position where the cases A will be placed by the palletizer 70 (step S10).

As explained above, according to this embodiment, when multiple cases A to be stacked on a pallet P are removed from parallel storage shelves 11, the multiple cases A are divided into groups and controlled so that within each group they join the conveyor 41 in no particular order, so that the cases A do not have to wait when joining, and can be transported efficiently. In other words, the items to be stacked on a pallet are divided into groups, and the items are removed from multiple rows of storage units for each group and joined together, and are stacked on a pallet by group using a transfer device, so that more items can be stacked efficiently than the number of items within a specified pickable range.

[Modification]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be implemented in various other forms. For example, the above-described embodiments may be modified as follows to implement the present invention. The above-described embodiments and the following modifications may be combined with each other. The present invention also includes configurations in which the components of the above-described embodiments and modifications are appropriately combined. Furthermore, further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and various modifications are possible.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an item processing system 1000A according to a modified example of the present invention. Item processing system 1000A differs from item processing system 1000 in that it further includes conveyors 51-54, which are an example of second conveyors. Conveyors 51-54 branch off into multiple rows from conveyor 41 and are installed within the movable range of holding unit 72 of palletizer 70 when viewed from above. They include a conveying mechanism for transporting case A and a drive unit such as a motor for driving the conveying mechanism. Conveyors 51-54 transport case A transported by conveyor 41 in the -Y direction.

In the case of item processing system 1000A shown in Figure 5, picking area AR is an area where conveyors 51-54 are located in addition to a portion of conveyor 41. In item processing system 1000A, the number of cases A contained within picking area AR is 12, and when grouping is performed in step S3, the number of cases A contained within one group is greater than the number in the previously described embodiment. In this case, the 12 cases A contained within one group can be merged in any order when merging from conveyor 32 to conveyor 41, and since the number of cases A that can be merged in any order is increased, the cases A can be transported efficiently.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an item processing system 1000B according to a modified example of the present invention. Item processing system 1000B differs from item processing system 1000 in that it has palletizer 70B instead of palletizer 70 and conveyor 41B instead of conveyor 41. Palletizer 70B is an articulated robot equipped with an articulated arm and a robot hand that holds cases A. Palletizer 70B is controlled by control device 100, and holds cases A placed on conveyor 41B, placing the held cases A on pallets P.

The shape of the transport path of conveyor 41B within picking area AR differs from that of conveyor 41, and it curves in an arc within picking area AR. In item processing system 1000B, because conveyor 41B curves in an arc within picking area AR, the number of cases A contained within picking area AR increases, and therefore, when grouping is performed in step S3, the number of cases A contained within one group increases compared to the number in the embodiment. In this case, cases A contained within one group can be merged in any order when merging from conveyor 32 to conveyor 41B, and since the number of cases A that can be merged in any order increases, cases A can be transported efficiently.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Automated warehouse 11 Storage shelf 12 Storage section 20 Stacker crane 21 Rail 22 Transfer machine 31, 32, 41, 41B, 61 Conveyor 31a, 32a, 41a, 61a Drive unit 70 Palletizer 81 Code reader 100 Control device 101 Arithmetic processing unit 101a Calculation unit 101b Control unit 102 Main memory unit 103 Auxiliary memory unit 104 Interface 1000, 1000A, 1000B Item processing system

Claims (5)

a storage section having a plurality of rows for storing items;
a first conveyor provided for each of the plurality of rows of storage units, for transporting articles retrieved from the corresponding storage unit;
a conveying unit provided for each of the plurality of rows of storage units, the conveying unit conveying the articles stored in the storage units to the first conveyor corresponding to the storage unit;
a second conveyor provided downstream of the first conveyor in the conveying direction, for merging and conveying the articles conveyed by the plurality of rows of the first conveyor;
a transfer device that stacks the items within a predetermined range on the second conveyor onto a stacking section;
a calculation unit that calculates the order in which the plurality of items stored in the storage unit will be stacked in a stacking area, and based on the calculation result, groups the items to be stacked in the stacking area in order of the number of items that falls within the predetermined range;
a control unit that controls the transport unit so that the items belonging to each group are transported from the storage unit to the second conveyor based on the stacking order of the groups calculated by the calculation unit;
An article processing system comprising: The article processing system of claim 1 , wherein the second conveyor branches into multiple rows. The article processing system of claim 1 , wherein the second conveyor has an arcuate path within the predetermined range. The article processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the articles belonging to the group join the second conveyor in random order for each group. a storage section having a plurality of rows for storing items;
a first conveyor provided for each of the plurality of rows of storage units, for transporting articles retrieved from the corresponding storage unit;
a conveying unit provided for each of the plurality of rows of storage units, the conveying unit conveying the articles stored in the storage units to the first conveyor corresponding to the storage unit;
a second conveyor provided downstream of the first conveyor in the conveying direction, for merging and conveying the articles conveyed by the plurality of rows of the first conveyor;
a transfer device that stacks the items within a predetermined range on the second conveyor onto a stacking section;
An article processing method in an article processing facility comprising:
a calculation step in which a calculation unit calculates a loading order for the plurality of items stored in the storage unit onto a loading area, and based on the calculation result, groups the items to be loaded onto the loading area into groups in loading order based on the number of items that falls within the predetermined range;
a control step in which the control unit controls the transport unit so that the articles belonging to each group are transported from the storage unit to the second conveyor for each group based on the stacking order of the groups calculated in the calculation step;
An article processing method comprising: