WO2017110499A1 - Picking system - Google Patents

Abstract

A picking system for retrieving only the ordered number of an ordered product that is stipulated by order information obtained in advance, from a storage area where products are stocked by type, and storing the retrieved ordered products in a transport container. This system is equipped with: a conveyor for conveying a transport container from an upstream storage area to a downstream storage area; a robot that retrieves some of the ordered products stipulated by the order information from the upstream storage area, and inserts the retrieved ordered products into the transport container; a display device that is provided in the downstream storage area and informs an operator how many of which products are to be retrieved from said storage area; and a control unit which, when the transport container is conveyed from the upstream storage area to the downstream storage area, causes the display device to display the number of remaining ordered products among the ordered products stipulated by the order information used for the robot retrieval.

Description

Picking system

This disclosure relates to a picking system in which various products ordered from each store are taken out from the storage area in the order quantity, and the taken-out ordered products are packed in a transport container for delivery.

At convenience stores, products are delivered from the distribution center every day in order to prevent missing items on the display shelves. Among the products to be delivered, products such as lunch boxes and side dishes are delivered multiple times a day in the morning, noon and evening. Therefore, a picking system is introduced in the delivery center, which packs the ordered products of each store in a transport container called weight and delivers the transport container.

A typical picking system consists of a conveyor that transports containers for each store, storage shelves arranged along the conveyor, multiple types of products that are partitioned and stored in the storage shelves, and the number of orders received for each product. And a plurality of indicators for displaying. When the transport container of each store placed on the conveyor reaches a predetermined storage shelf, the display of the ordered product of the store that reaches the storage shelf displays the order quantity. The operator removes the ordered items from the storage shelf while looking at the display, and packs the extracted items into the transport container of the store. When such work is completed in each storage shelf, the transport container of each store is transported to the storage shelf where the next worker is. In this way, each time the transport container of each store is transported to the work area of each worker, the ordered product is picked by the number of orders, and the transport container for each store is completed (see Patent Document 1).

On the other hand, in warehouses / distribution centers, automatic picking systems using robots have been introduced in place of these manual picking systems. In the automatic picking system, a robot takes out a specified product from a storage shelf and stores it in a container, or stores a product conveyed from a supply line in a storage shelf (see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-45283 JP-A-6-92410

In the manual picking system described in Patent Document 1, each storage shelf is divided into a plurality of zones, and an operator is placed in each zone. When the picking by each worker is completed, the transport container for each store carried into each zone is transported to the next zone. Therefore, the picking work is stagnant unless an operator is placed in each zone. If the picking operation is shifted overtime in order to meet the delivery of early morning or late-night flights, there is a problem that the required number of workers cannot be secured.

Therefore, there is an attempt to introduce the robot described in Patent Document 2 into the distribution center. However, products that are delivered to convenience stores every day include, for example, lunch boxes and chilled foods. When such products are sorted at a distribution center, an advanced intelligent robot is required and equipment costs are increased in order to pack various products having different shapes into the transport container without gaps. For these reasons, picking work at distribution centers still relies on workers.

The present disclosure has been developed in view of the current situation, and it is an object to provide a new picking system that realizes labor saving by cooperation between a simple robot and an operator who can perform intelligent work. To do.

The picking system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure takes out the ordered products specified in the order information acquired in advance from the storage area in which the products are stocked by type, and packs the retrieved ordered products into a transport container. A picking system that transports a transport container from an upstream storage area that is upstream of the storage area to a downstream storage area that is downstream of the storage area, and an order defined in the order information from the upstream storage area A robot that picks up some of the ordered products and places the retrieved ordered products in a transport container, and a display that is provided in the downstream storage area and displays the number of ordered products that the operator should take out from the downstream storage area. Used for robotic removal when the container and transport container are transported from the upstream storage area to the downstream storage area. Of the items ordered as specified in the order information, comprising a display control unit for displaying the remaining orders order quantity of the product on the display, the.

In the picking system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an automatic picking line by a robot is provided in the upstream storage area, and a manual picking line by an operator is provided in the downstream storage area. For this reason, labor saving can be realized by cooperation between a simple robot and an operator who can perform intelligent work.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a picking system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the arrangement configuration of the first conveying means and the supply conveyor. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of storing the ordered product in the transport container. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of taking a product from the product take-out area and putting it in the transport container C1. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of taking out b-product from the product take-out area and putting it in the transport container C1. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view for sending out the container CC in the product take-out area to the first transport means T1. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of taking out the a product from the container CC in the product takeout area and putting the taken out a product into the transport container C3 on the first transport means. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of taking out the c product from the container CC in the product take-out area and putting the taken out c product into the transport container C3 on the first transport means. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a configuration of one unit of the automatic picking line according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a side view of FIG. FIG. 11 is an external perspective view showing a configuration of one unit of the manual picking line. FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a controller in the picking system according to one embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a picking system according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a picking system according to an embodiment. In FIG. 1, the storage area A for stocking goods G by type includes an upstream storage area A1 (a dashed-dotted line area) that is an upstream storage area and a downstream storage area A2 (a dashed-dotted area that is a downstream storage area). ). The product G taken out from the upstream storage area A1 and the downstream storage area A2 is stored in a transport container C such as a weight. The transport container C is transported by the transport means T from the upstream storage area A1 to the downstream storage area A2.

The upstream storage area A1 is configured as an automatic picking line by a robot. In the upstream storage area A1, a transport means T for transporting the transport container C and a plurality of robots RB arranged along the transport means T are provided. Each robot RB takes out some of the ordered products specified in the order information from the upstream storage area A1 and puts the taken ordered products into the transport container C placed on the transport means T. I will put it in. The order information is information that defines an ordered product and is acquired in advance.

The downstream storage area A2 is configured as a manual picking line by the worker W. In the downstream storage area A2, storage shelves S that stock the products G by type are arranged along the transport means T. In addition, on the storage shelves S, a display D that informs the operator W of how many products G are to be taken out is arranged corresponding to the products G. Then, when the transport container C is transported to the work area of each worker W, the display control unit DC places an order quantity on the display D of the ordered product in the store associated with the transport container C carried into each work area. Is displayed. When the transport container is transported from the upstream storage area A1 to the downstream storage area A2, the display control unit DC is the remaining picked item among the ordered products defined in the order information used for removal by the robot. The order quantity of the ordered product is displayed on the display D.

As the robot RB, in addition to an articulated robot, a parallel link robot, etc., a simple robot that moves the gripper H that lifts the product G in the X, Y, and Z axes in the X, Y, and Z directions using the rotary arm AM and the linear reciprocating mechanism M Can be used. That is, any robot RB may be used as long as it has a function of transferring products. Therefore, when such a robot RB is used, the commodity G that can be stored in the transport container C is stocked in the upstream storage area A1 simply by lifting and moving. An example of such a product G is a lunch box. Commodities G that are otherwise complicated in shape and require a device to be stuffed into a container are stocked in the downstream storage area A2 where the goods G are packed by the operator. As a result, even with a simple robot, it is possible to pack ordered products into the transport container C.

When the transport container C storing the ordered products is transported from the automatic picking line to the downstream manual picking line, this time, the worker W stores the products G in the storage shelf S by the number displayed on the display D. The product G thus taken out is packed in the transport container C. Therefore, even if the product G has a shape that is difficult to grasp by the robot RB or the product G that requires a device for stacking, the product W can be packed in the transport container C without difficulty by the operator W. In this way, simple picking work by the robot RB is performed in the previous process, and advanced packing work by the worker W is performed in the subsequent process. It is possible to efficiently pack the transport container C having the capacity. The “picking” used in the present disclosure refers to a series of operations for taking out the product G from a predetermined place and putting the taken out product G into the transport container C.

The robot RB may include an imaging device that captures an object and controls the movement of the robot RB. This imaging device is composed of, for example, a camera and an image processing device. Even if the product G before picking is misaligned in the container CC, the robot RB accurately captures the misaligned product G using the camera and lifts the product G in the correct posture. The products G are arranged at designated positions on the transport container C. In addition, when arranging the product G in the transport container C, the robot RB captures the space accurately with the camera and arranges the product G without any gap. In addition, when the robot RB uses a camera, the gripper H of the robot RB that lifts the product G can be rotated in a horizontal plane. Thereby, even if the horizontal direction of the goods G has shifted | deviated, the robot RB can arrange the goods G in the conveyance container C, correcting position shift. Further, the robot RB may include a plurality of cameras. The robot RB uses a plurality of cameras to pick up the product G that has been three-dimensionally captured and stacked the products G in the transport container C. Alternatively, the robot RB may measure the distance by irradiating the object with the laser beam, and move the gripper H three-dimensionally based on the distance information.

こ う し た Picking work by the robot RB and picking work by the worker are basically not synchronized. For this reason, the conveying means T may be divided into a first conveying means T1 (see FIG. 2) arranged in the upstream storage area A1 and a second conveying means T2 arranged in the downstream storage area A2. And operation control of the 1st conveyance means T1 and the 2nd conveyance means T2 may be carried out independently, respectively.

The first transport means T1 is, for example, a roller conveyor or a belt conveyor, and the second transport means T2 is, for example, a belt conveyor. Moreover, the 1st conveyance means T1 and the 2nd conveyance means T2 can replace with these, and can also be comprised with the trolley | bogie, the transport vehicle, etc. which drive | work on a track | orbit. By controlling the operation of the first transport unit T1 and the second transport unit T2 independently in the upstream storage area A1 and the downstream storage area A2, the first transport unit T1 can be adapted to the movement of the robot RB. You can drive. Furthermore, the second transport means T2 can perform a tact operation in accordance with the movement of the worker W.

Further, a supply conveyor CV that supplies a container CC such as a weight storing the product G to the product take-out area of the robot RB may be connected to the first transport unit T1. The supply conveyor CV is used when the container CC is emptied by taking out the product G by the robot RB, or when the product G stored in the container CC can be applied to all or part of the order quantity from one store. May deliver the container CC to the first transport means T1.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the arrangement configuration of the first transport means T1 and the supply conveyor CV. In FIG. 2, the first transport means T1 is constituted by a roller conveyor. A plurality of supply conveyors CV are connected side by side in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction F of the roller conveyor. A plurality of robots RB are arranged at positions straddling each supply conveyor CV and the first transport means T1. FIG. 2 shows only the gripper H of the robot RB. As shown by the dotted line, the gripper H includes a product take-out area of each robot RB, that is, an area where the frontmost row container CC supplied to the supply conveyor CV is located, and a transport container C on the first transport means T1. Move vertically and horizontally between. Then, the product G is taken out from the container CC such as a weight, and the taken out product G is put into a designated position in the transport container C.

The first transport means T1 may include a stopper ST that stops the transporting container C being transported at a predetermined position and a driving roller DR that sends the stopped transport container C downstream. When the transport container C transported by the driving roller DR of the first transport means T1 arrives at the work area of the designated robot RB, it is stopped at a predetermined position by the stopper ST. When the product G is stored in the transport container C by the robot RB, the stopped drive roller DR rotates to send the stopped transport container C downstream.

In the product take-out area of the robot RB, the container CC containing the product G is supplied from the carry-in end of the supply conveyor CV. If the container CC is emptied by taking out the product by the robot RB, the container CC is sent to the first transport means T1 as a new transport container C. As a result, it is not necessary to separately collect the containers CC emptied in the product take-out area, so that a plurality of supply conveyors CV can be arranged side by side. In this case, the container CC such as the weight supplied to the product take-out area is the same container as the transport container C on the first transport means T1, or at least the same size that can be stacked with the transport container C vertically. Keep it as a container.

In addition, when one store orders a plurality of the same products G, it is a waste of time that the robot RB repeats picking a plurality of times. Therefore, when the number of products in the container CC in the product take-out area corresponds to all or a part of the number of orders from one store, the product CC in the product take-out area is sent directly to the first transport means T1, and the product G A transport container C containing Thereby, since it is not necessary to pick the same goods G several times, the number of times picked by the robot RB can be reduced.

Further, when the number of products in the container CC sent to the first transport means T1 is slightly less than the ordered number, the insufficient number of products G is taken out from the new container CC supplied to the product take-out area and taken out. What is necessary is just to replenish the container G on the 1st conveyance means T1 with the goods G which were made. In the reverse case, for example, when the container CC containing the product G is sent to the first transport means T1 as it is, the number of products slightly exceeds the ordered number, the robot RB has an extra number of products from the container CC. Lift G and temporarily place it in the evacuation area. Then, the robot RB sends out the container CC containing the remaining product G to the first transport means T1. Alternatively, the robot RB may send the container CC to the first transport means T1, lift the excess product G, and temporarily place the lifted product G in the retreat location. And the evacuated goods G are returned to the newly supplied container CC, or put into the transport container C of the next store. In this way, picking can be made more efficient.

In FIG. 2, one robot RB is arranged for each supply conveyor CV. Instead of this, one robot RB may be arranged for each of a plurality of adjacent supply conveyors CV. Furthermore, in a place where there is no room for installation space, the first transport means T1 and the supply conveyor CV may be two-story stacked vertically. The transport container C collected on the second floor line may be lowered to the first floor line by an elevator and then sent to the second transport means T2.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the picking system picks information on which transport container to place the ordered product based on the order information from each store and the arrangement information when placing the ordered product in the transport container C. May be provided with a communication unit that distributes to the robot. The picking information is information for specifying the transport container and the arrangement position of the storage destination of the ordered product. The robot takes out the ordered product from the storage area based on the received picking information, and puts the removed ordered product into the designated transport container C.

For example, 3 a products and 6 b products are ordered from the first store, 4 a products and 2 c products are ordered from the second store, and these products are placed in one transport container C. Suppose that you can line up to pieces. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 3, the host computer UC of FIG. 1 creates information for arranging the three a products and the three b products for the first store in the first transport container C1. . Similarly, the host computer UC creates information for arranging the remaining three b products in the second transport container C2. The host computer UC creates information for arranging four a products and two c products for the second store in the third transport container C3. The created information is transmitted to each robot RB via the communication unit CD.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, when the first transport container C1 arrives at the a product take-out area, the robot (not shown) takes out the a product from the container CC and puts the taken out a product into the first transport container C1. Repeat the operation of lining up three times. When the take-out of the a product is completed, the first transport container C1 is transported and stopped in front of the next b product take-out area as shown in FIG. Then, a robot (not shown) in the b product takeout area repeats the operation of taking out the b product from the container CC on the supply conveyor CV and arranging the taken b product in the first transport container C1 three times. Then, since the first transport container C1 is full, the transport container C1 is sent downstream. At the same time, since three b products remain in the container CC on the supply conveyor CV, the container CC is designated as the second transport container C2 in FIG. In addition, conveyance and sending-out of the transport container C are performed by individually driving the driving roller DR of FIG. Further, the transport container C is stopped at a predetermined position by raising the stopper ST of FIG. 2 based on a signal from a photoelectric sensor (not shown).

Then, when the full transport container C1 is sent downstream, the container CC in which three b products remain so as to be replaced with the transport container C1 becomes the second transport container C2 from the supply conveyor CV to the first transport means T1. Is sent to. At the same time, the container CC in which three a products remain can become the third transport container C3 in FIG. 3, so that the container CC also becomes the third transport container C3 from the supply conveyor CV to the first transport means T1. It is sent (see FIG. 6). Then, when the containers CC on the supply conveyors CV are sent to the first transport means T1, new containers CC storing the products are supplied to the product take-out areas. In addition, a new container CC containing a product is replenished at an appropriate time by the operator at the carry-in end of the supply conveyor CV.

In the second transport container C2 sent to the first transport means T1, three b products are already arranged. When the picking for the first store in the automatic picking line is finished in this state, the second transport container C2 is sent to the downstream as it is. Downstream, the first transport container C1 that has already been sent is waiting. The first transport container C1 and the second transport container C2 are brought together into the second transport means T2 as the transport container C for the first store. At that time, a label on which a delivery destination store name and a store code are printed is attached to each transport container C.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, three a products are already arranged in the third transport container C3. The shortage of products is 1 product a and 2 products c. When a new container CC in which a product is stored is supplied to the product take-out area, as shown in FIG. 7, a robot (not shown) takes out the a product from the container CC and removes the a product from the first transport means T1. Place in the second transport container C3. When the storage of the a product is completed, the third transport container C3 is transported to the takeout area of the c product by the first transport means T1 and stopped.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8, a robot (not shown) takes out the c product from the container CC in the product take-out area and repeats the operation of arranging the taken c product in the third transport container C3 twice. As a result, the third transport container C3 has the planned ordered products for the second store. In the state, when picking of the second store in the automatic picking line is finished, the transport container C3 is sent to the second transport means T2 as it is. In this way, each robot RB arranges the ordered products in the transport container C designated based on the received picking information.

By the way, products such as lunch boxes and other ordered products produced based on orders from each store in advance are brought into the distribution center. The goods brought in are immediately stocked in a predetermined storage area A. At that time, in the host computer UC in FIG. 1, it is registered how many products are stored in each brought-in container CC. That is, the host computer UC stores the container CC, the product, and the number in association with each other.

In FIG. 1, the host computer UC displays picking information indicating which products are arranged in which transport containers and how based on order information from each store and information on the number of products that can be arranged in the transport containers C. create. Information on the number of products that can be arranged in the transport container C is, for example, that six items a to c can be stored, and five items d can be stored. The host computer UC distributes the created picking information to each robot RB via the communication unit CD. In addition, order information about a product picked by the manual picking line is transmitted to the display control unit DC.

In the display control unit DC, which product corresponds to which display D is registered. The display control unit DC is loaded into each work area based on the order information for each store transmitted from the host computer UC and the order in which the transport containers C for each store are loaded into the second transport means T2. It is specified which store the transport container C belongs to. Based on the specified information, the display control unit DC displays the order quantity on the display D of the ordered product at the store associated with the transport container C in each work area. The display D is provided with a completion button described later. When the completion button is pressed, a picking completion signal for the product is transmitted to the display control unit DC.

The empty transport container C is appropriately carried into the first transport means T1 from the upstream end. For these transport containers C, the delivery order of each store is determined by the last-in first-out method in correspondence with the delivery route. For example, the delivery order of the transport containers C is determined so that the transport containers of the store to be delivered first are loaded on the truck last. Based on the shipping order, the transport container C carried into the first transport means T1 is associated with the delivery destination store. For example, the first two boxes are registered as the first store and the next one box is registered as the second store. Furthermore, in addition to the empty transport container C, the empty container CC and the container CC containing the product G are carried into the first transport means T1 as the transport container C. Each store and each transport container C are associated with each other in consideration of such interruption of the container CC.

Then, when the first transport container C1 of the first store is loaded into the first transport means T1, and the transport container C1 reaches the work area of the designated robot RB, the robot RB receives the picking information for each store received. Based on this, the product G is taken out from the container CC. The robot RB places the taken commodity G at a designated position in the transport container C1. Further, when a plurality of products G are ordered, the robot RB repeats the operation a plurality of times and arranges the products G. In that case, the robot RB can also stack the products G vertically.

Thus, when the ordered product is stored in the first transport container C1, the transport container C1 is sent downstream. When the delivered transport container C1 reaches the work area of the next designated robot RB, the next robot RB places the designated product at the designated position of the transport container C. In addition, when the container CC on the supply conveyor CV is empty or the product remaining in the container CC can be applied to all or part of the order quantity from one store, the supply conveyor CV is driven and the product The container CC in the take-out area is sent out to the first transport means T1. In this way, the ordered products are stored in the transport containers C connected in the front-rear direction by the first transport means T1, and the transport container C1 for the first store in the automatic picking line is completed. Then, the transport container C1 is sent out by the drive roller DR and stands by in front of the downstream second transport means T2. At this time, a label on which a delivery destination store name and a store code are printed is attached to each transport container.

Referring back to FIG. 1, a plurality of storage shelves S are arranged along the second transport means T2 in the downstream storage area A2, and a display D is arranged for each product in the storage shelves S. However, instead of this, for example, an instruction lamp corresponding to each product and one display device D are provided in the work area of each worker W, and the product indicated by the instruction lamp is displayed on the display device D. A configuration may be adopted in which only the displayed order quantity is picked. In this case, since the picking can be performed with a smaller number of displays, the equipment cost can be reduced for a product group having a low rotation rate.

And when the transport container C put together for the first store is carried into the second transport unit T2 from the first transport unit T1, the display control unit DC displays the first store in the first work area. The order quantity is displayed on the display D of the ordered product. The operator W takes the displayed products from the storage shelf S while viewing the display D, and stores the taken products in the transport container C. When the storage is completed, the operator W presses a completion button provided on the display D to notify the display control unit DC that the picking of the product is completed.

In the first work area, when the picking completion signal is transmitted from all the lighted indicators D in the first work area, the display control unit DC causes the second transport means T2 to perform a tact operation, so that the transport container of the first store can be used. Transport to the second work area. Simultaneously with the conveyance, the display control unit DC causes the conveyance container of the second store that has been waiting on the first conveyance unit T1 to be carried into the second conveyance unit T2. When these transport containers reach predetermined positions in the first and second work areas, the second transport means T2 is stopped.

Then, the display control unit DC displays the order quantity on the display D of the product ordered by the second store in the first work area, and the display of the product ordered by the first store in the second work area. Let D display the order quantity. Then, the worker W in the first work area picks the ordered product in the second store, and the worker W in the second work area picks the ordered product in the first store. Then, when all the picking of the first and second work areas is completed, the display control unit DC causes the second transport means T2 to perform a tact operation again.

Thus, every time picking in each work area is completed, the transport containers in each work area are shifted to the next work area all at once. Further, in this manual picking line, when the transport container is full, the operator W drops the empty container from the line provided in the upper stage and places it on the second transport means T2, or transport with the empty container being full. Overlay on a container. Thus, when all the picking in each work area is completed, the transport containers put together for each store are loaded onto the truck in a last-in first-out manner.

In addition, in the automatic picking line, when the ordered products of the same store are stored across a plurality of transport containers and the plurality of transport containers are sent to the second transport means T2 in tandem, the manual picking line is limited. The transport container may not fit in the work area. In this case, there is a possibility of being confused with a transport container of another store in the adjacent work area.

Therefore, in one embodiment, a stacking device SK that stacks vertical transport containers in the vertical direction may be provided between the first transport unit T1 and the second transport unit T2. Accordingly, since the transport containers are stacked and grouped for each store, picking mistakes can be prevented even if the work area of the worker is small.

For example, the stacking device SK lifts the transport container, causes the subsequent transport container to sink into the lower space formed thereby, and lowers and stacks the lifted transport container.

Also, with this picking system, if the robot stops due to a failure or the like, the picking work of the entire line stops. In order to prepare for such a case, in one embodiment, an auxiliary area AE for temporarily storing products (robot products) to be picked by a robot may be provided in the downstream storage area A2. The display control unit DC may display the order quantity of the robot product on the display D in the auxiliary area AE when the robot is stopped.

Thereby, even if the robot stops, the robot product can move to the auxiliary area AE together with the container CC. Then, the display control unit DC can display the order quantity of the commodity for the robot on the display D in the auxiliary area AE. While checking the display D in the auxiliary area AE, the worker can take out the displayed number of products from the container CC and put the taken-out products into the transport container of the store. Therefore, even if the robot breaks down, the work can be continued without causing the picking to stagnate.

9 and 10 show an embodiment of one unit U of the automatic picking line. The automatic picking line can be expanded by connecting a plurality of units U in cascade with the roller conveyor 20 of the unit U as an axis.

9 and 10, one unit U is configured in two upper and lower stages. Each stage includes a robot RB, a roller conveyor 20 that transports the transport container C, and a roller conveyor 30 that supplies a container CC containing products to the product take-out area of the robot RB. The roller conveyor 20 corresponds to the first conveying means T1 in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the roller conveyor 30 corresponds to the supply conveyor CV in FIGS. And then. The roller conveyor 20 and the roller conveyor 30 have the same configuration in both the upper stage and the lower stage. In the following description, only one stage will be described.

The robot RB includes a suction head 11 and linear reciprocating mechanisms 12, 13, and 14, as shown in FIG. The suction head 11 is equipped with a suction pad at its tip and functions as a gripper H. The linear reciprocating mechanisms 12, 13, and 14 move the suction head 11 in the three-axis directions of X, Y, and Z. In addition, the robot RB is given position information of the start point and the end point. The robot RB moves the suction head 11 to the starting position above the container CC based on the position information. The robot RB lowers the suction head 11 by a predetermined distance to suck the product, and then lifts the sucked product to a predetermined height. Subsequently, the robot RB moves the suction head 11 to the transport container C and then lowers the suction head 11 at the end point position immediately above the transport container C so as to release the product from the suction head 11. Then, the picking information transmitted from the communication unit CD of the control unit 100 to each robot RB gives the position information of the start point and the end point.

The moving range of the suction head 11 in the horizontal direction is an area E surrounded by a dotted line in FIG. 9, on the two conveyor containers C on the roller conveyor 20 and on each roller conveyor 30 aligned in the direction orthogonal to the conveyor containers C. It is set to the range over the two containers CC. Further, the area where the two containers CC are located on the roller conveyor 30 in the area E is set as a product take-out area of the robot RB. The area EE sandwiched between the two containers CC is used as a temporary storage place for temporarily retracting the product lifted by the robot RB.

The suction head 11 has a suction pad attached to the tip, and controls the suction pad to a negative pressure at the timing when it comes into contact with the product G, and lifts the product G while sucking it. Further, when the product G is lowered by a predetermined distance, the negative pressure of the suction pad is released and the product G is placed at a predetermined position of the transport container C. As shown in FIG. 10, the suction head 11 is movable from the first stage to the uppermost stage of the stacked containers CC. The initial position is set to a position slightly lifted from the upper surface of the first-stage container CC. By setting the initial position as described above, when the first-stage container CC is carried into the product removal area of the robot RB, the suction head 11 positioned at the initial position and the first-stage container CC do not interfere with each other. Yes. Further, the suction head 11 is configured to rotate around the Z axis so that it can rotate in a horizontal plane. When the orientation of the product in the horizontal plane is disturbed, the suction head 11 is configured to return to a normal posture and put it in the transport container C by rotating the suctioned product in the horizontal plane. .

The roller conveyor 20 that transports the transport container C can be connected in cascade with the roller conveyor 20 having the same configuration. At a predetermined position where the transport container C is stopped, an elevating plate 21 that protrudes from the transport surface of the roller conveyor 20 is provided. The elevating plate 21 is moved up and down by the control unit 100 described later, and corresponds to the stopper ST in FIG. Then, by applying the transport container C to the raised lift plate 21, the transport container C is stopped at a predetermined position while correcting the transport container C in a disturbed posture.

Also, the roller conveyor 20 is provided with a driving roller DR between the lifting plates 21. Each drive roller DR is driven and controlled independently by the control unit 100 described later, like the lift plates 21. Each drive roller DR is connected to a plurality of adjacent driven rollers by a belt. When the drive roller DR is rotated, the driven rollers between the elevating plates 21 are also rotated in the same direction at the same time.

The elevating plate 21 is provided slightly downstream from the position where the container CC is sent out from the roller conveyor 30 onto the vertical roller conveyor 20. When the container CC is sent from the roller conveyor 30 to the roller conveyor 20, the container CC often disturbs its posture. Immediately after the container CC is sent out on the roller conveyor 20, the driving roller DR at the corresponding position is rotated for a predetermined time, so that the container CC is brought into contact with the lifting plate 21 and the position of the container CC is corrected. It can be stopped at position 21. Therefore, the moving range of the suction head 11 is also set to a range that can cover an area that stops at a slightly shifted position on the roller conveyor 20.

The roller conveyor 30 that supplies the containers CC to the product take-out area of the robot RB is also provided with drive rollers DR1 to DR3 having the same configuration that are individually driven. The driving roller DR1 close to the roller conveyor 20 is driven when the containers CC are sent to the roller conveyor 20. The drive roller DR2 upstream of the drive roller DR1 is driven when the stacked first-stage container CC is sent out to the product take-out area of the robot RB. The most upstream drive roller DR3 is driven when the stacked containers CC are sent out to a stage breaker 40 described later.

Further, elevating plates 31 to 33 that appear and disappear from the conveying surface of the roller conveyor 30 are respectively provided at the discharge end of the roller conveyor 30 and at the exit and entrance of the later-described corrugated apparatus 40. These elevating plates 31 to 33 are individually driven and controlled by the control unit 100 of FIG. That is, the lift plate 31 at the discharge end rises when the container CC sent out from the stage spreader 40 is stopped in front of the roller conveyor 30 and goes down when the container CC is sent out to the roller conveyor 20. Further, the elevating plate 32 at the outlet of the stage breaker 40 is lowered when the first stage container CC is extracted from the stacked containers CC and sent to the product take-out area, and the stacked containers CC are moved to the stage breaker 40. Ascends when sent. Further, the entrance lift plate 33 is lowered when the stacked containers CC are fed into the step spreader 40, and is raised at other times. Thereby, even if the stacked container CC placed at the carry-in end is pushed by hand, the stacked container CC is not carried into the corrugating apparatus 40.

The step spreader 40 has a well-known configuration including a claw member that grips the flange on the upper surface of the container CC or enters the bottom of the flange to lift the container CC, and an elevating mechanism that raises and lowers the claw member. And when extracting the 1st step | paragraph of the container CC stacked, the raising / lowering mechanism lifts the container CC above the 2nd step | paragraph with the nail | claw member pinching the 2nd step | paragraph container CC. Subsequently, the driving roller DR2 is driven to send out the first-stage container CC to the product take-out area. Then, when the first-stage container CC comes out, the lifting mechanism lowers the lifted container CC and opens the claw member. By repeating this operation, the stacked containers CC are sequentially extracted from the lower container CC.

Thus, the drive rollers DR to DR3 and the elevating plates 21, 31 to 33 are driven and controlled by the control unit 100 of FIG. In the control unit 100, an area E that is the moving range of the suction head 11, a normal stop position of each container CC in the area E, and a normal stop position of each transport container C are registered as coordinates. ing. Therefore, when the container CC or the transport container C is not displaced, the suction head 11 of the robot RB lifts the product at the designated position in the container CC based on the above-described picking information. After the product is transported to the transport container C, the product operates to drop the product at a designated position in the transport container C.

Further, the robot RB is provided with an imaging device CM that controls the amount of movement of the robot RB by capturing the positions of the transport container C and the container CC and the goods G stored therein. The imaging device CM includes a camera and an image processing device, and an area E that is a moving range of the suction head 11 captured by the camera is specified as a non-moving area on the image. If the position on the image of the transport container C or container CC captured by the camera is deviated from the predetermined position, the robot RB corrects the suction head 11 by moving it in the horizontal direction by an amount corresponding to the shift amount. . Similarly, if the position of the product caught by the camera is shifted, the robot RB corrects the suction head 11 by moving it in the horizontal direction by an amount corresponding to the amount of deviation. Thereby, even if the transport container C, the container CC, or the product stored therein is displaced from the predetermined position, the suction head 11 lifts the product while correcting the displacement, and the product is designated in the transport container C. Can be put in position.

In this embodiment, the camera is attached to a fixed point position where the entire work area of the robot 10 can be looked over. Alternatively, the camera may be attached to the suction head 11. Further, when the camera is mounted at a fixed point position, the blind spot is not generated even if the suction head 11 is moved by moving the camera with a swing mechanism or the like. Alternatively, a plurality of cameras can be provided so that the object can be captured three-dimensionally. Further, in this embodiment, since the automatic picking lines are provided at the upper and lower stages, the transport containers C picked up at the second floor line are lowered onto the lower roller conveyor 20 via an elevator (not shown). It has become.

FIG. 11 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of one unit of the manual picking line. By connecting this one unit side by side along the belt conveyor 50, a manual picking line can be added. Moreover, the structure which arrange | positions the storage shelf S facing and arrange | positions the belt conveyor 50 between the storage shelves S may be sufficient. The belt conveyor 50 corresponds to the second conveying means T2 in FIG.

In FIG. 11, the storage shelf S includes three upper and lower inclined shelves 60, a plurality of display devices D arranged side by side on the front upper part of each inclined shelf 60, and a completion button arranged next to each display device D. 61. On the inclined shelf 60 corresponding to each display D, products associated with each display D are arranged in a state of being stored in a container (not shown). And if the container which accommodated goods becomes empty, if an empty container is used as the conveyance container C and an empty container is removed from the inclination shelf 60, the container which was waiting on the back of the inclination shelf 60 will be a worker side. To slide. Therefore, the inclined shelf 60 is constituted by a roller conveyor, and a stopper (not shown) is provided at the tip thereof.

A supply line (not shown) for supplying an empty transport container is provided on the upper stage of the belt conveyor 50. When the transport container C on the belt conveyor 50 is full, the empty transport container C is lowered from the supply line, and the empty transport container C is placed next to the full transport container C or stacked on it. .

Display D is a segment type display, and displays the order quantity under the control of the display control unit DC. Then, one worker W is in charge of an area surrounded by, for example, three horizontal rows and three upper and lower display devices D, and takes out the displayed number of products displayed on the display device D in the area. The taken product is put into the transport container C on the belt conveyor 50, and the completion button 61 is pushed. Then, the display control unit DC recognizes that the product has been picked and turns off the display D of the product. Thereby, since the lit display D is sequentially turned off, the worker W can easily distinguish between the picked product and the product not picked.

FIG. 12 shows a block diagram of a control system of the picking system according to this embodiment. In this figure, since the functions of the stacking device SK, the host computer UC, and the communication unit CD have already been described, the control unit 100 and the display control unit DC will be described here.

The control unit 100 is configured by a computer, and by executing a built-in program, based on the order information of each store received from the host computer UC and the storage information of the product G in each container CC, the control unit 100 Each time the transport container C reaches each robot RB, picking information is transmitted to each robot RB to perform a picking operation, and the roller conveyor 30 and elevating plates 21, 31 to 33, driving rollers DR, DR1 to DR3, stages The entire movement is integrated by driving and controlling the brushing device 40 and the like.

Specifically, for example, in FIG. 4, when the first transport container C <b> 1 is sent from the upstream, the control unit 100 raises the stopper ST (the lifting plate 21 in FIG. 9) in the area corresponding to the product “a”. . When the transport container C1 hits the stopper ST, the corresponding drive roller DR is stopped, and the transport container C1 is stopped at a position corresponding to the commodity a. Subsequently, the control unit 100 gives the picking information about the transport container C1 to the robot RB that picks a product. Then, the robot RB lifts the a product in the container CC based on the received picking information, and puts the a product into the transport container C1. When the storage of the product a is completed, the control unit 100 lowers the stopper ST that stopped the transport container C1 and drives the stopped driving roller DR (see FIG. 9) to transport the product a. The container C1 is sent to the next c product take-out area. At the same time, the control unit 100 raises the stopper ST in the area corresponding to the next b product. When the transport container C1 hits the stopper ST, the corresponding next driving roller DR is stopped, and the transport container C1 is stopped at that position. In the same manner as described above, the control unit 100 gives the picking information about the transport container C1 to the robot RB that picks up the b product and picks it.

Thus, the control unit 100 gives picking information to each robot RB while picking and transporting the transport container C on the roller conveyor 20 based on the order of loading the transport container C. When the container CC on the roller conveyor 30 is sent to the roller conveyor 20 as the transport container C, the control unit 100 lowers the lifting plate 31 with the driving roller DR on the upstream side of the roller conveyor 20 stopped. Then, the driving roller DR1 is driven to feed the containers CC on the roller conveyor 30 to the roller conveyor 20. When the container CC is fed, the control unit 100 raises the lifting plate 31 of the roller conveyor 30 and the lifting plate 21 of the roller conveyor 20. Subsequently, the control unit 100 drives the driving roller DR immediately below the delivered container CC so as to apply the container CC to the lifting plate 21, and then stops the driving roller DR. Thereby, the container CC in which the posture in the horizontal direction is disturbed is corrected by hitting the elevating plate 21, and stops in that state. In this way, the control unit 100 sends the container CC from the roller conveyor 30 to the roller conveyor 20.

The display control unit DC is also configured by a computer, and displays each indicator D based on the order information of each store received from the host computer UC and the store information of the transport container C carried into the belt conveyor 50, and the belt. The conveyor 50 is tact-operated.

For example, for the transport containers C carried into the belt conveyor 50, which transport container C belongs to which store is determined in advance by the delivery order sent from the host computer UC. The display control unit DC specifies the store of the transport container C each time a group of transport containers C for each store is carried into the belt conveyor 50. Based on the identified store, the display control unit DC displays the number of orders on the display D of the product ordered by the identified store in the work area where the transport container C is located. Then, when picking completion signals are sent from all the display devices D displayed in each work area, the display control unit DC causes the belt conveyor 50 to perform a tact operation, and transports by store in each work area. Control is performed to shift the container C to the next work area.

In the above embodiment, it is specified to which store a group of transport containers to be sent to the manual picking line is based on a predetermined delivery order. However, for more accuracy, the store code affixed to the transport container C may be read by a bar code scanner, and the store of the transport container to be carried into the manual picking line may be specified based on the read result. .

In FIG. 10, the stacked containers CC containing products are replenished from the carry-in end (rear side) of the roller conveyor 30. At that time, if the product is wrong, not only wrong delivery but also a picking mistake by the robot RB may be induced. Therefore, a gate and a bar code scanner are provided at the carry-in end of each roller conveyor 30. The bar code scanner reads the product code from the label affixed to the product in the container CC, and the read product code is set in advance. If the product code matches the gate, the gate opens. If the product code does not match, an alarm is sounded to prevent the gate from opening.

Next, an example of the operation of the control unit 100 will be described. Immediately after the start, the transport container C is not carried into the roller conveyor 20 as the first transport means T1, and the suction head 11 of the robot RB also stops at the initial position. The container CC is not supplied.

In this state, when the replenishment operator reads the barcode of the label attached to the product G in the container CC with a scanner, the gate (not shown) of the roller conveyor 30 corresponding to the product opens, and the product G is opened from the gate. The container CC containing is loaded in a stacked state. Then, when the gate is closed, the control unit 100 confirms that there is no container CC in the step-balancing device 40 when the gate is closed, lowers the lifting plate 33, raises the lifting plate 32, and drives the driving rollers DR2, DR2. Driven, the stacked container CC is sent to the stage breaker 40 and stopped. When these operations are repeated and the containers CC stacked on each roller conveyor 30 are supplied in two rows in the front and rear, the operator 100 or the control unit 100 confirms completion of container refilling to each roller conveyor 30. By doing so, the control unit 100 starts the system.

Then, the control unit 100 drives the uppermost roller conveyor 20 to carry in the transport container C, operates the stage separation device 40 and the lifting plates 32 and 31, and the driving rollers DR2 and DR1 of each roller conveyor 30, The first-stage container CC is sent from the step-balancing device 40 to the product take-out area of the roller conveyor 30. Then, when the first transport container C reaches the work area of the robot RB of the ordered product, the control unit 100 operates the lifting plate 21 in the work area to stop the transport container C, and then picks the robot RB. Send information. Then, the robot RB takes out the product G from the container CC transported to the product take-out area, and puts the taken-out product G into the transport container C. When the accommodation of the product G is completed, the robot RB transmits a completion signal to the control unit 100.

Thus, when picking by the robot RB is completed, the transport container C is transported to the next product take-out area. The next transport container C is sent to the work area of the robot RB so as to be replaced with the transport container C to be transported. When it is necessary to pack the same product G in the transport container C, the control unit 100 transmits picking information for the transport container C to the robot RB. Then, the robot RB takes out the product G from the container CC and puts the taken out product G into the transport container C in the same manner as described above.

When the front and rear transport containers C on the roller conveyor 20 are transport containers of different stores, the control unit 100 can send the containers CC containing the products in the product take-out area to the roller conveyor 20 as they are. Check whether or not. When the controller 100 can send out the container CC containing the product to the roller conveyor 20 as it is, the controller 31 lowers the lifting plate 31 and drives the driving roller DR1 without operating the robot RB, The container CC in the product take-out area is sent out to the roller conveyor 20 as it is. Thus, picking by the robot RB is performed in the automatic picking line.

Next, recovery measures when any robot RB fails and the automatic picking line stops will be described.

If any robot RB fails, an error signal is sent from the robot RB to the control unit 100. When the control unit 100 receives the error signal, the control unit 100 temporarily pauses the automatic picking line and asks whether or not to move the product on the broken line to the manual picking line. Do not display on the display.

Then, when the operator sees the message and performs an operation of moving the product on the failed line to the manual picking line, the control unit 100 receives the order data for which picking is not completed from the order data related to the product on the failed line. And the edited order data is transmitted to the display control unit DC of the manual picking line.

On the other hand, the worker moves the product on the failure line together with the container CC to the auxiliary area AE provided at one corner of the storage shelf S. Then, an operation unit (not shown) connected to the display control unit DC is operated to notify the display control unit DC of the completion of storing the product in the auxiliary area AE. Then, the control unit 100 resumes the operation of the automatic picking line and continues picking for each store in a state where the product on the failed line has been removed.

On the other hand, at first, the transport containers of each store picked in a state where there is no failure are sequentially loaded into the manual picking line, and subsequently, the transport containers of each store in which the products on the broken line are removed are loaded. . Based on the data transmitted from the control unit 100, the display control unit DC can specify from which store transport container the product on the fault line is missing. For this reason, when the transport container of the store reaches the auxiliary area AE, the display control unit DC displays the order quantity of the product at the store on the display D. The operator performs picking by looking at the display device D, and presses the completion button 61 when finished. By repeating such work for each subsequent store, even if the robot breaks down, the work can be continued without causing the picking to stagnate.

As described above, in the picking system according to the present embodiment, products that are difficult to handle by a robot or products that require some device for stacking are packed in a transport container by an operator in a manual picking line. Therefore, a conventional picking operation can be performed with a small number of people by cooperation between a robot that performs a simple operation and an operator who can perform an advanced packing operation. Therefore, picking can be completed within a predetermined time even when it is difficult to secure workers, so delivery to a convenience store or the like is not delayed. Moreover, since it is sufficient to introduce an inexpensive robot, it is possible to reduce the capital investment for automation. Furthermore, the burden on the operator can be reduced by picking relatively heavy products or the like with the robot.

Furthermore, in the picking system according to the present embodiment, the container that has been emptied by taking out the commodity by the robot is sent to the transport line of the transport container and used as the transport container, so a collection line for collecting the container becomes unnecessary. A large work area for the robot can be secured. In addition, when the product remaining in the container can be applied to all or part of the order quantity from one store, the container is sent to the transport line of the transport container and the container is also used as a transport container. It is possible to reduce the number of picking times and improve efficiency.

Also, when the robot stops, the product handled by the robot can be moved to the auxiliary area and the operator can pick the product, so even if the robot breaks down, the work can be continued without stagnation of picking There is an effect that can be done.

Although one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and other configurations may be employed. For example, a transport container is placed on a cart traveling on a track, and picked products are packed there. In this case, one cart may be assigned to one store, and the order quantity of the ordered products of the store may be displayed on the display of the area where the cart has reached and picked. By doing so, the picking system according to the present disclosure can be introduced even in a place where a long straight line cannot be formed. Further, even if the carriage transport order is different from the delivery order, it can be flexibly handled by reading the code of the store assigned to the carriage.

Furthermore, a robot and a transport container may be mounted on the cart, and products picked by the robot may be packed in the transport container. In that case, the transport container filled with the cart is moved to the downstream manual picking area, and the empty cart returns to the upstream again to place the transport container of another store, and there is an order item. I will try to pack it.

In the picking system, a transport container that is not associated with the store may be used.

Also, in the picking system, the picking work for the entire line may stop due to factors other than the stop due to a robot failure. For example, when a device operating in cooperation with the robot fails, the picking operation for the entire line stops. A specific example of a device that operates in cooperation with a robot is a corrugation apparatus 40. In other words, if the stage breaker 40 fails, the robot product cannot be transferred to the transport container C by the robot. In such a case, the robot product may be moved to the auxiliary area AE described in the above embodiment. When the robot product cannot be transferred to the transport container C by the robot, the display control unit DC may display the order quantity of the robot product on the display D in the auxiliary area AE. Thereby, not only the failure of the robot but also the failure of the stage separation device 40 can be dealt with.

G ... commodity, A ... storage area, C ... transport container, T ... transport means, RB ... robot, D ... display, DC ... display control unit, CM ... imaging device, A1 ... upstream storage area, A2 ... downstream storage area , T1 ... first conveying means, T2 ... second conveying means, CC ... container, CV ... supply conveyor, CD ... communication section, AE ... auxiliary area.

Claims (7)

A picking system for taking out the ordered products defined in the order information acquired in advance from the storage area for stocking the products by type, and packing the taken-out ordered products in a transport container,
Transport means for transporting the transport container from an upstream storage area which is an upstream part of the storage area to a downstream storage area which is a downstream part of the storage area;
A robot that takes out a part of the ordered goods out of the ordered goods specified in the order information from the upstream storage area, and puts the taken ordered goods into the transport container;
An indicator that is provided in the downstream storage area and that displays the ordered product and the number of items to be taken out by an operator from the downstream storage area;
When the transport container is transported from the upstream storage area to the downstream storage area, the order quantity of the remaining order goods among the order goods defined in the order information used for taking out by the robot A display control unit for displaying on the display;
Picking system with The picking system according to claim 1, wherein the robot includes an imaging device that captures an object and controls movement of the robot. The conveying means is divided into a first conveying means arranged in the upstream storage area and a second conveying means arranged in the downstream storage area, and the first conveying means and the second conveying means are respectively The picking system according to claim 1, wherein the operation is independently controlled. The picking system according to claim 3, wherein the first transport means includes a stopper that stops the transporting container being transported at a predetermined position, and a drive roller that sends the stopped transporting container downstream. The first conveyor means is connected to a supply conveyor for supplying a container in which the product is stored to a product take-out area of the robot,
When the container is emptied by taking out the product by the robot, or when the product stored in the container can be applied to all or a part of the order quantity from one store The picking system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said container is sent to said first transport means. A communication unit that distributes to the robot picking information indicating where to place the ordered product in which transport container based on the order information from each store and arrangement information when the ordered product is placed in the transport container The picking according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the robot takes out the ordered product from the storage area based on the received picking information and puts the taken-out ordered product into the designated transport container. system. Provided in the downstream storage area is an auxiliary area for temporarily storing a robot product, which is the product scheduled to be picked by the robot, and the display control unit transfers the robot product to the transport container by the robot. 2. The picking system according to claim 1, wherein when the transfer is not possible, the order quantity of the robot product is displayed on the indicator in the auxiliary area.

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