WO2022162803A1 - Transport system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

This system references: floor information that is information indicating the extent of damage in at least a movement area from among multiple areas that include storage areas in which a plurality of objects, which can become objects to be transported, are disposed and movement areas in which a transport device can transport the objects; and transport information that is information related to a transport task of the transport device. The system creates a movement route, which is the route on which the transport device moves, on the basis of the floor information and the transport information.

Description

Conveying system and method

The present invention generally relates to technology for creating a movement route for a transport device that transports objects.

As a background technology in this technical field, there is a technology related to an automatic carrier that transports objects to their destinations. For example, there is a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1.

JP 2013-186615 A

In a transport system using transport equipment in warehouses and factories, if the number of areas where travel is prohibited increases due to damage to the floor, for example, on the floor that serves as the travel path for the transport equipment, detouring around the area will reduce transport efficiency and lead to floor maintenance. may lead to an increase in the cost of In addition, if the floor surface on which the transport device runs is in poor condition, or if the floor surface is uneven, it may cause errors such as malfunction of the transport device or communication failure, which may affect the transport device. Therefore, in order to improve the reliability of the transport system and extend the life of the floor surface, it is necessary to drive the floor so as to distribute the load on the floor and avoid the damaged parts of the floor. The inventors of the present application have found that cruise control is important.

Here, according to the results of intensive studies by the inventors of the present application, the degree of damage to each of the plurality of compartments that make up the floor surface is given by a transport device group (one or more transport devices) that has moved on the compartment. Instead of or in addition to the load related to the weight given, other types of loads given by the group of transport devices that moved over the compartment (e.g., the number of passes over the compartment, the acceleration and A variety of factors can influence, such as the number of turns and the number of turns performed on the compartment) and the strength of the floor. Therefore, for example, there is a possibility that the actual degree of damage to the floor cannot be accurately grasped only by the accumulated load related to weight.

Therefore, in order to improve the reliability of the transportation system and extend the life of the floor surface, for example, we provide a transportation system and method that perform control based on the degree of damage to the floor.

Information indicating the degree of damage of at least the moving area among the plurality of areas on the floor including the storage area where the system arranges a plurality of objects that can be transported and the moving area where the transporting device can transport the objects and the transport information that is information related to the transport task of the transport device, and based on the floor information and the device information, a moving route, which is the route along which the transport device moves, is created.

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a transport system and method that perform control based on the degree of damage to the floor, for example, in order to improve the reliability of the transport system and extend the life of the floor surface. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of the mode for carrying out the invention.

1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of a transport system according to a first embodiment; FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of a conveying apparatus. It is a top view which shows the bottom surface structure of a conveying apparatus. It is a side view with which it uses for description of the conveyance method of the shelf by a conveyance apparatus. It is a conceptual diagram for explaining the address of each section on the floor. 2 is a block diagram showing detailed configurations of a transport device and a transport control system; FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of an order table. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a goods table. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a shelf table. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a floor table. It is a figure which shows the screen structure of a floor bird's-eye view screen. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a device table. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of movement route creation. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of a shelf position change. 10 is a flow chart showing a processing procedure for layout change; FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a layout before layout change; FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a layout after layout change; It is a figure which shows the structural example of floor information by 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a screen configuration of a floor bird's-eye view screen according to the second embodiment;

In the following description, an "interface device" may be one or more interface devices. The one or more interface devices may be at least one of the following:
- One or more I/O (Input/Output) interface devices. An I/O (Input/Output) interface device is an interface device for at least one of an I/O device and a remote display computer. The I/O interface device to the display computer may be a communications interface device. The at least one I/O device may be any of a user interface device, eg, an input device such as a keyboard and pointing device, and an output device such as a display device.
- One or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more of the same type of communication interface device (e.g., one or more NICs (Network Interface Cards)) or two or more different types of communication interface devices (e.g., NIC and It may be an HBA (Host Bus Adapter).

Also, in the following description, "memory" is one or more memory devices, which are examples of one or more storage devices, and may typically be main memory devices. At least one memory device in the memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

Also, in the following description, a "persistent storage device" may be one or more persistent storage devices, which is an example of one or more storage devices. A persistent storage device may typically be a non-volatile storage device (e.g., auxiliary storage device). Memory Express) drive or SCM (Storage Class Memory).

Also, in the following description, the "storage device" may be at least the memory of the memory and the permanent storage device.

Also, in the following description, a "processor" may be one or more processor devices. The at least one processor device may typically be a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may be another type of processor device such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). At least one processor device may be single-core or multi-core. At least one processor device may be a processor core. At least one processor device is a circuit (for example, FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device) or ASIC (Application A processor device in a broad sense such as Specific Integrated Circuit)) may be used.

In the following description, the expression "xxx table" may be used to describe information that provides an output for an input. It may be structured data or unstructured data), or it may be a learning model represented by a neural network, genetic algorithm, or random forest that generates an output in response to an input. Therefore, the "xxx table" can be called "xxx information". Also, in the following description, the configuration of each table is an example, and one table may be divided into two or more tables, or all or part of two or more tables may be one table. may

Further, in the following description, the processing may be described with the subject of "program", but the program is executed by the processor to perform the predetermined processing as appropriate using the storage device and / or the interface device. The subject of processing may be a processor (or a device or system having the processor). A program may be installed on a device, such as a computer, from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable recording medium (eg, non-temporary recording medium). Also, in the following description, two or more programs may be implemented as one program, and one program may be implemented as two or more programs.

Arbitrary information (for example, at least one of "ID", "name", and "number") may be adopted as the information for identifying the element.
[First embodiment]

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a transport system 1 according to the first embodiment.

The transportation system 1 includes a plurality (or one) of transportation devices 3 that travel within the warehouse 2 and a transportation control system 4 that remotely controls the movement of each transportation device 3 . In the present embodiment, "movement" of the transport device 3 represents general movement of the transport device 3 regardless of the presence or absence of a shelf (an example of an object). “Movement” of the conveying device 3 may be rephrased as “running” of the conveying device 3 . "Movement" in the state where the transport device 3 has a shelf is particularly called "transportation".

The warehouse 2 is, for example, a storehouse used by a company such as an online shopping company to store products. The floor surface of the warehouse 2 is divided into a plurality of square sections 2A of a predetermined size and managed, and each section 2A has a two-dimensional bar code 2B indicating the position of the section 2A.

In the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the addresses of the sections 2A forming the floor correspond to the coordinates on the two-dimensional coordinate plane. "ST" in FIG. 4 means the picking station 6 in FIG. According to FIG. 4, the addresses (positions) of the six picking stations 6 in FIG. 1 are (c, A), (f, A), (i, A), (l, A), (o, A). and (r, A).

A plurality of sections 2A that constitute the floor surface of the warehouse 2 have a plurality of areas. The multiple areas include a transfer area in which the transport device 3 can transport the shelf 5 and a storage area in which the multiple shelves 5 that can be transported are installed. The storage area may include a compartment 2A in which the shelf 5 is not placed, but to which the shelf 5 is to be returned (placed). One shelf 5 may be arranged in any one section 2A belonging to the storage area. One shelf 5 stores one or a plurality of products.

The transport device 3 is a device that moves according to movement instructions from the transport control system 4, and typically may be an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle). In accordance with the movement instruction from the transportation control system 4, the transport device 3 lifts the shelf 5 specified in the movement instruction, and the picking station specified in the movement instruction (or closest to the current position of the transport device 3). The shelf 5 is transported to 6. The shelves 5 transported to the picking station 6 are returned to their original compartments by the transport device 3 (or by changing the shelf position described later) after the necessary products are taken out by the worker at the picking station 6 (that is, after picking). determined another partition). The movement path to the picking station 6 and the movement path from the picking station 6 to the original installation position of the shelf 5 may be specified in one movement instruction or in separate movement instructions.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the conveying device 3 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. 2B, driving wheels 20 for turning and advancing the transporting device 3 are arranged on the lower surface (bottom surface) of the transporting device 3, and auxiliary wheels 20 are provided at the four corners of the lower surface of the transporting device 3. A ring 21 is provided. A columnar elevating body 22 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the conveying device 3 so as to be vertically and rotatably movable.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the conveying device 3 rotates the drive wheels 20 to move to the lower side of the shelf 5 to be conveyed, and then raises the lifting body 22 to lift the shelf 5. The shelf 5 is conveyed by traveling in the warehouse 2 with . At this time, the conveying device 3 can also change the direction of the lifted shelf 5 by rotating the lifting body 22 .

In addition, the conveying device 3 is equipped with an automatic charging function, and when the remaining amount of the mounted battery (not shown) falls below a predetermined value, the conveying device 3 is moved to a predetermined position in the warehouse 2 (in FIGS. 1 and 4, It moves to the battery station 7 provided in the section 2A) of the address (a, A) and automatically charges.

The transport control system 4 is wirelessly connected to each transport device 3 in the warehouse 2 via a wireless communication line such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The transport control system 4 identifies the shelf 5 in which the ordered product is stored according to the order from the customer, and transmits a movement instruction to the transport device 3 to transport the shelf 5 to the picking station 6. do.

The "movement instruction" is associated with the shelf ID of the shelf 5 to be transported and information representing the movement route along which the transport device 3 moves. The movement route represented by the information associated with the movement instruction includes the route from the current section (the section to which the current position belongs) of the transport device 3 to the shelf section (the section where the shelf 5 to be transported exists), and the route from the shelf section to the picking station 6. to and from. The travel path may further include the path from the picking station 6 to the original shelf compartment. At least the picking station 6 out of the picking station 6 and the battery station 7 may be an example of the target section (the section to which the target position belongs).

FIG. 5 shows a specific configuration example of the transport device 3 and the transport control system 4. As shown in FIG.

The transport device 3 includes a control device 10, a drive device 11, a storage device 12, an interface device 13, and multiple types of sensors 14.

The control device 10 is a controller that controls the operation of the carrier device 3 according to the movement instruction from the carrier control system 4 and the state of charge of the built-in battery. The driving device 11 includes a drive wheel 20, an auxiliary wheel 21, and an elevating body 22, an actuator (not shown) such as a motor for rotationally driving the driving wheel 20, and a motor for elevating and rotating the elevating body 22. and actuators (not shown).

The interface device 13 is a device for communicating with the transport control system 4 by a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be composed of, for example, a Wi-Fi card.

The sensor 14 is a device for collecting information on the floor on which the conveying device 3 travels and various information related to the conveying device 3 . A plurality of types of sensors 14 include, for example, a camera for reading the two-dimensional bar code 2B on the section 2A on the floor and capturing an image of the state of the section 2A, and for detecting vibrations received by the conveying device 3 during movement. , a speed sensor for measuring the speed of the transport device 3, an acceleration sensor for measuring the acceleration of the transport device 3, a weight sensor for measuring the weight of the load, and a gyro sensor for measuring the orientation of the transport device 3. OK.

The storage device 12 stores, for example, a route table 23, a device table 24, a map table 25, an error log table 26, a measurement table 27, and a performance table 28. A communication program 29 , a movement control program 30 , a measurement program 31 and an error detection program 32 are stored in the control device 10 . By executing the communication program 29, the movement control program 30, the measurement program 31, and the error detection program 32 by the control device 10, a communication section, a travel control section, a measurement section, and an error detection section are realized.

The route table 23 is a table that stores information representing the movement route specified by the above movement instruction received from the transport control system 4 (the information representing the movement route consists of an array of block addresses and a movement route). (for each partition to which it belongs, the time located in that partition). The device table 24 is a table that stores the ID of the transport device 3, the address of the current section, and the state (for example, "waiting", "moving", or "transporting"). The map table 25 is a table that stores information representing the address and attribute (for example, which area it belongs to) for each section. The error log table 26 is a table in which error logs of various errors that have occurred in the transport device 3 are stored. The measurement table 27 is a table in which values measured by multiple types of sensors 14 (for example, speed, acceleration, turning, weight, address (value read from a two-dimensional barcode), photographed image of a section, etc.) are stored. is. The track record table 28 is a table that stores information representing the track record of movement, including the route and date and time of movement of the conveying device 3 .

The communication program 29 is a program having a function of exchanging commands and information with the transport control system 4 via the interface device 13 . For example, the communication program 29 transmits at least part of the information in the tables 23 to 28 to the transport control system 4 in response to a request from the transport control system 4 (or without a request).

The movement control program 30 is a program that controls the movement of the transport device 3 according to movement instructions received from the transport control system 4 through the communication program 29 . For example, the movement control program 30 controls the drive device 11 to lift the designated shelf 5 and move it to the picking station 6 along the designated movement path, according to the movement instruction from the transport control system 4, or The drive device 11 is controlled to return the shelf 5 to its original position (or another position) through the determined movement path.

The measurement program 31 registers the output (measurement result) of each sensor 14 in the measurement table 27. The error detection program 32 detects various errors that have occurred in the transport device 3 and registers a log of the detected errors in the error log table 26 .

The transport control system 4 may be one or more physical computers having hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 40, a memory 41, a storage device 42, an input device 43, an output device 44, and an interface device 45. may be a system (eg, cloud computing system) implemented on a physical computer (eg, cloud platform). Instead of the input device 43 and the output device 44, information may be input/output via a client system capable of communicating through the interface device 45. FIG. For example, the transport control system 4 as a single device having hardware such as the CPU 40, the memory 41, the storage device 42, the input device 43, the output device 44, and the interface device 45 can be particularly referred to as a "transport control device".

The CPU 40 is a device that controls the operation of the transport control system 4 as a whole. Also, the memory 41 is used as a work memory for the CPU 40 . The storage device 42 stores programs and tables. The input device 43 is composed of, for example, a mouse and a keyboard, and is used by the operator to input necessary information and instructions to the transport control system 4 . The output device 44 may be a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The interface device 45 is a device for communicating with each conveying device 3 by a predetermined wireless communication method, and may be composed of, for example, a Wi-Fi card.

The storage device 42 stores, for example, a device table 53, a product table 54, an order table 55, a map table 56, a shelf table 57, a floor table 58, a route table 59 and OTHERS 60. Tables 53-55, 57 and 59 will be described later. The map table 56 is a table in which information representing the address and attribute (for example, which area it belongs to) for each section is stored (this table 56 is distributed to each transport device 3, and the map table is stored in each transport device 3). 25). The route table 59 is a table in which information representing the movement route created for each transport device 3 is stored. The OTHERS 60 includes, for example, a measurement table that stores measured values from each transport device 3, an error log table that stores error logs from each transport device 3, and information representing movement results from each transport device 3. At least one of the stored performance tables may be included. The device table 53 is an example of device information. The floor table 58 is an example of floor information. The product table 54, the map table 56, and the shelf table 57 are an area table 500 (an example of area information). The order table 55 is an example of order information.

A storage program 50 and a processing program 51 are stored in the storage device 42 . A storage unit and a processing unit are implemented by the CPU 40 executing the storage program 50 and the processing program 51 . A storage program 50 stores these tables 53 - 60 in a storage space based on storage device 42 .

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the order table 55. As shown in FIG.

The order table 55 is a table that stores various information related to orders from customers. The order table 55 has a record for each order. Each record holds information such as order ID 601 , store name 602 , store code 603 , product name 604 , product code 605 , quantity 606 , delivery date 607 , date of receipt 608 and date of work 609 . Take one order as an example (“order of interest” in the description of FIG. 6). According to the example shown in FIG. 6, even if the so-called slip number is the same, if the product types (for example, product name 604 and product code 605) are different, they are treated as different orders. One order may be divided into two or more orders and managed, or two or more orders may be managed as one order.

The order ID 601 represents the ID of the order of interest.

The store name 602 represents the name of the store to which the product specified in the order of interest is shipped, and the store code 603 represents the code of the store.

The product name 604 represents the name of the product specified in the order of interest, the product code 605 represents the code of the product, and the quantity 606 represents the number of products.

The delivery date 607 represents the deadline for delivering the product specified in the order of interest to the order recipient (typically the customer). It should be noted that the processing program 51 may calculate the actual picking deadline at the picking station by calculating backward from the delivery date 607 . The processing program 51 may determine the timing of transmitting the movement instruction to the transport device 3 based on the calculated deadline, or specify the time at which the transport device 3 should arrive at the picking station in the movement instruction. good too.

The reception date and time 608 represents the date and time when the order of interest was received. The date and time of work 609 indicates the date and time when the work of transporting the shelf 5 on which the product specified in the order of interest is placed to the picking station 6 is performed.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the product table 54. As shown in FIG.

The product table 54 is a table that stores information about products. The product table 54 has a record for each product. Each record holds information such as product name 701 , product code 702 , stock quantity 703 , shelf ID 704 and product position 705 . Take one product as an example (“notable product” in the description of FIG. 7). Note that when the same product is stored on different shelves, there are multiple records for the same product. Similarly, multiple records exist for the same product when the same product is stored in different product positions on the same shelf.

The product name 701 represents the name of the product of interest. The product code 702 represents the code of the product of interest. The stock quantity 703 represents the stock quantity of the product of interest. The shelf ID 704 represents the ID of the shelf 5 on which the product of interest is arranged. A product position 705 represents the position of the target product on the shelf 5 . For example, "U3R2" means "third from top (U), second from right (R)".

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the shelf table 57. As shown in FIG.

The shelf table 57 is a table in which information about the shelf 5 is stored. The shelf table 57 has records for each shelf 5 . Each record holds shelf ID 801, address 802, shelf weight 803 (unit: [Kg], for example), product weight 804 (unit: [Kg], for example), and frequency 805. Take one shelf 5 as an example (“notable shelf 5” in the description of FIG. 8).

The shelf ID 801 represents the ID of the shelf 5 of interest. The address 802 represents the address of section 2A where the noted shelf 5 is arranged. If the shelf of interest 5 is being transported, the address 802 may include information representing the state of the shelf of interest 5 being transported.

The shelf weight 803 represents the weight of the shelf 5 of interest. The commodity weight 804 represents the total weight of all the commodities arranged on the noted shelf 5 . The product weight 804 may be calculated by the processing program 51 based on, for example, the stock quantity 703 of the product corresponding to the shelf ID 704 of the shelf of interest 5 and the weight of the product itself.

The frequency 805 represents the number of times the shelf of interest 5 is transported in a unit period (for example, the number of times it is transported to the picking station 6 in the unit period). The frequency 805 may be updated based on the movement performance of each carrier device 3 .

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the floor table 58. FIG.

The floor table 58 is a table that stores information about each section 2A belonging to at least the moving area among the plurality of areas. In this embodiment, the floor table 58 is a table that stores information about each of all the sections 2A (however, the picking station 6 and the battery station 7 may be excluded). The floor table 58 has a record for each section 2A. Each record holds information such as an address 901 , degree of damage 902 , section setting 903 , cumulative passing times 904 , cumulative passing weight 905 , cumulative passing acceleration 906 and cumulative turning times 907 . Take one section 2A as an example ("section of interest 2A" in the description of FIG. 9).

The address 901 represents the address of the section of interest 2A.

The degree of damage 902 represents the degree of damage 902 of the section of interest 2A. As the degree of damage 902, there are four levels of "normal", "small", "medium" and "large". In this embodiment, the degree of damage 902 may be estimated based on at least one of the information 904 to 907 corresponding to the section of interest 2A, and the value calculated based on at least one of the information 904 to 907 is , if it is less than value A, it is determined as "normal"; if it is greater than or equal to value A and less than value B, it is determined as "small"; if it is greater than or equal to value B and less than value C, it is determined as "medium"; If it is less than D, it may be "large". The damage degree 902 of the partition may be more than four stages or less than four stages. The degree of damage 902 may be input by the operator and registered by the storage program 50, or may be information obtained by the sensor 14 of the transport device 3 and may be obtained by the processing program 51 based on sensor information received from the transport device 3. The degree of damage 902 may be estimated and the estimated degree of damage 902 may be registered by the storage program 50 .

A section setting 903 represents an evaluation for the section of interest 2A. When the section of interest 2A belongs to the movement area, the section setting 903 of the section of interest 2A includes, for example, "movable" meaning that the transport device 3 can move (pass) over the section of interest 2A, There is "impossible to move" which means that the cannot move on the section of interest 2A. An example of “impossible to move” may be “prohibited to move”. Also, when the section of interest 2A belongs to the storage area, the section setting 903 of the section of interest 2A may be "shelf". The section setting 903 “shelf” may be treated as immovable, but in the present embodiment, it may be treated as follows.
If the transport device 3 has a shelf 5 (that is, if the status of the transport device 3 is “transporting”), the section 2A whose section setting 903 is “shelf” is A non-movable section is acceptable. This is to prevent the shelf 5 being transported by the transport device 3 from colliding with another shelf 5 .
If the conveying device 3 does not have the shelf 5, the section 2A whose section setting 903 is "shelf" may be a section in which the conveying device 3 can be moved. This is because the transport device 3 can pass under the shelf 5 in this embodiment.
When it is specified from the shelf table 57 and the map table 56 that the shelf 5 is not arranged even in the section where the target section 2A belongs to the storage area, the target section 2A is in a state where the transport device 3 has the shelf 5. Regardless of whether or not the transport device 3 can be moved, it may be a section.

The cumulative number of passages 904 represents the cumulative value of the number of times the target section 2A has been passed. The cumulative passing weight 905 represents the cumulative value of the weight given to the target section 2A (for example, the weight of the transport device 3, the shelf weight 803 of the shelf 5 transported by the transport device 3, and the product weight 804). The cumulative passing acceleration 906 represents the cumulative value (for example, the unit is [m/s ² ]) of the number of accelerations and decelerations performed on the section of interest 2A. Note that the cumulative passing acceleration 906 may be the cumulative value of the square root of the acceleration when the transport device 3 passes over the section of interest 2A. The accumulated number of turns 907 represents the accumulated number of turns performed on the section of interest 2A. At least two of the information 904 to 907 are examples of cumulative loads (cumulative values of loads applied to the section of interest 2A) used for estimating the degree of damage 902. FIG.

The information 904 to 907 includes information (eg, position (address)), total weight (eg, at least the latter of the weight of the transport device 3 and the total weight of the shelf 5), acceleration/deceleration, and information indicating turning) is updated by the stored program 50 as appropriate.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the screen configuration of the floor bird's-eye view screen.

A floor bird's-eye view screen 1000 is a screen displayed on the output device 44 by the processing program 51 based on the floor table 58 . The floor bird's-eye view screen 1000 may be a GUI (Graphical User Interface). The floor bird's-eye view screen 1000 has a damage degree map 1010 and floor details 1020 .

The damage degree map 1010 is a map representing the plurality of sections 2A that make up the floor surface and the damage degree 902 of each section 2A. According to the damage degree map 1010, for each of the plurality of sections 2A, there is a display object corresponding to the section 2A (a display object having the same shape as the section 2A), and the display object corresponds to the damage degree 902 of the section 2A. represents For example, a numerical value representing the degree of damage 902 of the section 2A is displayed on the display object of each section 2A. For the display object in section 2A whose damage level 902 is "normal", no numerical value is displayed and the column may be left blank.

The floor details 1020 represent information about each section 2A belonging to at least the moving area in the floor table 58. In the floor details 1020, "OK" means "possible to move", and "NG" means "impossible to move". Floor detail 1020 may be a GUI component. For example, an administrator (an example of a user) may set "OK" or "NG" for the section 2A selected by the administrator. For example, the administrator may set "NG" as to whether or not the section 2A requiring repair (and the surrounding section 2A) can be moved.

The floor details 1020 may include information about all sections 2A, or may include information about sections 2A that meet specified conditions (for example, degree of damage "small" or higher) among all sections 2A.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the device table 53. As shown in FIG.

The device table 53 is a table in which information acquired from each transport device 3 is stored. The device table 53 has a record for each transport device 3 . Each record holds information such as device ID 1101 , device status 1102 , transportation status 1103 , address 1104 and remaining battery capacity 1105 . Take one transport device 3 as an example (“focused transport device 3” in the description of FIG. 11).

The device ID 1101 represents the ID of the transport device 3 of interest.

The device state 1102 represents the state of the transport device 3 of interest. “Transporting” means that the transporting device 3 of interest is moving with the shelf 5 . "Standby" means that the transport device 3 of interest is waiting for movement. “Moving” means that the transport device 3 of interest is moving without holding the shelf 5 .

The transport status 1103 indicates the transport status of the transport apparatus 3 of interest (for example, whether or not it has the shelf 5, the total weight of the shelf 5 if it has the shelf 5, the address of the departure point, and the address of the destination). (including situations). The address 1104 represents the address of the section 2A (that is, the current section) where the transport device 3 of interest is located. The remaining battery capacity 1105 represents the remaining capacity of the battery of the transport apparatus 3 of interest.

For each transport device 3, the information 1102 to 1105 are provided in response to the received information each time information (for example, information including measurement values of each sensor 14) is received from the transport device 3 periodically or irregularly. and updated by the storage program 50.

An example of processing performed in this embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, the tables 53 to 60 are stored in the storage device 42 by the storage program 50. FIG. In addition, based on information (for example, information including values measured by each sensor 14, data of actual movement, and error log) received regularly or irregularly from each transport device 3, the stored program 50 , the corresponding portions of tables 53-60 are updated accordingly.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure for creating a moving route. This processing procedure is performed, for example, periodically (for example, every hour).

In the order table 55, the orders are arranged, for example, in ascending order of the received date and time 608 of the order. The processing program 51 sorts the orders (records) represented by the order table 55 in ascending order of the work dates 609 (S1201). Orders may be sorted in an order other than the ascending order of work date/time 609 . S1202 to S1206 are performed for each sorted order. Alternatively, a plurality of orders may be grouped, and S1202 to S1206 may be performed for such grouped orders. A plurality of orders grouped into one order may be orders that share a predetermined type of element, such as orders for products contained in the same shelf. Here, one order is taken as an example (order of interest in the description of FIG. 12).

The processing program 51 identifies the position of the shelf to be transported according to the order of interest (S1202). Specifically, for example, the following processing is performed. Based on the order table 55, the product table 54, and the shelf table 57, the processing program 51 generates a shelf ID 704 corresponding to the product name 701 and product code 702 that match the product name 604 and product code 605 specified in the order of interest. Identify from the product table 54 . The processing program 51 identifies from the shelf table 57 the address 802 corresponding to the shelf ID 801 that matches the identified shelf ID 704 .

The processing program 51 refers to the floor table 58 and the device table 53 for the order of interest, and based on the specified shelf position (the address 802 of the shelf 5), the floor table 58 and the device table 53, the movement path of the transport device 3 is determined. is created (S1203). Specifically, for example, the processing program 51 may perform the following.
- The processing program 51 selects one carrier device 3 from one or more carrier devices 3 that meet a predetermined condition. The "predetermined condition" here may be that the device status 1102 is "standby", the shelf flag 1103 is "absent", and the address 1104 is closest to the shelf position (address 802 of shelf 5) specified in S1202. Thus, the selection of the transport device 3 may be performed based on the device status 1102, the shelf flag 1103, and the address 1104 (the distance between the address 1104 and the address of the target section) of each transport device 3. FIG.
- The processing program 51 updates the degree of damage 902 of each section 2A before creating the movement route. As an example, referring to the floor table 58, for each section 2A, based on the cumulative number of passages 904, the cumulative weight 905, the cumulative acceleration 906, and the cumulative number of turns 907 of the section 2A, the degree of damage 902 of the section 2A is calculated. Then, the estimated degree of damage 902 is registered in the floor table 58 .
The processing program 51 refers to the map table 56 and the floor table 58, and for each section 2A, for example, based on the attribute (which area it belongs to) and the degree of damage 902, the section setting 903 of the section 2A (e.g. "movable", "non-movable" and "shelf"). This is an example of the evaluation of each section 2A. Here, for example, the section setting 903 of section 2A whose damage degree 902 is "normal" or "small" is set to "movable", and the section setting 903 of section 2A whose damage degree 902 is "large" It may be set as "immovable". In addition, the section setting 903 of the section 2A whose damage degree 902 is "medium" indicates the movement status of the selected transport device 3 (for example, whether or not the shelf 5 is being transported in the section 2A, (total weight of the transport device 3). For example, for the section 2A whose damage level 902 is "medium", the processing program 51 determines that the shelf flag 1103 of the selected transport device 3 is "absent" and sets the selected transport device 3 to "movable". If the shelf flag 1103 is "present", it may be set as "impossible to move". The degree of damage 902 “medium” may be an example of the first degree, and the degree of damage 902 “large” may be an example of the second degree.
The processing program 51 includes the address 1104 of the selected transport device 3 (the address of the current section), the address of the target section (for example, the picking station 6 closest to the address 1104 of the transport device 3), and the section setting 903 of each section 2A. Based on , a moving route from the current section to the target section of the selected transport device 3 is created. For example, the created movement route is based on the degree of damage 902 of each section 2A whose section setting 903 is "movable" and the total weight of the shelf 5 to be transported (typically the sum of the shelf weight 803 and the product weight 804). ) and the frequency 805, it may be the movement path that is optimal for leveling the degree of damage. For example, when at least one of the total weight of the shelf 5 to be transported and the frequency 805 is relatively large, the "optimal movement route for leveling the degree of damage" is a section with a relatively small degree of damage 902. It may be a movement route that includes preferentially, and when at least one of the total weight of the shelf 5 to be transported and the frequency 805 is relatively small, the movement preferentially includes the section with a relatively large degree of damage 902 Route is fine.

The processing program 51 sets the deadline (for example, the deadline calculated based on the delivery date 607 ) is obeyed (S1204).

If the determination result of S1204 is false (S1204: NO), the processing program 51 reevaluates at least some of the sections 2A (determines the section setting 903 again) (S1205). In S1205, the processing program 51 increases the number of sections 2A for which the section setting 903 is "movable" by loosening the conditions under which the section setting 903 "movable" is permitted, for example, under certain restrictions. As a result, the probability of creating a travel route with a shorter distance from the current section to the target section, that is, the probability of creating a travel route that meets the delivery date 607 increases. For example, of the section 2A with the degree of damage 902 of "medium" and the section setting 903 of "unmovable", all or part of the section 2A (for example, the section 2A with a relatively low accumulated load value obtained from the information 904 to 907 ), the partition setting 903 is changed from “movable” to “movable”. After S1205, the process proceeds to S1203.

If the determination result of S1204 is true (S1204: YES), the processing program 51 transmits a movement instruction associated with information representing the created movement route to the selected transport device 3 (S1206).

When a product is picked from the shelf 5 transported by the transport device 3, the weight detected (measured) by the transport device 3 changes, and information including the changed weight is transmitted from the transport device 3 to the transport control system 4. and the product weight 804 of the shelf table 57 may be updated by the storage program 50 . Note that the changed weight is the weight calculated by the processing program 51 instead of the measured value from the conveying device 3. The weight after subtracting the weight may be used. The "weight of the picked product" may be specified by calculation based on the product weight 804 on the shelf 5 and the number of products in stock 703, or information (not shown) representing the weight of each product and the number of picked products. and may be calculated based on. Further, each time a movement route is created in S1203, information representing the movement route may be stored in the route table 59, or each time a movement route associated with a movement instruction to be transmitted is determined, Information representing the route may be stored in the route table 59 .

FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure for changing the shelf position. This processing procedure is performed, for example, periodically (for example, every day). The execution frequency of this processing procedure may be less than the execution frequency of the processing procedure shown in FIG. may be longer). In addition, for example, this processing procedure is performed at a time zone (for example, nighttime) other than the operating time zone in which the shelf is transported according to the order, or at the timing when the transport device returns the shelf for which the picking is completed to the storage area. good.

The processing program 51 refers to the floor table 58 and the shelf table 57 and determines whether or not it is necessary to change the shelf position to level out the degree of damage (S1301). In the present embodiment, "shelf position change" means a shelf position movement that moves a shelf 5 from the section 2A of the shelf 5 to an empty section 2A in the storage area, and a shelf position that is different from the section 2A of the shelf 5 in the storage area. At least one of shelf position exchange to exchange compartments of the shelf 5 . An example of "shelf position change is necessary" is when the difference in degree of damage in a plurality of passages from the shelf 5 to the picking station 6 satisfies a predetermined condition. Specifically, for example, there are first and second passages as a plurality of passages from the shelf 5 to the picking station 6, and the first passage has a group of sections (one or more If the compartment 2A) exists but there is no compartment group with a degree of damage equal to or greater than a predetermined standard in the second path, the predetermined condition is satisfied. In this case, as an example of changing the shelf position, the position of the shelf 5 is changed from the position passing through the first passage to the position passing through the second passage.

If the determination result of S1301 is true (S1301: YES), the processing program 51 determines a shelf position change for leveling the degree of damage based on the floor table 58 and the shelf table 57 (S1302). The content to be determined may be, for example, at least one of (A) to (E) below.
(A) Should the shelf position be moved or the shelf position exchanged? For example, if there are empty compartments in the storage area, shelf position movement may be selected. On the other hand, if there is no empty section in the storage area, shelf position exchange may be selected.
(B) A shelf 5 to be repositioned and a destination section (arrangement destination section) of the shelf 5 . For example, the shelf 5 to be repositioned may be a shelf 5 with a relatively large gross weight or frequency 805, or a shelf likely to pass through section 2A with a relatively large degree of damage. The destination section may be section 2A, which is relatively less damaged. Specifically, for example, the first shelf 5 corresponding to at least one of relatively far from the picking station 6 and the total weight or frequency 805 being relatively large, and the first shelf 5 relatively close to the picking station 6 and total At least one of the second shelf 5 corresponding to at least one of relatively low weight or frequency 805 may be determined as the position change target shelf 5 . Also, the position of the first shelf 5 and the position of the second shelf 5 may be exchanged in the shelf position exchange.
(C) A moving route from the section in which the shelf 5 to be changed is arranged to the destination section. The movement route may be a movement route that is optimal for leveling the degree of damage based on at least one of the degree of damage 902 of each section 2A and the total weight and frequency 805 of the shelves 5 to be repositioned.
(D) A transport device 3 that transports the shelf 5 whose position is to be changed. The transport device 3 is a transport device 3 ( For example, the transport device 3) that is closest to the shelf 5 whose position is to be changed and whose device status 1102 is "standby" may be used.
(E) Schedule of shelf position change. For example, the movement start time of the shelf 5 whose position is to be changed.

Based on the determination in S1302, the processing program 51 transmits a movement instruction specifying the position change target shelf 5 and the movement route to the transport device 3 that transports the position change target shelf 5 (S1303).

The address 802 of the shelf 5 whose position is to be changed may be updated at S1302 to S1303 or at any time thereafter. Also, information representing the movement route created in S1302 may be stored in the route table 59 .

FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure for layout change. This processing procedure is performed, for example, periodically (for example, every week). The execution frequency of this processing procedure may be less than the execution frequency of the processing procedure shown in FIG. may be longer). Also, for example, this processing procedure may be performed in a time zone (for example, at night) other than the operating time zone in which shelf transport according to orders is performed.

The processing program 51 refers to the floor table 58 and the shelf table 57 and determines whether or not it is necessary to change the layout for leveling the degree of damage (S1401). "Layout change" means changing the area to which some sections belong to another area (for example, replacing some sections belonging to the moving area with the moving area and making them belong to the storage area) subdivision belongs to the transfer area instead of the storage area). An example of "requiring layout change" may be that the degree of damage to the entire moving area exceeds a certain level. Specifically, for example, "requires layout change" means that all of the plurality of passages in the movement area include a block group (one or more blocks 2A) with a degree of damage equal to or greater than a predetermined standard. That's fine.

If the determination result of S1401 is true (S1401: YES), the processing program 51 determines a layout change for leveling the degree of damage based on the floor table 58 and the shelf table 57 (S1402). The content to be determined may be, for example, at least one of (P) to (S) below.
(P) The shelf 5 whose position is to be changed, and the destination section (arrangement destination section) of the shelf 5 . For example, the shelf 5 to be repositioned may be a shelf 5 with a relatively large gross weight or frequency 805, or a shelf likely to pass through section 2A with a relatively large degree of damage. The destination section may be the section 2A in the movement area that has a relatively small degree of damage.
(Q) A moving route from the section in which the shelf 5 to be changed is arranged to the destination section. The movement route may be a movement route that is optimal for leveling the degree of damage based on at least one of the degree of damage 902 of each section 2A and the total weight and frequency 805 of the shelves 5 to be repositioned.
(R) A transport device 3 that transports the shelf 5 whose position is to be changed. The transport device 3 is a transport device 3 ( For example, the transport device 3) that is closest to the shelf 5 whose position is to be changed and whose device status 1102 is "standby" may be used.
(S) Schedule of layout change. For example, the movement start time of the shelf 5 whose position is to be changed.

Based on the determination in S1402, the processing program 51 transmits a movement instruction specifying the position change target shelf 5 and the movement route to the transport device 3 that transports the position change target shelf 5 (S1403).

At S1402 to S1403 or at any time thereafter, the address 802 of the shelf 5 whose position is to be changed or the relationship between the area and the section represented by the map table 56 may be updated.

Further, when a predetermined criterion is satisfied, the processing program 51 displays a screen for recommending the administrator to change the layout, or displays a screen for accepting a decision from the administrator as to whether or not the layout should be changed. may

In addition, a plurality of layout patterns (patterns of relationships between areas and divisions) are prepared, and S1402 may be a change of the layout pattern. The post-change layout pattern may be a layout pattern determined based on at least one of the degree of damage 902 of each section 2A and the total weight and frequency 805 of the shelves 5 whose positions are to be changed, or may be selected by round-robin. A layout pattern may be used. Also, information representing the movement route created in S1402 may be stored in the route table 59 . Alternatively, the processing program 51 may determine the optimum layout after the change by simulation based on predetermined types of information such as the degree of damage 902 of the plurality of sections 2A and the transport frequency of each shelf.

FIG. 15A is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the layout before layout change. FIG. 15B is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the layout after layout change. In each of FIGS. 15A and 15B, hatched sections belong to the storage area, and unhatched sections belong to the movement area. Based on the map table 56, the processing program 51 displays a screen representing a plurality of sections constituting the floor surface (the screen may further display the number of shelves 5 specified from the shelf table 8), Via the screen, it is possible to receive from the manager the designation of which section is to be the storage area (or the movement area), and determine the storage area and the movement area according to the layout according to the designation from the manager.
[Second embodiment]

A second embodiment will be described. At that time, the points of difference from the first embodiment will be mainly explained, and the explanations of the points in common with the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a floor table according to the second embodiment.

In the present embodiment, a flooring panel (an example of a partition cover) is detachably attached to at least one partition 2A. Therefore, the strength of each section 2A depends on at least one of whether there is a flooring panel in the section 2A and the material of the flooring panel in the section 2A.

For this reason, in the floor table 1658, information such as strength 1601 is further held in the record for each section 2A. For each section 2A, intensity 1601 represents the strength of that section 2A. The strength 1601 has, for example, three levels of "weak", "medium" and "strong", but may be more or less than three levels.

The processing program 51 may perform movement route creation in the processing shown in at least one of FIGS. 12 to 14 as follows. That is, the processing program 51 determines the degree of damage 902 and the intensity 1601 of each section 2A belonging to the moving area at least and having the section setting 903 of "movable", and the total weight of the shelf 5 to be transported (typically, the rack weight 803 and the product weight 804) and at least one of frequency 805, a moving route is created. For example, when at least one of the total weight of the shelf 5 to be transported and the frequency 805 is relatively large, when at least one of the total weight of the shelf 5 to be transported and the frequency 805 is relatively small By comparison, a movement path may be created that preferentially includes segments with relatively high intensity 1601 . On the other hand, when at least one of the total weight of the shelf 5 to be transported and the frequency 805 is relatively small, when at least one of the total weight of the shelf 5 to be transported and the frequency 805 is relatively large By comparison, a movement path may be created that preferentially includes segments with relatively low intensity 1601 .

Since the floor panels of section 2A are removable, for section 2A that has undergone work such as a new floor panel being installed, a floor panel being removed, or a floor panel being replaced, the strength 1601 is: It is updated by the storage program 50 to information representing the strength of the section 2A after the work.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the screen configuration of the floor bird's-eye view screen according to the second embodiment.

The floor bird's-eye view screen 1700 is based on the floor table 1658. The floor bird's-eye view screen 1700 has a damage degree map 1710 and floor details 1720 .

In the damage degree map 1710, the display object for each section 2A expresses the strength 1601 in addition to the damage degree 902 of the section 2A. The degree of damage 902 is represented by a numerical value, and the intensity 1601 is represented by at least one of color, pattern and density of the display object. That is, the damage degree map 1710 is a so-called heat map of the intensity 1601 . Note that instead of the intensity 1601, the degree of damage 902 is represented by at least one of the color, pattern, and density of the display object, and instead of the degree of damage 902, the intensity 1601 is represented by a numerical value (or other value). you can Thus, the status of each compartment 2A may be expressed in any manner.

Since the floor details 1720 have the same content as the floor table 1658, they contain information representing the strength of the partition.

Based on the description of several embodiments above, it can be summarized as follows, for example.

In the transport control system 4, the storage program 50 stores the floor table 58 and the equipment table 53. The floor table 58 is a table representing the degree of damage of at least the moving area among the plurality of areas on the floor. The plurality of areas includes a storage area in which a plurality of shelves 5 (an example of objects) that can be transported are arranged, and a transfer area in which the transport device 3 can transport the shelves 5 . The device table 53 is a table containing a transport status 1103 (an example of transport information) related to a transport task of the transport device 3 (for example, a task of transporting which shelf 5 at which position to where). The transport status 1103 may be information representing the transport status related to the transport task. And, it may include information representing the street address of the destination. The processing program 51 refers to the floor table 58 and the transfer status 1103 of the transfer device 3, and based on these information, creates a movement route, which is a route along which the transfer device 3 moves. Since the moving route is created based on the floor table 58 representing the degree of damage of at least the moving area among the plurality of areas on the floor and the transport status 1103 of the transporting device 3, the floor surface on which the transporting device 3 is moving It is possible to reduce the probability that an error will occur in the transport device 3 due to damage to the transport device 3 . Note that the transport status 1103 may be called transport task information, which is information associated with a movement instruction to the transport device 3 and represents a transport task (for example, which shelf to transport from where to where).

For example, if a transport device travels on a location with poor floor conditions or uneven floor surfaces, loads such as shocks and vibrations caused by the condition of the floor surface are applied to the transport device. There is an impact on the transport device, such as it can cause errors such as malfunction and communication failure. Therefore, if the floor is damaged, the transportation system can be improved in reliability by avoiding the damaged floor. In addition, the life of the floor surface can be extended by controlling the running of the transport device 3 so as to distribute the load on the floor due to transport according to the damage state of the floor. Therefore, for example, based on the floor damage state (floor damage degree) and information on the transport task, a route along which the transport device 3 moves is created, thereby performing control based on the floor damage state (floor damage degree). It is possible to realize a transport system and a method for carrying out the above-mentioned processes, thereby improving the reliability of the transport system and extending the life of the floor surface.

In this specification, for each section that constitutes the floor, "damage" is deterioration caused by the load applied from the conveying device as the conveying device moves on the section, and is visually visible. It doesn't matter if it is or not. For example, there is typically visible or non-visible damage to the compartment where it comes into contact with the carrier (eg, the wheels of the carrier). "Degree of damage" means the degree of damage for each section that constitutes the floor surface. For each partition, the "damage level" may be rephrased as the "degradation level."

In addition, the shelf 5 may be transported by pushing or pulling the shelf 5 instead of loading the shelf 5 . Even when the shelf 5 is pushed or pulled, the total weight of the transport device 3 during transport may be the sum of the weight of the transport device 3 and the total weight of the shelf 5 . The total weight of the shelf 5 in this case may be the sum of the shelf weight 803 and product weight 804 of the shelf 5 to be transported. Instead of updating the shelf weight 803 and product weight 804 based on the measurement value of the weight sensor of the transport device 3, whether or not information indicating completion of product picking for the shelf 5 has been input. may be updated accordingly.

The floor surface may be composed of a plurality of compartments 2A. Each of the multiple partitions 2A may belong to any one of the multiple areas. The floor table 58 may represent the degree of damage at least for each of the two or more sections 2A belonging to the moving area. The processing program 51 may evaluate each section 2A in the movement area based on at least the degree of damage, and create a route along which the conveying device 3 moves based at least on the evaluation. For example, the section 2A with a high degree of damage may be evaluated as "impossible to move" (for example, prohibited from moving), and the section 2A with a not low degree of damage may be evaluated as "movable" according to the transport status 1103 of the transport device 3. . Since the movement route is created based on such evaluation, it is expected to improve the certainty of creating a movement route that reduces the probability of an error occurring in the transport device 3 due to damage to the floor surface. be done. As an example of evaluation, the processing program 51 assigns a score to each section 2A belonging to at least the movement area based on the degree of damage of the section 2A, and provides a plurality of movement route candidates (for example, , a plurality of travel route candidates calculated by the processing program 51 having a common set of a departure section and a destination section), the sum of the scores of the sections included in the travel route candidate is calculated, and a plurality of A travel route may be created based on the total scores of the travel route candidates. That is, the score of Section 2A may be an example of evaluation of the section. The higher the degree of damage, the higher the score. A moving route candidate with the smallest total score among the plurality of moving route candidates may be created (determined) as the moving route. If the score totals are the same (or for other cases), the migration path may be determined based on other indicators of the score (e.g., the results of comparing the maximum scores of the parcels with the same total score). .

The processing program 51 evaluates each section 2A in the movement area based on at least the degree of damage 902 of each section 2A belonging to the movement area and the transport status 1103 of the transport device 3, and at least evaluates the section 2A. A route of movement may be created based on Since the transportation situation 1103 is further taken into consideration in the evaluation of the section 2A, the best moving route for the degree of damage and the transportation situation 1103 can be expected. Note that, for example, the movement route may be created for each target section. A moving route from the picking station 6 to the partition to which the shelf is to be returned may be created. In addition, for example, when the processing program 51 identifies, from the device table 53, a transfer device 3 whose remaining battery level 1105 is less than a predetermined value and whose device status 1102 is “standby”, the movement route whose target section is the battery station 7 is identified. may be created, and a movement instruction designating the movement route may be transmitted to the transport device 3 . In the movement path, one end may be the section where the transport device 3 starts to move, and the other end may be the section where the transport device 3 ends the movement. In addition, regardless of the degree of damage 902, there may be a section 2A whose section setting 903 is "impossible to move".

The floor table 58 may display, for each load type, at least for each section 2A belonging to the movement area, the cumulative load, which is the cumulative value of the load applied to the section 2A from one or a plurality of transport devices 3. The processing program 51 estimates the degree of damage of at least each section 2A belonging to the moving area based on the cumulative load for each of the plurality of load types, and outputs information representing the estimated degree of damage 902 to the floor. may be included in table 58; Examples of the types of cumulative loads that can affect the degree of damage to section 2A include the cumulative number of passes 904, the cumulative passing weight 905, and the cumulative acceleration/deceleration 906 (for example, the load due to acceleration/deceleration such as the number of times of acceleration/deceleration and the numerical value of acceleration/deceleration). cumulative value) and cumulative number of turns 907 . For each section 2A, the degree of damage is estimated based on the cumulative load of a plurality of load types including or not including the cumulative passing weight 905, so it is expected that the degree of damage will be accurately estimated for each section 2A. . For each section 2A, the processing program 51 may use a photographed image of the section 2A in addition to the cumulative load of a plurality of types of loads to estimate the degree of damage. An error log representing the content of the detected error may be used.

The processing program 51 may perform the following (x) to (z). As a result, for example, the section 2A with a low degree of damage is evaluated as "movable", the section 2A with a high degree of damage is evaluated as "impossible to move", and the section 2A with a moderate degree of damage is evaluated as being "movable", and the section 2A with a medium degree of damage is being transported. Since it is evaluated as "impossible to move" or "possible to move" depending on whether or not it is, it is expected that an optimum moving route will be created.
(x) The processing program 51 evaluates the section 2A with the degree of damage 902 less than the first degree (for example, "medium") as "movable".
(y) The processing program 51 sets the section 2A with the degree of damage 902 greater than or equal to the first degree and less than the second degree (for example, “high”) to “movable” if the shelf flag 1103 is “absent”. If it is "present", it is set to "impossible to move".
(z) The processing program 51 evaluates the section 2A with the degree of damage equal to or greater than the second degree as “impossible to move” regardless of the shelf flag 1103 .

At least one compartment 2A may have a compartment cover removably. The strength of each compartment 2A may depend on at least one of whether there is a compartment cover in that compartment 2A and/or the material of the compartment cover in that compartment 2A. For each section 2A, the floor table 58 may represent the strength of that section 2A. The processing program 51 may create a movement route based on at least the damage degree and strength of each section 2A belonging to the movement area. As a result, it is expected that the optimal movement route will be created by considering the strength of each section in addition to the degree of damage. The partition cover may be a relatively thick cover such as a panel or a relatively thin cover such as a sheet. If the floor has a mixture of compartments with a compartment cover and compartments without a compartment cover, the compartment cover is preferably thin from the viewpoint of reducing the step on the surface.

The processing program 51 evaluates at least each section 2A belonging to the movement area based on the degree of damage 902 of the section 2A whether or not the section 2A is a movable section 2A, and based on the evaluation, determines the movement route. can be created. As a result, it is possible to expect the optimum movement route based on the division evaluation according to the degree of damage.

The section 2A with the degree of damage 902 less than the first degree may be the movable section 2A. When there are one or more partitions 2A each having a degree of damage 902 greater than or equal to the first degree and less than the second degree, the processing program 51 determines that at least one of the one or more partitions 2A is "movable." It may be determined based on the transport status 1103 of the transport device 3 whether to move the transport device 3 or to set it as “impossible to move”. Accordingly, it can be expected that the evaluation of each section 2A is optimal for the transport situation 1103 of the transport device 3, and thus an optimal movement route can be expected. For example, if it is specified from the transportation status 1103 of the transportation device 3 that the picking speed improvement is given priority regardless of the delivery date 607, all the Section 2A may be "movable".

The processing program 51 may perform the following (a) to (d). As a result, the priority of optimizing the leveling of the damage level is lowered only when the transport device 3 cannot reach the target section by the predetermined time (for example, the delivery date) on the movement route that is optimal for leveling the damage level. Thus, it is possible to create a moving route that allows the transport device 3 to reach the target section by a predetermined time.
(a) The processing program 51 evaluates whether each section 2A is "movable" A based on the degree of damage of the section 2A.
(b) The processing program 51 creates a moving route composed of a plurality of movable sections 2A based on whether or not each section 2A is "movable".
(c) The processing program 51 determines whether or not the transport device 3 will reach the target section by a predetermined time, assuming that the transport device 3 has moved along the movement route created in (b).
(d) If the determination result in (c) is false, the processing program 51 selects at least one immovable section 2A based on the transport status 1103 of the transport device 3 and the degree of damage of each immovable section 2A. is changed to the movable partition 2A, and (b) is performed.

The storage program 50 may store an area table 500 that is information representing a plurality of areas. The area table 500 represents the weight of each shelf 5 (for example, shelf weight 803 and product weight 804) and the number of times the shelf 5 has been transferred (for example, frequency 805). good. Based on the floor table 58 and the area table 500 (for example, based on the degree of damage 902 of each section 2A and the weight of the shelf 5 to be transported and the number of transports), the processing program 51 performs damage leveling. Shelf position movement (moving one or more shelves 5 from one or more source compartments 2A in the storage area to one or more destination compartments 2A in the storage area) may be determined. As a result, it is expected that the degree of damage will be optimally leveled by the movement of the shelf position in addition to the creation of the movement path.

Based on the floor table 58 and the area table 500 (for example, based on the damage level 902 of each section 2A and the weight of the shelf 5 to be transported and the number of transports), the processing program 51 performs damage leveling. Shelf position exchange (moving one or more first shelves 5 in the storage area to one or more compartments 2A where one or more second shelves 5 exist and replacing one or more second shelves 5 by one move to one or more compartments 2A where the above first shelf 5 resides). As a result, it is expected that the degree of damage will be evened out optimally by changing the shelf position in addition to creating a movement route. If the average damage level of the storage area is less than a certain value (or if there is at least one empty section in the storage area), the shelf position may be preferentially moved, and the damage level of the storage area may be reduced. If the average value exceeds a certain value (or if there are no empty sections in the storage area), shelf position exchange may be preferentially performed.

Based on the floor table 58 and the area table 500 (for example, based on the damage level 902 of each section 2A and the weight of the shelf 5 to be transported and the number of transports), the processing program 51 performs damage leveling. A layout change (changing the area to which some of the sections 2A belong to another area) may be performed. As a result, it is expected that the degree of damage will be optimally leveled by changing the layout in addition to creating the movement path. An example of a condition for determining that a layout change is necessary may be that the degree of damage in the entire moving area has reached a certain level or more. For example, if any of the plurality of aisles in the movement area includes a group of sections (one or more sections 2A) with a degree of damage equal to or greater than a predetermined standard, layout change is selected instead of shelf position movement. good.

Although several embodiments have been described above, these are examples for explaining the present invention, and are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention only to these embodiments. The present invention can also be implemented in various other forms.

For example, the object to be transported by the transport device 3 is not limited to the shelf 5. For example, the object may be the item itself, or a product or part manufactured in a factory.

Also, for example, the shape of the partition is not limited to a square, and may be another shape. Also, compartments of different sizes or shapes may be mixed. Also, the position of the section may be identified by other types of methods instead of being identified from the two-dimensional barcode on the section.

Also, for example, the stored program 50 and the processing program 51 may be executed by the transport device 3 instead of or in addition to the transport control system 4 . Further, the transport device 3 may also serve as the transport control system 4 .

　4……Conveyance control system

Claims (16)

A floor that is information representing the degree of damage of at least the moving area among a plurality of areas on the floor including a storage area where a plurality of objects that can be transported are arranged and a moving area where the transporting device can transport the objects. a storage unit that stores information and transport information that is information relating to a transport task of the transport device;
A transport control system comprising: a processing unit that creates a moving route, which is a route along which the transport device moves, based on the floor information and the transport information. The floor surface is composed of a plurality of compartments,
each of the plurality of partitions belongs to one of the plurality of areas;
the floor information includes at least the degree of damage for each of the two or more partitions belonging to the moving area;
2. The transportation according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit evaluates each division in the movement area based on at least the degree of damage, and creates a route along which the transportation device moves based at least on the evaluation. control system. The processing unit evaluates each section in the movement area based on at least the degree of damage of each section belonging to the movement area and the transport status related to the transport task of the transport device, and at least the 3. The transportation control system according to claim 2, wherein the moving route is created based on the evaluation. The floor information represents, at least for each section belonging to the moving area, an accumulated load, which is an accumulated value of the load applied to the section from one or a plurality of conveying devices including the conveying device, for each load type;
The processing unit estimates the degree of damage for at least each section belonging to the moving area based on the cumulative load for each of a plurality of load types, and includes information representing the estimated degree of damage in the floor information. Item 3. The transport control system according to item 2. The processing unit is
Evaluating a section with a degree of damage less than the first degree as a section in which the conveying device can move;
A section with a degree of damage greater than or equal to the first degree and less than the second degree is defined as a section to which the transport device can move when the transport situation related to the transport task of the transport device is movement without the object; If the transport status related to the transport task of the transport device is to move with the object, the transport device evaluates as an unmovable section;
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein a section having a degree of damage greater than or equal to the second degree is evaluated as a section in which the transport device cannot move regardless of whether or not the transport situation of the transport device is a transport situation in which the object is present. Conveyor control system. at least one compartment has a removable compartment cover;
The strength of each compartment depends on at least one of whether the compartment has a compartment cover and the material of the compartment cover in the compartment,
The floor information represents, for each section, the strength of the section,
3. The transportation control system according to claim 2, wherein the processing unit creates the movement route based on at least the damage degree and strength of each section belonging to the movement area. The processing unit evaluates at least each section belonging to the movement area based on the degree of damage of the section to determine whether or not the section is a movable section, and creates the movement route based on the evaluation. ,
The transport control system according to claim 2. a compartment with a degree of damage less than the first degree is a mobile compartment;
When there are one or more sections each having a degree of damage greater than or equal to the first degree and less than a second degree, the processing unit is configured to move the conveying device with respect to at least one of the one or more sections. Determining whether to be a section or an immovable section based on the transport status related to the transport task of the transport device;
The transport control system according to claim 7. The floor information represents, for each load type, an accumulated load, which is a cumulative value of the load applied to each section from at least one or a plurality of conveying devices including the conveying device, for each section belonging to the movement area;
For each section, the cumulative load of multiple load types is the cumulative value of the number of times the section has been passed, the cumulative value of the weight given to the section, the cumulative value of the load due to acceleration and deceleration performed on the section, and at least two of the cumulative number of turns performed on the section,
The transport status of the transport task of the transport device includes whether the transport device transports an object, the weight of the object, whether the transport device accelerates or decelerates, and whether the transport device turns. or not, including at least two of
The transport control system according to claim 8. The processing unit is
At least for each section belonging to the movement area, score the section based on the degree of damage of the section,
Calculating the sum of the scores of the sections included in the candidate for each of the plurality of candidates for the movement route,
3. The transportation control system according to claim 2, wherein the moving route is created based on the total scores of the plurality of moving route candidates. The processing unit is
(a) Evaluate whether each compartment is movable based on the degree of damage to the compartment,
(b) creating a movement route composed of a plurality of movable compartments based on whether each compartment is a movable compartment;
(c) determining whether or not the conveying device will reach the target section by a predetermined time assuming that the conveying device has moved along the movement route created in (b);
(d) If the determination result in (c) is false, at least one unmovable partition can be moved based on the transport status of the transport task of the transport device and the degree of damage of each unmovable partition. change to a parcel and do (b);
The transport control system according to claim 2. The storage unit stores area information that is information representing the plurality of areas,
wherein the area information represents, for each of the plurality of objects, the weight of the object and the number of times the object has been conveyed;
Based on the floor information and the area information, the processing unit moves one or more pieces from one or more source partitions in the storage area to one or more destination partitions in the storage area for leveling the degree of damage. Determining to perform object position movement to move the above objects,
The transport control system according to claim 2. The storage unit stores area information that is information representing the plurality of areas,
wherein the area information represents, for each of the plurality of objects, the weight of the object and the number of times the object has been conveyed;
Based on the floor information and the area information, the processing unit determines whether there are one or more first objects in the storage area and one or more second objects exist for leveling the degree of damage. determining to perform an object position swap moving to one or more compartments and moving said one or more second objects to one or more compartments where said one or more first objects reside; ,
The transport control system according to claim 2. The storage unit stores area information that is information representing the plurality of areas,
The processing unit, based on the floor information and the area information, determines to change the layout by changing the area to which some sections belong to another area in order to level the degree of damage.
The transport control system according to claim 2. A floor that is information representing the degree of damage of at least the moving area among a plurality of areas on the floor including a storage area where a plurality of objects that can be transported are arranged and a moving area where the transporting device can transport the objects. a storage unit that stores information and transport information that is information relating to a transport task of the transport device;
A transport control device comprising: a processing unit that creates a movement route, which is a route along which the transport device moves, based on the floor information and the transport information. Information representing the degree of damage of at least the moving area among a plurality of areas on the floor including a storage area in which a plurality of objects that can be transported are arranged and a moving area in which the transporting device can transport the objects. with reference to the floor information and the transport information that is information related to the transport task of the transport device,
A transport control method in which a computer creates a moving route, which is a route along which the transport device moves, based on the floor information and the transport information.

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