JP2003104518A - Automated picking warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively use a space of an automated warehouse, to increase delivery capacity, and to enhance picking workability. SOLUTION: A case stored with a plurality of articles of the same kind is loaded on a narrow pallet 11 of a narrow width size, the pallet 11 is carried in and stored in a storage shelf 21 in a storage box 20, the pallet 11 delivered from the storage box 20 is conveyed by a conveying means, and a conveying posture of the pallet 11 is made to position the narrow width size of the pallet 11 along a depth direction in view from an article taking-out side in a picking zone 37.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a picking automatic warehouse.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in JIS Z 0105 Transport and Packaging Series Dimensions, as a pallet for loading a case containing a plurality of articles, use a wide pallet having a length of 1100 mm to 1200 mm and a width of 1100 mm to 1000 mm. Is the mainstream. For this reason, in the conventional automated warehouse, the shelf size of the storage rack and the conveyor size of the pallet loading / unloading line are all set to a wide size capable of receiving a wide pallet.

[0003]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Conventionally wide pallets are used as a standard for reducing the size of orders due to the multi-product variety and direct delivery (delivery directly to the distribution center of a retailer without the need for intermediate inventory bases such as wholesalers). There are the following problems in storage and handling in the automated warehouse.

The pallet load of a wide pallet makes the packing of articles of the same type large and heavy, making it difficult to store pallets of various types in a fixed space, and thus requires a large space for installing an automatic warehouse.

Since the automatic warehouse is filled with wide storage shelves and conveyor lines, the number of installed cranes cannot be increased.
Therefore, the number of pallets to be delivered (delivery capacity) per hour cannot be increased, the shipping speed cannot be increased, and it is difficult to deal with the time designation of delivery to the delivery destination.

When picking by case / individual unit directly from a wide pallet, the picking workability is poor because the pallet cannot be reached in the depth direction as seen from the take-out side. In order to solve this, it is necessary to install a depalletizing device on the shipping line in the automated warehouse, depalletize the cases on the pallet and supply them to the picking zone, which complicates the configuration of the automated warehouse.

An object of the present invention is to effectively use the space of an automated warehouse, improve the delivery capacity, and improve the picking workability.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a case containing a plurality of articles of the same type is provided with a length of 1100 mm to 1320 mm.
Defined in the range of 650 mm to 550 mm in width and loaded on a narrow pallet with a narrow size defined in the range of 650 mm to 550 mm, and the narrowed pallet is stored in one of the storage shelves equipped with a plurality of storage shelves in multiple rows. The wide pallet is stored in the storage, and the narrow pallet of the narrow size discharged from the storage is transported by the transport means, and the transport means moves to the shipping place, and the articles loaded on the narrow pallet can be picked. A plurality of picking zones are formed, and the narrow size of the narrow pallet is positioned in the depth direction as viewed from the article take-out side in the picking zone in the conveyance posture of the narrow pallet, and the control computer in each picking zone Picking of the article is performed based on the number of picked-up articles displayed by the picking indicator to be controlled, and after the picking is completed, the narrow pallet with surplus items is returned to the above storage. It is equipped with a re-stocking line.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect of the present invention, a terminal for displaying the remaining number on the narrow pallet is provided at the final end of the picking zone.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first or second aspect of the present invention, the storage shelves of the storage shed include both high-load shelves and low-load shelves. For the number of stacking stages, first, instruct the stacking for the number of stages that can efficiently fit in the high rack height, and after all the high racks are in the storage state,
It has an instruction means to change to a packing instruction for the number of stages that fits in the low rack height, and for re-stocked goods, it has a measuring means to measure the height of the pallet load of narrow pallets. In the case of a height that can be stored in the storage rack, priority storage is made to a low load rack.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to any one of the first to third aspects, the picking zone can be picked from both sides of the conveying means.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, in addition to the storage section provided as a first storage section, any one of a plurality of storage shelves is used as a storage front. , A conveyor is arranged along the loading / unloading frontage, and a second storage section is provided with a storage warehouse that allows a pallet load of narrow pallets to be carried in and out of the loading / unloading frontage by the conveyor.
The article on the narrow pallet carried out to the entrance / exit front of the storage section is made pickable based on the number of articles taken out displayed by the picking indicator.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the fifth aspect, the first storage section and the second storage section are provided, and one specified pallet is stored in the second storage section. , Inventory quantity P on narrow pallets in the second storage category
Is larger than the total number of shipments O, the articles of O are directly taken out from the narrow pallet, and when the total number of shipments O is larger than the inventory quantity P on the narrow pallets in the second storage section, The narrow pallets are output as wide pallets and are transported to the picking zone by the transport means circulating in the shipping area, and the shortage pallets of the number of pallets rounded up for each shortage (OP) are first stored. It is designed so that the goods are shipped from the category.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the fifth or sixth aspect of the invention, the second storage section is adapted to be used for storing bulk shipment items for picking articles in a case.

[0015]

According to the invention of claim 1, there are the following actions (1) to (5). (1) Pallet loading of narrow pallets makes it possible to reduce the size and weight of articles of the same product type, store multiple types of pallets in a fixed space, and install an automated warehouse in a narrow space.

(2) The shelving size of the storage shelves in the automated warehouse and the size of the conveyor line can be narrowed to accommodate narrow pallets, and multiple cranes can be installed in the same space. Capacity), the shipping speed can be increased, and it is possible to easily specify the delivery time to the delivery destination.

(3) When repeating small lot shipments of a wide variety of products, the pallets are put out from the storage box, the required number of articles are taken out, and then the narrow pallets containing the remaining articles are re-loaded into the storage box again. However, although the storage frequency increases, the number of cranes can be increased according to the above (2), so that the space productivity can be increased.

(4) The reduction in size and weight of the pallet load of the narrow pallet can reduce the load capacity of the crane in (2).

(5) Since the narrow width size is positioned in the depth direction as viewed from the article take-out side in the picking zone in the conveying direction of the narrow pallet, it becomes easy to reach the depth side of the pallet from the take-out side. Improves picking workability. Both case-based and bulk-based picking can be performed directly from the narrow pallet.

According to the invention of claim 2, there is the following effect (6). (6) Since the remaining number display terminal is equipped at the final end of the picking zone, by comparing this remaining display number with the actual remaining number on a narrow pallet that was manually checked, it is possible to inspect the shipment and improve shipping reliability. it can. Based on this inspection result, the stock data of the storage can be corrected as necessary, and accurate stock information of the storage can be obtained regardless of the stocktaking work.

According to the invention of claim 3, there is the following effect (7). (7) Since the storage is equipped with a high-load shelf and a low-load shelf, the number of loading stages has decreased due to repeated multiple-item small-volume shipments. Avoid the reduction of storage efficiency due to the width pallet entering the high-load rack. At this time, at the time of warehousing, priority is given to warehousing to a high-load rack to improve the efficiency of loading narrow pallets (number of stages). In addition, when re-stocking, the storage efficiency of the automated warehouse will be improved by giving priority to the low-level storage.

According to the invention of claim 4, there is the following effect (8). (8) In the picking zone, when it is possible to pick from both sides of the conveying means, one conveying means can pick to a large number of delivery destinations, and picking efficiency can be improved.

According to the inventions of claims 5 and 7, the following (9), (1
There is an action of 0). (9) In the second storage section, the return pallet from the picking zone that is also connected to the first storage section by making it possible to pick articles on the narrow pallet carried out from the storage front of the storage For a narrow pallet with a low remaining number and a low remaining number of articles, the height of the storage rack in the second storage section can be selected to be low to improve the storage efficiency.

(10) For products with a small number of shipments such as bulk shipments, the goods are preferentially stored in the second storage category, and a small amount of picking from the shipping front of the second storage category is performed in the first storage category. By doing in parallel with picking from
The operation rate of the automated warehouse can be improved.

According to the invention of claim 6, there is the following effect (11). (11) Inventory quantity P on narrow pallets in the second storage category
When the total number of shipments O is larger than that, the narrow pallets are unloaded and transported to the picking zone by the transporting means circulating in the shipping field, and the shortage (OP) is rounded up in pallet units. By collecting narrow pallets with a small number of pallets from the first storage category, all goods such as the required unloading number can be collected together from the two systems of the first storage category and the second storage category in the same picking zone. It is possible to improve the collection efficiency. It is possible to aggregate the roll boxes and the like for collecting cargo into one and prevent the dispersion.

[0026]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a picking automatic warehouse according to a first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing narrow pallets and wide pallets, and FIG. 3 is a picking automatic warehouse according to a second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic view, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the storage cabinet of the second embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a front view showing the storage cabinet of the second embodiment.

(First Embodiment) (FIGS. 1 and 2) In the picking automatic warehouse 10 of FIG. 1, a case 1 accommodating a plurality of articles of the same type is loaded on a narrow pallet 11 of a narrow width, and a pick-up line is provided. Narrow pallet 1 loaded from 31
1 is stored in any one of the narrow pallet storage cabinets 20 provided with a plurality of storage shelves 21 forming a multi-stage multi-row (six rows in this embodiment).

As shown in FIG. 2 (A), the narrow pallet 11 has a narrow width size (length within the range of 1100 mm to 1320 mm, width 65, for example, 1320 mm × 550 mm, 1100 mm × 660 mm).
Within the range of 0 mm to 550 mm), for the same type of articles, in addition to the case 1 that stores the articles in the case unit, a bulk transport container such as a tray, a container, or an opened case that stores the articles in the individual unit (one unit) 2 can be mixed. still,
The wide pallet 12 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (B), the length x width is a wide size such as 1100 mm x 1100 mm. Narrow pallet 11
The pallet area is about 60% of the wide pallet 12.

In the storage cabinet 20, stacker cranes 22 are arranged between two rows of storage shelves 21 facing each other along the frontage of the storage shelves 21 of each row.

The picking automatic warehouse 10 is a delivery line 32 for delivering the narrow pallets 11 delivered from the storage shelves 21 of the storage cabinet 20, a delivery line transport line 33 connected to the delivery line 32, and a reshipment delivery line connected to the delivery line 33. It has a storage line 34, and a transport conveyor 35 (transport means) that transports the narrow pallet 11 across each of these lines.

From the delivery line 32 to the assortment transfer line 33
A bar code reader 36 is installed at the entrance to
The barcode reader 36 is a narrow pallet 1 that is discharged from each storage rack 21 of the storage cabinet 20 and enters the goods sorting and conveying line 33.
The product number 1 is read and this is input to the control computer. The product type of the narrow pallet 11 is read from the bar code attached to the narrow pallet 11 or the case 1 on the narrow pallet 11. However, identification means such as a two-dimensional code other than a barcode and an ID tag may be used.

A transport conveyor 35 in the assortment transport line 33
Is moved to a shipping place (platform 40), and a shipping zone 41 to which a roll box 42 assigned to each delivery destination (store) is attached and detached is provided on the front side of the goods sorting and conveying line 33. The transport conveyors 35 of the assortment transport line 33 form a plurality of picking zones 37, one for each of the plurality of roll boxes 42 assigned to the shipping zone 41.

At this time, the control computer, on the basis of the reading result of the bar code reader 36, picking each roll box 42 for picking up the article of the kind of the narrow pallet 11 which has entered the goods sorting and conveying line 33 is correspondingly arranged. Narrow-width pallet 11 of the relevant product in order to zone 37
Automatically stop. Then, the control computer, in each picking zone 37, sends the shipping zone 41
The picking indicator 43 (case picking indicator and rose picking indicator) provided in correspondence with each roll box 42 of No. 1 lights up the number of the picked-up articles of the narrow-width pallet 11 stopped in each picking zone 37. indicate. The worker picks the number of articles displayed on the picking indicator 43 by the unit of the case 1 of the narrow pallet 11 or by the unit of the case 1 or the bulk carrier container 2 to the corresponding roll box 42, and the completion button When is pressed, the picking indicator 43 is turned off. When picking in the picking zone 37 is completed, the narrow pallet 11
Are transported to the next picking zone 37.

A transport conveyor 35 of the goods sorting transport line 33
Is configured such that the narrow size of the narrow pallet 11 is positioned in the depth direction when the conveying position of the narrow pallet 11 is viewed from the side of the picking zone 37 by the operator who takes out the article.

On the delivery side (final end) of the final zone of the picking zone 37 in the goods sorting and conveying line 33, a terminal device 44 (a case remaining number indicator and an unbalanced indicator) for displaying the number of articles remaining on the narrow pallet 11 is provided. A numerical display) is provided, and shipment inspection can be performed by comparison with the actual remaining number on the narrow pallet 11 manually checked. If the comparison results match, input OK. If they do not match, the picking quantity of the mismatched item is re-displayed on each picking indicator 43 at the completion timing of the picking work when all the picking indicators 43 that are lit in the picking zone 37 are turned off, and the corresponding roll box 42 is displayed. Check the actual picking number and correct picking mistakes or inventory data mistakes.

Re-stocking line 3 from the goods sorting and conveying line 33
The narrow pallets 11 in 4 are assigned to the empty storage shelves 21 if there are remaining narrow pallets 11, and the empty pallet stacking device 38 is assigned to the empty narrow pallets 11.

The shipping procedure of the picking automatic warehouse 10 will be described below. For example, in a food factory, the picking automatic warehouse 10 performs low-temperature storage at 10 ° C to 2 ° C and manages the expiration date of each product type (out of the old ones, do not issue two expiration dates to the same recipient). While the vehicle is shipped in units of the designated delivery time, the driver picks, inspects, transports in the vehicle, and loads the vehicle (5-10
In order to effectively utilize a certain limited refrigerating space and increase the shipping speed, the following procedure is used to effectively utilize the automated warehouse 10 in a certain space to increase the storage amount and quickly pick by vehicle destination.・ Accurately speed up shipping.

(1) When the control computer receives an order for each destination by vehicle, the control computer allocates the roll box 42 of the shipping zone 41 for each destination, calculates the total number of shipments by product type, and creates batch shipment and picking data. Start batch picking.

(2) From the stock data of the storage shelves 20, those having the oldest varieties and the best-before date (it may be the storage date) are selected as the pallets to be shipped, and the stacker 21 for the relevant stacker crane 22 is selected. It issues a delivery instruction to the delivery shelf location to be retrieved.

(3) From the storage rack 21 of the storage cabinet 20, using the stacker crane 22, the narrow pallet 11 of the required auction and sale type article is delivered to the delivery line 32. Departure line 32
Narrow pallet 1 that is loaded into the sorting line 33
One article type is identified by the barcode reader 36,
This identification information is transmitted to the control computer.

(4) Based on the identification information, the control computer transmits the picking data (including the remaining number data) of the shipping zone 41 for each destination to the control device of the sorting and conveying line 33, and the narrow pallet 11 is picked up. Send to 37.

(5) When the narrow pallet 11 of the article type to be picked into the roll box 42 corresponding to the picking zone 37 enters each picking zone 37 of the goods sorting and conveying line 33, the narrow pallet concerned 11
Is temporarily stopped in the picking zone 37, and the picking quantity is lighted and displayed on the picking indicator 43 (case picking indicator and bulk picking indicator) of the roll box 42.

(6) The operator looks at the picking indicator 43 and takes out the required number of articles from the narrow pallet 11 in case units or individual units, stores them in the roll box 42, and pushes the completion button to display picking. The container 43 is turned off. When the worker is replaced with the picking robot, the picking display device 43 becomes unnecessary.

(7) When the picking of the picking zone 37 is completed, the narrow pallet 11 starts to the next picking zone 37, and the picking is repeated based on the indication of the picking indicator 43 in the next picking zone 37.

(8) When the narrow pallet 11 arrives at the exit side of the final zone of the picking zone 37, the number of remaining articles that should be on the narrow pallet 11 is displayed on the terminal 44,
Shipment inspection is performed by comparing with the actual remaining number that is manually checked. If the comparison results match, input OK. If they do not match, the picking quantity of the mismatched item is re-displayed on each picking indicator 43 at the completion timing of the picking work when all the picking indicators 43 that are lit in the picking zone 37 are turned off, and the corresponding roll box 42 is selected. Check the actual picking number and correct the picking mistake. At the same time, if there is an inventory data error in the control computer, it can be corrected, and accurate inventory information can be obtained without inventory work.

If there is a case left in the narrow pallet 11 where the remaining number should be zero in the picking zone 37, the zero check photoelectric switch 45 (located slightly above the empty pallet) in the final zone is automatically operated. To detect the discrepancy. On the contrary, when the photoelectric switch 45 detects that there is nothing (zero) even though there should be a remaining number, the mismatch is automatically notified.

(9) The narrow pallets 11 after shipment inspection enter the re-stocking line 34, and the narrow pallets 11 with the remaining number are reloaded to the empty storage rack 21 by using the stacker crane 22. The empty narrow pallet 11 enters the empty pallet accumulating device 38.

According to this embodiment, there are the following effects. The pallet load of the narrow pallet 11 makes it possible to reduce the size and weight of articles of the same product type, store a large number of product types in a fixed space, and install the automated warehouse 10 in a narrow space.

The shelf size of the storage shelves 21 of the automated warehouse 10 and the sizes of the conveyor lines 32, 33 and 34 can be narrowed corresponding to the narrow pallets 11, and a large number of cranes 22 can be installed in the same space. The number of delivery pallets per delivery (delivery capacity) can be increased, the shipping speed can be increased, and it is possible to easily specify the delivery time to the delivery destination.

In the case of repeating small lot shipments of a wide variety of products, the pallets are put out from the storage box 20, the required number of articles are taken out, and then the narrow pallet 11 having the remaining articles is re-stored in the storage box 20 again. The frequency of loading and unloading into and from the storage cabinet 20 increases, but since a large number of cranes 22 can be provided according to the above (2), space productivity can be increased.

The reduction in size and weight of the pallet load of the narrow pallet 11 can reduce the load capacity of the crane 22 described in (2) above.

Since the narrow pallet 11 is positioned in the depth direction with respect to the conveying position of the narrow pallet 11 in the picking zone 37 from the side where the articles are taken out, it becomes easy to reach the depth side of the pallet from the side where the picking takes place. Improve workability. Directly from narrow pallet 11 in case units /
Both individual units can be picked.

Since the remaining number display terminal 44 is provided at the final end of the picking zone 37, by comparing this remaining number displayed with the actual remaining number on the narrow pallet 11 that is manually checked, it is possible to inspect for shipment and to have a reliable shipment. You can improve the property. Based on this inspection result, the inventory data of the storage cabinet 20 can be corrected as necessary, and accurate inventory information of the storage cabinet 20 can be obtained regardless of the stocktaking work.

In the picking automatic warehouse 10,
The storage rack 21 of the storage cabinet 20 may include both a high rack that can store a pallet load having a high stacking height and a low rack that can store a pallet load that has a low stacking height. The storage and restocking in the storage 20 can be performed as follows.

(1) Receiving goods In the loading yard 30 for loading the pallet load of the narrow pallet 11 to be put into the receiving line 31, loading to the narrow pallet 11 is performed by the instruction means connected to the control computer. First, the number of stages is specified to be stowed so that it can efficiently fit in the high rack height. The narrowing pallet 11 is accommodated in all the high-load shelves, and after the high-load shelves are all in the storage state, the instructing means changes the loading instruction to the number of stages to be accommodated in the low-height rack height. The control computer stores the narrow pallets 11 stacked so as to fit in the high rack height into the high rack and stores the narrow pallets 11 stacked so as to fit in the low rack height in the low rack. The stacker crane 22 is controlled so as to be stored in

(2) Re-stocked goods For the re-stocked goods from the re-warehouse line 34 to the storage box 20, a measuring means for measuring the height of the pallet load of the narrow pallet 11 is provided in the re-warehouse line 34, and the control computer Controls the stacker crane 22 based on the measurement result of the measuring means so that the pallet load having a height that can be stored in the low load rack is preferentially stored in the low load rack.

Therefore, the storage 2 equipped with the high and low shelves
The use of 0 has the following effects.

Since the storage cabinet 20 is provided with a high-load rack and a low-load rack, the re-reading narrow pallet 11 whose number of loading stages has decreased due to repeated small-lot shipment of various products is put in the low-load rack,
It is possible to avoid a decrease in storage efficiency due to the narrow pallet 11 of the low load rack entering the high load rack. At this time, when entering
The loading (number of stages) of the narrow pallets 11 is improved by prioritizing the entry into the high-load rack. Further, at the time of re-stocking, the storage efficiency of the automated warehouse 10 is improved by giving priority to the loading into the low-load rack.

(Second Embodiment) (FIGS. 3 to 5) The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a storage box 20 is provided.
Of the storage shelves 21 of 8 rows each, the storage shelves 21 of 6 rows are the first
In addition to being used as the storage section 101 of the
Is used as the second storage section 102. Second
The storage section 102 can be used for storing bulk shipment items for picking the articles in the case.

The loading and unloading of the narrow pallets 11 to and from the storage shelves 21 of the first storage section 101 is performed by the stacker crane 22 in the delivery line 3 as in the first storage section.
2. Perform with the re-stocking line 34.

In the second storage section 102, one of the plurality of storage shelves 21 is used as a storage front 51 and a front storage 52, a conveyor 53 is arranged along the front storage 51 and the front storage 52, and the narrow pallet 11 is stored. Pallet cargo can be stored in any of the storage shelves 21 from the conveyor 53 via the storage frontage 51 and the stacker crane 22.
Can be delivered to the conveyor 53 through the stacker crane 22 and the delivery front 52.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the second storage section 102 is provided on the front surface of the loading front 51 and the loading front 52, and a lifting device 54 is provided between the lower standby position and the upper working position with respect to the transport level of the conveyor 53. The storage transfer 55 (motor 55A) that moves up and down is provided. The loading / unloading transfer 55 is set to a lower standby position so that the narrow pallet 11 can be conveyed by the conveyor 53, and is set to an upper working position to load the narrow pallet 11 into the loading front 51 and the loading front 52.
It is possible to enter and leave.

The second storage section 102 is provided with a case picking indicator 56 and a bulk picking indicator 57 on the upper part of the shipping front 52, and a second shipping zone described later from the narrow pallet 11 put out in the shipping front 52. The total number of articles to be shipped to 70 is displayed on these indicators 56 and 57.
The total number of articles is taken out from the case 1 of the narrow pallet 11 on a case-by-case basis and from the case 1 or the bulk carrier container 2 on a unit-by-volume basis onto the conveyor 53. A completion button 58 is provided above the shipping front 52.

The second storage section 102 has a load height detector 60 for detecting the height of the pallet load of the narrow pallet 11 stored in the storage front 51, and the load height detector 60 detects it. According to the height of the pallet load, the height H of the storage shelf 21 which is the storage destination of the load can be adjusted. In this embodiment,
The load height detector 60 is configured by light emitters and receivers installed on both sides of the storage frontage 51. Further, a large number of pairs of pallet receivers 61 forming a pair on the left and right on both sides of the storage shelf 21 are fixed in a multi-tiered manner vertically with a pitch of a small step, and the stacker crane 22 is used to palletize the narrow pallet 11 of this time on any pallet. The shelf height is adjusted by controlling whether to insert the tray 61.

In the second storage section 102, the above-mentioned shipping zone 41 is used as the first shipping zone, and the conveyor 5
The second shipping zone 70 is provided on the front surface of the roll 3, and the roll box 71 assigned to each delivery destination (store) is attached to and detached from the second shipping zone 70. The control computer causes the sub-picking indicators 72 (case picking indicator and bulk picking indicator) provided corresponding to each roll box 71 of the second shipping zone 70 to be narrowed to the above-mentioned exit front 52. From the total number of articles taken out from the width pallet 11 to the conveyor 53, the number of articles to be subdivided into each roll box 71 is indicated by lighting.

In the second storage section 102, the conveyor 53 is connected to each of the delivery line 32 and the re-entry line 34. As a result, the narrow pallet 11 discharged from the shipping front 52 to the conveyor 53 is unloaded from the shipping line 32 to the cargo sorting / transfer line 33, picked up in each picking zone 37 of the cargo sorting / transfer line 33, and then re-loaded. It enters the conveyor 53 from the receiving line 34 and re-enters from the receiving frontage 51, or the empty pallet accumulating device 38.
Assigned to.

Hereinafter, a storage procedure and a storage procedure of the picking automatic warehouse 10 including the first storage section 101 and the second storage section 102 will be described.

(Goods Receipt) A product type with a small collection amount is specified in advance, and "priority goods receipt designation" is registered in the control computer.

The control computer uses the "priority goods receipt designation"
Registered varieties with a small shipment quantity as the second storage category 1
The storage shelves 21 of 02 are preferentially stored. When the quantity (P) within one pallet is stored in the second storage section 102, pallet goods of the same type newly stored in the automated warehouse 10 are stored in the storage rack 21 of the first storage section 101. .

Items of a small variety that have been shipped, such as "Priority warehousing designation", have a shipping frontage 5 of the second storage section 102.
It is possible to pick a small amount from 2 through the conveyor 53 in the second shipping zone 70, and to perform picking in the second shipping zone 70 in parallel with picking in the first shipping zone 41 for other product types. .

(Outgoing) (1) Picking when P> 0 When the inventory quantity P on the narrow pallet 11 by the second storage section 102 is larger than the total number of shipments O, the articles of O are directly attached to the narrow pallet 11 Take out from above.

That is, the shipping front 5 of the second storage section 102
The narrow pallet 11 is discharged from 2 to the conveyor 53, and O is taken out based on the display of the case picking indicator 56 and the bulk picking indicator 57. Next, the second shipping zone 70
Sub-picking indicator 72 of each roll box 71
Based on the display of, the above O is subdivided into each roll box 71. When a JAN code or the like is attached to the delivered O, the barcode can be read by the scanner attached to the second shipping zone 70, and the subdivision picking indicator 72 can be displayed to subdivide.

It is also possible to place a printer in the vicinity of the frontage of shipment 52 and subdivide it according to a subdivision list on which the number of articles for sale and auctioned products is printed. In this case, the subdivision picking indicator 72 can be eliminated.

(2) Picking when P ≦ 0 When the total number of shipments O is larger than the inventory quantity P on the narrow pallet 11 in the second storage section 102, the narrow pallet 11 remains as it is. From 52 to the conveyor 53, and from the delivery line 32 to each picking zone 37 of the sorting and conveying line 33, all the stocked articles on the narrow pallet 11 are picked. At the same time, shortage (OP)
For the above, rounding up to the number of pallet units is performed, and the narrow pallets 11 of the calculated pallet number are stored in the first storage category 10
1 from the delivery line, from the delivery line 32 to the sorting line 3
Narrow pallet 1 by transporting to each picking zone 37 of 3
Picking a shortage (OP) of articles from above.

The narrow pallet 11 delivered from the second storage section 102 is made an empty pallet, and after the final zero confirmation, it is assigned to the empty pallet accumulating device 38.

The surplus articles are allowed to remain on the narrow pallet 11 that has been unloaded from the first storage section 101, and the return destination of the surplus pallet is designated in the second storage section 102. When the number of remaining articles on the return pallet becomes small and the packing appearance becomes low, the height of the storage rack 21 of the second storage section 102 is adjusted and stored based on the detection result of the above-mentioned load height detector 60. The efficiency can be increased.

First storage category 101 and second storage category 1
Narrow pallet 11 from both 02 and 3
3 is provided with an auxiliary picking indicator 80 on the opposite side of the transport conveyor 35 from the first shipping zone 41, and the total articles for each roll box 71 of the second shipping zone 70 of the articles of the narrow pallet 11 concerned. Indicator 8
It can also be taken out according to the display of 0. The total number of articles taken out by the auxiliary picking indicator 80 is subdivided into each roll box 71 according to the display of the subdivision picking indicator 72 of each roll box 71. At this time, picking can be performed from both sides of the transfer conveyor 35 (picking zone 37).

According to this embodiment, there are the following effects. In the second storage section 102, the articles on the narrow pallet 11 carried out from the storage entrances 51 and 52 of the storage section 20 can be picked so that the first storage section 1
Narrow pallet 1 with a low remaining number of articles on the return pallet from the picking zone 37, which is also connected to 01.
For No. 1, the storage shelf 21 of the second storage section 102 can be selected to have a lower height to improve the storage efficiency.

For products with a small number of shipments such as bulk shipments, the goods are preferentially stored in the second storage section 102, and a small amount of picking from the shipping front 52 of the second storage section 102 is made into the first storage section. By performing it in parallel with the picking from 101, the operation rate of the automated warehouse 10 can be improved.

When the total number of shipments O is larger than the inventory quantity P on the narrow pallet 11 in the second storage section 102,
The narrow pallet 11 is delivered as it is and is transported to the picking zone 37 by the transport conveyor 35 that circulates in the shipping area. The shortage pallet 11 is rounded up to the picking zone 37. By unloading from the first storage section 101, it is possible to collectively collect all articles such as the required number of items to be taken out from the two systems of the first storage section 101 and the second storage section 102 in the same picking zone 37, The collection efficiency can be improved. The roll boxes 42 and the like for collecting the cargo can be integrated into one and the like to prevent the dispersion.

In the picking zone 37, when picking can be performed from both sides of the transfer conveyor 35, one transfer conveyor 35 can be picked to many delivery destinations, and picking efficiency can be improved.

The types of "prioritized receipt goods designation" to the second storage category 102 include small quantity shipment goods, articles frequently shipped in bulk, articles to which special packaging processing is applied, and other specially treated articles.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the design can be changed without departing from the scope of the present invention. Etc. are included in the present invention.

[0084]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively use the space of the automatic warehouse, improve the delivery capacity, and improve the picking workability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an automatic picking warehouse according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a narrow pallet and a wide pallet.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an automatic picking warehouse according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a storage case of the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a storage case according to a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Pinking automatic warehouse 11 narrow pallets 20 Storage 21 storage shelves 32 Delivery line 33 cargo sorting line 34 Restocking line 35 Conveyor (conveying means) 37 picking zone 41 Shipping Zone 42 roll box 43 Picking indicator 44 terminal 51 front entrance 52 frontage 53 conveyor 56,57 Picking indicator 60 load height detector 70 Second Shipping Zone 71 roll box 72 Subdivision picking indicator

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A case containing a plurality of articles of the same type is defined in a length range of 1100 mm to 1320 mm, and is loaded on a narrow pallet of a narrow width defined in a width range of 650 mm to 550 mm, and is then multi-tiered in multiple rows. The narrow pallet is stored in one of the storage shelves provided with a plurality of storage shelves, and the narrow pallet of the narrow width discharged from the storage is transported by the transporting means. Moves from the shipping area to form a plurality of picking zones that enable picking of articles loaded on narrow pallets, and the conveyance posture of the narrow pallets is measured in the depth direction when viewed from the article take-out side in the picking zone. Make sure that the narrow size of the narrow pallet is positioned, and picking of the article is performed based on the number of picked-up articles displayed by the picking indicator controlled by the control computer in each picking zone. Picking automated warehouse the narrow pallet with surplus products after completing the picking consisting includes a re receipts line back to the depot. 2. The automatic picking warehouse according to claim 1, wherein a terminal for displaying the remaining number on the narrow pallet is provided at the final end of the picking zone. 3. The storage shelves of the storage shed comprises both high-load shelves and low-load shelves, and for goods received, the number of stacking stages on narrow pallets is
First, an instruction means for instructing stacking for the number of stages that efficiently fits in the high rack height, and changing to a loading instruction for the number of stages that fits in the low rack height after all the high racks are in the storage state. For re-stocked goods, it has a measuring means to measure the height of the pallet load of narrow pallets, and if the height can be stored in the low load rack, preferential storage to the low load rack is requested. Item 3. The automatic picking warehouse according to Item 1 or 2. 4. The picking automatic warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the picking zone can be picked from both sides of the conveying means. 5. A pallet load for narrow pallets, in which, in addition to the storage section provided as a first storage section, one of a plurality of storage shelves is used as a loading / unloading frontage and a conveyor is arranged along the loading / unloading frontage. The second storage section is equipped with a storage box that allows the user to carry in and out by the conveyor as the second storage section, and the picking display displays the articles on the narrow pallet that have been carried out at the storage section of the second storage section. The picking automatic warehouse according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which enables picking based on the number of taken out articles. 6. The first storage section and the second storage section are provided, and one specified product specified in the second storage section is stored in one pallet, and the narrow storage pallet in the second storage section is stored. If the inventory quantity P is greater than the total shipment quantity O, the articles of O are directly taken out from the narrow pallet, and if the total shipment quantity O is greater than the inventory quantity P on the narrow pallet in the second storage category. , The narrow pallet is delivered as it is, and is transported to the picking zone by the transport means circulating in the shipping area, and the shortage pallet is rounded up to the picking zone for the shortage (OP). The picking automatic warehouse according to claim 5, which issues from the storage category of 1. 7. The automatic picking warehouse according to claim 5, wherein the second storage section is used for storing bulk shipment items for picking articles in a case.