CN115771690A - Container conveying equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a container conveyance facility. The container information storage unit (33) does not store the storage position information of each container stored in the automated warehouse. The device control unit (30) is communicably connected to the warehouse control unit (40), and outputs instructions relating to the transportation and storage of containers to the warehouse control unit (40). The warehouse control unit (40) is provided with: a status identification information receiving unit (42) that receives status identification information (D), which is information in which status information is associated with identification information for each of the containers housed in the automated warehouse, from the device control unit (30); and a status identification information storage unit (43) that stores the status identification information (D) received from the device control unit (30).

Description

Container conveying equipment

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a container conveyance facility including an automated warehouse for storing a plurality of containers.

Background

An example of such a container conveyance facility is disclosed in japanese patent laid-open nos. 2006-290491 (patent document 1) and 2007-76918 (patent document 2). In the following description of the background art, reference signs in the documents referred to are cited in parentheses.

The container conveyance facility of patent document 1 includes: a stacker (18) as an automated warehouse; a stacker controller (24) that manages the stacker (18); a material flow controller (26) as a higher-level controller of the stacker controller (24). Although patent document 1 does not describe details of the stacker 18, the stacker 18 is generally provided with an in-house transport device such as a stacker crane that transports containers in the stacker 18, and the stacker controller 24 controls the in-house transport device in accordance with a command from the logistics controller 26.

The container conveying facility of patent document 2 includes: an automatic warehouse having a plurality of storage sections (1) for storing containers; a stacker crane (3) as an in-warehouse conveying device for conveying containers in an automatic warehouse; and a processing device (EQ) for processing the plate body accommodated in the container. A real container in which a plate body to be processed in a processing apparatus EQ is stored is transported from a storage section 1 in which the real container is stored to a delivery section 1a by a stacker crane 3. Then, the processing device (EQ) takes out the plate from the container conveyed to the delivery section (1 a), and processes the taken-out plate. As described in paragraphs 0077 to 0079 of patent document 2, an empty container which is emptied by taking out all the panels by the processing apparatus (EQ) is transported from the delivery unit (1 a) to the storage unit (1) by the stacker crane (3). When returning the plate processed by the processing device (EQ) to the container, the empty container stored in the storage unit (1) is transported to the delivery unit (1 a) by a stacker crane (3). In this way, the real container or the empty container is conveyed to the delivery section (1 a) according to the situation.

Disclosure of Invention

A container transport facility provided with an automated warehouse is generally provided with a warehouse control unit that controls an in-warehouse transport device provided in the automated warehouse, and a facility control unit that outputs a transport instruction for transporting a container to the warehouse control unit. Although patent document 2 does not describe these warehouse control means and facility control means, in the conveying facility of patent document 1, the stacker controller corresponds to the warehouse control means, and the logistics controller corresponds to the facility control means. The transportation command output from the equipment control unit to the warehouse control unit usually includes identification information of a container to be transported, and the warehouse control unit controls the in-warehouse transportation device so as to transport the container corresponding to the identification information specified by the transportation command.

As described above, in the container transporting facility of patent document 2, the containers stored in the automated warehouse include a real container in which the articles are stored and an empty container in which the articles are not stored. Further, although the actual containers or the empty containers are conveyed to the stocker according to the situation, there is a degree of freedom in selecting the actual containers to be conveyed to the stocker and selecting the empty containers to be conveyed to the stocker.

For example, in the container transfer facility of patent document 2, the real containers are transferred to the unloading section in a state where the plate bodies to be processed in the processing apparatus are supplied to the processing apparatus, but when the processing order in the processing apparatus can be changed, there is a degree of freedom in selecting the real containers to be transferred to the unloading section. In the container conveying facility of patent document 2, the empty container is conveyed to the unloading section in a state where the plate processed by the processing device is returned to the container, but in a state where the container storing the plate can be changed, there is a degree of freedom in selection of the empty container to be conveyed to the unloading section.

As described above, there is a degree of freedom in selecting a real container to be conveyed to the stocker and selecting an empty container to be conveyed to the stocker, but when the warehouse control unit controls the in-warehouse conveying device so that a container (hereinafter referred to as a "corresponding container") corresponding to the identification information specified by the conveying command from the equipment control unit is conveyed to the stocker, the real container or the empty container conveyed to the stocker is limited to the corresponding container. Therefore, depending on the position of the storage portion in which the corresponding container is stored, the time until the actual container or the empty container is conveyed to the unloading portion may be increased, and the efficiency of conveying the container to the unloading portion may be reduced.

Therefore, it is desirable to realize a technique that can improve the efficiency of conveying containers to the knock-out section when there is a degree of freedom in selecting real containers to be conveyed to the knock-out section or selecting empty containers to be conveyed to the knock-out section.

A container conveyance facility according to the present disclosure is a container conveyance facility including an automated warehouse for storing a plurality of containers capable of storing articles, and a facility control unit, wherein the automated warehouse includes: a plurality of accommodating portions for accommodating the containers, respectively; a delivery unit that delivers the container or the article between the inside and the outside of the automated warehouse by being conveyed to the container accommodated in the accommodating unit; an in-warehouse conveying device for conveying the containers from the accommodating part to the delivery part; and a warehouse control unit that controls the in-warehouse conveying device, the containers including an actual container in a state in which the article is stored therein and an empty container in a state in which the article is not stored therein, the warehouse control unit including an in-warehouse information storage unit that stores identification information of each of the containers stored in the automated warehouse in association with storage position information that is information showing a position of the storage unit in which each of the containers is stored, the equipment control unit including a container information storage unit that stores the identification information of each of the containers in association with state information showing a state in which each of the containers is the actual container or the empty container, the storage position information of each of the containers stored in the automated warehouse being not stored in the container information storage unit, the equipment control unit being connected to the warehouse control unit and outputting instructions related to conveyance and storage of the containers to the warehouse control unit, the warehouse control unit further including: a status identification information receiving unit that receives status identification information from the device control unit, the status identification information being information in which the identification information of each of the containers housed in the automated warehouse is associated with the status information; and a state identification information storage unit that stores the state identification information received from the device control unit.

In the present configuration, the container information storage unit provided in the device control unit stores state information indicating a state of each of the containers being an actual container or an empty container, but does not store the storage position information of each of the containers stored in the automated warehouse. Therefore, when the equipment control unit performs a delivery instruction to the warehouse control unit to deliver the actual containers or empty containers stored in the storage unit to the delivery unit by using the in-warehouse delivery device, the equipment control unit cannot select the containers to be delivered to the delivery unit in consideration of the storage positions of the containers (in other words, the positional relationship of the containers with respect to the delivery unit). In this regard, according to the present configuration, the following configuration is configured: the warehouse control unit that manages the storage position information of each container receives and stores the state identification information from the device control unit. Therefore, when the warehouse control unit receives the delivery instruction of the real containers from the facility control unit, the real containers to be transported to the delivery unit can be selected in consideration of the storage positions of the real containers (in other words, in consideration of the positional relationship of the real containers with respect to the delivery unit), and for example, the real containers that can be most efficiently transported to the delivery unit can be selected. In addition, when the warehouse control unit receives the delivery instruction of the empty container from the equipment control unit, the warehouse control unit can select the empty container to be transported to the delivery unit in consideration of the storage position of each empty container (in other words, in consideration of the positional relationship of each empty container with respect to the delivery unit), and can select, for example, the empty container that can be most efficiently transported to the delivery unit.

In this way, according to the present configuration, the warehouse control means can select the real containers to be conveyed to the delivery section in consideration of the storage positions of the respective real containers, and can select the empty containers to be conveyed to the delivery section in consideration of the storage positions of the respective empty containers. Therefore, when there is a degree of freedom in selecting a real container to be transported to the knock-out section or selecting an empty container to be transported to the knock-out section, it is possible to improve the efficiency of transporting the container to the knock-out section.

Further features and advantages of the container transfer facility will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments described with reference to the drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a container handling apparatus in a simplified manner;

fig. 2 is a control block diagram.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the container transfer apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in fig. 1, the container conveyance facility 100 includes an automated warehouse 10, and the automated warehouse 10 stores a plurality of containers 1 capable of storing articles 2. In the present embodiment, the container conveyance facility 100 further includes an external conveyance device 20, and the external conveyance device 20 conveys the containers 1 that are put into and taken out of the automated warehouse 10. The external conveyance device 20 conveys the containers 1 outside the automated warehouse 10. As shown in fig. 1, in the present embodiment, a plurality of automated warehouses 10 are provided in a container carrier facility 100. In fig. 1, two automated warehouses 10 included in the plurality of automated warehouses 10 are set as a first automated warehouse 10A and a second automated warehouse 10B. The external conveyance device 20 is configured to be able to convey the containers 1 to the plurality of automated warehouses 10. The external conveyance device 20 is configured to be able to convey the containers 1 from the plurality of automated warehouses 10.

As shown in fig. 1, the container 1 includes: a solid container 1L in which the article 2 is accommodated; and an empty container 1E in which the article 2 is not accommodated. The container 1 is a case for accommodating substrates (an example of the article 2) such as glass substrates and semiconductor wafers. The container 1 is formed by combining frame materials, for example.

As shown in fig. 1, the automated warehouse 10 includes: a plurality of housing portions 11 for housing the containers 1, respectively; a delivery section 13 for transferring the container 1 or the article 2 between the inside and the outside of the automated warehouse 10 by conveying the container 1 accommodated in the accommodating section 11; the in-storage conveying device 12 conveys the container 1 from the storage unit 11 to the delivery unit 13 (i.e., delivery conveyance). The automated warehouse 10 further includes a warehousing unit 14 serving as a transportation source of the containers 1 to be transported to the storage unit 11, and the in-warehouse transportation device 12 further performs transportation (i.e., warehousing transportation) of the containers 1 from the warehousing unit 14 to the storage unit 11. The in-warehouse conveying device 12 may convey the container 1 directly (i.e., without passing through the storage unit 11) between the delivery unit 13 and the storage unit 14.

As shown in fig. 1, in the present embodiment, a plurality of housing portions 11 are provided so as to be aligned in a first direction X along a horizontal plane. Although not shown in the drawings, in the present embodiment, a plurality of accommodating portions 11 are provided at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction (vertical direction) so as to be aligned in the first direction X. That is, the plurality of receiving portions 11 are arranged in a plurality of rows in the first direction X, and are arranged in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction, and a receiving rack is formed by the plurality of receiving portions 11. A direction perpendicular to the first direction X along the horizontal plane is defined as a second direction Y, and in the example shown in fig. 1, a pair of storage racks formed in this way are provided in each of the automated warehouses 10 so as to face each other in the second direction Y with the movement path of the conveying device 12 in the warehouse therebetween. The plurality of housing portions 11 arranged in the first direction X do not necessarily need to be physically divided, and for example, the position and width of each housing portion 11 may be variable.

In the example shown in fig. 1, the delivery unit 13 includes an article loading/unloading unit 15 and a delivery conveyor 16, and the storage unit 14 includes an article loading/unloading unit 15 and a storage conveyor 17. As will be described later, in the article loading/unloading section 15, the transfer of the article 2 between the inside and the outside of the automated warehouse 10 is performed without performing the transfer of the container 1 between the inside and the outside of the automated warehouse 10. Therefore, the article loading/unloading section 15 is the unloading section 13 in terms of serving as a conveyance destination of the container 1 stored in the storage section 11, and is also the loading section 14 in terms of serving as a conveyance source of the container 1 conveyed to the storage section 11. In this way, the container 1 is not taken out from the automated warehouse 10 or the container 1 is not put in the automated warehouse 10 in the article loading/unloading unit 15.

On the other hand, the delivery conveyor 16 delivers the container 1 from the inside to the outside of the automated warehouse 10. That is, the delivery conveyor 16 is used for delivery of the containers 1 from the automated warehouse 10. In addition, the warehousing conveyor 17 delivers the containers 1 from the outside to the inside of the automated warehouse 10. That is, the warehousing conveyor 17 is used for warehousing the containers 1 into the automated warehouse 10. As the delivery conveyor 16 and the warehousing conveyor 17, for example, a belt conveyor or a roller conveyor can be used.

In the example shown in fig. 1, an article loading/unloading unit 15 is provided in place of a part of the storage unit 11 in a storage rack formed of a plurality of storage units 11. In other words, a part of the housing portion 11 is used as the article loading/unloading portion 15. As shown in fig. 1, a processing device 3 that performs processing on an article 2 or processing using the article 2 is provided adjacent to the article loading/unloading unit 15. The processing device 3 is configured to be capable of taking in and out the article 2 with respect to the container 1 disposed in the article loading and unloading section 15. An opening for taking in and out the article 2 is formed in the container 1, and the taking in and out of the article 2 with respect to the container 1 is performed through the opening.

The processing apparatus 3 takes out the article 2 from the real container 1L conveyed to the article loading/unloading section 15, and performs processing on the taken-out article 2 or processing using the taken-out article 2. In this case, the real container 1L stored in the storage portion 11 is conveyed by the in-warehouse conveying device 12 to the article loading/unloading portion 15 serving as the unloading portion 13, and the article 2 is delivered from the inside to the outside of the automated warehouse 10 (specifically, the processing device 3) by the article loading/unloading portion 15. The empty container 1E, which is emptied by taking out the article 2 by the processing device 3, is conveyed from the article carry-in/out section 15, which is the storage section 14, to the storage section 11 by the in-storage conveying device 12.

The processing apparatus 3 loads the processed article 2 or the article 2 used in the processing into the empty container 1E conveyed to the article loading/unloading unit 15. In this case, the empty container 1E stored in the storage portion 11 is conveyed by the in-warehouse conveying device 12 to the article loading/unloading portion 15 as the unloading portion 13, and the article 2 is delivered from the outside (specifically, the processing device 3) to the inside of the automated warehouse 10 at the article loading/unloading portion 15. Fig. 1 shows operations of the container 1 and the in-warehouse conveying device 12 in chronological order when the hollow container 1E of the first automated warehouse 10A is conveyed from the first storage section 11A, which is one of the storage sections 11, to the article loading/unloading section 15. The actual container 1L in a state in which the article 2 is placed by the processing apparatus 3 and the article 2 is accommodated is conveyed from the article carry-in/out section 15 as the storage section 14 to the accommodating section 11 by the storage conveying apparatus 12.

The container 1 (the real container 1L or the empty container 1E) unloaded from the automatic warehouse 10 is conveyed from the storage portion 11 to the unloading conveyor 16 by the in-warehouse conveying device 12, then conveyed to the downstream side (the right side in the drawing in the example shown in fig. 1) by the unloading conveyor 16, and then received by the external conveying device 20. In this case, the container 1 stored in the storage portion 11 is conveyed to the delivery conveyor 16 serving as the delivery portion 13, and the delivery conveyor 16 delivers the container 1 from the inside to the outside (specifically, the external conveying device 20) of the automated warehouse 10. The external conveyance device 20 moves toward the conveyance destination of the container 1 while holding the container 1 received from the delivery conveyor 16.

The container 1 (the actual container 1L or the empty container 1E) put in the automated warehouse 10 is conveyed to the warehousing conveyor 17 by the external conveying device 20, then conveyed to the downstream side (the left side in the drawing in the example shown in fig. 1) by the warehousing conveyor 17, and then received by the in-warehouse conveying device 12. The storage transport device 12 transports the container 1 received from the storage conveyor 17 as the storage unit 14 to the storage unit 11. Fig. 1 shows operations of the container 1 and the in-warehouse transport device 12 in chronological order when the hollow container 1E in the second automated warehouse 10B is transported from the external transport device 20 to the second storage section 11B, which is one of the storage sections 11.

In fig. 1, a case is assumed where the external conveyance device 20 is a ceiling conveyance vehicle that travels along a rail 21 disposed along the ceiling to convey the container 1. The external conveyance device 20 may be a conveyance device other than a ceiling conveyance vehicle. Examples of the conveyance device other than the ceiling conveyance vehicle include a conveyance device that travels along a rail 21 disposed along a floor to convey the container 1, and a conveyance device that autonomously travels on the floor to convey the container 1.

As shown in fig. 1, in the present embodiment, the in-box conveying device 12 moves in the first direction X to convey the container 1. In the example shown in fig. 1, the in-bank conveying device 12 moves in the first direction X between a pair of storage racks arranged to face each other in the second direction Y. The in-house transport device 12 is configured to be able to transport the container 1 between the transfer target and the transfer target, and is configured to be able to move while holding the container 1 (here, to be able to move in the first direction X). The transfer target includes a storage section 11, a delivery section 13, and a storage section 14. The in-warehouse conveying device 12 is, for example, a stacker crane including a traveling body guided by rails to travel and a lifting body that lifts and lowers along a rod provided upright on the traveling body. In this case, a transfer device (for example, a fork-type transfer device for moving the placement portion on which the container 1 is placed forward and backward) for transferring the container 1 between the lifting body and the transfer target is provided in the lifting body.

When the unloading operation for transporting the container 1 from the storage portion 11 to the unloading portion 13 is performed, the in-storage transport device 12 moves to a position corresponding to the storage portion 11 as a transport source of the container 1, then transfers the container 1 from the storage portion 11 to itself, and takes out the container 1 from the storage portion 11. Then, the in-box conveying device 12 moves to a position corresponding to the unloading section 13 of the conveying destination of the container 1, then transfers the container 1 from itself to the unloading section 13, and removes the container 1 to the unloading section 13. When the warehousing operation for transporting the container 1 from the warehousing unit 14 to the storage unit 11 is performed, the in-warehouse transport device 12 moves to a position corresponding to the warehousing unit 14 that is the transport source of the container 1, then transfers the container 1 from the warehousing unit 14 to itself, and takes out the container 1 from the warehousing unit 14. Then, the in-box conveying device 12 moves to a position corresponding to the storage portion 11 to which the container 1 is to be conveyed, then transfers the container 1 to the storage portion 11, and removes the container 1 from the storage portion 11. Here, the position corresponding to the transfer target location (the storage unit 11, the delivery unit 13, or the storage unit 14) is a position at which the in-storage conveying device 12 can transfer the container 1 between itself and the transfer target location.

As shown in fig. 2, the container conveyance facility 100 includes a facility control unit 30. In the present embodiment, the container conveyance facility 100 further includes an external control unit 50 that controls the external conveyance device 20. For example, the external control unit 50 controls the plurality of external conveyance devices 20. The automatic warehouse 10 is also provided with a warehouse control unit 40 that controls the in-warehouse transfer device 12. In the example shown in fig. 1, the warehouse control unit 40 also controls the conveying work of the containers 1 in each of the out-warehouse conveyor 16 and the in-warehouse conveyor 17. The functions of these control units are realized by cooperation of hardware such as an arithmetic processing unit and a program executed by the hardware, for example.

The equipment control unit 30 is connected to the warehouse control unit 40 so as to be communicable (capable of wired or wireless communication, the same applies hereinafter) and outputs instructions relating to the transportation and storage of the containers 1 to the warehouse control unit 40. The equipment control unit 30 outputs a command to the warehouse control unit 40 based on, for example, a transportation schedule of the container 1. The warehouse control unit 40 controls the operation (for example, an ex-warehouse operation or an in-warehouse operation) of the in-warehouse transfer device 12 in accordance with an instruction from the equipment control unit 30. In the present embodiment, since the plurality of automated warehouses 10 are provided in the container handling facility 100, each of the plurality of automated warehouses 10 includes the warehouse control unit 40. The following structure may be adopted: the plurality of automated warehouses 10 include a common warehouse control unit 40, and the common warehouse control unit 40 controls the in-warehouse transfer device 12 of each of the plurality of automated warehouses 10.

In the present embodiment, the device control unit 30 is communicably connected to the external control unit 50, and outputs a command related to the conveyance of the container 1 to the external control unit 50. The equipment control unit 30 outputs a command to the external control unit 50 based on, for example, a conveyance schedule of the container 1. The external control unit 50 controls the operation of the external conveyance device 20 in accordance with an instruction from the equipment control unit 30. For example, when the external conveyance device 20 is a conveyor that conveys the containers 1 between the two automated warehouses 10, the following configuration may be adopted: the external control unit 50 is not provided separately from the warehouse control unit 40, and the warehouse control unit 40 has the function of the external control unit 50 (i.e., the warehouse control unit 40 includes the external control unit 50).

As shown in fig. 2, in the present embodiment, the equipment control unit 30 includes a first control unit 31 and a second control unit 32, the first control unit 31 is communicably connected to the warehouse control unit 40 and the external control unit 50, and the second control unit 32 is communicably connected to the first control unit 31. The second control unit 32 is a higher-order control unit of the first control unit 31. The second control unit 32 generates an upper level transport command C1 relating to the transport of the container 1 and outputs the command to the first control unit 31. The first control unit 31 outputs a transport instruction C2 for transporting the container 1 in accordance with the upper transport instruction C1 received from the second control unit 32 to the warehouse control unit 40 and the external control unit 50.

The first control unit 31 and the second control unit 32 are at least logically distinguished, and do not necessarily need to be physically distinguished. Therefore, the device control unit 30 can be configured to include the first control unit 31 and the second control unit 32 physically separated from the first control unit 31, and the device control unit 30 can be configured to be a logically separated but physically integrated unit of the first control unit 31 and the second control unit 32.

As shown in fig. 2, the device control unit 30 (specifically, the second control unit 32) includes a container information storage unit 33. The device control unit 30 (specifically, the second control unit 32) is configured to be able to read and write information from and to the container information storage unit 33. The container information storage unit 33 includes a storage medium such as a flash memory or a hard disk. The container information storage unit 33 stores the identification information of each of the containers 1 in association with state information showing the state of each of the containers 1 as an actual container 1L or an empty container 1E. The status information is updated with a change in the status of the container 1.

On the other hand, the container information storage unit 33 does not store the storage position information of each of the containers 1 stored in the automated warehouse 10. Here, the "storage position information" is information showing the position of the storage portion 11 in which the container 1 is stored (i.e., the storage position of the container 1). In the example shown in fig. 1, the position of the housing portion 11 is represented by, for example, a position in the first direction X, or by respective positions in the first direction X and the up-down direction. In this way, since the container information storage unit 33 does not store the storage position information of the containers 1 stored in the automated warehouse 10, the positional relationship (distance relationship) of the containers 1 stored in the automated warehouse 10 cannot be grasped by referring to the container information storage unit 33. For example, the positional relationship between the container 1 stored in the automated warehouse 10 and the delivery unit 13 (the delivery unit 13 provided in the automated warehouse 10) cannot be grasped by referring to the container information storage unit 33. In the present embodiment, the container information storage unit 33 stores identification information (for example, an identification number such as a rack number) of the storage portion 11 in which the container 1 is stored, for each of the containers 1 stored in the automated warehouse 10.

Since the container information storage 33 stores therein the status information, the device control unit 30 (specifically, the second control unit 32) manages whether the container 1 is the real container 1L or the empty container 1E for each of the containers 1. In the present embodiment, information showing the automated warehouse 10 that houses each of the containers 1 (identification information of the automated warehouse 10), and identification information showing the storage section 11 that houses each of the containers 1 are also stored in the container information storage section 33 in association with the identification information of each of the containers 1. Therefore, the facility control unit 30 (specifically, the second control unit 32) also manages, for each of the containers 1, whether or not the container 1 is stored in the automated warehouse 10, which automated warehouse 10 the container 1 is stored in, and which storage portion 11 the container 1 is stored in. On the other hand, as described above, the container information storage unit 33 does not store the storage position information of each of the containers 1 stored in the automated warehouse 10. Therefore, the apparatus control unit 30 (specifically, the second control unit 32) does not grasp the positional relationship (distance relationship) of the container 1 in the automated warehouse 10.

As shown in fig. 2, the warehouse control unit 40 includes an in-warehouse information storage unit 41, a status identification information receiving unit 42, and a status identification information storage unit 43. The warehouse control unit 40 is configured to be able to read and write information to and from the in-warehouse information storage unit 41 and the status identification information storage unit 43. The in-library information storage unit 41 and the state identification information storage unit 43 are provided with a storage medium such as a flash memory or a hard disk, for example. The two storage units may be provided with storage media independent of each other, or may be provided with a common storage medium. In the latter case, the two storage units are not physically separated but logically separated.

The in-house information storage unit 41 stores the identification information of each of the containers 1 stored in the automated warehouse 10 and the storage position information, which is information showing the position of the storage unit 11 of each of the storage containers 1, in association with each other. Therefore, the warehouse control unit 40 can grasp the positional relationship of the containers 1 stored in the automatic warehouse 10 by referring to the storage position information stored in the in-warehouse information storage unit 41. The storage position information is updated as the storage position of the container 1 changes.

The state identification information receiving part 42 receives state identification information D, which is information associating identification information of each of the containers 1 housed in the automated warehouse 10 with state information, from the apparatus control unit 30. That is, the device control unit 30 generates the state identification information D based on the information stored in the container information storage 33 and transmits it to the warehouse control unit 40. Then, the state identification information storage portion 43 stores the state identification information D received by the state identification information receiving portion 42 from the device control unit 30. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, the second control unit 32 generates the status identification information D and transmits it to the first control unit 31, and the first control unit 31 transmits the status identification information D received from the second control unit 32 to the warehouse control unit 40.

The transmission of the state identification information D from the equipment control unit 30 to the warehouse control unit 40 is performed in accordance with a change in the state of whether or not the container 1 is stored in the automated warehouse 10, or a change in the state of the container 1 (the state of the real container 1L or the empty container 1E). Therefore, the state identification information D stored in the state identification information storage unit 43 is updated with a change in the state of whether or not the container 1 is stored in the automated warehouse 10, or a change in the state of the container 1.

Since the storage location information is stored in the in-warehouse information storage section 41, the warehouse control unit 40 manages (in other words, grasps) the positional relationship of the containers 1 in the automated warehouse 10 for each of the containers 1 stored in the automated warehouse 10. Further, since the state identification information D is stored in the state identification information storage portion 43, the warehouse control unit 40 also manages whether the container 1 is an actual container 1L or an empty container 1E for each of the containers 1 accommodated in the automated warehouse 10.

When receiving the delivery instruction for the container 1 from the equipment control unit 30, the warehouse control unit 40 controls the in-warehouse conveying device 12 so that the container 1 is conveyed from the storage unit 11 to the delivery unit 13 in accordance with the delivery instruction (specifically, causes the in-warehouse conveying device 12 to perform the delivery operation). In the example shown in fig. 1, the article loading/unloading unit 15 and the delivery conveyor 16 are included in the delivery unit 13. Therefore, the delivery instruction includes information on whether the delivery unit 13 to which the container 1 is to be transported is the article loading and unloading unit 15 or the delivery conveyor 16, and the warehouse control unit 40 controls the in-warehouse transport device 12 so that the container 1 is transported to the delivery unit 13 specified by the delivery instruction.

Upon receiving the warehousing instruction of the container 1 from the equipment control unit 30, the warehouse control unit 40 controls the in-warehouse conveying device 12 so that the container 1 is conveyed from the warehousing unit 14 to the storage unit 11 (specifically, the in-warehouse conveying device 12 performs warehousing work) in accordance with the warehousing instruction. In the example shown in fig. 1, the article loading/unloading unit 15 and the storage conveyor 17 are included in the storage unit 14. Therefore, the warehousing instruction includes information as to whether the warehousing unit 14 as a transport source of the container 1 is the article loading/unloading unit 15 or the warehousing conveyor 17, and the warehouse control unit 40 controls the in-warehouse transport device 12 so that the container 1 is transported from the warehousing unit 14 specified by the warehousing instruction.

However, since the warehousing instruction is an instruction to transport the container 1 from the warehousing section 14 to the storage section 11, the transport source of the container 1 is specified specifically as the warehousing section 14 (specifically, the warehousing section 14 specified by the warehousing instruction). Therefore, the container 1 to be conveyed in accordance with the warehousing instruction is the container 1 disposed in the warehousing section 14. On the other hand, since the delivery instruction is an instruction to transport the container 1 from the storage unit 11 to the delivery unit 13, the destination of transporting the container 1 is specifically designated as the delivery unit 13 (specifically, the delivery unit 13 designated by the delivery instruction). On the other hand, there may be a degree of freedom in selecting the container 1 to be transported in accordance with the delivery instruction.

For example, when the processing sequence in the processing apparatus 3 is not limited to a specific sequence, there is a degree of freedom in selecting the real container 1L to be transported to the article loading/unloading unit 15 as the unloading unit 13. In addition, when the processed article 2 put into the processing apparatus 3 or the empty container 1E of the article 2 used in the processing may be different from the container 1 that has previously stored the article 2, there is a degree of freedom in selecting the empty container 1E to be conveyed to the article loading/unloading unit 15 as the unloading unit 13. In addition, when the order of delivery of the containers 1 from the automated warehouse 10 is not limited to a specific order, there is a degree of freedom in selecting the containers 1 to be conveyed to the delivery conveyor 16 as the delivery unit 13.

When there is no degree of freedom in selecting the containers 1 to be conveyed to the unloading section 13, the facility control unit 30 (specifically, the second control unit 32) outputs an unloading command specifying the identification information of the container 1 to the warehouse control unit 40. In this case, the warehouse control unit 40 controls the in-warehouse conveying device 12 so that the container 1 designated by the warehouse-out command is conveyed to the warehouse-out section 13.

On the other hand, when there is a degree of freedom in selecting the real container 1L to be transported to the delivery section 13, the facility control unit 30 (specifically, the second control unit 32) outputs a delivery instruction to the warehouse control unit 40 in a state in which the identification information of the container 1 is not specified and the real container 1L is specified. In this case, there is a degree of freedom in selecting the real containers 1L to be conveyed to the delivery section 13, and the warehouse control unit 40 controls the in-warehouse conveying device 12 so that one real container 1L is selected from among the real containers 1L stored in the automated warehouse 10 and the selected real container 1L is conveyed to the delivery section 13. As described above, the warehouse control unit 40 manages the positional relationship of the containers 1 in the automatic warehouse 10 and whether the containers 1 are the real containers 1L or the empty containers 1E for each of the containers 1 stored in the automatic warehouse 10, and therefore, for example, the real containers 1L that can be most efficiently conveyed to the delivery unit 13 can be selected in consideration of the storage positions of the real containers 1L (specifically, in consideration of the positional relationship of the real containers 1L with respect to the delivery unit 13).

In addition, when the freedom is provided in selecting the empty container 1E to be conveyed to the unloading section 13, the device control unit 30 (specifically, the second control unit 32) outputs an unloading command in which the empty container 1E is specified without specifying the identification information of the container 1 to the warehouse control unit 40. In this case, there is a degree of freedom in selecting the empty containers 1E to be conveyed to the delivery section 13, and the warehouse control unit 40 controls the in-warehouse conveying device 12 so that one empty container 1E is selected from among the empty containers 1E stored in the automated warehouse 10 and the selected empty container 1E is conveyed to the delivery section 13. As described above, the warehouse control unit 40 manages the positional relationship of the containers 1 in the automatic warehouse 10 and whether the containers 1 are the actual containers 1L or the empty containers 1E for each of the containers 1 stored in the automatic warehouse 10, and therefore, for example, the empty containers 1E that can be most efficiently conveyed to the delivery unit 13 can be selected in consideration of the storage positions of the empty containers 1E (specifically, in consideration of the positional relationship of the empty containers 1E with respect to the delivery unit 13).

In the present embodiment, the following configuration is adopted: the equipment control unit 30 outputs the delivery instruction so that there is no degree of freedom in selecting the real container 1L to be transported to the delivery section 13 and there is a degree of freedom in selecting the empty container 1E to be transported to the delivery section 13. Therefore, when the warehouse control unit 40 is instructed to take out the real container 1L, the device control unit 30 outputs an instruction specifying the identification information of the container 1 (real container 1L). On the other hand, when the warehouse control unit 40 is instructed to unload the empty container 1E, that is, to unload the empty container, the device control unit 30 outputs a command in which the identification information of the container 1 (empty container 1E) is not specified and the empty container 1E is specified.

In the present embodiment, the following configuration is adopted: when receiving the empty container delivery instruction from the equipment control unit 30, the warehouse control unit 40 preferentially selects the empty container 1E that requires the shortest time to be transported to the delivery unit 13, and transports the selected empty container 1E to the delivery unit 13 by the in-warehouse transport device 12. As described above, the warehouse control unit 40 manages the positional relationship of the containers 1 in the automatic warehouse 10 and whether the containers 1 are the actual containers 1L or the empty containers 1E for each of the containers 1 stored in the automatic warehouse 10, and therefore, can select the empty container 1E that takes the shortest time to be conveyed to the delivery unit 13.

However, from the viewpoint of quickly supplying the empty container 1E to the unloading section 13 of the automated warehouse 10 that needs the empty container 1E, it is preferable that the empty container 1E is supplied from the storage section 11 of the automated warehouse 10 including the unloading section 13, regardless of which unloading section 13 (specifically, the article loading/unloading section 15) needs the empty container 1E. In this regard, in the present embodiment, by configuring the facility control unit 30 as follows, it is possible to suppress the variation in the number of empty containers 1E stored among the plurality of automated warehouses 10, and thus, in any automated warehouse 10 that requires the transportation of an empty container 1E to the warehouse-out section 13, it is basically possible to supply an empty container 1E from the storage section 11 of the automated warehouse 10 provided with the warehouse-out section 13.

The number of empty containers 1E stored in each of the plurality of automated warehouses 10 is set as the number of empty containers stored, and in the present embodiment, the following configuration is adopted: the equipment control unit 30 (specifically, the second control unit 32) selects, as the transfer destination of the empty container 1E, the automated warehouse 10 having the smallest number of empty containers stored among the plurality of automated warehouses 10 included in the object to be transferred the empty container 1E, when the empty container 1E is transferred to any one of the plurality of automated warehouses 10 using the external transfer device 20. For example, the automated warehouse 10 including the unloading section 13 (in the example shown in fig. 1, the article loading/unloading section 15) different from the unloading conveyor 16 is included in the target for conveying the empty container 1E. The equipment control unit 30 executes the transportation process of the empty container 1E every time, for example, a predetermined period of time elapses, or executes the transportation process of the empty container 1E when an index indicating a variation in the number of empty containers stored among the plurality of automated warehouses 10 becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

In the case of conveying the empty container 1E as described above, the external control unit 50 controls the external conveying device 20 so that the empty container 1E is conveyed to the warehousing section 14 (in the example shown in fig. 1, the warehousing conveyor 17) of the conveying-destination automated warehouse 10 in accordance with an instruction from the facility control unit 30. Then, the warehouse control unit 40 of the automatic warehouse 10 selected as the conveyance destination of the empty container 1E controls the in-warehouse conveying device 12 so that the empty container 1E is conveyed from the warehousing section 14 (in the example shown in fig. 1, the warehousing conveyor 17) to the storage section 11 (specifically, the in-warehouse conveying device 12 performs a warehousing operation) in accordance with the instruction from the facility control unit 30.

The empty container 1E is supplied from, for example, any one of the automated warehouses 10 (e.g., the automated warehouse 10 that stores the largest number of empty containers), or from a storage location of the empty container 1E (e.g., a dedicated warehouse for storing the empty container 1E). In the former case, the warehouse control unit 40 of the automatic warehouse 10 that is the source of conveyance of the empty container 1E controls the in-warehouse conveying device 12 so that the empty container 1E is conveyed from the accommodating portion 11 to the unloading portion 13 (the unloading conveyor 16 in the example shown in fig. 1) (specifically, the in-warehouse conveying device 12 performs the unloading operation) in accordance with a command from the equipment control unit 30. Then, the external control unit 50 controls the external transport device 20 so that the empty container 1E is transported from the delivery section 13 (in the example shown in fig. 1, the delivery conveyor 16) of the automated warehouse 10 of the transport source to the warehousing section 14 (in the example shown in fig. 1, the warehousing conveyor 17) of the automated warehouse 10 of the transport destination, in accordance with an instruction from the equipment control unit 30.

In the present embodiment, by configuring the equipment control unit 30 as follows, it is possible to always store the empty containers 1E in a number of at least a certain degree (specifically, the same degree as the first threshold value described later) in each of the plurality of automated warehouses 10, and to improve the conveyance efficiency of the containers 1L.

The facility control unit 30 outputs an empty container transfer command, which is a transfer command for an empty container 1E between different automated warehouses 10, and an actual container transfer command, which is a transfer command for an actual container 1L between different automated warehouses 10, to the warehouse control unit 40 and the external control unit 50. The empty container transfer command and the actual container transfer command designate the automatic warehouse 10 as the transfer source and the automatic warehouse 10 as the transfer destination.

When the empty container transfer command or the actual container transfer command is output from the equipment control unit 30, the warehouse control unit 40 of the automatic warehouse 10 of the transfer source controls the in-warehouse transfer device 12 so that the container 1 to be transferred is transferred from the storage unit 11 to the takeout unit 13 (in the example shown in fig. 1, the takeout conveyor 16). The external control unit 50 controls the external transport device 20 so that the container 1 transported to the unloading section 13 of the transfer-source automated warehouse 10 is transported from the unloading section 13 to the warehousing section 14 (in the example shown in fig. 1, the warehousing conveyor 17) of the transfer-destination automated warehouse 10. Then, the warehouse control unit 40 of the conveyance-destination automated warehouse 10 controls the in-warehouse conveyance device 12 so that the container 1 conveyed to the warehousing section 14 of the conveyance-destination automated warehouse 10 is conveyed from the warehousing section 14 to the storage section 11 as the conveyance destination as described above.

Here, the automatic warehouse 10 in which the number of empty containers is less than a predetermined first threshold value is set as a first target automatic warehouse, and the automatic warehouse 10 in which the number of empty containers is equal to or more than a predetermined second threshold value set to be equal to or more than the first threshold value is set as a second target automatic warehouse. In the present embodiment, the following configuration is adopted: the equipment control unit 30 outputs an empty container transfer command and a real container transfer command to the first target automated warehouse as a transfer destination in preference to a real container transfer command to the first target automated warehouse as a transfer destination. This makes it possible to always store the empty containers 1E in the plurality of automated warehouses 10 by the number at least as large as the first threshold value. In addition, in the present embodiment, the following configuration is adopted: the equipment control unit 30 prioritizes the actual container transfer instruction addressed to the second target automated warehouse over the empty container transfer instruction addressed to the second target automated warehouse, and outputs the empty container transfer instruction and the actual container transfer instruction. This can also achieve an improvement in the conveying efficiency of the container 1L.

When the second threshold value is set to a value greater than the first threshold value, no priority is given to the empty container conveyance command and the actual container conveyance command that are the conveyance destinations in the automated warehouse 10 for the automated warehouse 10 in which the number of empty containers stored is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and less than the second threshold value. In this case, the following configuration is adopted: the equipment control unit 30 outputs an empty container transfer command or an actual container transfer command, for example, in accordance with the order of occurrence of the transfer requests for the containers 1.

In the present embodiment, the device control unit 30 includes a first control unit 31 and a second control unit 32. In the present embodiment, the second control unit 32 sequentially outputs an upper transport command C1 (see fig. 2) including an empty container transport command and an actual container transport command to the second control unit 32 in response to the occurrence of a transport request for the container 1 or the like. Then, when the empty container transfer command and the real container transfer command are output to the warehouse control unit 40 and the external control unit 50 as the transfer command C2 (see fig. 2) for transferring the containers 1 in accordance with the upper transfer command C1, the first control unit 31 prioritizes the empty container transfer command addressed to the first target automated warehouse over the real container transfer command addressed to the first target automated warehouse and prioritizes the real container transfer command addressed to the second target automated warehouse over the empty container transfer command addressed to the second target automated warehouse based on the number of empty containers stored in each of the plurality of automated warehouses 10.

[ other embodiments ]

Next, another embodiment of the container transfer facility will be described.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, the following configuration is explained as an example: the equipment control unit 30 prioritizes the empty container transfer instruction addressed to the first object robot warehouse over the actual container transfer instruction addressed to the first object robot warehouse, prioritizes the actual container transfer instruction addressed to the second object robot warehouse over the empty container transfer instruction addressed to the second object robot warehouse, and outputs the empty container transfer instruction and the actual container transfer instruction. However, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and may be configured as, for example: the equipment control unit 30 outputs an empty container transfer command or a real container transfer command in the order of occurrence of the transfer requests for the containers 1, regardless of the number of empty containers to be stored.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the following configuration is explained as an example: when the empty container 1E is conveyed to any of the plurality of automated warehouses 10 using the external conveying device 20, the equipment control unit 30 selects, as the conveying destination of the empty container 1E, the automated warehouse 10 that stores the smallest number of empty containers among the plurality of automated warehouses 10 included in the object to convey the empty container 1E. However, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and for example, the following configuration may be employed: the equipment control unit 30 uses the external conveyance device 20 to convey the empty containers 1E to the automated warehouse 10 in which the number of empty containers 1E is insufficient for the required number. The required number of empty containers 1E may be set to a different value for each automated warehouse 10, for example, or may be set to a different value depending on the situation.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the following configuration is explained as an example: the device control unit 30 outputs the storage exit instruction so that there is no degree of freedom in selecting the actual containers 1L to be conveyed to the storage exit 13, and so that there is a degree of freedom in selecting the empty containers 1E to be conveyed to the storage exit 13. However, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and may be configured as follows: the device control unit 30 outputs a delivery instruction so as to have a degree of freedom in selecting the actual containers 1L to be conveyed to the delivery unit 13 and also to have a degree of freedom in selecting the empty containers 1E to be conveyed to the delivery unit 13, or the device control unit 30 outputs a delivery instruction so as to have a degree of freedom in selecting the actual containers 1L to be conveyed to the delivery unit 13 and not to have a degree of freedom in selecting the empty containers 1E to be conveyed to the delivery unit 13.

(4) In the example shown in fig. 1, the following structure is explained as an example: the processing device 3 takes in and out the article 2 to and from the container 1 disposed in the article loading and unloading unit 15, and thereby transfers the article 2 between the inside and the outside of the automated warehouse 10 in the article loading and unloading unit 15. However, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and for example, the following configuration may be employed: instead of the article loading/unloading unit 15, a container loading/unloading unit is provided, and the article 2 is transported together with the container 1 between the container loading/unloading unit and the processing device 3. In this case, the container 1 stored in the storage portion 11 is transported by the in-warehouse transport device 12 to a container loading/unloading portion as the unloading portion 13, and the container 1 is delivered from the inside of the automated warehouse 10 to the outside (specifically, the processing device 3) at the container loading/unloading portion. The container 1 returned from the processing apparatus 3 to the automated warehouse 10 is transported from the processing apparatus 3 to the container loading/unloading section, and then transported from the container loading/unloading section to the container 11 by the in-warehouse transport apparatus 12.

(5) In the example shown in fig. 1, the following structure is explained as an example: the empty container 1E is conveyed to the unloading unit 13 (specifically, the article carry-in/out unit 15) in order to return the processed article 2 in the processing device 3 or the article 2 used for processing to the container 1. However, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and for example, the following configuration may be employed: the empty container 1E is conveyed to the unloading section 13 in order to supply the empty container 1E to a pickup location where the picking operation of the article 2 is performed.

(6) In the above-described embodiment, the following configuration is explained as an example: the device control unit 30 includes a first control unit 31 and a second control unit 32. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and may be configured as follows: the device control unit 30 is one control unit having both the function of the first control unit 31 and the function of the second control unit 32.

(7) In the above-described embodiment, the following configuration is explained as an example: the container conveyance facility 100 includes an external conveyance device 20 and an external control unit 50. However, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and for example, the following configuration may be employed: in the case where a plurality of automated warehouses 10 are not provided, the container conveyance apparatus 100 does not include the external conveyance device 20 and the external control unit 50.

(8) Note that the configurations disclosed in the above embodiments can be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in the other embodiments (including combinations of the embodiments described as the other embodiments) as long as no contradiction occurs. In other words, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, various changes can be made as appropriate within a scope not departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[ brief summary of the above embodiments ]

The outline of the container transfer facility described above will be described below.

A container conveyance facility includes: an automated warehouse for housing a plurality of containers capable of housing articles; and an equipment control unit, wherein the automated warehouse is provided with: a plurality of accommodating portions for accommodating the containers, respectively; a delivery unit that delivers the container or the article between the inside and the outside of the automated warehouse by being conveyed to the container accommodated in the accommodating unit; an in-warehouse conveying device for conveying the containers from the accommodating part to the delivery part; and a warehouse control unit that controls the in-warehouse conveying device, the containers including an actual container in a state in which the article is stored therein and an empty container in a state in which the article is not stored therein, the warehouse control unit including an in-warehouse information storage unit that stores identification information of each of the containers stored in the automated warehouse in association with storage position information that is information showing a position of the storage unit in which each of the containers is stored, the equipment control unit including a container information storage unit that stores the identification information of each of the containers in association with state information showing a state in which each of the containers is the actual container or the empty container, the storage position information of each of the containers stored in the automated warehouse being not stored in the container information storage unit, the equipment control unit being connected to the warehouse control unit and outputting instructions related to conveyance and storage of the containers to the warehouse control unit, the warehouse control unit further including: a status identification information receiving section that receives status identification information from the equipment control unit, the status identification information being information that associates the identification information of each of the containers housed in the automated warehouse with the status information; and a state identification information storage unit that stores the state identification information received from the device control unit.

In the present configuration, the container information storage unit provided in the device control unit stores state information indicating a state of each of the containers being an actual container or an empty container, but does not store the storage position information of each of the containers stored in the automated warehouse. Therefore, when the equipment control unit performs a delivery instruction to the warehouse control unit to deliver the actual containers or empty containers stored in the storage unit to the delivery unit by using the in-warehouse delivery device, the equipment control unit cannot select the containers to be delivered to the delivery unit in consideration of the storage positions of the containers (in other words, the positional relationship of the containers with respect to the delivery unit). In this regard, according to the present configuration, the following configuration is configured: the warehouse control unit that manages the storage position information of each container receives and stores the state identification information from the device control unit. Therefore, when the warehouse control unit receives the delivery instruction of the real containers from the facility control unit, the real containers to be transported to the delivery unit can be selected in consideration of the storage positions of the real containers (in other words, in consideration of the positional relationship of the real containers with respect to the delivery unit), and for example, the real containers that can be most efficiently transported to the delivery unit can be selected. In addition, when the warehouse control unit receives the delivery instruction of the empty container from the equipment control unit, the warehouse control unit can select the empty container to be transported to the delivery unit in consideration of the storage position of each empty container (in other words, in consideration of the positional relationship of each empty container with respect to the delivery unit), and can select, for example, the empty container that can be most efficiently transported to the delivery unit.

In this way, according to the present configuration, the warehouse control means can select the real containers to be conveyed to the delivery section in consideration of the storage positions of the respective real containers, and can select the empty containers to be conveyed to the delivery section in consideration of the storage positions of the respective empty containers. Therefore, when there is a degree of freedom in selecting a real container to be conveyed to the stocker or selecting an empty container to be conveyed to the stocker, it is possible to improve the efficiency of conveying containers to the stocker.

Here, it is preferable that the equipment control unit outputs a command in which the empty container is specified without specifying the identification information when the empty container retrieval command is executed as the retrieval command of the empty container to the warehouse control unit.

According to this configuration, since the empty container retrieval command outputted from the equipment control means to the warehouse control means is a command not to specify the identification information, the warehouse control means managing the storage position information of each container can select an empty container to be transported to the retrieval unit. Therefore, when transporting empty containers to the delivery section, the empty containers selected in consideration of the storage positions of the empty containers can be transported to the delivery section by the in-storage transporting device.

As described above, in the configuration in which the equipment control means outputs the command in the state in which the empty container is not specified but the empty container is specified without specifying the identification information when the equipment control means issues the empty container retrieval command as the retrieval command for the empty container to the warehouse control means, it is preferable that the warehouse control means selects the empty container with the shortest time required for transportation to the retrieval unit preferentially and transports the selected empty container to the retrieval unit by the in-warehouse transport device when receiving the empty container retrieval command from the equipment control means.

According to this configuration, when an empty container is transported to the storage section, the empty container that requires the shortest time to be transported to the storage section can be transported to the storage section.

Preferably, the container transfer facility of each of the above configurations further includes: an external conveyance device that conveys the containers that have been put into or taken out of the automated warehouse; and an external control unit configured to control the external conveyance device, wherein the external conveyance device is provided with a plurality of the automated warehouses, the external conveyance device is configured to be capable of conveying the containers to the plurality of the automated warehouses, the equipment control unit is communicably connected to the external control unit, outputs a command related to conveyance of the containers to the external control unit, sets the number of empty containers stored in each of the plurality of the automated warehouses as the number of empty containers to be stored, and selects, as a conveyance destination of the empty container, the automated warehouse having the smallest number of empty containers to be stored among the plurality of the automated warehouses included in an object to convey the empty container, when conveying the empty container to any one of the plurality of the automated warehouses using the external conveyance device.

According to this configuration, variation in the number of empty containers stored in the plurality of automated warehouses can be suppressed to a small extent. Therefore, in any automated warehouse, even when the empty container in the delivery unit needs to be transported, the empty container can be basically supplied from the storage unit of the automated warehouse including the delivery unit. Therefore, even when an empty container is required in any of the automated warehouses, it is easy to quickly supply the empty container to the warehouse-out unit that requires the empty container.

Preferably, the apparatus further comprises: an external conveyance device that conveys the containers that are put into or taken out of the automated warehouse; and an external control unit configured to control the external transfer device, wherein a plurality of the automatic warehouses are provided, the external transfer device is configured to be capable of transferring the containers to the plurality of the automatic warehouses, the equipment control unit is communicably connected to the external control unit, the warehouse control unit and the external control unit are output an empty container transfer command, which is a transfer command for the empty container between different automatic warehouses, and a real container transfer command, which is a transfer command for the real container between different automatic warehouses, the number of empty containers stored in each of the plurality of automatic warehouses is set as a number of empty containers stored, the automatic warehouse storing the number of empty containers less than a predetermined first threshold is set as a first object automatic warehouse, the automatic warehouse storing the number of empty containers equal to or more than a predetermined second threshold set to or more than the first threshold is set as a second object automatic warehouse, the equipment control unit prioritizes the empty container command in the first object automatic warehouse as a transfer destination over the real container transfer command in the first object automatic warehouse as a transfer destination, and outputs the empty container transfer command and the real container transfer command in the automatic warehouse as the empty container transfer command in the transfer destination in preference over the empty container in the transfer command in the first object automatic warehouse and the transfer destination.

According to this configuration, the empty container transfer command addressed to the automated warehouse is output from the facility control unit in preference to the actual container transfer command addressed to the automated warehouse, in the automated warehouse in which the number of empty containers stored is less than the first threshold. Therefore, it is possible to always store the empty containers in the number at least as large as the first threshold value in each of the plurality of automated warehouses. In addition, since the actual container transport instruction addressed to the automated warehouse is output from the facility control means in preference to the empty container transport instruction addressed to the automated warehouse, for the automated warehouse which has a large number of empty containers to the extent of not less than the second threshold value, it is possible to achieve an improvement in the transport efficiency of the actual containers.

The container conveyance facility of the present disclosure may be any device that can achieve at least one of the above-described effects.

Description of reference numerals

1: container with a lid

1E: empty container

1L: solid container

2: article with a cover

10: automated warehouse

11: containing part

12: conveying device in warehouse

13: delivery part

20: external conveying device

30: device control unit

33: container information storage unit

40: warehouse control unit

41: in-library information storage unit

42: state identification information receiving unit

43: status identification information storage unit

50: external control unit

100: container conveying equipment

D: status identification information.

Claims (5)

1. A container conveyance facility includes: an automated warehouse for housing a plurality of containers capable of housing items; and a device control unit, characterized in that,

the automatic warehouse is provided with:

a plurality of accommodating portions for accommodating the containers, respectively;

a delivery unit that delivers the container or the article between the inside and the outside of the automated warehouse by being conveyed to the container accommodated in the accommodating unit;

an in-warehouse conveying device for conveying the containers from the accommodating part to the delivery part; and

a warehouse control unit for controlling the conveying device in the warehouse,

the container includes a real container in which the article is accommodated and an empty container in which the article is not accommodated,

the warehouse control unit includes an in-warehouse information storage unit that stores identification information of each of the containers stored in the automated warehouse in association with storage position information that is information showing a position of the storage unit in which each of the containers is stored,

the device control unit includes a container information storage unit that stores the identification information of each of the containers and state information showing a state of each of the containers being the real container or the empty container in association with each other,

the housing position information of each of the containers housed in the automated warehouse is not stored in the container information storage portion,

the equipment control unit is communicably connected to the warehouse control unit, outputs instructions relating to the transportation and storage of the containers to the warehouse control unit,

the warehouse control unit further includes:

a status identification information receiving section that receives status identification information from the equipment control unit, the status identification information being information in which the identification information of each of the containers housed in the automated warehouse is associated with the status information; and

and a state identification information storage unit that stores the state identification information received from the device control unit.

2. The container handling facility according to claim 1,

the equipment control unit outputs a command in which the empty container is specified without specifying the identification information when the empty container delivery command is performed as the delivery command of the empty container to the warehouse control unit.

3. The container handling facility according to claim 2,

the warehouse control unit preferentially selects the empty container that requires the shortest time to be transported to the delivery section when receiving the empty container delivery instruction from the equipment control unit, and transports the selected empty container to the delivery section by the in-warehouse transport device.

4. The container handling facility according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

an external conveyance device that conveys the containers that are put into or taken out of the automated warehouse; and

an external control unit for controlling the external carrying device,

a plurality of said automated warehouses are provided,

the external conveyance device is configured to be capable of conveying the containers to the plurality of automated warehouses,

the equipment control means is communicably connected to the external control means, and outputs a command related to the transport of the container to the external control means,

setting the number of empty containers accommodated in each of the plurality of automated warehouses as an accommodating empty container number,

the equipment control unit selects, as a transfer destination of the empty container, the automated warehouse that stores the smallest number of empty containers among the plurality of automated warehouses included in an object to be transferred, when transferring the empty container to any one of the plurality of automated warehouses using the external transfer device.

5. The container handling facility according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

an external conveyance device that conveys the containers that have been put into or taken out of the automated warehouse; and

an external control unit for controlling the external conveyance device,

a plurality of said automated warehouses are provided,

the external conveyance device is configured to be capable of conveying the containers to the plurality of automated warehouses,

the equipment control unit is communicably connected to the external control unit, and outputs an empty container transfer command, which is a transfer command for the empty container between the different automated warehouses, and a real container transfer command, which is a transfer command for the real container between the different automated warehouses, to the warehouse control unit and the external control unit,

setting the number of empty containers stored in each of the plurality of automated warehouses as an empty container storage number, setting the automated warehouse in which the empty container storage number is less than a predetermined first threshold value as a first target automated warehouse, and setting the automated warehouse in which the empty container storage number is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold value that is equal to or greater than the first threshold value as a second target automated warehouse,

the equipment control unit outputs the empty container transfer instruction and the real container transfer instruction by giving priority to the empty container transfer instruction addressed to the first target automated warehouse over the real container transfer instruction addressed to the first target automated warehouse, and giving priority to the real container transfer instruction addressed to the second target automated warehouse over the empty container transfer instruction addressed to the second target automated warehouse.

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