JP2003321111A - Picking cart and picking system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive picking cart and a picking system enabling novice workers to conduct picking operation for parts easily. <P>SOLUTION: This picking system is provided with a cart main unit 10 which moves on the floor by rotation of a wheel 55, a movable shelf 11 with multiple addresses lengthwise and crosswise, a feeding means with at least a roller, an indicator 14 installed in each address of the shelf 11, a control means to turn on and off the indicator 14 of the shelf 11 in the picking order, and a power supply line to supply power from the power supply to the indicator based on control signals from the control means, and first and second connectors 10c and 11c, which are part of the power supply and connectable and detachable each other, are installed in the main unit and the shelf. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a picking cart for picking various kinds of parts, and a picking system using the cart.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As a large-scale picking system for transporting a large number of parts at once, for example, a system using a self-propelled picking cart (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-168941) has been proposed. Such a system uses a self-propelled cart or the like and is extremely expensive.

On the other hand, in small companies and the like, unskilled workers such as part-timers are more and more likely to engage in equipment manufacturing due to reduction of production cost and utilization of surplus labor. Therefore, when the parts are transported from the warehouse, there is a possibility that the necessary parts are mistaken or the parts cannot be found. Also,
When assembling the parts, there is a possibility that it may not be known which part is used.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive picking cart and picking system which allow even an unskilled worker to easily pick parts.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the picking cart of the present invention is a picking cart having a power source and movable by wheels. A cart main body that moves, and a movable shelf that is a separate body from the cart main body and has a plurality of vertical and horizontal addresses
Conveying means having at least rollers for supporting the shelves on the cart body, facilitating transfer of the shelves from the cart body, and facilitating transfer of the shelves to the cart body, and each address of the shelves. A display unit provided for each of the units, a control unit for lighting and extinguishing the display unit of the shelf in the picking order, and power from the power source is supplied to the display unit based on a control signal from the control unit. And a first and second connector, which constitutes a part of the power supply line and is connectable / detachable with each other, on the main body and the shelf.

On the other hand, in the picking system of the present invention, the cart body that moves on the floor by the rotation of the wheels, the station provided in the assembly area, and the movable shelf that is transferred between the cart body and the station. A first indicator provided for each address of the shelf, a warehouse for storing various types of parts divided into a number of addresses, and a second indicator provided for each address of the warehouse
In a picking system including a display and a control unit that controls turning on and off of the first and second displays, the shelf can be placed on both the top surface of the cart body and the top surface of the station, The cart body and / or the station is provided with a conveying means for facilitating the transfer of the shelf from the cart body to the station and the transfer of the shelf from the station to the cart body. When picking, the second indicators are turned on one by one in order of picking and then turned off, and when the shelves are placed on the cart body, the parts are picked in the order of picking. The first indicator is sequentially turned on and turned off one by one for each address, and when the shelf is placed on the station, Characterized in that so as to turn off after the the assembly sequence first indicator of it is sequentially turned on.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Overall configuration: As shown in FIG. 1, in this picking system, an operator carries out picking in a warehouse 2 while pushing a picking cart 1 and conveys parts to be used for assembling to an assembling area 3 where the parts are assembled. It is a relatively small system that is assembled using. This system includes a rack 20 provided in a warehouse 2, a station 30 provided in an assembly area 3, the cart 1, control personal computers 40a and 40b, and a management personal computer 60 (FIG. 5).

Rack 20 of warehouse 2: The rack 20 is provided with a large number of storage chambers 21a which are vertically and horizontally partitioned by partitions, as shown in FIG. 2 (a). An address (hereinafter referred to as "warehouse address") is set for each of the storage chambers 21a in the storage chamber 21a, and parts of the same type are stored in each of the warehouse addresses in a bucket-shaped container, for example. It has been stored. Therefore, various kinds of parts in the warehouse 2 are divided and stored in many warehouse addresses. A second indicator 24 including, for example, a lamp is provided on the front surface of the rack 20 for each warehouse address.

Picking Cart 1: As shown in FIG. 3, the cart 1 is provided with a cart body 10 and a movable shelf 11 separate from the cart body 10. The cart body 10 is provided with wheels 55, and the wheels 55 are
It is possible to move the cart 1 on the floor surface F by rotating.

As shown in FIG. 4, a conveying means provided with a free roller 17 is provided below the shelf 11.
The roller 17 is rotatably attached to the shelf 11 and supports the shelf 11 with respect to the cart body 10. When the shelf 11 is pushed after the cart 1 is brought into contact with the station 30, the shelf 11 is moved to the cart body 10.
By the rotation of the roller 17, it is possible to smoothly move from the position of the upper surface of the roller to the position of the upper surface 31 of the station 30 as shown by the chain double-dashed line.

A plurality of addresses (hereinafter referred to as "shelf addresses") are set in the vertical and horizontal directions on the shelf 11 shown in FIG. 2 (b), and each of the shelf addresses has a first address such as a lamp. A display 14 is provided. On the shelf 11, a large number of containers 11 capable of storing the parts for each of the shelf addresses are provided.
a is placed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cart main body 10 is provided with a temporary placing table 50 on which a container accommodating parts stored in a warehouse can be temporarily placed. The temporary table 50
Is attached to the cart body 10 via an arm 51. A hydraulic cylinder (not shown), for example, is attached to the cart body 10, and the temporary stand 50 is provided.
In the unloaded state, is raised to the upper position shown by the chain double-dashed line. When the load of the container in the rack 20 is applied to the temporary placing table 50, the temporary placing table 50 is lowered at a low speed by the arm 51. Therefore, the operator can easily move the heavy container in which the parts are stored by placing it on the temporary placing table 50 as needed. A spring may be provided instead of the hydraulic cylinder so that the temporary placing table 50 can be lifted.
Further, the temporary placing table 50 may have a lock mechanism that can be fixed at any position. The temporary table 50 shown in FIG.
A handle 52 is provided. The operator uses the handle 5
While gripping 2 and moving the cart 1, the left and right sides of the handle 52 are pushed to operate the cart 1.

Control structure: As shown in FIG.
0 is provided with a warehouse / cart control personal computer 40a, and the station 30 is provided with a station control personal computer 40b. Both control personal computer 40
The a and 40b are connected to a management personal computer (server) 60 via a LAN line, for example, and exchange information with each other. PC 40a for controlling the warehouse / cart
Wireless units 48 and 18 that form wireless communication means are connected to the cart body 10 and, respectively,
The wireless units 48 and 18 are set to be communicable with each other.

The management personal computer 60 has a storage unit 61 and manages data on the system. The storage unit 61 stores picking information, assembly information, and the like. The picking information includes information such as a warehouse address of a part to be picked, a shelf address to store the picked part, and the number of the part to be picked, which are associated with each other in the order of picking. The assembly information includes assembly information including shelf addresses in the assembly order of parts. The management personal computer 60 does not necessarily have to be provided, and for example, any one of the control personal computers 40a and 40b may be set to have the function of the management personal computer 60.

The control personal computers 40a and 40b are provided with CPUs 41a and 41b, respectively. A second power supply 23e of the rack 20 is connected to the warehouse / cart control personal computer 40a, and the second display 24 is connected to the second power supply 23e via a power supply line L. Therefore, the warehouse / cart personal computer 40a
The second display 24 can be turned on by supplying power to the second display 24 from the second power supply 23e through the power supply line L based on the control signal from the. As will be described later, during picking, the second display 24 is turned on and off in the order of picking based on the picking information.

The first power supply 13e of the cart body 10 is provided with the second connector 10c via a power supply line L. On the other hand, the first indicator 14 of the shelf 11 is provided with the first connector 11c via the power line L. Therefore, at the time of picking, which will be described later, after connecting the second connector 10c and the first connector 11c, the first power source 13e sends the first signal via the power line L based on the control signal received by the wireless unit 18. It is possible to supply power to the display 14 and turn on the first display 14. As will be described later, at the time of the picking, the first indicator 14 is turned on and off in the picking order based on the picking information.

On the other hand, the cart body 10 is provided with a quantity indicator 15 (FIG. 3) and a completion button (operation section) 16. The quantity display unit 15 is, for example, a liquid crystal display unit, and displays the number of parts to be picked based on the picking information at the time of picking. The completion button 16 is for inputting the completion of the picking, and is composed of, for example, a push button type switch. As will be described later, when the operator presses the completion button 16, a picking completion signal is transmitted to the warehouse / cart control personal computer 40a.

A third power source 33e of the station 30 is connected to the station controlling personal computer 40b, and a third connector 30c is connected to the third power source 33e via a power line L. After the shelf 11 is transferred from the cart body 10 to the station 30 at the time of assembling described later, the third connector 30c and the first connector 11 are transferred.
Connect with c. After the connection, the first display 14 can be turned on by supplying power to the first display 14 from the third power supply 33e through the power supply line L based on the control signal from the station personal computer 40b. Is. As will be described later, at the time of the assembling, the first indicator 14 is sequentially turned on based on the assembling information and then turned off.

Operation of this system: Next, an operation method of this system will be described. First, the operation during picking will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. At the time of picking: After the present system starts, the operator inputs picking information into the management personal computer 60 of FIG. 5 and then performs a predetermined operation, so that step S1 starts. The shelf 11 is placed on the cart body 10,
The first and second connectors 11c and 10c are connected. In step S1, the management personal computer 60 outputs the picking information to the warehouse / cart control personal computer 40a, and the process proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, the warehouse / cart control personal computer 40a makes a first decision based on the picking information.
The display unit 14 is turned on and the wireless units 48, 1
The first display 14 is turned on via 8. On the other hand, the quantity display 15 displays the number of parts to be picked, and the process proceeds to step S3. The operator is shown in FIG.
The cart 1 is moved in front of the lit second display 24 of the rack 20 shown in FIG. 1, and the parts in the storage room 21 a corresponding to the second display 24 are displayed on the shelf 11 with the lit first display. The container 11a corresponding to the container 14 is picked. When the operator picks up the number of parts displayed on the quantity display 15 of FIG. 3 and presses the completion button 16 after the picking, the picking completion signal of FIG. 5 is transmitted via the wireless units 18 and 48. It is sent to the warehouse / cart control personal computer 40a.

In step S3, when the warehouse / cart controlling personal computer 40a receives the completion signal, the lit indicators 14, 24 are extinguished and the process proceeds to step S4. In step S4, the warehouse / cart control PC 4
0a turns on the indicators 14 and 24 corresponding to the shelf address and warehouse address for the next part. On the other hand, the number of picked next parts is displayed on the quantity display unit 15, and the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, if there is no more address to be turned on next in step S4, that is, if all picking is completed, the process ends. In other cases, the process returns to step S2.

As described above, at the time of picking, the first and second indicators 14 and 24 are turned on and off in the order of picking, so that the operator can store in the storage room 21a corresponding to the turned-on second indicator 24. Picking is performed by transporting the parts of (1) to the container 11a of the lit first indicator 14. Therefore, even an unskilled worker such as a part-timer does not have a risk of mistaking necessary parts or being unable to find parts. Further, since the operator himself pushes the cart 1 to move it, it is not necessary to provide a driving system or a control system for self-propelled movement on the cart, so that the cart can be manufactured at extremely low cost. Therefore,
It can be easily installed in relatively small systems such as small companies.

At the time of assembling: Next, the operation at the time of assembling in the assembling area 3 after the picking will be described. After the picking is completed, the operator pushes the cart 1 to move it to the assembling area 3 and brings the cart 1 into contact with the station 30 as shown in FIG. After the contact, the first connector 11c is detached from the second connector 10c to disconnect the power supply line L, and then the shelf 11 is moved to the upper surface 31 of the station 30 indicated by the chain double-dashed line. After the move, the first
The third connector 30c is connected to the connector 11c. After the transfer of the shelves 11, another shelf 11 is transferred onto the cart body 10 and the cart 1 is moved to the warehouse 2 to start picking.

Thereafter, when the operator performs a predetermined operation, the assembly information is transferred from the management personal computer 60 of FIG. 5 to the station control personal computer 40b, and the first display 14 is turned on based on the assembly information. To be done.
The first indicators 14 are sequentially turned on according to the assembly order. The operator takes out the parts from the container 11a at the illuminated address of the first indicator 14 and assembles them.

In this way, when assembling the parts, the shelf 1
1 is transferred from the cart body 10 to the station 30,
By turning on and off the first indicator 14 in the assembling order, the components used for assembling can be known in the assembling order.

Incidentally, as described below, the corresponding parts may be dealt with every time the shelf addresses are not assigned. That is, the rack 20 of FIG. 1 is provided with a free space to which a fixed shelf address is not allocated, and the rack 2
0 is provided with a lamp storage space 20A for arranging the lamps in the free space each time. In such a configuration, as shown in FIG.
The control shown in the flowchart is performed.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the conveying means including the free roller 17 is provided, but instead of providing the free roller, the conveying means is, for example, a lifter on either the cart body 10 or the station 30. It is also possible to provide a transfer means consisting of and transfer the shelves 11. Further, a display such as a monitor may be connected to the station 30 to display an assembly drawing on the display according to the assembly order. Further, instead of providing the quantity indicator 15, the first indicator 14
The quantity may be displayed on the screen. That is, a plurality of first indicators 14 are provided for the container 11a, and the number of the first indicators 14 corresponding to the number of parts is turned on,
The display 14 may be a liquid crystal display to display numbers.

[0028]

As described above, according to the picking system of the present invention, the first and second indicators are provided on the movable rack of the picking cart and the warehouse, respectively. In this case, by turning on and off the first and second indicators respectively in the picking order, it is possible to quickly perform the operation without picking the wrong part. In addition, if the shelves are transferred from the cart body to the station and the first indicator provided on the shelves is turned on after the parts are assembled, the lights are turned off.
The parts used for the assembly can be quickly taken out without taking out the wrong parts.

Further, according to the picking cart of the present invention, the shelf is easily transferred from the cart body and the shelf is easily transferred to the cart body, and the indicator provided on the shelf. Since the connector for disconnecting the power supply line for supplying electric power to the main body and the shelf is provided, the transfer of the shelf can be performed smoothly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a picking system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a rack and a cart.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cart.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a cart and station.

FIG. 5 is a device configuration diagram of the picking system.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a picking method.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart according to a modified example.

[Explanation of symbols]

2: Warehouse 10: Cart body 10c, 11c: Connector 11: movable shelf 11a: container 14, 24: Display 15: Quantity display 16: Finish button (operation unit) 17: Laura 18, 48: Wireless unit (communication means) 23e, 13e, 33e: power supply 30: Station 50: Temporary stand 52: Handle 55: Wheel

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] May 14, 2002 (2002.5.1)
4)

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be amended] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Claims]

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A picking cart having a power source and movable by wheels, wherein the cart main body moves on the floor by the rotation of the wheels, and the cart main body is separate from the cart main body, and a plurality of vertical and horizontal carts are provided. A movable shelf having an address, and a conveying means having at least a roller for supporting the shelf on the cart body, facilitating transfer of the shelf from the cart body, and facilitating transfer of the shelf to the cart body. An indicator provided for each address of the shelf, a control unit for lighting and extinguishing the indicator of the shelf in a picking order, and power from the power source based on a control signal from the control unit. And a power supply line for supplying power to the display, and a picking cart provided on the main body and the shelf with first and second connectors forming a part of the power supply line and connectable / detachable with each other. 2. The picking cart according to claim 1, further comprising wireless communication means, a quantity indicator for indicating a picking quantity, and an operation section for inputting picking completion. . 3. The picking cart according to claim 1, wherein a container is provided for each address on the shelf. 4. The cart body according to claim 3, further comprising a temporary placing table on which the container can be temporarily placed, the temporary placing table being lifted upward with no load, and the load of the container being loaded. The picking cart is configured to descend at a low speed when the cart is operated, and the temporary placing table is provided with a handle for operating the cart. 5. A cart body that moves on the floor surface by rotation of wheels, a station provided in an assembly area, a movable shelf that is transferred between the cart body and the station, and each address of the shelf. A first indicator provided for each storage, a warehouse for storing various kinds of parts divided into a number of addresses, a second indicator provided for each address of the warehouse, and a first indicator for the first and second indicators. In a picking system including a control means for controlling turning on and off, the shelf can be placed on both the upper surface of the cart body and the upper surface of a station, and the shelf can be easily transferred from the cart body to the station. In addition, when the cart body and / or the station is provided with a conveying means for facilitating transfer of the shelves from the station to the cart body, when picking parts from a warehouse The second indicator is sequentially turned on one by one in the order of the picking and then turned off, and when the shelf is placed on the cart body, the parts are sequentially picked in the order of picking the parts. Turn on one indicator at a time and then turn it off,
A picking system in which, when the shelf is placed on the station, the first indicator is sequentially turned on and then turned off in the assembly order of components.