JP2004010201A - Shelf inventory information management method in automatic warehouse system - Google Patents

Abstract

A shelf inventory information management method in an automatic warehouse system checks empty space on a shelf or a pallet without removing a pallet from a shelf based on character information and image information, and performs shelf inventory management smoothly and efficiently. .
According to the shelf inventory information management method, photograph information such as the shape and posture of an article on a pallet entering an automatic warehouse is stored in a pallet transport path in order to store the pallet on a shelf of the rack. Photographed by the digital camera 12 on the way, the photograph information in addition to the character information of the article 5 is automatically registered in the data file of the computer 6 as shelf stock information, and the empty space of the shelf 2 where the pallet 4 can be loaded and the pallet 4 are searched. In this case, a predetermined shelf 3 having a space where a pallet 4 can be loaded is appropriately determined based on the data file of the shelf inventory information.
[Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, character information and photo information of articles, such as works and parts, on a pallet stored on a rack shelf of an automatic warehouse are automatically registered as shelf inventory information in a computer, and inventory information of articles on the rack shelf can be obtained. The present invention relates to a shelf inventory information management method in an automatic warehouse system that utilizes the information as information for performing the next processing of an article.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, an automatic warehouse system uses a transfer device such as a stacker to transport a pallet on which a work is placed between a machine tool, a setup station, and an automatic warehouse, and stores the pallet on a rack shelf of the automatic warehouse. The character information of the work on the pallet is stored in a computer, and the inventory of the work is managed. The automatic warehouse system automatically supplies workpieces from rack shelves to an NC device such as a machining center via an automatic pallet changer, enabling continuous NC machining of the workpieces, and is used to improve productivity. I have.
[0003]
The workpiece moved to the processing station is processed by the machining center. When there is no workpiece in either the transfer station or the standby station, the workpiece to be processed next is prepared in the delivery device, and then the slide fork is used. And the like, and is moved to a standby station by an actuator. In addition, the unprocessed work is replaced at the same time as the processed work that has been processed in the processing station, and efforts are being made to improve the operating rate of the machining center and reduce the processing cost by repeating the processing cycle.
[0004]
As a trunk room system, there is known a trunk room system that can easily issue a command to take out or deliver to a storage item in a trunk room from the outside (for example, see JP-A-2001-341818). The trunk room system connects a warehouse equipped with an information processing terminal to an external information processing terminal via a network, provides a camera for photographing a stored item in the warehouse, and transmits an image of the photographed item via the network. The information is sent to an external information terminal, an instruction on storage of articles from the external information processing terminal is received via the network, and processed by the information processing terminal in the warehouse. The set is configured to be instructed from an external information processing terminal, and the information processing terminal of the warehouse is provided with management means for processing article entry / exit and managing delivery of the article according to the instruction.
[0005]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-118637 discloses a storage device that determines an item based on the shape of a stored product. The storage device takes out a sample from the goods received at the time of entering the automatic warehouse, takes a sample of the sample with a camera, searches for an item that matches the shape and dimensions of the sample from a database of the stocked goods, and retrieves the item of the goods received. After the selection, all the articles to be stored are photographed at the storage stage, and articles having shapes and dimensions different from the articles to be stored are detected as defective articles and articles with different items.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the conventional method of managing inventory information in an automatic warehouse system mainly uses a computer that registers articles, such as workpieces and parts, stored on the rack shelves of the automatic warehouse with character information such as alphanumeric characters, kanji, and kana. , It was general that it was managed. However, with regard to inventory management such as inventory management and entry / exit management of articles stored on rack shelves, if articles stored on rack shelves are stored only with character information, the shape and size of the articles can be reduced. In order to check the position and the position on the pallet, it is necessary to unload the pallet on which the articles are placed from the rack shelves, which is extremely inefficient. there were. For example, when a new article is stored on a rack shelf, the empty space on the rack shelf cannot be confirmed on the computer, and the empty space on the rack shelf cannot be searched on some computers. Had to be sent out, which was extremely inefficient.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide photographic information, that is, image information to character information in inventory management of articles such as workpieces and parts stored in rack shelves and inventory management such as entry / exit management. In addition to the information, the storage information of the items on the rack shelf or the pallet, for example, the shape and size of the items, the empty space on the pallet, the empty space on the rack shelf is confirmed through the image information, and the pallet is released from the shelf. An object of the present invention is to provide a shelf inventory information management method in an automatic warehouse system that can eliminate the necessity of confirming the inventory information and can perform inventory information management smoothly and efficiently.
[0008]
The present invention relates to an automatic warehouse system that transports at least a pallet on which articles are placed through a pallet transport path by a transport device and stores the pallet on a rack shelf of an automatic warehouse. In order to store in the automatic warehouse, photograph information such as the shape and posture of the article on the pallet entering the automatic warehouse is taken by a digital camera in the middle of the pallet transport path, and the photograph information is added to the character information of the article. Is automatically registered in a data file of a computer as shelf inventory information, and when the articles are stored in the shelf of the rack, the shelf having a space in which the pallet can be loaded based on the data file of the shelf inventory information. Searching for the pallet having a space on which the article can be placed, About shelf inventory information management method in the automatic warehouse system, characterized by determining the shelf.
[0009]
Further, the photographic information of the article on the pallet by the digital camera is registered in the data file of the computer as digital image data.
[0010]
A plurality of the digital cameras are installed at a loading / unloading station provided on the pallet transport path, and the photographic information of the article is automatically registered in the computer from a plurality of angles. Therefore, the posture of the article on the pallet can be recognized from multiple angles by the digital camera at the loading / unloading station, and the empty space on the shelf as well as on the pallet can be immediately recognized. Can be used for
[0011]
The method for managing inventory information in a shelf in this automatic warehouse system comprises the steps of: confirming a state of the article on the pallet stored in the shelf of the predetermined rack; The item is confirmed by the shelf inventory information of the article on the pallet.
[0012]
In this automatic warehouse system, the shelf inventory information management method includes the steps of: installing a photosensor adjacent to the digital camera installed at the loading / unloading station provided in the middle of the pallet transport path; When detecting the presence signal of the article, the regular position signal of the article on the pallet, and the stop signal of the transport device, the digital camera determines the shape of the article when the article is stored, the shape of the article on the pallet. Image information of the article such as the mounting posture of the article and the size of the article.
[0013]
Since the shelf inventory information management method in the automatic warehouse system is configured as described above, when the inventory of the goods on the shelf is inquired, the inventory information of the rack shelf in the automatic warehouse is composed of text information and photograph information, that is, image information. According to the above, the shape of the article, the state of placing the article on the pallet, the attitude of the article, the empty space on the shelf, the empty space on the pallet, etc. can be confirmed in very much more detail just by looking at the display of the control device, that is, the display. This can reduce unnecessary pallet transfer operations, in which pallets are unloaded from the rack shelves and empty spaces are checked. That is, the shelf inventory information management method in this automatic warehouse system can be utilized for shelf inventory information management at the time of inquiry about inventory of items on the shelf, and can be added to the shelf by simply looking at the display device of the control device. Pallets and pallets can be searched, whereby shelves and pallets on which articles can be added can be determined, and new articles can be added and stored smoothly, and the total pallet transfer capacity can be determined. And storage of the articles on the shelf can be achieved with high efficiency.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a shelf inventory information management method in an automatic warehouse system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an outline of an embodiment for achieving a shelf inventory information management method in an automatic warehouse system according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is another diagram installed in an automatic warehouse to achieve the shelf inventory information management method according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the principle of a shelf inventory information management method in an automatic warehouse system according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 shows processing steps of the shelf inventory information management method in the automatic warehouse system according to the present invention. It is a processing flow figure shown.
[0015]
The shelf inventory information management method according to the present invention includes a transport device that passes a pallet 4 on which at least an article 5 such as a work or a part is placed through a pallet transport path 20, for example, a roller conveyor 7 shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. The present invention is preferably applied to an automatic warehouse system in which a pallet 4 is transported by a stacker 10 and stored on a shelf 3 of a rack 2 of the automatic warehouse 1. This shelf inventory information management method includes, in addition to the character information, the space information of the shelf 3 of the rack 2 in the automatic warehouse 1 and the articles 5 such as works and parts set or placed on the pallet 4 stored in the shelf 3. Photo information, ie, image information, is automatically registered in the computer 6 as a data file, and the information is used as shelf inventory information to achieve smooth and efficient inventory management of the articles 5.
[0016]
An automatic warehouse system to which this shelf inventory information management method is applied, for example, is a method in which an automatic warehouse 1 pallets a roller conveyor 7 provided on a machine base 21 installed on a base 8 as shown in FIG. 2, or a stacker 10 mounted with a pallet 4 along a monorail track 9 laid on a base 8, as shown in FIG. In the automatic warehouse 1, a plurality of shelves 3 in a multi-tiered, multi-row configuration are provided on a pair of racks 2 provided along a monorail track 9, and for example, a stacker is provided from one end or both ends of the monorail track 9. 10 is configured to enter between the racks 2 and transfer the pallet 4 to and from the shelf 2. In FIG. 2, the stacker 10 is configured to be able to enter from one end of the monorail track 9, and a safety fence 13 is provided on the other end. The shelf 3 of the rack 2 is formed so as to be able to store a pallet 4 on which articles 5 necessary for processing such as processing materials, semi-finished products, finished products, various pallets, and jigs and tools are mounted. The stacker 10 takes out a predetermined article 5 such as a work, a jig, and a part from the shelf 3 of the predetermined rack 2, and stores the predetermined article 5 on the shelf 3 of the predetermined rack 2. In response to a command from the control room input by a worker, the pallet 4 on which the articles 5 are placed is taken out and stored from the rack 2 as necessary, and shelf inventory information management is performed so that inventory is not accumulated. Can be achieved.
[0017]
The automatic warehouse 1 is generally installed in association with a machining center, an NC unit group, a dedicated processing machine group, and other machine tools. The machine tool is installed in an area away from the rack 2, and various kinds of workpieces constituting the component 5 are subjected to necessary processing by various machine tools. For example, the unprocessed work (material or semi-finished product) taken out by the stacker 10 is supplied to a machining center, and the work processed by the machining center is stored in a predetermined rack 2 by the stacker 10. The setup station is a monorail track 9 as a station for performing necessary setup related to work processing such as attaching and detaching additional jigs and the like to the work and mounting the work on the pallet 4 including the posture and orientation on the pallet 4. It is installed along. The prepared material or semi-finished product is transported by the stacker 10 to a predetermined rack 2 or a machining center. The jig removal station provided alongside the setup station along the monorail track 9 is a step for taking out a jig necessary for mounting a workpiece at the setup station from the shelf 3 of the rack 2 and a jig removed from the work. Is stored on the shelf 3 of the rack 2.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 3, the shelf inventory information management method in this automatic warehouse system is to store the pallets 4 on the shelves 3 of the racks 2 so that the shape of the articles 5 on the pallets 4 and the Photo information station image information such as the mounting position is photographed by a plurality of digital cameras 12 installed in an entrance / exit station 11 provided in the middle of the pallet transport path 20, and the photographic information of the article 5 is converted into an A / D converter. The information is processed by the system controller 14 as digital image information by 19 or the like, and in addition to the character information of the article 5 input in advance, the information is automatically registered as shelf inventory information in the data file of the computer 6. The computer 6 is provided with a display device 16, a storage device 17, and a key input device 18 for inputting character information, image photographing processing, and the like. When searching for an empty space on the shelf 3 where the articles 5 can be loaded, a predetermined pallet 4 having a space where the articles 5 can be loaded, that is, a predetermined pallet 4 based on the data file of the shelf inventory information registered in the computer 6. By searching the shelves 3, the shelves 3 of the rack 2 that stores the pallets 4 on which the articles 5 are placed can be appropriately determined.
[0019]
The photographic information of the article 5 on the pallet 4 by the digital camera 12 is automatically registered in the data file of the computer 6 as digital image data. Further, a plurality of (two in FIG. 1) digital cameras 12 are installed at the loading / unloading station 11 provided in the middle of the pallet transport path 20, and the photographic information of the article 5, that is, the image information is transmitted to the computer 6 from a plurality of angles. It is configured to be registered automatically.
[0020]
According to the shelf inventory information management method in the automatic warehouse system, when information such as the mounting position of the article 5 on the pallet 4 stored in the shelf 3 of the predetermined rack 2 is checked, the information is stored in the shelf 3 of the predetermined rack 2. This is confirmed by the stored shelf inventory information of the article 5 on the pallet 4.
[0021]
Further, in this shelf inventory information management method, the photo sensor 15 is installed adjacent to the digital camera 12 installed in the loading / unloading station 11 provided in the middle of the pallet transport path 20. When the photo sensor 15 detects the presence signal of the article 5 on the pallet 4 at the loading / unloading station 11, the normal position signal of the article 5 on the pallet 4, and the stop signal of the transport device, the digital camera 12 removes the article 5 When the loaded pallet 4 is stored, image information such as the shape of the article 5, the mounting posture of the article 5 on the pallet 4, and the size of the article 5 is captured by the digital camera 12.
[0022]
One embodiment of the operation of the shelf inventory information management method will be described below with reference to FIG. First, when the image taking process of the article 5 on the pallet 4 is started, the presence signal of the computer 6 is turned on, and the pallet 4 sent to the image taking area of the loading / unloading station 12 provided in the middle of the pallet transport path 20 is sent. It is confirmed whether or not the article 5 is mounted on the device (step S21). When the article 5 is mounted on the pallet 4, the processing for stopping the transfer device is performed, and the stop of the transfer device is confirmed by the photo sensor 15 (step S22). It is confirmed by the photo sensor 15 whether or not the pallet 4 on which the article 5 to be photographed by the digital camera 12 is set at the photographing fixed position (step S23). When the pallet 4 is positioned at the fixed photographing position, the system controller 14 starts A / D conversion or the like from the system controller 14 to start photographing image information such as the installation posture, shape, and size of the article 5 on the pallet 4 by the digital camera 12. An ON signal is sent to the CCD controller 19 (step S24), and the image information of the article 5 is taken into the system controller 14 (step S25). Next, the image information, that is, the image data, is transmitted from the system control device 14 to the computer 6 (step S26), and the image data is automatically registered in the storage device 17 of the computer 6 and the image data is displayed on the display device 16. Confirm.
[0023]
【The invention's effect】
The shelf inventory information management method in the automatic warehouse system according to the present invention is configured as described above, and performs shelf inventory information management such as inventory management of pallets on which articles stored on rack shelves are placed and entry / exit management. In order to do so, photo information, that is, image information, is added to the text information to store information on articles such as workpieces and parts on the rack shelf or pallet, for example, the shape and size of the article, empty space on the pallet, and on the rack shelf. It is possible to check the empty space of the pallet through the image information, search for a pallet capable of stacking articles on the pallet on which articles are placed, and determine a shelf and a pallet for storing the pallets on which articles are placed. It is not necessary to take out the pallet from the rack shelves to check the placement state of the articles, and the shelf inventory information can be managed smoothly and efficiently.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a shelf inventory information management method in an automatic warehouse system according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the shelf inventory information management method in the automatic warehouse system of FIG. 1 is installed in an automatic warehouse.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the principle of the shelf inventory information management method in the automatic warehouse system according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a processing flowchart showing processing steps of a shelf inventory information management method in the automatic warehouse system according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic warehouse 2 Rack 3 Shelf 4 Pallet 5 Article 6 Computer 7 Roller conveyor 8 Base 9 Monorail 10 Stacker 11 Entry / exit station 12 Digital camera 13 Safety fence 14 System controller 15 Photo sensor 16 Display device 17 Storage device 18 Key input device 19 A / D converter 20 Pallet transport path 21 Machine stand

Claims (5)

In an automatic warehouse system that transports at least a pallet on which articles are placed through a pallet transport path by a transport device and stores the pallet on a rack shelf of an automatic warehouse, the pallet is stored on the shelf of the rack. The photograph information such as the shape and posture of the article on the pallet entering the automatic warehouse is taken by a digital camera in the middle of the pallet transport path, and the photograph information is added to the text information of the article and the shelf information is stored in the shelf. When the goods are automatically stored in a data file of a computer and the goods are stored in the shelves of the rack, the shelves having a space for loading the pallets and the goods are loaded based on the data file of the shelf stock information. Search for the pallet having a space where the articles can be placed, and determine the shelf on which the articles can be stacked. Shelf inventory information management method in the automatic warehouse system, characterized in that. 2. The shelf inventory information management method according to claim 1, wherein the photographic information of the article on the pallet by the digital camera is registered as digital image data in the data file of the computer. 3. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the digital cameras are installed at a loading / unloading station provided on the pallet transport path, and the photographic information of the article is automatically registered in the computer from a plurality of angles. The shelf inventory information management method in the automatic warehouse system described above. When confirming the state of the article on the pallet stored in the shelf of the predetermined rack, it is confirmed by the shelf inventory information of the article on the pallet stored in the shelf of the predetermined rack. The method for managing shelf inventory information in an automatic warehouse system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: A photo sensor is installed adjacent to the digital camera installed at the loading / unloading station provided in the middle of the pallet transport path, and the photo sensor is used to send a signal indicating whether the article is present on the pallet. When detecting the regular position signal on the pallet and the stop signal of the transfer device, the digital camera sets the shape of the article when the article is received, the mounting posture of the article on the pallet, The shelf inventory information management method in an automatic warehouse system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein image information of the article such as a size is photographed.

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