JPH0441312A - Apparatus for managing automatic warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce a load of an automatic warehouse managing computer and realize efficient management of warehousing and shipment and smooth recovery at the time of an accident by connecting an automatic warehouse controller to an IC card read/write device and providing a computer for managing the automatic warehouse through record information of the card. CONSTITUTION:In the case of warehousing, an automatic warehouse controller 13 reads an IC card 15a of a pallet 14 on each shelf via IC card read/write devices 16e, 16f... of respective shelves when the pallet 14 with a product to be stocked mounted reaches the entrance of an automatic warehouse 12. The controller then identifies existence or nonexistence of a stock and knows a current status of the automatic warehouse to recognize the positions of empty shelves. Then it recognizes the optimum shelf, determines the shelf which will admit the product, and then writes it in the IC card 15a of the pallet 14 for admitting the product via a write device 16a at the entrance. Then after part information of the product to be stocked is written in the card 15a via the write device 16a, the controller 13 puts the product on the determined shelf, thereby completing warehousing processing.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Purpose of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to an automatic warehouse management device.

(Prior Art) In a conventional automatic warehouse management system, when storing and unloading items to be stored, an operator uses a warehousing terminal 2 and a warehousing terminal 3 connected to an automatic warehouse management computer 1, as shown in FIG.
The automated warehouse management computer 1 inputs a request for the storage and removal of stored items from the automated warehouse using the computer 1, and based on the instruction, the automated warehouse management computer 1 notifies the automated warehouse controller 4 of the shelf position information for storage and removal and the transportation operation of the automated warehouse. Performed control processing for automated warehouses.

Furthermore, the system was such that inventory information and shelf information for stored items in the automated warehouse were managed only on the automated warehouse management computer 1 side.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in such a conventional automatic warehouse management device, an automatic warehouse management computer searches internal automatic warehouse management information based on a warehousing/retrieval request, and performs automatic warehouse control including shelf information. It is necessary to create instructions and also control the transmission of the created automated warehouse control information, which creates a heavy load for issuing inventory information and control instructions.

Furthermore, warehousing and retrieval instructions are often processed in the order in which they occur, making it impossible to take into account the characteristics of the warehouse or its current state, and thus not necessarily providing efficient automatic warehouse management control.

Furthermore, since the automated warehouse management computer notifies the automated warehouse by transmitting control information, there are problems with reliability and when information is lost due to an abnormality, it takes time to recover. .

This invention was made in view of these conventional problems, and by not directly transmitting data between the automatic warehouse management computer and the automatic warehouse controller, it reduces the load on the automatic warehouse management computer and improves efficiency. To provide an automatic warehouse management device capable of good storage/output management and smooth recovery in the event of an abnormality.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) An automatic warehouse management device of the present invention includes an automatic warehouse for storing objects to be stored such as materials, semi-finished products, and finished products on appropriate shelves, and an IC card that stores storage/output information of the I
A pallet to which a C card is attached and loaded for transporting stored items, an IC card read/write device that reads and writes storage/output information to and from the IC card of the pallet, and communicates with the IC card read/write device. and the above I
An automatic warehouse controller that controls the automated warehouse by exchanging information with each column via a C card read/write device and an I/C card read/write device connected to the IC card read/write device.
It is equipped with an automatic warehouse management computer that manages the automatic warehouse through the information stored in the C card.

(Function) In the automatic warehouse management device of the present invention, the automatic warehouse management computer reads and writes the warehousing information of the IC card set on the pallet using the IC card read/write device located at the warehousing entrance, and also reads and writes the warehousing information of the IC card set on the pallet using the IC card read/write device located at the warehousing entrance A read/write device reads and writes IC card delivery information set in the automated warehouse. Furthermore, the automatic warehouse controller can obtain shelf status information by reading information on IC cards set on pallets to be stocked using an IC card read/write device installed in the shelf.

Therefore, when warehousing, the warehousing information is read from the IC card read/write device at the warehousing entrance, the inventory is searched via the IC card read/write device in each column, and the optimal shelf allocation is performed. Allocate the same parts evenly on average so that it can be done efficiently. In addition, when leaving the warehouse, enter the name of the part you want to leave the warehouse, and use the IC card reader at the exit door.
The system reads out-of-stock information from the writing device, searches inventory through the IC card read/write device in each column, and identifies shelves that can be efficiently out-of-stock.

In this way, efficient warehousing and retrieval processing can be performed, and all information transmission between the automated warehouse management computer and the automated warehouse controller can be performed via the IC card, improving data reliability. .

Furthermore, in the event of an abnormality, even if information is lost, the automatic warehouse management computer can immediately read the shelf status via an IC card, just like the automatic warehouse controller described above, and recovery can be performed immediately. .

(Example) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, which includes an automated warehouse management computer 11 that manages information about the automated warehouse, an automated warehouse 12 that stores items to be stored, and pallets in each column of the automated warehouse 12. It also includes an automatic warehouse controller 13 that takes in pallets and takes out pallets from designated shelves.

Further, an IC card 15a for storing information on the stored items is attached to the pallet 14 on which the stored items are placed, and an IC card 15b for storing information on shipping is set in the automated warehouse 12. .

In addition, IC cart read/write devices 16a, 16b, 16c are installed at the entrance, exit, and each column.
.

... is installed, and automatic warehouse management computer 1
1 and the automatic warehouse controller 12 are connected to these IC card read/write devices 16a, 16b, 16c, . . . so that data can be transmitted.

Next, the operation of the automatic warehouse management device having the above configuration will be explained.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2, in the case of warehousing, when the pallets 14 carrying objects to be stored arrive at the 12 warehousing entrances of the automated warehouse, the automatic warehouse controller 12 attaches them to the pallets 14 in each column. IC card read/write devices 16e, 16f,
... to determine the presence or absence of inventory, know the current status of the shelves in the automated warehouse, and grasp the location of empty shelves (
Step 5TI).

Next, the most suitable shelf is determined from among the empty shelves, and the shelf to be stocked is determined (step 5T2). The determined shelf information,
It is written in the IC card 15a attached to the pallet 14 entering the warehouse via the IC card read/write device 16a at the warehouse entrance (step 5T3).

Further, the automatic warehouse management computer 11 transfers the IC card 15a to an IC card read/write device 16 at the warehouse entrance.
The shelf information determined by the automated warehouse controller 13 is read and saved via a (step 5T4).

Next, the component information of the stored object is written into the IC card 15a via the IC card read/write device 16a. After the above operations are completed, the automatic warehouse controller stores the items to be stored on the determined shelves, and ends the storage process (step 5T5).

Next, in the case of shipping, the automatic warehouse management computer 11:
The operator accepts a request for stored items to be delivered, that is, delivery information (step 5T6).

Then, the exit information is written into the IC card 15b attached to the automated warehouse via the IC card read/write device 16b at the exit exit (step 5T7).

Further, the automatic warehouse controller 13 has the IC card 1
5b is read through the IC card read/write device 16b at the exit, thereby obtaining the exit information (step 5T8). Next, use that information to grasp the current shelf status in the same way as in the warehouse storage process (step 5T9).
.

Then, based on this information, the most efficient shelf for unstored items is determined, and if there is more than one item information, the order is ordered to improve efficiency (Step 5T)
IO).

When the above operations are completed, the automatic warehouse controller 13 takes out the stored items from the determined shelf (step 5 TII
).

Here, the automated warehouse management computer 11 now stores the information on the IC card 1.5 a attached to the pallet 14 on which the stored items are stored in the automated warehouse 12 if the information is lost due to an abnormality. The information is restored by reading the data through the IC card read/write devices 16C116d, . . . in each column.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the automatic warehouse controller reads the information on the IC card set on the pallet to be stocked by using the IC card read/write device installed on the shelf. Since the status of the shelves can be grasped and the shelves are automatically allocated based on this information, efficient inventory/output management can be performed, and information transmission between the automatic warehouse management computer and the automatic warehouse controller is easy. I
Since this is done via the C card, the reliability of the data can be improved. Moreover, even if the data in the automated warehouse management computer is lost due to an abnormality, the information on the IC cards attached to the pallets stocked in the automated warehouse can be read by the IC card read/write device in each column and the information stored in the automated warehouse management computer can be read. Data can be restored immediately by feeding it to an automatic warehouse management computer.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment described above, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional example. 11...Automated warehouse management computer 12...Automated warehouse 13...Automatic warehouse controller 14...Pallet 15a, 15b, -...IC card 16a, 16b, -...IC card read/write device

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] An automated warehouse for storing stored items such as materials, semi-finished products, and finished products on appropriate shelves; an IC card for storing storage/output information for the stored items; and an IC card to which the IC card is attached. , a pallet on which items to be stored are loaded to be transported; an IC card read/write device that reads and writes entry/exit information to and from an IC card on the pallet; and an IC card read/write device that communicates with the IC card read/write device and reads the IC card. An automatic warehouse controller that controls the automated warehouse by exchanging information with each shelf via a read/write device, and an automated warehouse controller that is connected to the IC card read/write device and manages the automated warehouse through the information stored in the IC card. An automatic warehouse management device comprising an automatic warehouse management computer.