JPH0442282B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a picking system for picking up articles in response to a request for picking up articles from the outside, and particularly to a picking system that picks up articles in response to a request for picking up articles from the outside. The present invention relates to a defect handling device for an article instruction display section that takes measures when a defect occurs in an article instruction display section.

(Prior art) As is well-known, for example, slanted shelves are arranged side by side, and the shelves facing the front are used as storage positions for separate items, and the slope of the shelves is used to store the items in front. Fluid shelving systems are in widespread use, with a structure in which when an article case is removed, a new case from the rear comes to the front. Such floating shelf systems are installed in large numbers in storage locations such as warehouses, and are used in so-called order picking systems, in which workers take out a predetermined number of predetermined types of products one after another according to an order list. Used a lot.

By the way, in the conventional picking work in this type of picking system, the worker has a list (slip) of the items to be picked and takes out a predetermined number of predetermined items based on the list, so the work time is shortened. There are problems such as it takes a long time and reduces work efficiency.

Therefore, in recent years, computer-based centralized control systems have been used to automatically display the location and quantity of items to be taken out, as well as
After picking, a picking system has been developed in which the operator operates a reset switch to notify a computer of the completion of the work, and displays the next picking position and quantity to be picked.

However, the technology that attempts to improve the efficiency of picking work by centrally managing the picking system using a computer is still in the development stage, and there is still room for development in various aspects. It is. For example, in order to display the position of an article to be taken out, an article instruction display section consisting of a lamp or the like is provided corresponding to each article storage position on a floating shelf, and this lamp is selectively turned on. , to indicate the position of the item to be taken out.

However, if this lamp fails to light up due to a malfunction such as a so-called lamp burnout, a serious problem arises in that the necessary picking work cannot be performed, resulting in a significant drop in work efficiency.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, even in the conventional picking system in which a computer-based centralized control system has been introduced, defects occur in the article indication display section that indicates the position of the article to be picked up, causing the display to malfunction. If it stops working,
This poses a problem in that it becomes impossible to perform correct picking work, leading to a decrease in work efficiency.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and is capable of reliably detecting the occurrence of a defect in the article indicating display section indicating the position of the article to be taken out and preventing the display operation from being performed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a defect processing device for an article instruction display section in an extremely good picking system that can perform quick picking operations.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) That is, a defect processing device for an article indication display section in a picking system according to the present invention has a shelf in which a plurality of types of articles are stored, and a It has a plurality of article instruction display sections that are arranged corresponding to various article storage positions and perform display operations when energized, and a quantity instruction display section that displays the quantity of articles to be taken out from the article storage positions. In response to an external article retrieval request, the article instruction display section corresponding to one article storage position where the article to be taken out is stored is driven to display, and the quantity of the article to be taken out is displayed on the quantity instruction display section. and upon receiving the article removal completion information, drive the article instruction display section corresponding to one article storage position where the article to be taken out next is stored, and cause the quantity instruction display section to display the quantity. It is intended for those who have done so.

and energizing means for selectively forming an electrically closed circuit to energize the article instruction display section for which a display operation is requested among the plurality of article display display sections; Depending on the presence or absence of current flowing through the product instruction display section that has been energized,
A detection means for detecting whether the article instruction display section is normal or defective, and an article instruction display section and a quantity instruction display section for the article corresponding to the article instruction display section detected as defective by the detection means. control means for stopping the display operation of the item and then causing the display operation for the article instruction display section and the quantity instruction display section to be performed for the article requested to be taken out, and the detection means for detecting that the article is defective. and printing means for printing out the article instruction display section, and in a state where all article take-out operations other than the article corresponding to the article instruction display section printed out by the printing means have been completed, the printing means Based on the printout, the article corresponding to the defective article indication display section is replenished.

(Operation) According to the above configuration, it is electrically detected that the article instruction display section corresponding to the article storage position where the article to be taken out is stored is not displayed, and based on the detection output, , all displays for the article corresponding to the article instruction display section that has not been displayed are stopped, and the next display operation is performed for the article whose removal is requested, and the location of the article instruction display section is changed. (position), quantity, etc. are printed out, and when all article removal operations other than the article corresponding to the printed article instruction display section have been completed, the Since the items corresponding to the display section are replenished, the flow of picking work can be stopped even if a defect occurs in the article instruction display section that indicates the position of the article to be picked up and the display operation is no longer performed. Picking work can be performed accurately and quickly without any problems, and work efficiency can be improved.

In addition, the product instruction display section detects whether it is normal or defective depending on the presence or absence of current flowing through it.
This detection operation is performed every time a display operation is requested for the product instruction display section, that is, every time an electrical closed circuit is formed by the energizing means.
The operation is highly reliable and certain, and can contribute to promoting accurate picking work.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 shows the appearance of a picking system A to which the present invention is applied. That is, in the figure, numerals 11, 11, . . . indicate a plurality of (three in the illustrated case) shelves each installed so as to be inclined forward. On the front surfaces of these shelves 11, 11... are placed articles 13, 13... placed in cases 12, 12... according to type. Further, behind each case 12, 12..., cases 12, 12... of the same article 13, 13... are arranged, respectively.

Here, the above-mentioned articles 13, 13... are stored on shelves 11, 1
1..., but when one case 12 becomes empty, when that case 12 is removed, the rear case 12 will come forward due to the slope, and the next case 12 will be taken out from there. It is designed to do this. The supply of goods 13, 13...
This is done by placing a new case 12 at the rear of the shelves 11, 11, . . .

Here, the shelves 11, 11... are provided with article designators at positions corresponding to the cases 12, 12... placed on the shelves 11, 11..., respectively, that is, at positions corresponding to each article storage position. Item indicator lights 14, 14, . . . as display units are provided. These item indicator lights 14, 14... are composed of, for example, lamps having a push button function, and by selectively lighting up, they indicate the position of the items 13, 13... to be taken out, and When pressed, it generates removal completion information.

On the other hand, in the upper part of the figure of the above-mentioned picking system A, there is a digital display section 1 as a quantity indication display section.
5 is installed. This digital display section 15
serves to digitally display the quantity of articles 13, 13, . . . to be taken out.

As shown in FIG. 1, the item indicator lights 14, 14, . . . and the digital display section 15 are connected to a computer 18 via a microcomputer 16 and a control panel 17, and are centrally managed. There is. Further, between the microcomputer 16 and the item indicator lights 14, 14..., there is a device for electrically detecting lamp burnout of the item indicator lights 14, 14... and supplying the detection signal to the microcomputer 16. Detection circuit 19
is mediated. Furthermore, the computer 1
8 controls the printer 20 and prints out the location of the item indicator light 14, 14, . . . where the lamp has run out.

Here, each microcomputer 16, 16, . . . of a plurality of (two in the illustrated case) picking systems A, B, . Although the picking systems A, B, . . . are generally controlled, only the control of the picking system A will be explained below.

Here, the detection circuit 19 is as shown in FIG. Diodes D1, D2, light emitting diode D3, resistors R1 to R4, and transistor Q
1 and Q2. The item indicator lights 14, 14... have diodes D1,
Power supply voltage +B is applied via D2,
Only the lamp of the item indicator lamp 14 selected by the microcomputer 16 is energized and turned on.

Here, if the lamp of the item indicator 14 selected by the microcomputer 16 is not burnt out, a forward current flows through the diodes D1 and D2, so the transistor Q1 is turned on and the light emitting diode D3 is turned on. Since the transistor Q2 is turned on, the detection terminal K of the microcomputer 16 is at L (low) level.

On the other hand, if the lamp of the item indicator 14 selected by the microcomputer 16 is out, no forward current flows through the diodes D1 and D2, so the transistor Q1 is turned off and the light emitting diode D3 does not light up. , transistor Q2
is in the off state, so microcomputer 1
The detection terminal K of 6 becomes H (high) level, and the microcomputer 16 can recognize the disconnection of the ramp.

The operation of the above configuration will be described below with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. First, when the process is started (step S1), picking data (order list) indicating the types and quantities of ordered items 13, 13, etc. input and set in advance is outputted from the computer 18 in step S2. Then, in step S3,
Picking data is input to the control panel 17, and in step S4, the picking data is output from the control panel 17 to the microcomputer 16.

Then, in step S5, the microcomputer 16 selects the item indicator 14 located at the position corresponding to the case 12 containing the item 13 requested to be picked up, based on the input picking data. The lamp is turned on and the quantity to be taken out is displayed on the digital display section 15. In this case, the microcomputer 16
Multiple types of items requested to be taken out 13, 13...
1 based on the preset priority order.
It operates to display the position and quantity for each type of article 13. In other words, only one of the multiple item indicator lights 14, 14, . . . is always lit.

Thereafter, in step S6, the microcomputer 16 switches to a check mode for the detection signal output from the detection circuit 19, and in step S7,
It is determined whether the signal supplied to the detection terminal K is at L level or not. And if it is L level, (YES),
That is, if the lamp has not burnt out, in step S8, the worker presses the lit item indicator light 14 after finishing the picking work.

Then, in step S9, removal completion information is generated to the microcomputer 16 from the pressed item indicator 14, and the microcomputer 16 recognizes that removal of one type of article 13 has been completed. Then, in step S10,
The microcomputer 16 determines whether there is a next picking system, and if there is (YES), returns to step S5 and determines the position and quantity of the next item 13 to be picked according to the priority order described above. will be displayed.

Also, in step S10, if there is no next picking data in the microcomputer 16 (NO),
In step S11, the computer 18 determines whether or not there is still picking data. If there is no picking data (NO), the operation ends (step S12), and if there is (YES), the process returns to step S2 and the picking data described above is performed. An action is taken. Thereafter, such operations are repeated until all the items requested to be picked are picked.

On the other hand, in step S7, the microcomputer 16 detects that the signal supplied to its detection terminal K is high.
If it is at the level, that is, if a lamp burnout has occurred, in step S13, the selection of the item indicator light 14 where the lamp burnout has occurred is stopped, and the quantity display on the digital display section 15 is also stopped. Then, in step S14, the microcomputer 16 selects and lights up the item indicator 14 corresponding to the item 13 that is next requested to be taken out, and also indicates the number of items to be taken out of the item 13 corresponding to the item indicator 14. , is displayed on the digital display section 15.

Thereafter, in step S15, the microcomputer 16 inputs the location of the item indicator lamp 14 where the lamp has previously burnt out to the computer 18 via the control panel 17. Then the step
In S16, the computer 18 causes the printer 20 to print out the location of the item indicator lamp 14 where the lamp has burnt out, and executes the step S16.
Returns to S8 behavior. In this case, step S8 is
The worker performs picking work based on the contents displayed in step S14, and the same operations as described above are performed thereafter.

Then, all the articles 13, corresponding to the item indicator lights 14, 14, .
After the picking work of items 13, .

Therefore, according to the configuration of the above embodiment, when a lamp burnout is detected, the item 13 corresponding to the item indicator light 14 where the lamp burnout has occurred is not picked, and the next pick-up request is made. At the same time, the location of the item indicator light 14 is printed out, and after all the picking operations are completed, the item corresponding to the item indicator light 14 in which the lamp has burnt out is determined based on the printout. 1
Since the third replenishment is performed, the flow of the picking work is not stopped, and work efficiency can be improved.

In addition, whether the item indicator light 14 is normal or defective is detected depending on the presence or absence of current flowing through it, and the microcomputer 16 selects the item indicator light 14 to be turned on during normal picking. Each time the item indicator lamp 14 is used, it is detected that the item indicator lamp 14 is burnt out, so the operation is highly reliable and can contribute to promoting accurate picking work.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the gist thereof.

[Effects of the Invention] Therefore, as detailed above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably confirm that a defect has occurred in the article indicating display section indicating the position of the article to be taken out and the display operation is no longer performed. It is possible to provide an extremely good defect processing device for an article instruction display section in a picking system that can detect defects and perform picking operations accurately and quickly.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a defect processing device for an article indication display section in a picking system according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block circuit diagram showing details of a detection circuit of the same embodiment. 3 and 4 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the embodiment, respectively, and FIG. 5 is an external view showing the picking system to which the present invention is applied. 11... shelf, 12... case, 13... article,
14...Item indicator light, 15...Digital display unit, 16...Microcomputer, 17...Control panel, 18...Computer, 19...Detection circuit, 20...Printer.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A shelf in which a plurality of types of articles are stored, a plurality of article indicating display parts arranged corresponding to the various article storage positions on the shelf and performing a display operation when energized, and a plurality of article instruction display parts that perform a display operation by being energized, and a plurality of article instruction display parts that are arranged corresponding to the various article storage positions on the shelf, and a plurality of article instruction display parts that perform a display operation by being energized; and a quantity indication display section that displays the quantity of articles to be taken out, and in response to an external article removal request, the article instruction display section corresponding to one article storage position where the article to be taken out is stored is driven to display. and displays the quantity of the article to be taken out on the quantity indication display section, and upon receiving the article removal completion information, the article indication display corresponding to one article storage position where the article to be taken out next is stored. In the picking system, the picking system drives the display section and causes the quantity instruction display section to display the quantity, selectively selecting the article instruction display section for which a display operation is requested from among the plurality of article instruction display sections. An energizing means that forms an electrically closed circuit to be energized, and the presence or absence of current flowing through the energized article indicating display section, which is energized by the energizing means, are used to determine whether the article indicating display section is normal or defective. a detection means for detecting, and a display operation of the article instruction display section and the quantity instruction display section for the article corresponding to the article instruction display section detected as defective by the detection means are stopped, and then the article is taken out. a control means for causing the article instruction display section and the quantity instruction display section to perform display operations for the requested article; and a printing means for printing out a printout, and in a state where all article take-out operations other than the article corresponding to the article instruction display section printed out by the printing means have been completed, the printing means prints out the printout. 1. A defect processing device for a defective article instruction display section in a picking system, characterized in that an article corresponding to the defective article instruction display section is replenished based on the following.