Patent Description:
A picking facility for picking requested articles is used in a physical distribution facility including an automated warehouse, for example. An example of such a picking facility is a picking facility disclosed in <CIT> that includes a first conveyor for transporting open top containers capable of containing target articles, and a second conveyor for transporting the target articles individually. In the picking facility disclosed in <CIT>, an operator takes out necessary target articles from containers (original packaging cases Cm) transported on the first conveyor (picking conveyor <NUM>) and transfers them to the second conveyor (picked article transport conveyor <NUM>), at a picking position. Then, the target articles transported on the second conveyor are placed in shipment containers (article collection cases Cs) according to destinations and then shipped. Further picking facilities are disclosed in e.g., <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>.

In the picking facility disclosed in <CIT>, the height level of the transport face of the first conveyor is set to be higher than the height level of the transport face of the second conveyor. However, with such a configuration, when the target article is taken out from the container and transferred onto the second conveyor, the travel stroke of the target article in the vertical direction is the sum of the upward travel distance that is necessary to move the target article over the side wall of the container and the downward travel distance from the position to which the target article has been moved upward to the transport face of the second conveyor. Since the height level of the transport face of the second conveyor is lower than the height level of the transport face of the first conveyor, the travel stroke is inevitably two or more times as large as the upward travel distance. That is, the travel stroke of each target article during the picking operation is large, and thus there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of operation efficiency.

<CIT> discloses a picking facility according to the preamble of claim <NUM> and a picking facility according to the preamble of claim <NUM>.

It is therefore desired to realize a picking facility with excellent operation efficiency.

A picking facility according to the present disclosure is a picking facility including: a container that includes an opening portion provided on an upper side thereof and configured to contain articles; a first conveyor for transporting the container containing the articles; and a second conveyor configured to transport a target article, which is an article that has been picked, wherein a height level of a transport face of the first conveyor is set to be lower than a height level of a transport face of the second conveyor, and a difference between the height level of the transport face of the second conveyor and the height level of the transport face of the first conveyor is set to match the height of the container.

With this configuration, the transport face of the second conveyor can be arranged at an appropriate height in accordance with the height of the container located on the first conveyor. For example, the transport face of the second conveyor is arranged at a position near the upper end portion of the container located on the first conveyor. Accordingly, when the target article is taken out from the container and placed onto the second conveyor, the travel stroke of the target article in the vertical direction can be brought close to the upward travel distance that is necessary to move the target article over the side wall of the container. That is, the travel stroke of the target article in the vertical direction can be reduced. It should be noted that the same applies to a case where the target article transported on the second conveyor is placed in a container located on the first conveyor. Accordingly, a picking facility with excellent operation efficiency can be realized.

Another picking facility according to the present disclosure is a picking facility including: a container that includes an opening portion provided on an upper side thereof and configured to contain articles; a first conveyor for transporting the container containing the articles; and a second conveyor configured to transport a target article, which is an article that has been picked, wherein a height level of a transport face of the first conveyor is set to be lower than a height level of a transport face of the second conveyor, and the second conveyor is arranged extending in a direction intersecting a transport direction of the first conveyor in a state in which an end portion is adjacent to the first conveyor, and includes a stopper that is provided at an end portion near the first conveyor and protrudes upward from the transport face of the second conveyor, and a difference between the height level of the transport face of the second conveyor and the height level of the transport face of the first conveyor is set to match a value obtained by subtracting a height of the stopper from the height of the container.

Further features and advantages of the technology according to the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of illustrative and non-limiting embodiments with reference to the drawings.

An embodiment of the picking facility according to the invention will be described in the following with reference to the drawings, wherein.

It should be noted that, in the description below, the horizontal direction in <FIG>, which is a plan view of a picking facility, is taken as the "X direction", and the vertical direction in <FIG> is taken as the "Y direction". The vertical direction in <FIG>, which is a side view of the picking facility, is taken as the "Z direction". In this embodiment, the Z direction corresponds to the actual vertical direction. The X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction intersect one another (at right angles in this embodiment).

A picking facility <NUM> is a facility for picking requested articles in a physical distribution facility including an automated warehouse <NUM> (see <FIG>), for example. The picking facility <NUM> of this embodiment is used to take out one or more target articles As from a plurality of articles A of the same type contained in a container C, perform this operation on a plurality of types of articles A (target articles As), and transfer a combination of the target articles As that have been taken out, to another container for article collection.

The container C is formed in a box shape including an opening portion Co provided on the upper side thereof. The container C is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and includes a side wall Cw that surrounds the periphery (four sides) thereof. The space delimited by the side wall Cw forms the inner space of the container C, and the articles A can be placed in this space. A plurality of types of containers C that each contain the articles A of the same type are stored in the automated warehouse <NUM>. One or more of these containers C are supplied to the picking facility <NUM> of this embodiment. It should be noted that the container C from which necessary target articles As have been taken out in the picking facility <NUM> is returned to the automated warehouse <NUM> again.

As shown in <FIG>, the picking facility <NUM> of this embodiment includes a retrieval conveyor <NUM>, a picking conveyor <NUM>, a storage conveyor <NUM>, article collection conveyors <NUM>, a picking apparatus <NUM>, and a working space <NUM>. The picking conveyor <NUM> is arranged extending in the X direction. The retrieval conveyor <NUM>, the storage conveyor <NUM>, and the article collection conveyors <NUM> are arranged on the same side with respect to the picking conveyor <NUM> (on the upper side in <FIG>), and extend in parallel with one another in the Y direction. In this embodiment, the picking conveyor <NUM> corresponds to a "first conveyor", and the article collection conveyors <NUM> correspond to a "second conveyor".

The retrieval conveyor <NUM> transports the containers C containing the articles A that have been supplied from the automated warehouse <NUM>. The retrieval conveyor <NUM> of this embodiment includes a first retrieval conveyor 10A and a second retrieval conveyor 10B that are connected to each other in series. In the retrieval conveyor <NUM>, the upstream side of the first retrieval conveyor 10A is connected to the automated warehouse <NUM>, and the downstream end portion of the second retrieval conveyor 10B is connected to an upstream end portion 20u of the picking conveyor <NUM>. The retrieval conveyor <NUM> receives the containers C from the automated warehouse <NUM> and transports them in the Y direction to the picking conveyor <NUM>. In this embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, the second retrieval conveyor 10B extends in parallel with the XY plane, and the first retrieval conveyor 10A is inclined such that a portion on the upstream side (automated warehouse <NUM> side) is located at a higher position. Various known conveyors such as a roller conveyor, a belt conveyor, and a slat conveyor can be used as the retrieval conveyor <NUM>.

The picking conveyor <NUM> transports the containers C containing the articles A that have been received from the retrieval conveyor <NUM>. The picking conveyor <NUM> transports the containers C in the X direction. The central area in the X direction of the picking conveyor <NUM> serves as a picking position P, and articles requested as per picking orders are picked at this picking position P. These articles requested as per picking orders are articles A to be picked and are referred to as "target articles As" in this embodiment.

A downstream end portion 20d of the picking conveyor <NUM> is connected to the upstream end portion of the storage conveyor <NUM>. The picking conveyor <NUM> extends in parallel with the XY plane. Various known conveyors such as a roller conveyor, a belt conveyor, and a slat conveyor can be used as the picking conveyor <NUM>.

The storage conveyor <NUM> transports the containers C containing the articles A (non-target articles) other than the target articles As or the empty containers C that have been received from the picking conveyor <NUM>. The storage conveyor <NUM> of this embodiment includes a first storage conveyor 30A and a second storage conveyor 30B that are connected to each other in series. In the storage conveyor <NUM>, the upstream end portion of the first storage conveyor 30A is connected to the downstream end portion 20d of the picking conveyor <NUM>, and the downstream side of the second storage conveyor 30B is connected to the automated warehouse <NUM>. The storage conveyor <NUM> receives, from the picking conveyor <NUM>, the containers C that have been subjected to a picking operation, and transports them in the Y direction to the automated warehouse <NUM> side. In this embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, the first storage conveyor 30A extends in parallel with the XY plane, and the second storage conveyor 30B is inclined such that a portion on the downstream side (automated warehouse <NUM> side) is located at a higher position. Various known conveyors such as a roller conveyor, a belt conveyor, and a slat conveyor can be used as the storage conveyor <NUM>.

The retrieval conveyor <NUM>, the picking conveyor <NUM>, and the storage conveyor <NUM> are arranged in an angular U-shape as a whole in a plan view (that is, as viewed in the Z direction).

The article collection conveyors <NUM> transport the target articles As that have been taken out from the containers C at the picking position P. In this embodiment, the article collection conveyors <NUM> transport the target articles As individually in a state in which the target articles As are placed directly on the article collection conveyors <NUM>. The article collection conveyors <NUM> extend in the Y direction, and their end portions (upstream end portions) are adjacent to the picking conveyor <NUM>. In this manner, the article collection conveyors <NUM> transport the individual target articles As in the direction away from the picking conveyor <NUM> that is, toward the upper side in <FIG>). It is preferable that each of the article collection conveyors <NUM> is provided with a built-in lord cell for the purpose of confirming whether or not all of the requested target articles As have been taken out, and the like.

There is no particular limitation on the number of the article collection conveyors <NUM>, and a plurality of article collection conveyors <NUM> are provided in this embodiment. Specifically, three article collection conveyors <NUM> that are independent of each other, namely a first article collection conveyor 40A, a second article collection conveyor 40B, and a third article collection conveyor 40C, are provided. These three article collection conveyors 40A to 40C extend in parallel and are adjacent to one another at regular intervals in the X direction. The retrieval conveyor <NUM> and the storage conveyor <NUM> are respectively arranged on the two sides in the X direction of the three article collection conveyors 40A to 40C with these article collection conveyors 40A to 40C being located therebetween. In other words, at least portions of the plurality of article collection conveyors <NUM> are arranged in the inner area of the angular U-shape formed by the retrieval conveyor <NUM>, the picking conveyor <NUM>, and the storage conveyor <NUM>. Such an arrangement configuration makes it possible to use space efficiently and reduce the size of the picking facility <NUM>.

Containers for article collection (article collection containers) are separately supplied to the downstream side of the article collection conveyors <NUM>, and the target articles As are placed in the article collection containers according to destinations and then shipped. In the case where a plurality of article collection conveyors <NUM> are provided as in this embodiment, picking operations according to destinations corresponding to the number of article collection conveyors <NUM> can be performed simultaneously. Accordingly, the overall picking efficiency can be improved.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the picking facility <NUM> of this embodiment, the article collection conveyors <NUM> are arranged at positions higher than that of the picking conveyor <NUM>. Accordingly, a height level H1 of a transport face 20a of the picking conveyor <NUM> is lower than a height level H2 of the transport face 40a of each article collection conveyor <NUM>. It should be noted that, when the picking conveyor <NUM> is a roller conveyor, the transport face 20a of the picking conveyor <NUM> is a virtual plane that is in contact with all of the rollers, and when the picking conveyor <NUM> is a belt conveyor or slat conveyor, the transport face 20a thereof is the surface of the belt or slat. The same applies to the transport face 40a of the article collection conveyor <NUM>.

A difference ΔH (also referred to as a "conveyor level difference" hereinafter) between the height level H2 of the transport face 40a of the article collection conveyor <NUM> and the height level H1 of the transport face 20a of the picking conveyor <NUM> is determined based on a height H3 of the container C. That is, the conveyor level difference ΔH is set to a height determined based on the height H3 of the container C. The "height determined based on the height H3 of the container C" as used herein is determined based on the height H3 of the container C, and the concept thereof includes not only the height H3 of the container C itself but also a height that is larger or smaller by a predetermined amount than the height H3 of the container C. The "predetermined amount" in this case may be determined as appropriate in consideration of the structure of the picking facility <NUM>, the installation environment and the controllability of the picking facility <NUM>, the handleability of the container C and the target article As, and the like.

In this embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, the difference ΔH between the height level H2 of the transport face 40a of the article collection conveyor <NUM> and the height level H1 of the transport face 20a of the picking conveyor <NUM> is set to match the height H3 of the container C. More specifically, the positions in the Z direction (vertical direction) of the picking conveyor <NUM> and the article collection conveyors <NUM> are determined such that the conveyor level difference ΔH is equal to the height H3 of the container C (ΔH=H2-H1=H3).

With this configuration, the height level (=H1+H3) of the upper end of a container C placed on the picking conveyor <NUM> is equal to the height level H2 of the transport face 40a of the article collection conveyor <NUM>. Accordingly, when a target article As is taken out from the container C and placed on the article collection conveyor <NUM> during the picking operation, the travel stroke of the target article As in the Z direction (vertical direction) substantially includes only the upward travel distance (including a predetermined margin) that is necessary to move the target article As over the side wall Cw of the container C. That is, the individual target articles As taken out from the container C through the opening portion Co can be transferred onto the article collection conveyors <NUM> by merely moving them substantially horizontally (specifically, by moving them horizontally, and slightly vertically by an amount corresponding to the margin). Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the time required to pick the individual target articles As and to improve the overall picking efficiency.

The picking apparatus <NUM> picks the target article As from the articles A contained in the container C located at the picking position P, and transfers it to the article collection conveyor <NUM>. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the picking apparatus <NUM> of this embodiment includes a holding portion <NUM> that can hold the target article As, a raising/lowering mechanism <NUM> that moves the holding portion <NUM> in the Z direction (vertical direction), and a movement mechanism <NUM> that moves the holding portion <NUM> along the XY plane. The movement mechanism <NUM> includes a first movement mechanism <NUM> that moves the holding portion <NUM> in the X direction, and a second movement mechanism <NUM> that moves the holding portion <NUM> in the Y direction. That is, the picking apparatus <NUM> includes the holding portion <NUM>, the raising/lowering mechanism <NUM>, the first movement mechanism <NUM>, and the second movement mechanism <NUM>.

The holding portion <NUM> is configured so as to be capable of holding the target article As. In this embodiment, the holding portion <NUM> includes a suction nozzle, and can hold the target article As through vacuum suction and release the target article As through air supply. The raising/lowering mechanism <NUM> includes a raising/lowering main body portion 52A in which the holding portion <NUM> is fixed to the lower end portion. The raising/lowering main body portion 52A is supported by a second slider 55B of the second movement mechanism <NUM> in a state of being capable of sliding in the Z direction (vertical direction).

The first movement mechanism <NUM> includes a first guide rail 54A extending in the X direction, and a first slider 54B that is slidable along the first guide rail 54A. It should be noted that the first guide rail 54A is fixed to the installation surface or ceiling surface using a supporting member, suspending member, or the like, which are not shown in <FIG>. A second guide rail 55A of the second movement mechanism <NUM> is fixed to the first slider 54B. The second movement mechanism <NUM> includes a second guide rail 55A extending in the Y direction, and a second slider 55B that is slidable along the second guide rail 55A. The raising/lowering mechanism <NUM> (raising/lowering main body portion 52A) is slidably supported by the second slider 55B.

By sliding the first slider 54B along the first guide rail 54A, the holding portion <NUM> is moved in the X direction via the second movement mechanism <NUM> and the raising/lowering mechanism <NUM>. By sliding the second slider 55B along the second guide rail 55A, the holding portion <NUM> is moved in the Y direction via the raising/lowering mechanism <NUM>. By sliding the raising/lowering main body portion 52A in the Z direction (vertical direction) relative to the second slider 55B, the holding portion <NUM> fixed to the lower end portion of the raising/lowering main body portion 52A is raised/lowered. In this manner, the picking apparatus <NUM> can move the holding portion <NUM> freely and three-dimensionally, and this function and the function of holding the target article As exhibited by the holding portion <NUM> can be utilized together to automatically transfer a target article As (automated picking).

It should be noted that the picking apparatus <NUM> is provided with a camera <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. The camera <NUM> is installed facing downward at a position above the picking position P so as to be capable of taking, from above, pictures of the state inside the container C located at the picking position P.

The picking apparatus <NUM> is arranged at a position that overlaps the picking conveyor <NUM> and/or the article collection conveyors <NUM> in a plan view. It should be noted that a state in which two members "overlap each other in a plan view" means that at least a portion of one member and at least a portion of the other member overlap each other in a plan view. In this embodiment, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the picking apparatus <NUM> is arranged at a position that is located above the picking conveyor <NUM> and the article collection conveyors <NUM> and overlaps the picking conveyor <NUM> and the article collection conveyors <NUM> in a plan view. More specifically, the picking apparatus <NUM> is arranged such that the first movement mechanism <NUM> overlaps the article collection conveyors <NUM> in a plan view and the second movement mechanism <NUM> overlaps at least the picking conveyor <NUM> in a plan view.

It should be noted that the second movement mechanism <NUM> is arranged overlapping the article collection conveyors <NUM> as well in a plan view depending on the position of the first slider 54B in the X direction. Furthermore, the raising/lowering mechanism <NUM> is arranged overlapping the picking conveyor <NUM> in a plan view depending on the position of the second slider 55B in the Y direction.

As described above, the picking apparatus <NUM> is arranged at a position that is located above the picking conveyor <NUM> and the article collection conveyors <NUM> and overlaps the picking conveyor <NUM> and the article collection conveyors <NUM> in a plan view, and therefore, a dedicated area for installation of the picking apparatus <NUM> is made unnecessary. By combining this configuration with the above-described configuration in which the retrieval conveyor <NUM>, the picking conveyor <NUM>, the storage conveyor <NUM>, and the article collection conveyors <NUM> are compactly arranged, the overall size of the picking facility <NUM> is effectively reduced.

The working space <NUM> is a space in which an operator W performs a picking operation. Since the picking facility <NUM> of this embodiment includes the working space <NUM>, manual picking by an operator W can be performed in addition to automated picking by the picking apparatus <NUM> (see <FIG>). In this embodiment, a work platform <NUM> on which the operator W stands and performs operations is installed in the working space <NUM>. It is preferable that the work platform <NUM> has a lifter function to enable height adjustment.

The working space <NUM> is arranged on a side opposite to the side on which the retrieval conveyor <NUM>, the storage conveyor <NUM>, and the article collection conveyors <NUM> are arranged with respect to the picking conveyor <NUM> (that is, the lower side in <FIG>). Also, the working space <NUM> is arranged on a side opposite to the side on which the picking apparatus <NUM> is arranged with respect to the picking conveyor <NUM>. As described above, in this embodiment, the picking apparatus <NUM> and the working space <NUM> are respectively arranged on two sides of the picking conveyor <NUM> such that the picking conveyor <NUM> is located therebetween, and the picking apparatus <NUM> and the working space <NUM> do not overlap each other in a plan view. With such an arrangement configuration, even if the picking operation is switched from automated picking to manual picking while the picking apparatus <NUM> is stopped due to a failure thereof, for example, the picking apparatus <NUM> does not become an obstacle for the operator W performing an operation in the working space <NUM>. Accordingly, the manual picking can be smoothly performed.

The picking facility <NUM> includes a control unit <NUM> for controlling the portions of the picking facility <NUM>. The control unit <NUM> is constituted by a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer or a server computer including a central processing unit and a storage device such as a hard disk drive. As shown in <FIG>, a rack controller <NUM>, a conveyor controller <NUM>, and a picking controller <NUM> are connected to the control unit <NUM> such that each controller can communicate with the control unit <NUM>.

The rack controller <NUM> is configured to control the operations of the automated warehouse <NUM>. In general, a guided vehicle including a transfer apparatus is provided in the automated warehouse <NUM>. The rack controller <NUM> controls the travel operation of the guided vehicle and the transfer operation of the transfer apparatus and thus executes processing for retrieving the containers C from the automated warehouse <NUM> and the processing for storing the containers C in the automated warehouse <NUM>.

The conveyor controller <NUM> is configured to control the operations of the retrieval conveyor <NUM>, the picking conveyor <NUM>, the storage conveyor <NUM>, and the article collection conveyors <NUM>. In general, each of the retrieval conveyor <NUM>, the picking conveyor <NUM>, the storage conveyor <NUM>, and the article collection conveyors <NUM> includes a driving motor for transporting articles to be transported (containers C herein) in the transport direction. The conveyor controller <NUM> controls the rotational operations of these driving motors and thus executes processing for transporting the containers C that have been retrieved from the automated warehouse <NUM> and are then returned to the automated warehouse <NUM> again, and processing for transporting the target articles As taken out at the picking position P for subsequent shipping.

The picking controller <NUM> is configured to control the operations of the picking apparatus <NUM>. As described above, the picking apparatus <NUM> includes the raising/lowering mechanism <NUM>, the first movement mechanism <NUM>, and the second movement mechanism <NUM>. In general, the picking apparatus <NUM> further includes driving motors for sliding the raising/lowering main body portion 52A in the Z direction, the first slider 54B in the X direction, and the second slider 55B in the Y direction. The picking controller <NUM> controls the rotational operations of these driving motors and thus executes the processing for performing automated picking by the picking apparatus <NUM>.

It should be noted that the picking controller <NUM> is configured to be capable of recognizing the positions, the orientations, and the like of the target articles As in the container C by processing images taken by the camera <NUM>. The picking controller <NUM> controls the picking apparatus <NUM> based on the recognition results such that the automated picking by the picking apparatus <NUM> is appropriately performed.

In the embodiment above, the configuration in which the retrieval conveyor <NUM>, the picking conveyor <NUM>, and the storage conveyor <NUM> are arranged in an angular U-shape in a plan view is described as an example. However, there is no limitation to such a configuration, and the positional relationships of the retrieval conveyor <NUM> and the storage conveyor <NUM> to the picking conveyor <NUM> in a plan view can be changed as appropriate. For example, at least one of the retrieval conveyor <NUM> and the storage conveyor <NUM> may also be connected to the picking conveyor <NUM> at an obtuse angle or an acute angle. In this case, the retrieval conveyor <NUM> and the storage conveyor <NUM> may also intersect each other in a plan view.

In the embodiment above, the configuration in which the retrieval conveyor <NUM> and the storage conveyor <NUM> are arranged on the same side as the side on which the article collection conveyors <NUM> are arranged with respect to the picking conveyor <NUM> is described as an example. However, there is no limitation to such a configuration, and the retrieval conveyor <NUM> and the storage conveyor <NUM> may also be arranged on a side opposite to the side on which the article collection conveyors <NUM> are arranged with respect to the picking conveyor <NUM>. In this case, the retrieval conveyor <NUM> and the storage conveyor <NUM> may also be arranged such that the working space <NUM> is located therebetween in the X direction (first transport direction). Alternatively, the retrieval conveyor <NUM> and the storage conveyor <NUM> may also be lined up in a row with the picking conveyor <NUM>.

In the embodiment above, the configuration in which only one picking conveyor <NUM> is provided is described as an example. However, there is no limitation to such a configuration, and a plurality of picking conveyors <NUM> that are independent of each other may also be provided and arranged in parallel at regular intervals in the Y direction.

In the embodiment above, the configuration in which the three article collection conveyors <NUM>, which are independent of each other, are provided is described as an example. However, there is no limitation to such a configuration, and the number of the article collection conveyors <NUM> may also be two or four or more, for example. Alternatively, a configuration in which only one article collection conveyor <NUM> is provided may also be employed.

In the embodiment above, the configuration in which the three article collection conveyors <NUM> are arranged in parallel with one another is described as an example. However, there is no limitation to such a configuration, and a plurality of article collection conveyors <NUM> may also be arranged such that the extension directions thereof radially extend or intersect in a plan view.

In the embodiment above, the configuration in which the holding portion <NUM> of the picking apparatus <NUM> includes the suction nozzle and can hold the target article As through vacuum suction is described as an example. However, there is no limitation to such a configuration, and the holding portion <NUM> may also include a robot hand, holding claw, or the like that can hold the target article As.

In the embodiment above, the configuration in which the picking apparatus <NUM> includes the holding portion <NUM>, the raising/lowering mechanism <NUM> that moves the holding portion <NUM> in the Z direction, the first movement mechanism <NUM> that moves the holding portion <NUM> in the X direction, and the second movement mechanism <NUM> that moves the holding portion <NUM> in the Y direction is described as an example. However, there is no limitation to such a configuration, and the picking apparatus <NUM> may also be constituted by an articulated robot arm or the like, for example.

In the embodiment above, each article collection conveyor <NUM> may include a stopper <NUM> provided at the end portion near the picking conveyor <NUM> as shown in <FIG>, for example. The stopper <NUM> protrudes upward from the transport face 40a of the article collection conveyor <NUM>. For example, even in a case where the target articles As have an external shape such as a spherical shape and thus are likely to roll, such a stopper <NUM> can prevent the target articles As transferred onto the article collection conveyor <NUM> from falling toward the picking conveyor <NUM> side. In the case of such a configuration, it is preferable to determine the positional relationship between the picking conveyor <NUM> and the article collection conveyor <NUM> in consideration of a height H4 of the stopper <NUM> in addition to the height H3 of the container C. In the example shown in <FIG>, the difference ΔH between the height level H2 of the transport face 40a of the article collection conveyor <NUM> and the height level H1 of the transport face 20a of the picking conveyor <NUM> is set to match a value obtained by subtracting the height H4 of the stopper <NUM> from the height H3 of the container C. More specifically, the positions in the Z direction (vertical direction) of the picking conveyor <NUM> and the article collection conveyors <NUM> are determined such that the conveyor level difference ΔH is equal to the difference between the height H3 of the container C and the height H4 of the stopper <NUM> (ΔH=H2-H1=H3-H4).

In the embodiment above, the configuration in which the picking apparatus <NUM> is arranged at the position that overlaps the picking conveyor <NUM> and the article collection conveyors <NUM> and does not overlap the working space <NUM> in a plan view is described as an example. However, there is no limitation to such a configuration, and a configuration may also be employed in which the picking apparatus <NUM> is arranged on a side opposite to where the article collection conveyors <NUM> and the like are arranged with the picking conveyor <NUM> being located between the picking apparatus <NUM> and the article collection conveyors <NUM>, and does not overlap the article collection conveyors <NUM> in a plan view. Moreover, the picking apparatus <NUM> may be arranged overlapping the working space <NUM> in a plan view.

In the embodiment above, the picking facility <NUM> that is configured such that the automated picking by the picking apparatus <NUM> is performed in normal cases and the manual picking by the operator W is performed only while the picking apparatus <NUM> is stopped due to a failure thereof or the like is mainly considered and described. However, there is no limitation to such a configuration, and the picking facility <NUM> may also be configured to be capable of actively switching between an automatic mode in which automated picking is performed and a manual mode in which manual picking is performed.

In the embodiment above, the configuration in which the picking facility <NUM> includes the picking apparatus <NUM> is described as an example. However, there is no limitation to such a configuration, and a configuration may also be employed in which the picking facility <NUM> does not include the picking apparatus <NUM>, and manual picking is performed principally.

In the embodiment above, the configuration in which the picking facility <NUM> includes the working space <NUM> is described as an example. However, there is no limitation to such a configuration, and a configuration may also be employed in which the picking facility <NUM> does not include the working space <NUM>, and automated picking is performed principally.

The configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments (including the above-mentioned embodiment and other embodiments; the same applies hereinafter) can also be used in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments as long as they are compatible with each other. Regarding the other configurations, the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

To summarize the description above, the picking facility according to the present disclosure preferably includes the following configurations. The picking facility according to the present disclosure is a picking facility including: a first conveyor for transporting a container that includes an opening portion provided on an upper side thereof and can contain an article; and a second conveyor for transporting a target article, which is an article to be picked, wherein a height level of a transport face of the first conveyor is set to be lower than a height level of a transport face of the second conveyor, and a difference between the height level of the transport face of the second conveyor and the height level of the transport face of the first conveyor is determined based on a height of the container.

With this configuration, the transport face of the second conveyor can be arranged at an appropriate height in accordance with the height of the container located on the first conveyor. For example, the transport face of the second conveyor is arranged at a position near the upper end portion of the container located on the first conveyor. Accordingly, when the target article is taken out from the container and placed onto the second conveyor, the travel stroke of the target article in the vertical direction can be brought close to the upward travel distance that is necessary to move the target article over the side wall of the container. That is, the travel stroke of the target article in the vertical direction can be reduced. It should be noted that the same applies to a case where the target article transported on the second conveyor is placed in the container located on the first conveyor. Accordingly, a picking facility with excellent operation efficiency can be realized.

In an aspect, it is preferable that the difference between the height level of the transport face of the second conveyor and the height level of the transport face of the first conveyor is set to match the height of the container.

With this configuration, when the target article is taken out from the container and placed onto the second conveyor, the travel stroke of the target article in the vertical direction can be minimized. As a result, it is possible to transfer, onto the second conveyor, the individual target articles taken out from the container by merely moving them horizontally, and slightly vertically. Accordingly, the operation efficiency can be further improved.

In an aspect, it is preferable that the second conveyor is arranged extending in a direction intersecting a transport direction of the first conveyor in a state in which an end portion is adjacent to the first conveyor, and includes a stopper that is provided at an end portion near the first conveyor and protrudes upward from the transport face of the second conveyor, and the difference between the height level of the transport face of the second conveyor and the height level of the transport face of the first conveyor is set to match a value obtained by subtracting a height of the stopper from the height of the container.

With this configuration, the second conveyor includes the stopper, and therefore, it is possible to prevent the target articles transferred onto the second conveyor from falling toward the first conveyor side. Moreover, with the configuration in which the second conveyor includes such a stopper, when the target article is taken out from the container and placed onto the second conveyor, the travel stroke of the target article in the vertical direction can be minimized. Accordingly, from these two viewpoints, the operation efficiency can be further improved.

In an aspect, it is preferable that the picking facility further includes a picking apparatus that takes out the target article from the container, and the picking apparatus includes a holding portion that can hold the target article, a movement mechanism that moves the holding portion in directions extending along the transport face of the first conveyor, and a raising/lowering mechanism that moves the holding portion in a vertical direction.

With this configuration, the target article can be moved freely and three-dimensionally in the state of being held by the holding portion, and automated picking by the picking apparatus can be appropriately performed. In such automated picking, when the picking apparatus transfers the target article, the magnitude of the travel stroke of the holding portion directly affects the operation efficiency. In this regard, with the technology disclosed in the present disclosure, the travel stroke of the holding portion in the vertical direction can be reduced, and the automated picking itself leads to greater efficiency, thus making it possible to significantly improve the operation efficiency.

Claim 1:
A picking facility (<NUM>) comprising:
a container (C) that includes an opening portion (Co) provided on an upper side thereof and
configured to contain articles (A);
a first conveyor (<NUM>) configured to transport the container (C) containing the articles (A); and
a second conveyor (<NUM>) configured to transport a target article (As), which is an article (A) that has been picked,
wherein a height level (H1) of a transport face (20a) of the first conveyor (<NUM>) is set to be lower than a height level (H2) of a transport face (40a) of the second conveyor (<NUM>), and being characterized in that
a difference (ΔH) between the height level (H2) of the transport face (40a) of the second conveyor (<NUM>) and the height level (H1) of the transport face (20a) of the first conveyor (<NUM>) is set to match the height of the container (C).