Patent Application
20190354924
The present invention relates mainly to a work support device.
In the logistics business, a system that automates or supports works such as commodity collection, sorting, inspection, packing, and inventory management in the warehouse work is devised and spread. In the packing work, for example, a method of calculating the size of a packing box from the size of the commodity group to be packed to propose a packing box in which the packing fits is devised and spread.
As one of the supporting techniques for proposing the packing box, there is JP-A-2011-157139 (Patent Literature 1). This publication describes that “the volume of the articles to be collected into a collection container is determined based on the order information of articles from a sorting destination. A packing container that has the storage volume of articles that satisfies the determined volume is selected from a plurality of packing containers based on the determined volume. A division placement space in which the selected packing container is stored is displayed by the display device. As a result, the worker of a packing container loading area can take the most suitable packing container out of the division placement space displayed by the display device without determining the volume of the articles in the collection container. The working time is shortened by putting the packing container into the collection container according to the display of the display device in this way. Further, since the packing container that has the storage volume that satisfies the determined volume of articles is selected from the plurality of packing containers and displayed, the possibility of selecting an inappropriate packing container by mistake is reduced”.
PTL 1: JP-A-2011-157139
When a commodity is stored in a collection box at the time of commodity collection, since it is not known what kind of and how many commodities are necessary to be collected from now, it is difficult for the collection worker to appropriately select the size of the collection box in which the commodities fit. In addition, since it is not known what kind of and how many commodities are necessary to be collected later even during the collection work, it is difficult to do the collection work and storage work of the commodities while considering how to store the commodities in the collection box so that the commodities to be collected later will fit. The commodity collected later may not be in depending on the storage position. It is necessary to switch the storage position in the collection box so as to store the commodity collected later, which may reduce the work efficiency.
In addition, when the commodity collected in the collection box is stored in a packing box, since it is not known what kind of and how many commodities are collected in the collection box, it is difficult for the packing worker to appropriately select the size of the packing box in which the commodities fit. In addition, even during the packing work, since it is not known what size of the commodity comes out of the collection box later, for example, the commodity with characteristics on packing such as not to set sideways, it is difficult to do the packing work while considering how to store the commodities in the packing box so that all commodities can be stored at an appropriate position. The commodities may not all be in depending on the storage position. It is necessary to switch the storage position in the packing box, which may reduce the work efficiency.
Therefore, as in Patent Literature 1, since the size of the collection box or the packing box to be stored from the volume information of the commodity group is determined and presented to the worker, which can be selected without considering the size of the most suitable collection box or packing box which is necessary for the worker, it is effective as a packing work support method. However, since the calculation is performed depending on the volume, when the size of the commodities exceeds any one of the width, the depth, or the height of the collection box or the packing box, the commodities may not be in.
The difficulty of performing the packing work in the state in which it is not known what kind of and how many commodities are necessary to be stored is not solved.
An example of the representative ones for solving the problems described above are as follows. That is, a work support device which supports a work of storing a plurality of articles of a plurality of types in a packing box, includes: a processor; a storage unit; a display unit; and an instruction information reading unit, in which the storage unit holds at least a size of the articles of each type, the instruction information reading unit reads work instruction information for instructing a packing work of storing the article in the packing box, the processor acquires a quantity and a size of the articles of each type to be stored in the packing box based on the work instruction information and information held in the storage unit, and generates a support image that overlooks a three-dimensional space in which a figure, in which the sizes of the articles of each type to be stored in the packing box are reduced at a same scale, is arranged in a predetermined direction from a predetermined reference position, according to an indication order of the article of each type based on a predetermined rule, for a quantity of each type to be stored in the packing box, and the display unit displays the support image.
According to the invention, it is possible to improve the work efficiency by providing the work support device with an excellent usability. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the description of the embodiments below.
Embodiments of the invention will be described below using the drawings.
First, a first embodiment of a packing support method according to the invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the work efficiency can be improved by performing the packing work without switching the storage position of an object to be packed.
First, the basic operation of the work support device according to the present embodiment will be described.
The work support device 100 includes a control unit 101, an instruction symbol reading unit 102, a support instruction creation unit 103, and a display unit 104, and holds a database 105.
The control unit 101 controls the entire work support device. The instruction symbol reading unit 102 reads at least one of a work instruction symbol associated with work content to be performed by the worker from now and a symbol unique to the object to be packed that is printed on the object to be packed (that is, the article to be packed in a packing box). The support instruction creation unit 103 creates instruction information for displaying an instruction to the worker. The display unit 104 performs display based on support instruction information created by the support instruction creation unit 103.
The database 105 holds information such as work information performed by the worker and size information of the object to be packed.
The work support device 100 has a processor 111, a main storage unit 112, an auxiliary storage unit 113, the instruction symbol reading unit 102, and the display unit 104 connected to each other.
The processor 111 controls each unit in the work support device 100 according to a program stored in the main storage unit 112 to realize various processing such as packing support processing to be described later. Specifically, the processing of the control unit 101 and the support instruction creation unit 103 is actually executed according to the program stored in the main storage unit 112 by the processor 111.
The main storage unit 112 is, for example, a storage device such as a semiconductor memory, and stores a program executed by the processor 111, data referred to by the processor 111, and the like. In addition, data created by the processor 111 is also stored in the main storage unit 112, such as support instruction information and support instruction content to be described later.
The auxiliary storage unit 113 is, for example, a storage device such as a hard disk drive or a flash memory device, and stores data referred to by the processor 111 and the like. For example, the database 105 may be stored in the auxiliary storage unit 113, and at least part of the database 105 may be copied to the main storage unit 112 as necessary. The program executed by the processor 111 may also be stored in the auxiliary storage unit 113, and at least part of the program may be copied to the main storage unit 112 as necessary. At least part of the data stored in the main storage unit 112 by the processor 111 may be stored in the auxiliary storage unit 113 as necessary.
The instruction symbol reading unit 102 is an input device for reading work instruction symbols, and may be, for example, a barcode reader, or a camera. The instruction symbol reading unit 102 may include an input device such as a keyboard when it is necessary to input, for example, characters or numbers, or may include an input device such as a mouse, when it is necessary to operate, for example, a button on a screen to be described later.
The display unit 104 is an output device that displays an image of the support instruction content (for example,
For example, all of the objects to be packed are arranged once on the workbench such that the worker knows in advance what kind of the objects to be packed is. Similarly, in
Further, the number of the objects to be packed for each type and the characteristic information to be taken caution at the time of packing a box, such as “broken object” and “this side up” are displayed.
Indication content shown in
In
In step 302, based on the acquired work instruction symbol, the control unit 101 acquires work instruction information such as the type and the number of the objects to be packed that should be packed from the database 105.
In step 303, based on the acquired work instruction information, the control unit 101 acquires arrangement information such as the size, weight, and characteristics of the object to be packed from the database 105.
Next, instep 304, the control unit 101 acquires an indication rule that stands for in what order the objects to be packed are indicated at the time of display. This maybe determined in advance by the work support device 100 or may be set individually by the worker. The indication rule shows, for example, rules including “weight order”, “volume (capacity) order”, “ascending order or descending order of the number of objects to be packed”, “collection order or packing order of objects to be packed”, “ascending order or descending order of any one of the width, height and depth of objects to be packed” or “characteristic order of objects to be packed”. However, the indication rule maybe a rule other than those described above, as long as the indication order of the objects to be packed can be determined based on the indication rule.
For example, by arranging in the weight order, it becomes easy to work such as disposing heavy objects to be packed in a lower part of the packing box, and light objects to be packed in an upper part of the packing box. By arranging in the volume order, for example, it becomes easy to work such as storing large-sized objects to be packed first in the packing box and storing small-sized objects to be packed in a remaining space. By arranging in the order of the number of the objects to be packed, for example, it becomes easy to work such as storing a large number of objects to be packed of the same type first in the packing box and storing a small number of objects to be packed in the remaining space.
The collection order of the objects to be packed is the order in which picking is performed, for example, when a picked article is packed in the packing box. The collection order is generated based on, for example, the work instruction information and stored in the database 105. In addition, the packing order of the objects to be packed is the storage order when the arrangements of the objects to be packed in the packing box and the storage order in the respective arrangements are calculated as will be described later. By arranging the objects to be packed in this order, it is possible to support the work along the actual flow.
By arranging the objects to be packed in the order of at least one of the width, the height and the depth of the objects to be packed, it becomes easy to work such as storing the object to be packed with a small degree of freedom of arrangement in the packing box first, such as a wide object, and storing the other objects to be packed later. By arranging the objects to be packed in the order of the characteristics (for example, broken object and this side up) of the object to be packed, oversight of the caution items is prevented.
The indication rule described above maybe applied alone, but a combination of a plurality of indication rules may be applied. For example, objects to be packed may be arranged in the weight order, and the objects to be packed of the same weight may be arranged in the volume order.
In step 305, the support instruction creation unit 103 creates the support instruction information including indication position coordinates of the object to be packed and characteristic indication information of the object to be packed according to the acquired indication rule above. Here, in the indication position coordinates, the arrangement reference position on the screen, for example, point A (0, 0, 0) shown in
In step 306, the display unit 104 performs the display shown in
Further, an object to be packed 202 at a second position in the indication order is displayed on a point moved (shifted) from the point A in an X direction. It is necessary for the amount of the movement to be larger than the size of the figure showing the object to be packed 201 in the X direction. That is, the indication position of the object to be packed 202 is a position shown by a coordinate value obtained by adding a value larger than the size of the object to be packed 201 in the X direction to an X coordinate value of the point A (0, 0, 0). Further, in the example in
Similarly, the objects to be packed 203 to 209 at a third position or after in the indication order are also sequentially displayed at a position moved from the indication position of the higher rank object to be packed in any direction. However, for example, when the moved indication position is out of the display range of the screen and the like, the indication position may be determined as it is, and it may be possible to display by scrolling the screen and the like, but a moving direction of the indication position may be changed such that the display can be performed without scrolling.
In the example in
Further, in the example in
Similarly, the number of objects to be packed 205 to 209 that is to be packed respectively is displayed at positions moved from the indication position of the objects to be packed at the higher position in the indication order only by the necessary amount in the X direction or the Y direction. In addition, as necessary, the icon showing the characteristic information, for example, an icon 213 showing this side up, an icon 214 showing that the objects are together in a bag, and an icon 215 showing heavy object are displayed for the respective objects to be packed.
In the example in
In the example in
A support instruction information 400 includes, for example, an ID information 401 for identifying each record of the support instruction information 400, a name 402 of the object to be packed, a number 403, a size 404, a weight 405, a position coordinate 406 for displaying the object to be packed, an order 407 of packing, and information (for example, a broken object 408 and this side up 409) related to the caution items of packing. These are examples of information to be used for display, and may further include other information as necessary, or may omit unnecessary portions.
The name 402 identifies the object to be packed. The same type of the objects to be packed is identified by the same name 402. The number 403 is the number of the objects to be packed for each type. With regard to the size 404, the size of the original object to be packed is set to a size reduced by a predetermined ratio. The ratio to be reduced may be determined in advance by the work support device, and may be determined according to the size of the screen of the display unit 104, or may be set individually by the worker.
The weight 405 is the weight of each object to be packed. Indication position coordinates 406 are coordinates showing a position at which each object to be packed is displayed. More specifically, as shown in
With regard to the caution items for packing such as the broken object 408 and this side up, True is stored when the caution items on the packing applies such as the object to be packed is a broken object, and False is stored when it does not apply. The caution items include “broken object”, “this side up”, “together in bag”, or “wrap with cushioning material”, but are not limited to these as long as they are caution items at the time of packing.
In addition, the support instruction information 400 may be in the form illustrated in
In this way, before work, by displaying the size and the number of the objects to be packed that should be stored not only with the character information but also displaying the figures that simulates the shape of the objects to be packed visually and in the overlooking way, it becomes easy to make a storing plan such as which commodity is stored at which position. When the work is performed without planning an appropriate storing plan, for example, even though there is space remaining in the packing box, not all of the objects to be packed can be in, and once the object to be packed which is stored maybe taken out and switched to another storage position, the work efficiency is reduced as a result. According to the present embodiment, by supporting the planning of the storing plan, it is possible to prevent the storage position of the objects to be packed from being switched, and the work efficiency can be improved.
Next, a second embodiment related to a packing support method according to the invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the work efficiency can be improved by performing the packing work without switching the storage position of an object to be packed. Except for the differences described below, since each unit of the system according to the second embodiment has the same functions as those of each unit denoted by the same reference numerals of the first embodiment shown in
The configuration and basic operation of the work support device 100 according to the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment (see
In
Further, with regard to the object to be packed that should be stored on the bottom surface, the storage position in the packing box can be instructed in more detail. In the example in
In the example in
In step 301, the instruction symbol reading unit 102 reads a work instruction symbol printed on a work instruction manual for instructing the packing work. In step 302, based on the acquired work instruction symbol, the control unit 101 acquires work instruction information such as the type and the number of objects to be packed that should be packed from the database 105.
In step 303, based on the acquired work instruction information, the control unit 101 acquires arrangement information such as the size, weight, and characteristics of the object to be packed from the database 105. Here, the arrangement information includes arrangement position coordinates of the objects to be packed in the packing box calculated from the size and the number of the objects to be packed in advance. Alternatively, the control unit 101 may calculate the arrangement position of the objects to be packed in the packing box from the size of the packing box and the size and the number of the objects to be packed. In addition, the control unit 101 may calculate the order 407 of packing of the objects to be packed based on the arrangement positions of the respective types of the objects to be packed thus calculated. Since such a calculation can be realized by a related known method, the detailed description thereof is omitted here.
In step 800, the support instruction creation unit 103 creates support instruction information. This processing will be described later with reference to
In step 704, the support instruction creation unit 103 creates the support instruction information for displaying at least one of a bottom surface 503 of the packing box and the appearance 604 of the packing box. This is, for example, position information on the display for highlighting the bottom surface and the long side surface of the packing box as shown in
Finally, in step 306, the display unit 104 performs the display shown in
The support instruction information creation flow shown in step 800 will be described with reference to
Next, in step 802, the support instruction creation unit 103 refers to the arrangement information of the objects to be packed acquired in step 303, and confirms whether the objects to be packed in which the arrangement position (that is, the indication position coordinates 406) is not determined remains. When no object to be packed in which the arrangement position is not determined remains, the processing ends, and if not, the processing proceeds to step 803.
In step 803, the support instruction creation unit 103 selects one of the objects to be packed in which the arrangement position is not determined, and confirms whether the selected object to be packed is to be stored on the bottom surface of the packing box. If the selected object to be packed is to be stored on the bottom surface of the packing box, the processing proceeds to step 804, and if it is to be stored at the second or higher tier, the processing proceeds to step 805.
In step 804, the support instruction creation unit 103 confirms whether the objects to be packed are displayed at the storage position (that is, the arrangement position in the packing box calculated in step 303) in the packing box or the objects to be packed are displayed according to a certain rule (for example, weight order). The work support device 100 may determine which display to perform, or the worker may determine and set which display to perform in advance. When the display is performed at the storage position in the packing box, the processing proceeds to step 806, and when the display is performed according to the certain rule, the processing proceeds to step 807.
Since it is stored at the second or higher tier in step 805, when the point A (0, 0, 0), for example, are shown in
In step 806, the support instruction creation unit 103 determines the arrangement reference position on the bottom surface of the packing box for displaying the objects to be packed arranged on the bottom surface at the storage position in the packing box. Specifically, the support instruction creation unit 103 takes, for example, the point A (0, 0, 0) as the arrangement reference position, and determines the indication coordinates to be arranged at the actual storage position of each object to be packed.
In step 807, the support instruction creation unit 103 determines the arrangement reference position for displaying the objects to be packed arranged on the bottom surface according to the indication rule. Specifically, the support instruction creation unit 103 takes, for example, the point A (0, 0, 0) as the arrangement reference position, and determines the indication coordinates according to the indication rule of the arrangement position of each object to be packed.
In step 808, the support instruction creation unit 103 creates the support instruction information that includes the indication coordinates of the object to be packed, the characteristic indication information of the object to be packed, and the like, and the processing returns to step 802.
A support instruction information 900 includes ID information 901, a name 902 of the packing box, a size 903 of the packing box, a presence or absence of rotation 904 when the packing box is displayed, an indication coordinate position 905, coordinates 906 that forms sides of the bottom surface of the packing box to show the long side surface direction, a lid direction 907 that shows a relation between the lid and the long side surface of the packing box. However,
The presence or absence of rotation 904 when the packing box is displayed shows rotation in directions of the width and depth of the packing box. True is set when the rotation is performed, and False is set when the rotation is not performed. In the lid direction 907 that shows the relation between the lid of the packing box and the long side surface, True is set when the long side surface direction and the direction to open the lid are the same, and False is set when they are different. The method of designating the rotation of the packing box is not limited to this, and the size of the object to be packed that is registered in the size 903 may be corrected according to whether the packing box is rotated. In addition, according to the amount of the object to be packed, one or two or more packing boxes may be used.
The method described above is an example of holding information that shows the relation between the long side surface direction of the packing box and the opening and closing directions of the lid of the packing box, and making the worker recognize the long side surface direction of the packing box by showing the opening and closing directions of the lid of the packing box according to the information, and another method may be adopted. As a result, this makes it possible for the worker to correctly recognize the orientation of the packing box.
Next, a variation of the display method in
When the number of types of the objects to be packed that should be displayed is increased, it becomes difficult for all of the objects to be packed to fit within the display screen. It is possible to fit all of the objects to be packed within the display screen by reducing the reduction ratio of the displayed objects to be packed, but the objects to be packed become small and difficult to see, respectively. Therefore, when the objects to be packed that is to be stored on the bottom surface and the objects to be packed that is to be stored at the second or higher tier are displayed separately, the display screen is effectively used by changing the arrangement reference position of the indication position of the objects to be packed, which are stored in the direction of the bottom surface of the packing box and at the second or higher tier.
A case will be described when the aspect ratio of the display is longer in a horizontal direction (that is, in a left-right direction) than in a vertical direction (that is, in an up-down direction).
As shown in
More specifically, as shown in
In this example, the objects to be packed that should be stored on the bottom surface of the packing box are displayed in the area 1001 in an arrangement that matches the storage position in the packing box. At this time, a direction 1003 of the long side surface of the packing box is displayed so as to match with the X-axis direction.
As shown in
More specifically, when the correspondence between the virtual three-dimensional space and the screen is the same as in
In this example, the objects to be packed that should be stored on the bottom surface of the packing box are displayed in the area 1101 in an arrangement that matches the storage position in the packing box. At this time, a direction 1103 of the long side surface of the packing box is displayed so as to match with the Y-axis direction.
When the aspect ratio of the display is opposite to that in this example (that is, the vertical direction is long), the axial direction to be divided into two and the axial direction matched with the long side surface direction are respectively opposite to the above example.
Steps 301 to 303 are the same as those in
In step 1205, the support instruction creation unit 103 shifts the arrangement reference position of the indication coordinates of the objects to be packed that is to be stored at the second or higher tier to the division position in the X direction, and then the processing proceeds to step 800. For example, when the arrangement reference position of the indication coordinates of the objects to be packed that is to be stored on the bottom surface in
In step 1206, the support instruction creation unit 103 shifts the arrangement reference position of the indication coordinates of the objects to be packed that is to be stored at the second or higher tier to the division position in the Y direction, and then the processing proceeds to step 800. For example, when the arrangement reference position of the indication coordinates of the objects to be packed that is to be stored on the bottom surface in
In step 704, the support instruction creation unit 103 creates support instruction information for the packing box. Here, the direction of the packing box is to be matched with which one of the X axis or the Y axis is set by, for example, the presence or absence of rotation of the packing box.
Finally, in step 306, the display unit 104 performs display as shown in
Next, as a variation of the display method in
When the objects to be packed is stored in a plurality of packing boxes, a plurality of display contents the same as those shown in
According to the method shown above, before work, by displaying the size and the number of the objects to be packed not only with the character information but also visually and in the overlooking way, and by knowing in advance the objects to be packed that should be stored on the bottom surface of the packing box, it becomes easy for the worker to make the storing plan such as which commodity is stored at which position, and it is possible to prevent the storage position of the objects to be packed from being switched, and the work efficiency can be improved.
Next, a third embodiment related to a packing support method according to the invention will be described. In the third embodiment, the work efficiency can be improved by performing the work without switching the storage position of an object to be packed. Except for the differences described below, since each unit of the system of the third embodiment has the same functions as those of each unit denoted by the same reference numerals of the first and second embodiments shown in
First, the basic operation of the work support device according to the present embodiment will be described.
The work support device 100 of the third embodiment holds a display switching unit 1306 in addition to the units shown in
The basic operation of the work support device 100 of the third embodiment is the basic operation of the first embodiment to which the operation of switching display content by the display switching unit 1306 is added.
In order for workers to know where to store the object to be packed in a packing box, the display unit 104 displays a packing indication screen in which figures of each object to be packed are reduced on a matching scale are arranged at the storage positions, respectively. Although not shown in
Since the packing work starts with the worker storing the object to be packed on the bottom surface, for example, immediately after the work is started, the display unit 104 may display the objects to be packed that should be stored on the bottom surface among the objects to be packed that are displayed on the packing indication screen shown in
The packing indication screen may be an indication screen in which all of the objects to be packed are stored as shown in
When it is desired to grasp the position of a specific object to be packed among all of the objects to be packed while holding an image that stores not only the objects to be packed that should be stored on the bottom but also all of the objects to be packed, the display unit 104 may display a display screen for displaying a part of the objects to be packed in a translucent manner.
In the example in
Examples of a method of designating the specific object to be packed 1701 include reading a barcode printed on the object to be packed by the instruction symbol reading unit 102 and selecting the object to be packed displayed on the display unit 104, but the method is not limited to these, and any desired method may be adopted.
In step 1501, the display switching unit 1306 determines whether a display switching instruction is issued by the worker. A display switching method may be one by pressing the display switching button 1401 on the display screen or, for example, one by the voice of the worker, but is not limited to these. When there is a display switching instruction, the processing proceeds to step 1502, and when there is no display switching instruction, the processing ends.
Instep 1502, the display switching unit 1306 switches to the indication content different the indication content held. In step 1503, the display switching unit 1306 holds the current display method. With regard to the switching of the indication content, the support instruction creation unit 103 may create support instruction information of the overlooking indication and the packing indication in advance. In step 1502, the display unit 104 may perform display according to an instruction of the display switching unit 1306, or the support instruction creation unit 103 creates support instruction information for each display switching instruction, and the display unit 104 may display it.
In addition, when the object to be packed (that is, the object to be packed in which another object to be packed is not stored between the object to be packed and any one of wall surfaces) stored in the position adjacent to an inner wall of the packing box is displayed as the object to be packed 1701 in
Support instruction information 1800 of the third embodiment includes, for example, the ID information 401, the name 402 of the object to be packed, the number 403, the size 404, the weight 405, a coordinate position 1801 of the object to be packed for displaying the object to be packed stored in the packing box, a flag 1802 that shows whether the object to be packed is adjacent to the wall surface, the order 407 of packing, and an information 1803 related to the caution items of packing. These are examples of information to be used for display, and may further include other information as necessary, or may omit unnecessary portions.
The flag 1802 is set to True when the object to be packed is adjacent to the wall surface, or False is set when it is not adjacent to the wall surface. Alternatively, the support instruction information 1800 may hold coordinates of a start point and an end point of the highlighted indication 1702 to be added on the screen for showing whether the object to be packed is adjacent to the wall surface. In addition, the information 1803 related to the caution items of packing is the same as the broken object 408 and this side up 409 shown in
In this way, by switching between displaying the size and the number of the objects to be packed that should be stored not only with the character information but also visually and in an overlooking way and displaying which commodity is stored at which position, and showing the storage position, it is possible to work while imaging the type and the amount of the objects to be packed and the storage position, and it is possible to prevent the storage position of the objects to be packed from being switched, and the work efficiency can be improved.
Next, a fourth embodiment related to a packing support method according to the invention will be described. In the fourth embodiment, by instructing an object to be packed by the worker and the order and the position of the object to be packed, it becomes unnecessary to switch the storage position of the object to be packed, and the work efficiency can be improved. Except for the differences described below, since each unit of the system of the fourth embodiment has the same functions as those of each unit denoted by the same reference numerals of the first to third embodiments shown in
As shown in
The recognition unit 1905 may include a camera and the like, which may be used to recognize the object to be packed, or may include a weight scale and the like, which may be used to specify the individual object to be packed that is stored, or may recognize the object to be packed using a method other than the above.
An example of a support instruction will be described with reference to
The support instruction content shown in
The support instruction content shown in
For example, an object to be packed 2002 highlighted by the arrow 2001 in
When the recognition unit 1905 recognizes that the worker takes the object to be packed when the support instruction content as shown in
In addition, in
As shown in
In step 2201, an instruction symbol reading unit 1202 detects the object to be packed held by the worker and the object to be packed that is stored by the worker. In step 2202, the control unit 101 refers to the order information 407 of the support instruction information shown in
The processing in
In step 2301, the recognition unit 1905 detects the object to be packed that is held by the worker and its storage position. In step 2302, the control unit 101 determines whether the recognized object to be packed is an instructed object to be packed (that is, the object to be packed that should be stored next, which is specified from the order information 407). When the recognized object to be packed is the instructed object to be packed, the processing proceeds to step 2306, and when the object to be packed is different from the instructed object to be packed, the processing proceeds to step 2303.
In step 2303, the control unit 101 determines whether the number of times of alerting the different object to be packed is N times or more, and when it is N times or more, the processing proceeds to step 2306, and when it is less than N times, the processing proceeds to step 2304. Here, N is any desired number, and can be appropriately determined in advance. In step 2304, the control unit 101 alerts the different object to be packed. The alert method may be, for example, a method of sending a message on a display screen, or emitting a sound that shows an error using a speaker, but is not limited to these. In step 2305, the number of times of alerting is counted and held, and the processing returns to step 2301.
In step 2306, the recognition unit 1905 detects the object to be packed that is stored by the worker and the storage position. In step 2307, the control unit 101 determines whether a storage destination is correct, and acquires information of the next object to be packed in step 2202. When the storage position of the object to be packed is wrong, the processing proceeds to step 2308. In step 2308, the control unit 101 determines whether the number of times of alerting that the storage position is different is N times or more, and when it is N times or more, the processing proceeds to step 2309, and when it is less than N times, the processing proceeds to step 2310. In step 2310, the control unit 101 alerts that the storage position is different. In step 2311, the control unit 101 counts and holds the number of times of alerting. The alert method is, for example, as described above, such as sending the message on the display screen, but is not limited to these.
When it is determined that the number of times of alerting that the storage position is different is N or more, since the storage position is wrong for N times or more, but the worker does not correct it and does not store it at the correct position, the object to be packed is stored in a layout different from the original plan. In this case, since it is also necessary to change the storage position of another unstored object to be packed, in step 2309, the control unit 101 recalculates the storage position that matches with the current layout. Specifically, the control unit 101 recalculates the arrangement of the unstored object to be packed in the packing box at present based on the position of the object to be packed that is stored so far including the object to be packed that is stored at the wrong position. As a result, the most suitable storage position of the object to be packed on the premise of the current state of the packing box is calculated, and switching the object to be packed that is already stored is prevented. In step 2203, the control unit 101 notifies the display unit 104, and the display unit 104 performs display in step 2204.
The processing in
Steps 2301 to 2305 are as described with reference to
In step 2401, since the detected object to be packed is to be stored in an order different from the original order, but the detected object to be packed exists in a group of the objects to be packed that should be stored in the packing box (for example, the object to be packed should be stored in the packing box eventually, and is to be stored earlier than scheduled), it is determined whether the object to be packed can be stored at the time of the work based on the arrangement of the objects to be packed that are stored in the packing box already at the time of the work. For example, the object to be packed should originally be stored at a second tier counted from a bottom surface, but it is determined that it cannot be stored when the object to be packed of a first tier grounded on the bottom surface is not yet stored. In addition, although not in the original order, if the object to be packed of the first tier is already stored and another object to be packed can be placed above it (that is, the original storage position), it is determined that it can be stored.
When it is determined that it can be stored, the processing proceeds to step 2203. When it is determined that it cannot be stored, the control unit 101 calculates a temporary storage position based on the arrangement of the objects to be packed that are already stored in the packing box in step 2402, and creates the support instruction information. In step 2203, the control unit 101 notifies the display unit 104, and the display unit 104 performs display in step 2204, and the processing proceeds to step 2500. The processing after step 2500 will be described later with reference to
In the example in
In step 2501, the control unit 101 confirms whether the object to be packed that should be stored is already temporarily stored in the packing box. For example, the control unit 101 may confirm whether the temporary storage is instructed inside the work support device 100, and the recognition unit 1905 may confirm the arrangement position of the objects to be packed in the packing box, and refer to the control unit 101 for the results. When the object to be packed that should be stored is temporarily stored, the processing proceeds to step 2502, and when it is not temporarily stored, the processing proceeds to step 2503.
In step 2502, the control unit 101 creates an instruction information so as to move from the temporary storage position to the original position. Instep 2503, the control unit 101 notifies the display unit 104 that the support instruction information is changed. Instep 2504, the display unit 104 performs display based on the changed support instruction information.
In step 2501, the control unit 101 further determines whether the temporarily stored object to be packed can be stored in the original storage position with the same method as step 2401 in
In the example in
In addition, when confirming whether the object to be packed itself is correct, for example, together with “inspection” work at the time of packing work, the control unit 101 continues to alert in step 2303, regardless of whether the number of times of alerting is N times or more, to prompt the worker to correct the error.
In this way, by recognizing the stored object to be packed and its position and instructing the storage position, it is possible to prevent the storage position of the object to be packed from being switched, and the work efficiency can be improved.
Next, a fifth embodiment related to a packing support method according to the invention will be described. In the fifth embodiment, by performing a support instruction display using the color of the object to be packed, the error in the work can be prevented, and it becomes unnecessary to switch the storage position of the object to be packed, and the work efficiency can be improved. Except for the differences described below, since each unit of the system of the fifth embodiment has the same functions as those of each unit denoted by the same reference numerals of the first to fourth embodiments shown in
The configuration of the work support device 100 in the present embodiment is as shown in
In step 2801, the recognition unit 1905 measures at least the color of the object to be packed. The recognition unit 1905 may further measure at least one of the size, the shape, and the weight of the object to be packed. In step 2802, the control unit 101 creates a histogram of the acquired color based on the measurement results by the recognition unit 1905. In step 2803, the control unit 101 refers to the created histogram, and extracts a color that has a high composition ratio among the colors that constitute the object to be packed. The color extracted here may be one color or a plurality of colors. When there are a plurality of colors, the control unit 101 adds, as information that shows the order of candidates, a priority assigned in the descending order of the composition ratio. In step 2804, the control unit 101 abstracts the shape of the object to be packed. For example, instead of displaying the shape of the object to be packed as it is, the work support device 100 may simplify and display the object to be packed in a simulated shape. In step 2805, the control unit 101 registers the measured and extracted information of at least any one of the size, the shape, the color, and the weight in, for example, the database 105 of the work support device 100.
In step 2901, the control unit 101 confirms whether the object to be packed in which the color information is not determined remains. When no object to be packed in which the color information is not determined remains, the processing ends, and if not, the processing proceeds to step 2902. In step 2902, the control unit 101 selects any one of the objects to be packed in which the color information is not determined, and refers to the color information of the selected object to be packed that is registered in the database 105 to select a candidate color. When a plurality of colors are registered, for example, the control unit 101 confirms whether the priority is added at the time of registration, and when it is added, performs selection in the descending order of the priority.
In step 2903, the control unit 101 confirms whether the selected candidate color is used as a color that shows another object to be packed. When it is already used, the processing returns to step 2902, and the control unit 101 selects the candidate color again. When a plurality of colors are registered, the color to which the next priority is added is selected as the candidate color. When a plurality of colors are not registered, the control unit 101 selects any one of the color that is not used regardless of the registered color, or selects a color of the same color by changing at least one of the luminance and the brightness of the same color as the registered color. In step 2904, the control unit 101 sets the selected color to the support instruction information, and the processing returns to step 2901.
The support instruction information according to the fifth embodiment includes, for example, in addition to the information that is the same as the support instruction information 400 shown in
According to the fifth embodiment, the figure that simulates the object to be packed included in the support instruction content is colored in a color close to the actual object to be packed (that is, the color set in step 2904). Further, the figures of different types of objects to be packed are prevented from being colored in the same color. As a result, the error in the work can be prevented, and it becomes unnecessary to switch the storage position of the object to be packed, and the work efficiency can be improved.
In the invention, the database 105 that includes information such as the work information performed by the worker and the size information of the object to be packed is held in the work support device 100, but these databases may be held by an external device, and the work support device 100 may acquire such information by communication between the external devices.
The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes various modifications. For example, the embodiments described above is described in detail for better understanding of the invention, and are not necessarily limited to those that have all the configurations described above. In addition, a part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. In apart of a configuration of each embodiment, another configuration can be added, removed, or replaced.
Each configuration, function, processing unit, processing methods, and the like described above may be realized by hardware, for example, by designing part or all of them with an integrated circuit. In addition, each configuration, function, and the like described above may be realized by software by interpreting and executing a program that realizes the respective functions by a processor. Information such as programs, tables, and files that realize each function can be stored in a non-volatile semiconductor memory, a storage device such as a hard disk drive and a solid state drive (SSD), or a computer readable non-transitory data storage medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.
In addition, control lines and information lines show what is considered to be necessary for the description, but not all the control lines and the information lines in the product are necessarily shown. Actually, it may be considered that almost all of the configurations are connected to each other.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2017/000794 | 1/12/2017 | WO | 00 |
