Automated warehouse, automated warehouse control method, program, and automated warehouse system

1 . An automated warehouse for storing a plurality of articles including a plurality of first articles and/or a plurality of second articles, wherein each second article is larger than each first article, the automated warehouse comprising:

a plurality of shelves, each shelf including a carrier configured to carry at least one of the plurality of articles to or from the shelf on which the carrier is installed;

wherein the plurality of shelves includes

a set of first shelves, wherein each first shelf is sized and configured to store one or more articles selected only from the plurality of first articles, and

a set of second shelves, each second shelf being larger than each first shelf, wherein each second shelf is sized and configured to store a plurality of articles which may include one or more article which may be selected from either or both the plurality of first articles and the plurality of second articles;

an elevator configured to move one or more article selected from the plurality of articles up or down between the plurality of shelves; and

a controller controlling each carrier and the elevator to store/retrieve the one or more article selected from the plurality of articles onto/from a selected shelf from the plurality of shelves,

wherein the selected shelf is determined based upon a vacancy rate, such that when the selected shelf is a second shelf, and a vacancy rate of the second shelf is equal to or more than a predetermined ratio, the controller allows the carrier and the elevator to store either a first article or a second article onto the second shelf, and when the vacancy rate of the second shelf is less than the predetermined ratio, the controller controls the carrier and the elevator to store a first article only onto a first shelf.

2 . The automated warehouse according to claim 1 , wherein, when an article to be retrieved is stored in both of the set of first shelves and the set of second shelves, the controller controls the carrier and the elevator to retrieve the articles from the set of second shelves.

3 . The automated warehouse according to claim 1 , wherein the elevator has an elevating platform capable of holding and lifting/lowering one or more articles to be stored/retrieved from the plurality of articles and, when at least one of the one or more articles to be stored/retrieved by the elevating platform is the second article, the controller controls the carrier and the elevator to store all of the one or more articles to be stored/retrieved on the elevating platform onto the set of second shelves.

4 . The automated warehouse according to claim 1 ,

wherein the elevator has an elevating platform capable of holding and lifting/lowering one or more article to be stored/retrieved of the plurality of articles, and

when it is known, in storing a specific article, that remaining one or more other articles to be stored/retrieved together with the specific article to be stored are stored on the second shelf at present, the controller controls the carrier and the elevator to store the specific article onto the set of second shelves where the other articles are stored.

5 . The automated warehouse according to claim 1 , wherein, to perform a group retrieval to retrieve a plurality of articles designated by a predetermined standard, the controller controls the carrier and the elevator to perform the group retrieval preferentially on a group having articles being stored on the set of second shelves among a plurality of groups subject to the group retrieval.

6 . The automated warehouse according to claim 5 , wherein, if a group to be retrieved includes an article being stored on the set of second shelves, the controller controls the carrier and the elevator to preferentially retrieve the article from the set of second shelves.

7 . A method of controlling an automated warehouse comprising:

a plurality of shelves including a set of first shelves storing first articles and a set of second shelves larger than the first shelves and capable of storing first articles and second articles larger than the first articles;

each shelf being provided with a carrier carrying articles on that shelf; and

an elevator that moving articles up and down between shelves,

the method comprising:

allowing a first article to be stored onto a second shelf when a vacancy rate of the second shelf is equal to or more than the predetermined ratio;

determining a first article to be stored onto only a first shelf when the vacancy rate of the second shelf is less than a predetermined ratio; and

causing a selected carrier and the elevator to store the first article onto the first shelf or the second shelf onto which the first article was determined to be stored.

8 . A program that causes a computer to execute the method of controlling automated warehouse according to claim 7 .

9 . An automated warehouse system comprising:

a first automated warehouse including a third shelf that stores a third article and a first carrier that carries the third article;

a second automated warehouse including a fourth shelf larger than the third shelf and capable of storing the third article and a fourth article larger than the third article, and a second carrier capable of carrying the third article and the fourth article; and

a controller that controls the first carrier and the second carrier,

wherein, when a vacancy rate of the fourth shelf is equal to or more than a predetermined ratio, the controller allows the second carrier to store the third article also onto the fourth shelf and, when the vacancy rate of the fourth shelf is less than the predetermined ratio, the controller allows the first carrier to store the third article only onto the third shelf.