CONVEYANCE PLAN GENERATION METHOD, CONVEYANCE PLAN GENERATION APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM
A conveyance plan generation method according to an embodiment includes acquiring, first detecting, second detecting, generating and outputting. The acquiring acquires storage management information, a request for return, and a request for retrieval. The first detecting detects first positional information relating to a storage rack as a return destination candidate. The second detecting detects second positional information relating to a storage rack as a candidate. The generating generates a conveyance plan based on a maximum number of cases conveyed by the carrier and arrangement information that includes the first positional information and the second positional information. The outputting outputs the conveyance plan.
1 . A conveyance plan generation method comprising:
acquiring storage management information, a request for return, and a request for retrieval, the storage management information indicating case storage states of a plurality of storage racks that store cases to be conveyed by a carrier, the request for return including identification information of a case to be returned to a storage rack, the request for retrieval including identification information of a case to be retrieved from a storage rack;
detecting first positional information based on information indicating that no case is stored, the first positional information relating to a storage rack as a return destination candidate for a case to be conveyed and returned by the carrier from a case processing area to a storage rack area, the information indicating that no case is stored being included in the storage management information;
detecting second positional information based on information indicating completion of case storage and the request for retrieval, the second positional information relating to a storage rack as a candidate from which a case to be conveyed by the carrier toward the case processing area is retrieved, the information indicating completion of case storage being included in the storage management information;
generating a conveyance plan based on a maximum number of cases conveyed by the carrier and arrangement information that includes the first positional information and the second positional information, the conveyance plan including information for designating a case to be conveyed and returned by the carrier in one round, a storage rack as a return destination, and a case to be retrieved; and
outputting the conveyance plan.
2 . The conveyance plan generation method according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the storage racks includes a plurality of storage sections for storing a plurality of cases, and
the carrier conveys a movable rack that includes a plurality of storage sections for storing the maximum number of cases conveyed.
3 . The conveyance plan generation method according to claim 1 , wherein the arrangement information includes positional information of the plurality of storage racks, positional information of a passage around the plurality of storage racks, and positional information of the case processing area.
4 . The conveyance plan generation method according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyance plan includes information for designating a conveyance route of the carrier and an order of returning and retrieving a case.
5 . The conveyance plan generation method according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyance plan includes information for prioritizing designation of a case to be returned over designation of a case to be retrieved.
6 . The conveyance plan generation method according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyance plan includes information for prioritizing designation of a case to be retrieved over designation of a case to be returned.
7 . The conveyance plan generation method according to claim 1 , wherein
the storage management information includes a case non-storage rate of each storage rack, and
the conveyance plan includes information for designating, as a return destination, a storage rack having a case non-storage rate higher than a first threshold.
8 . The conveyance plan generation method according to claim 1 , wherein
the storage management information includes rack-group case non-storage rates of two or more adjacent groups of storage racks, and
the conveyance plan includes information for designating, as a return destination, a storage rack included in a group of storage racks having a rack-group case non-storage rate higher than a second threshold.
9 . The conveyance plan generation method according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyance plan includes information for prioritizing designation of a storage rack included in a predetermined distance range from a predetermined storage rack as a return destination of a case retrieved from the predetermined storage rack.
10 . The conveyance plan generation method according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyance plan includes information for designating a return destination according to a frequency of retrieving each case.
11 . The conveyance plan generation method according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyance plan is generated such that in a process of one-round conveyance performed by the carrier, a total value of cases to be returned and cases to be retrieved that are simultaneously conveyed by the carrier does not exceed the maximum number of cases conveyed.
12 . The conveyance plan generation method according to claim 11 , wherein the conveyance plan is generated so as to maximize the total value in the process of one-round conveyance performed by the carrier.
13 . A conveyance plan generation apparatus comprising:
an acquisition unit configured to acquire storage management information, a request for return, and a request for retrieval, the storage management information indicating case storage states of a plurality of storage racks that store cases to be conveyed by a carrier, the request for return including identification information of a case to be returned to a storage rack, the request for retrieval including identification information of a case to be retrieved from a storage rack;
a first detection unit configured to detect first positional information based on information indicating that no case is stored, the first positional information relating to a storage rack as a return destination candidate for a case to be conveyed and returned by the carrier from a case processing area to a storage rack area, the information indicating that no case is stored being included in the storage management information;
a second detection unit configured to detect second positional information based on information indicating completion of case storage and the request for retrieval, the second positional information relating to a storage rack as a candidate from which a case to be conveyed by the carrier toward the case processing area is retrieved, the information indicating completion of case storage being included in the storage management information;
a generation unit configured to generate a conveyance plan based on a maximum number of cases conveyed by the carrier and arrangement information that includes the first positional information and the second positional information, the conveyance plan including information for designating a case to be conveyed and returned by the carrier in one round, a storage rack as a return destination, and a case to be retrieved; and
an output unit configured to output the conveyance plan.
14 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a processor to perform:
acquiring storage management information, a request for return, and a request for retrieval, the storage management information indicating case storage states of a plurality of storage racks that store cases to be conveyed by a carrier, the request for return including identification information of a case to be returned to a storage rack, the request for retrieval including identification information of a case to be retrieved from a storage rack;
detecting first positional information based on information indicating that no case is stored, the first positional information relating to a storage rack as a return destination candidate for a case to be conveyed and returned by the carrier from a case processing area to a storage rack area, the information indicating that no case is stored being included in the storage management information;
detecting second positional information based on information indicating completion of case storage and the request for retrieval, the second positional information relating to a storage rack as a candidate from which a case to be conveyed by the carrier toward the case processing area is retrieved, the information indicating completion of case storage being included in the storage management information;
generating a conveyance plan based on a maximum number of cases conveyed by the carrier and arrangement information that includes the first positional information and the second positional information, the conveyance plan including information for designating a case to be conveyed and returned by the carrier in one round, a storage rack as a return destination, and a case to be retrieved; and
outputting the conveyance plan.