Picking assistance system and assistance method

A picking assistance method for assisting a picking operation of moving articles to a movable shelf using a computer, the computer executing:

• selecting a sorting shelf from a plurality of movable shelves capable of accommodating at least one article;
• moving articles from a first deposit shelf to the sorting shelf by a picking operation performed at a predetermined position;
• moving the sorting shelf to a subsequent predetermined position;
• and
• moving articles from a second deposit shelf to the sorting shelf by a picking operation performed at the subsequent predetermined position, wherein
• the sorting shelf continuously moves to another work station of the plurality of work stations to move articles from a deposit shelf disposed at the another work station to the sorting shelf during a subsequent picking operation,
• the sorting shelf continues to move to a further work station to repeat the picking operation until the selected sorting shelf accommodates all the predetermined articles,
• the computer moves the sorting shelf from the predetermined position to the subsequent predetermined position when a picking operation satisfies a predetermined condition at the subsequent predetermined position, once items are filled at the predetermined position, and
• the predetermined condition occurs when an estimated operation completion time required to complete a picking operation at the subsequent predetermined position is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

A picking assistance method for assisting a picking operation of moving articles to a

• movable shelf using a computer, the computer executing:
• selecting a sorting shelf from a plurality of movable shelves capable of accommodating at least one article;
• moving articles from a first deposit shelf to the sorting shelf by a picking operation performed at a predetermined position;
• moving the sorting shelf to a subsequent predetermined position;
• and
• moving articles from a second deposit shelf to the sorting shelf by a picking operation performed at the subsequent predetermined position, wherein
• the sorting shelf continuously moves to another work station of the plurality of work stations to move articles from a deposit shelf disposed at the another work station to the sorting shelf during a subsequent picking operation,
• the sorting shelf continues to move to a further work station to repeat the picking operation until the selected sorting shelf accommodates all the predetermined articles,
• the computer moves the sorting shelf from the predetermined position to the subsequent predetermined position when a picking operation satisfies a predetermined condition at the subsequent predetermined position, once items are filled at the predetermined position, and
• the predetermined condition occurs when an estimated operation start time required to start a picking operation at the subsequent predetermined position is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold.