Abstract: In the case where two articles are held by a holding section (31), and an unloading operation is to be performed on the two articles, a controller first performs the unloading operation on the large article (WL), and then performs the unloading operation on the small article (WS). In the case of performing a scooping operation on two articles while no article is held by the holding section (31), the controller first performs the scooping operation on the small article (WS), and then performs the scooping operation on the large article (WL).

Abstract: A picking system includes a multi-tier sorting device having ports in a plurality of tiers at different levels in a top-bottom direction, and sorts and discharges each of articles to one of the ports in the plurality of tiers; a plurality of first transport devices respectively corresponding to the ports in the plurality of tiers; and a second transport device configured to receive the articles from the first transport device and transport the articles. The second transport device has a second transport surface movable upward and downward, and, in a state where the second transport surface is located at a height corresponding to a terminal end portion of the first transport surface of one of the plurality of first transport devices, the second transport device receives the articles discharged from the terminal end portion of the first transport surface and transports the articles, with use of the second transport surface.

Abstract: An article transport apparatus has a path that has a first end and a second end and that extends along a plurality of article transferring locations, a plurality of article transporting vehicles that run on the path, and control means for controlling the plurality of article transporting vehicles. When the transport request data currently processed and the transport request data previously processed specify a same article transferring location for collecting, and the article transporting vehicle that was selected based on the transport request data previously processed is currently performing a transport operation, then the control means selects an article transporting vehicle that is not currently performing a transport operation as the article transporting vehicle for a transport operation.

Abstract: An article transport apparatus has a path that has a first end and a second end and that extends along a plurality of article transferring locations; a plurality of article transporting vehicles that run on the path; and control means for controlling the plurality of article transporting vehicles, wherein the control means selects an article transporting vehicle for a transport operation from among the plurality of the article transporting vehicles based on transport request data which specifies an article transferring location for collecting and an article transferring location for delivering from among the plurality of article transferring locations, and runs the selected article transporting vehicle for the transport operation to the article transferring location for collecting and to the article transferring location for delivering and wherein when the transport request data currently processed and the transport request data previously processed specify a same article transferring location for collecting,