JP2004352436A - Object confirmation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an object confirmation system capable of judging whether the desired items and quantity of objects are accommodated when objects are accommodated in an accommodation box and notifying the eventual information about an excess or shortage by voices or letters. <P>SOLUTION: The object confirmation system is equipped with a storing means to store an item list of objects accommodated in the accommodation box, an object identification tag attached to each piece of objects and storing the object information to allow its identification, and an accommodation box identification tag attached to each box and storing the box information to allow its identification. Further this object confirmation system is furnished with an identifying means installed on the way of movement of the box and identifying the object item and accommodation box from the object information stored in the object identification tag and the box information stored in the box identification tag and a judging means to judge whether the object items accommodated in the box are identical to the contents of the list upon comparing the object information and the box information identified by the respective identifying means with the object item list stored in the storing means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an article confirmation system, and more specifically, for example, when a plurality of articles are stored in a storage box at a factory, a distribution center, a distribution center, or the like, whether a desired item and quantity of the articles are stored. The present invention relates to an article confirmation system capable of confirming an item.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in factories, distribution centers, distribution centers, etc., a plurality of items constituting a product are stored in a packing box made of cardboard or the like, and a plurality of items ordered by a customer are stored in a storage box. When performing picking work such as putting in parts, the items and quantities of articles such as parts and commodities are packed as specified after checking that they are stored as specified by the following method. Have shipped them to.
[0003]
That is, first, an article configuration of a product or an order from a customer is input to a computer, an article list is created in the computer based on the article configuration or the order, and the list is output. The worker picks parts, commodities, and the like in a factory or a distribution center based on the form. After the completion of the picking, the form and the picked product are inspected by oneself or by another worker to check whether or not the picking has been performed according to the form.
[0004]
In the course of such picking work, picking items described in the form are manually erased one by one manually for the finished goods.
[0005]
However, there is a problem that confirmation of the consistency between the form and the picked product by the visual inspection requires time other than the picking work because it is performed after the completion of the picking work, resulting in a reduction in work efficiency. Also, during the picking operation, every time an item is picked, it is extremely troublesome to manually delete the item of the item from the form one by one, which inevitably increases the time required for picking. There is also. Further, since this operation is a human operation relying on an operator, there is a possibility that the user may forget to apply. If the user forgets to apply, even though the article is picked, it is picked up again without being recognized, which leads to a problem of picking mistake.
[0006]
Therefore, a picking system using a barcode is applied to improve the above-described problems.
[0007]
In this type of picking system, a bar code label on which information on the article is written is attached to the article. Each time an article is picked, the information written on the barcode label of the article is read by a handy terminal or the like, thereby recognizing that the article has been picked. As a result, the work required for the above-mentioned scrubbing can be saved.
[0008]
That is, the picking system using a barcode as described above merely replaces the human work that had been performed by recognizing the picked article by erasing it from the item list by using a barcode. Absent.
[0009]
This is because the picked item is recognized by reading the information on the bar code label attached to the picked item. Need to read label information,
[0010]
However, even though the handy terminal does not read the barcode label, the operator has to look for the barcode label attached to the article and read the surface with the handy terminal. There is a problem that the operator may erroneously recognize that the image is read.
[0011]
In the case of picking the same article a plurality of times, if the article that has read the barcode label and the article that has not been read are not properly classified, duplicate reading may be performed by mistake, or conversely, There is a problem in that the operator may misunderstand what has been read in spite of the reading and do not perform the reading.
[0012]
In the case of picking the same article a plurality of times, it is possible to read the information of any one of the barcode labels, recognize the article, and then input the quantity as data. There is a problem that there is a possibility of an erroneous input because the manual operation is performed by the operator.
[0013]
Therefore, an IC tag in which individual information of the article is written in place of the barcode label is attached to the article, and the information written on the IC tag is received wirelessly, thereby facilitating the work of recognizing the picked article. There is an article confirmation system that prevents erroneous recognition such as unrecognized and duplicated recognition of picked articles, thereby preventing erroneous picking from occurring (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0014]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-128230 (FIG. 1-3)
[0015]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, such a conventional article confirmation system has the following problems.
[0016]
That is, in the article confirmation system using the IC tag described above, an IC tag reading / writing device for wirelessly reading information written on the IC tag attached to the article is provided in a picking cart, At the same time as the picking operation is completed, the inspection of whether the picked item is as defined in the item list is also completed.After that, the picked item is stored in a cardboard box or paper bag for shipping, and the packing operation is performed. Since such a work flow is performed, it is necessary to provide an IC tag reading / writing device for each picking cart, and there is a problem that a large cost is required.
[0017]
Also, using a conveyor line such as a belt conveyor, articles are supplied from both sides of the conveyor line, and workers are arranged along the conveyor line, and based on the article list attached to the storage box attached to the storage box flowing on the conveyor line. In the case of an operation mode in which articles are stored directly in a storage box, there is a problem that a picking cart is not necessary and an IC tag reading / writing device cannot be attached. Although it is conceivable to attach them, even in this case, there is a problem that replacement work occurs one by one when the picking work is completed.
[0018]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and when a plurality of articles are stored in a storage box in a factory, a distribution center, a distribution center, or the like, whether a desired item and quantity of articles are stored. It is an object of the present invention to provide an article confirmation system capable of automatically judging whether or not there is excess or deficiency and notifying the information by voice or screen display when there is an excess or deficiency.
[0019]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1 is an article confirmation system in the middle of movement of a storage box that stores at least one article, wherein storage means for storing an article list of articles stored in the storage box, and each of the articles An article identification tag which is provided and stores article information capable of identifying an article provided therein, and a storage which is provided in each of the storage boxes and which can identify the storage box provided therein. A storage box identification tag storing box information, and provided on the way of movement of the storage box, from the article information stored in the article identification tag and the storage box information stored in the storage box identification tag, the article and the Identification means for identifying a storage box, comparing the article information of the article identified by the identification means and the storage box information of the storage box with the article list stored in the storage means, It is characterized in that stored in the serial storage box article and a determination unit configured to determine whether to match the contents of the article list. According to this configuration, when a plurality of articles are stored in the storage box, it is possible to automatically check whether a desired item and quantity of articles are stored, and it is easy to check the articles to be stored. In addition, it can be performed in a short time.
[0020]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the article confirmation system according to the first aspect, a detection unit is provided during the movement of the storage box and before the identification unit, and detects that the storage box has approached. The identification means is activated when the storage box is detected by the detection means. According to this configuration, when a plurality of articles are stored in the packing box, it is possible to automatically check whether a desired item and quantity of articles are stored, and it is easy to check the articles to be stored. In addition, the operation can be performed in a short time, and since the article identification means is activated by detecting the storage box, power is not wasted.
[0021]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the article confirmation system according to the first or second aspect, the determination unit determines that the article stored in the storage box does not match the content of the article list. In addition, there is provided a notifying means for notifying information of a missing article or an unnecessary article by voice or text. According to this configuration, when a plurality of articles are stored in the packing box, it is possible to automatically check whether a desired item and quantity of articles are stored, and it is easy to check the articles to be stored. In addition, it can be performed in a short time, and even if there is an excess or deficiency of an article, it is notified by the notification means, so that it can be easily corrected.
[0022]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0023]
Embodiment 1 FIG. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an article confirmation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an IC tag according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the reading device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The article confirmation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention supports accurate and simple management of stored articles when storing a plurality of articles in a packing box at a factory, a distribution center, a distribution center, or the like. System.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 1, the present system includes an IC tag 4a attached to each article 6, an IC tag 4b attached to a storage box 7 for storing a plurality of articles, and an IC tag 4a, 4b. A reading device 1 that performs wireless communication by radio waves, an antenna 2 of the reading device 1 that receives radio waves from the IC tags 4a and 4b, an external sensor 3 that detects a packing box 7 flowing on a transport line 8, and a reading device. And a gate 5 to which the antenna 2 of the device 1 is attached.
[0025]
The IC tags 4a and 4b use a non-contact automatic recognition technology using wireless communication called radio frequency identification (RFID), and use an IC chip with a built-in memory. (Not shown) or the above-described reading device 1 can read information by a wireless communication signal. The IC tag 4a is provided for each article 6, and an article code and an article name, which are article information capable of identifying the article 6, are written by the IC information registration device. The IC tag 4b is provided for each storage box 7, and a shipping code capable of identifying a shipping destination and a shipping destination code are written by the IC information registration device.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 2, the IC tag 4 used in the present invention includes an antenna 401 for transmitting / receiving a radio wave carrying an interrogation signal and a response signal to / from the reader 1, and a transmission / reception amplification for amplifying the transmitted / received radio wave. A unit 402, a signal processing unit 403 that modulates and demodulates radio waves, a storage unit 404 that stores identification information of the IC tag 4, and a control unit 405 that controls each unit.
[0027]
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the reading device 1 includes an antenna 2 for transmitting / receiving a radio wave carrying an interrogation signal and a response signal to / from the IC tag 4, and a transmission / reception amplifying unit 101 for amplifying the transmitted / received radio wave. A signal processing unit 102 that modulates and demodulates radio waves; a storage unit 103 that stores shipping list, shipping destination code, article code, article name, quantity, etc., and stores article list information of articles to be packed in a packing box; An external sensor 3 for detecting the storage box 7 flowing on the upper surface 8 by infrared rays or the like, a detection unit 107 for processing a detection signal of the external sensor 3, and an external I / F unit 109 for interfacing with an external device. Detecting a presence of the article 6 in the storage box 7 and, when there is an excess or deficiency of an article, a sounding unit 105 for performing a sound output process, a speaker 106 for outputting sound from the sounding unit 105, and a storage unit To view the article list information stored in 03, when there is an article of excessive or insufficient by detecting the presence of the article 6 inside the storage box 7, and a display unit 108. performing character display.
[0028]
The operation of the article confirmation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the reading device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0029]
When the storage box 7 in which the articles 6 are stored flows on the transport line 8 by the operator, the external sensor 3 of the reading device 1 detects the information and the information is sent from the detection unit 107 to the control unit 108. Then, the control unit 104 transmits a question signal requesting transmission of the identification information to the IC tags 4a and 4b (S2). The interrogation signal is transmitted by radio waves from the antenna 2 via the signal processing unit 102 and the transmission / reception amplification unit 101.
[0030]
On the other hand, the IC tags 4a and 4b receive the radio wave carrying the interrogation signal from the reader 1 with the antenna 401, and analyze the interrogation signal in the control unit 405 via the transmission / reception amplification unit 402 and the signal processing unit 403. Then, the identification code recorded in the storage unit 404 is read and transmitted as a response signal from the antenna 401 to the reading device 1 via the signal processing unit 403 and the transmission / reception amplification unit 402.
[0031]
Then, when the reading device 1 receives the response signals from the IC tags 4a and 4b (S3: Yes), the control unit 104 reads the identification information of the IC tags 4a and 4b included in the response signals, and The storage box 7 recorded in the storage box 103 is compared with a list of articles to be stored (S4), and it is checked whether or not the stored articles match the article list (S5).
[0032]
Here, when there is excess or deficiency in the stored articles (S5: No), the control unit 104 outputs information on the missing or unnecessary articles to the display unit 108 or the sounding unit 105 and displays the information. The information is notified on the screen of the unit 108 or the speaker 107.
[0033]
Further, by outputting the information to the external I / F unit 109, the information can be notified to an external device.
[0034]
Embodiment 2 FIG. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an article confirmation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 shows a system for confirming whether or not a person has a predetermined property when a person goes out of the house or office. Here, the person 70, the belongings 60 carried by the person 70, and the gate 50 to which the antenna 2 of the reader 1 is attached are different from the configuration of the article confirmation system according to the first embodiment described above. The same reference numerals are given to the same components and the new description is omitted.
[0035]
The person 70 has belongings 60 such as an identification card, a wallet, a clock, and a mobile phone, and the belongings 60 are provided with an IC tag 4a. The clothes worn by the person 70 are provided with an IC tag 4b (not shown) for identifying the person. When the person 70 approaches the entrance door 80, the external sensor 3 of the reading device 1 (not shown) installed in front of the entrance door 80 detects the approach of the person 70, and the information is detected by the reading device 1. The information is sent from the unit 107 to the control unit 104. Then, the control unit 104 transmits an interrogation signal requesting transmission of identification information to the IC tags 4a and 4b. The interrogation signal is transmitted by radio waves from the antenna 2 attached to the gate 50 via the signal processing unit 102 and the transmission / reception amplification unit 101.
[0036]
Then, the IC tags 4 a and 4 b receive the radio wave carrying the interrogation signal from the reader 1 by the antenna 401, pass through the transmission / reception amplification unit 402 and the signal processing unit 403, and analyze the interrogation signal in the control unit 405. Then, the identification information recorded in the storage unit 404 is read and transmitted as a response signal from the antenna 401 to the reading device 1 via the signal processing unit 403 and the transmission / reception amplification unit 402.
[0037]
When the reading device 1 receives the response signals from the IC tags 4a and 4b, the control unit 104 reads the identification information of the IC tags 4a and 4b included in the response signals, and the information is recorded in the storage unit 103. When the person 70 goes out, the collation is performed with the possession list to be possessed, the possession is collated with the possession list, and it is checked whether the possession matches the possession list.
[0038]
Here, when there is excess or deficiency in the possessed property, the control unit 104 of the reading device 1 outputs information on the missing property or the extra property to the display unit 108 or the sounding unit 105, and the display unit 108 On the screen or the speaker 107.
[0039]
Further, by outputting the information to the external I / F unit 109, the information can be notified to an external device.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when a plurality of articles are stored in a storage box, it is possible to automatically confirm whether a desired item and quantity of the articles are stored, and to store the articles. Confirmation of the article can be performed easily and in a short time, and even if an article shortage occurs, it is notified by the notification means, so that it can be easily corrected.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an article confirmation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the IC tag according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the reading device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of the reading device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an article confirmation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 1 reading device, 2 reading device 1 antenna, 3 reading device 1 external sensor, 4a, 4b IC tag, 5 gates, 6 articles, 7 storage boxes, 8 transport lines, 50 gates, 60 belongings, 70 people, 80 entrance Door, 101 transmission / reception amplification unit, 102 signal processing unit, 103 storage unit, 104 control unit, 105 sound generation unit, 106 speaker, 107 detection unit, 108 display unit, 109 external I / F unit, 401 antenna, 402 transmission / reception amplification unit, 403 signal processing unit, 404 storage unit, 405 control unit.

Claims (3)

An article confirmation system during movement of a storage box that stores at least one article,
Storage means for storing an article list of articles to be stored in the storage box,
An article identification tag which is provided for each of the articles and stores article information capable of identifying the article provided by itself.
A storage box identification tag that is provided in each of the storage boxes and stores storage box information capable of identifying the storage box provided by itself.
Provided in the middle of the movement of the storage box, identification means for identifying the article and the storage box from the article information stored in the article identification tag and the storage box information stored in the storage box identification tag,
Comparing the article information of the article identified by the identification means and the storage box information of the storage box with the article list stored in the storage means, the articles stored in the storage box are compared with the contents of the article list. An article confirmation system comprising: a determination unit that determines whether or not the two coincide with each other. In the article confirmation system according to claim 1,
Detecting means is provided in the middle of movement of the storage box and before the identification means, and detects that the storage box has approached, and operates the identification means by detecting the storage box by the detection means. An article confirmation system characterized by being in a state. In the article confirmation system according to claim 1 or 2,
When the determination unit determines that the articles stored in the storage box do not match the contents of the article list, the apparatus further includes a notification unit that notifies the information of the missing or unnecessary articles by voice or text. Characteristic article confirmation system.

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