CN110555644A

CN110555644A - Goods management system and terminal thereof, goods label and processing method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN110555644A
Application number: CN201810828042.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 何昭贤
Original assignee: Image Polytron Technologies Inc
Current assignee: Image Polytron Technologies Inc; Argox Information Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-06-01
Filing date: 2018-07-25
Publication date: 2019-12-10
Also published as: TW202004590A

Abstract

A terminal of a goods management system is provided, which comprises: a scanner for scanning the identification code; a wireless interface for wirelessly connecting the item tag; a memory; and a processing module connected to the scanner, the wireless interface and the memory, for executing program codes stored in the memory to perform the following steps: scanning the identification code on the goods label; scanning an identification code corresponding to the item; and storing the pairing relationship between the identification code of the goods label and the identification code of the goods in the memory.

Description

goods management system and terminal thereof, goods label and processing method thereof

Technical Field

the present invention relates to warehouse management, and more particularly to a lightweight inventory management system that can be deployed quickly.

Background

In conventional warehouse management operations, a large amount of goods are processed by an expensive and bulky warehouse management information system. Such conventional warehouse management information systems generally require a server to be built in a warehouse, electronic shelf tags to be mounted on each shelf, terminals to be mounted on a handler or a carrier, and a wireless network to be built inside the warehouse, so that the server, the electronic shelf tags and the terminals can communicate with each other.

However, there are many usage scenarios that cannot be applied to such warehouse management information systems, nor to small and medium-sized enterprises. For example, research and development departments need to order a large amount of raw materials or components, market promotion departments need to order a large amount of competitive products, and maintenance departments need to receive a large amount of fault products. The quantity of these items is small, possibly only one. Thus, it is also possible to pack with other goods. If the goods are to be put into the warehouse for storage, the conventional method needs to input the goods number and the product serial number first, which is time-consuming and labor-consuming. These items are likely to be received only once, so few users would like to be warehoused according to conventional, regular practices.

In the above usage scenario, it is likely that the user will directly send the goods to a temporary storage area without the need of the warehouse management information system for management. The user who wants to pick up the goods must enter the temporary storage area to search manually, which is time-consuming and labor-consuming. For example, existing chain supermarkets provide a mail-to-store service, and a consignee can go to the store to pick up goods. Although the information system of the supermarket can manage whether the goods arrive at the store and whether the goods are picked up, when the goods arrive at the store, the supermarket staff can stack the goods into the temporary storage area without knowing the positions of the goods in the temporary storage area. When picking up goods, the supermarket staff can only find the goods in the temporary storage area. Since the time to pick up the goods cannot be grasped, the supermarkets cannot grasp the quality of the service.

Therefore, there is a need in the market for a light-weight goods management system that can be deployed quickly and enable users to know the position of goods quickly, thereby shortening the time of picking up goods and improving the efficiency of service.

Disclosure of Invention

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a terminal of an article management system, including: a scanner for scanning the identification code; a wireless interface for wirelessly connecting the item tag; a memory; and a processing module connected to the scanner, the wireless interface and the memory, for executing program codes stored in the memory to perform the following steps: scanning the identification code on the goods label; scanning an identification code corresponding to the item; and storing the pairing relationship between the identification code of the goods label and the identification code of the goods in the memory.

according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a terminal of an article management system, including: a wireless interface for wirelessly connecting the item tag; the memory is used for storing a plurality of pairing relations between the identification code of the goods and the identification code of the goods label; and a processing module connected to the wireless interface and the memory, for executing the program code stored in the memory to perform the following steps: receiving an identification code; searching a pairing relation containing the identification code in the plurality of pairing relations; when the pairing relationship is found, transmitting call information to the goods label in the pairing relationship through the wireless interface; and receiving an instruction to release the pairing relationship from the memory after calling the item tag.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an article tag of an article management system, including: a wireless interface for wirelessly connecting a terminal; a speaker for emitting an audio signal; a visual indicator for emitting a video signal; and a processing module for executing the program code stored in the memory to perform the following steps: receiving call information from the terminal through the wireless interface; and in a period of time after receiving the call information, the loudspeaker sends out a first audio signal to prompt a user and the visual indicator sends out a first video signal to prompt the user.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an article management system is provided, which includes the article tag and the terminal.

according to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for processing a terminal of a goods management system is provided, including: scanning the identification code on the goods label by using a scanner of the terminal; scanning the identification code corresponding to the goods by using the scanner; and storing the pairing relationship between the identification code of the goods label and the identification code of the goods in the memory of the terminal.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for processing a terminal of a goods management system is provided, including: receiving an identification code; searching a pairing relation containing the identification code in a plurality of pairing relations stored in the memory; when the pairing relationship is found, transmitting calling information to the goods label in the pairing relationship through a wireless interface of the terminal; and receiving an instruction to release the pairing relationship from the memory after calling the item tag.

according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of processing an article tag of an article management system, including: receiving calling information from a terminal through a wireless interface of the goods label; and in a period of time after receiving the call information, enabling the loudspeaker of the goods label to send out a first audio signal to prompt a user and enabling the visual indicator of the goods label to send out a first video signal to prompt the user.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an item management system according to one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the invention.

figure 3 is a block schematic diagram of an article tag according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a timing diagram of a warehousing scenario according to an embodiment of the invention.

fig. 5 is a timing diagram illustrating a pick-up delivery scenario according to an embodiment of the invention.

fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing method of a terminal of an inventory management system according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing method of a terminal of an inventory management system according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method for processing article tags of an article management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method for processing article tags of an article management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a method of processing article labels of an article management system according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 11 is a flow chart illustrating a method of processing article labels of an article management system according to an embodiment of the invention.

[ description of main element symbols ]

100: the goods management system 110: terminal machine

120: the printer 130: goods label

210: the processing module 220: memory device

230: the scanner 240: proprietary wireless interface

250: standard wireless interface 260: output interface

270: the input interface 310: processing module

320: the memory 330: loudspeaker

340: visual indicator 350: proprietary wireless interface

360: standard wireless interface 370: sensor device

400: arrival warehousing scene 410-470: step (ii) of

500: the situation of delivery and delivery 510-595: step (ii) of

600: the process 610-660: step (ii) of

700: the process 710-750: step (ii) of

800: flow 810-890: step (ii) of

900: the process 910-960: step (ii) of

1000: the process is 1010-1020: step (ii) of

1110: the process 1110-1140: step (ii) of

Detailed Description

Please refer to fig. 1, which is a block diagram illustrating an article management system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The item management system 100 includes a terminal 110 used by a manager, a printer 120, and a plurality of item tags 130. In one embodiment, the printer 120 can be part of the terminal 110. In another embodiment, the printer 120 and the handheld terminal 110 are two separate devices connected to each other via a wired or wireless communication network, such as Bluetooth, wireless LAN WiFi, or wired LAN.

The terminal 110 and the plurality of item tags 130 communicate by radio. In some embodiments, the item tag 130 has only a receiving function, so as to reduce design difficulties and costs. In other embodiments, the item tag 130 and the terminal 110 can communicate in both directions. In some embodiments, the radio communication protocol may conform to industry standards. But variations of industry standards, or proprietary communication protocols, may be used for the sake of emphasizing power savings. The frequency band to which the wireless communication protocol is applied is not limited, but in one embodiment, an industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM band) band that can be used without a license may be used.

For long-term use in an industrial environment, the terminal 110 and the plurality of merchandise tags 130 may have a strong function of dust-proof, water-proof, and falling-proof, and the applicable environmental temperature thereof may be designed to be comparable to industrial or military specifications. For convenience of use, the terminal 110 can be configured as a handheld device. The article tag 130 may have a cord or other mechanical device for binding or attaching to an article, such as a plastic bag or tape.

the terminal 110 and/or the merchandise tags 130 may use rechargeable batteries or alternatively disposable batteries. Although not shown, the terminal 110 and/or the item tags 130 may have a charging and protection interface that allows for charging of rechargeable batteries within the device. The battery power monitoring device also comprises a power detection module which can measure the output voltage of the battery so as to know the power storage of the battery.

Please refer to fig. 2, which is a block diagram of a terminal 110 according to an embodiment of the invention. The terminal 110 includes a processing module 210 and a plurality of modules or devices connected to the processing module 210, including a memory 220, a scanner 230, a proprietary wireless interface 240, a standard wireless interface 250, an output interface 260, and an input interface 270. The processing module 210 includes a processor, which may be a general stand-alone processor or an embedded processor, such as the i960 series processor from Intel corporation or the Cortex M series processor from Ann corporation. The invention is not limited to any form, architecture or instruction set of processor. The processor includes various interfaces that may be coupled to the modules or devices described above and configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 220, such as an operating system and/or an application program, for performing the methods provided herein.

In addition to storing non-volatile instructions for execution by the processor, the memory 220 may also store volatile or non-volatile data, such as a correspondence table, database, or other data as will be described below. The scanner 230 may be a one-dimensional barcode scanner, a two-dimensional barcode scanner, or a camera lens for reading one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcodes, or any machine and/or human recognizable code, such as letters and numbers. The one-dimensional or two-dimensional bar codes described above have been used in large numbers for marking articles. One-dimensional barcode scanners are typically less expensive than two-dimensional barcode scanners, which are typically less expensive than other machine-readable barcode scanners.

the proprietary wireless interface 240 is used to provide wireless connectivity to the item tags 130 using the aforementioned proprietary wireless communication protocol. The standard wireless interface 250 is used to provide wireless connectivity to the printer 120 using a wireless communication protocol that conforms to the aforementioned industry standard. The present application is not limited to the necessity of using proprietary or standard wireless communication protocols to connect to the item label 130 or the printer 120. The terminal 110 may be connected to other systems, such as the aforementioned warehouse management information system, email system, or other management systems within the enterprise, using standard wireless communication protocols via the standard wireless interface 250.

An output interface 260, such as a display and speaker, is used to prompt the user for the next step. In addition, the terminal 110 can include an input interface 270 including a physical keyboard, mouse, touch display and/or stylus for user input.

please refer to fig. 3, which is a block diagram illustrating an article tag 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The item tag 130 includes a processing module 310 and a plurality of modules or devices coupled to the processing module 310, including a memory 320, a speaker 330, a visual indicator 340, a proprietary wireless interface 350, a standard wireless interface 360, and at least one sensor 370. The processing module 310 comprises a processor, such as the i960 series of processors from Intel corporation or the cortex series of processors from Anchorage corporation. The processor includes various interfaces that may be coupled to the modules or devices described above and configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 320, such as an operating system and/or an application program, for performing the methods provided herein.

In addition to storing non-volatile instructions for execution by the processor, the memory 320 may also store volatile or non-volatile data. In one embodiment, the memory 320 includes a non-volatile identification number (IDentity) and/or a proprietary addressing code that is a code within the article management system 100 that may be used to uniquely identify the article tag 130. In one example, the identification code is different from the dedicated address code, but the two are one-to-one conversion relationship, which can be calculated by using a look-up table or a conversion formula. Generally, the dedicated addressing code can be used for machine identification on the network, and the identification code can be used for easy identification by the user. Throughout this specification, the identification code and the dedicated addressing code are communicated or interchangeable. In one example, the identification code is identical to the dedicated addressing code, both being identical. For example, it may be a string of letters or numbers. For convenience, the identification code may be a number, which can be represented by a one-dimensional bar code. In another embodiment, the identification code may be a string of words that can be represented by a two-dimensional bar code, or other machine-readable/human-readable symbols. The identification code may be set when the item tag 130 is shipped or may be set when deployed. A machine-readable/human-readable symbol corresponding to the identification code may be provided on the surface of the item tag 130 for scanning by the scanner 230 of the terminal 110. It is noted that, as mentioned above, the machine-readable/human-readable symbol (identification code) on the surface of the item tag 130 is not necessarily equal to the specifically addressed internal code, and the correspondence can be calculated using a look-up table or a conversion formula.

The speaker 330 may be a horn or a more power-saving buzzer for sounding a user to find the merchandise tag 130. The visual indicator 340 may be a light bulb or a relatively power efficient light emitting diode for emitting a light or flashing signal for a user to find the item tag 130.

The proprietary wireless interface 240 is used to provide wireless connectivity to the terminal 110 using the aforementioned proprietary wireless communication protocol. The merchandise tag 130 may be connected to other systems, such as the aforementioned warehouse management information system, email system, or other management systems within the enterprise, using standard wireless communication protocols via the standard wireless interface 250.

the sensor 370 may be configured to sense the environment within or around at least one of the item tags 130. For example, it has been previously mentioned that the battery level within the item tag 130 can be sensed. In addition, in one embodiment, the sensor 370 may be used to sense ambient temperature or humidity. When items bound by the item tag 130 require constant low temperature storage, such as vaccines or food products, the sensor 370 can sense the ambient temperature of the items and report the temperature back to the terminal 110 or other system as time. When the temperature is too high, the user may be notified. In another example, where the item is not subject to shaking or is a delicate item, the sensor 370 may be an accelerometer or a gyroscope. The user may be notified when the sensor 370 senses excessive acceleration. In a further example, to prevent destructive storage, the sensor 370 may be a pressure sensor. When the sensor 370 senses excessive pressure, which may indicate that the goods are damaged by heavy pressure, the user may be notified to view the goods. The sensing results can also be stored in the memory 320, retrieved and reviewed during shipment. When the recorded value is higher than a certain value, the user can be reminded to start a return or insurance program.

Please refer to fig. 4, which is a timing diagram illustrating a warehousing scenario 400 according to an embodiment of the invention. The incoming warehousing scenario 400 has four roles, including a provider (provider) that provides goods in addition to the terminal 110, the printer 120, and the goods label 130 shown in fig. 1. This scenario 400 contains a number of actions or steps. The order of actions or steps may be altered other than in the timing sequence of FIG. 4 if there is no causal context between the actions or steps.

first, at step 410, the provider hands the item to the manager of the terminal 110, having a machine readable code and/or a human readable code on the item or its associated warehousing entry identifying the item. Next, at step 420, the administrator of the terminal 110 retrieves an item tag 130 and reads the identification code of the item tag 130 with the scanner 230. In one example, the identification code may be converted to a dedicated addressing inner code.

After reading the identification code and/or the proprietary addressing code, the terminal 110 may issue a test signal corresponding to the merchandise tag 130 via the proprietary wireless interface 240 in step 430. Since the test signal includes the identification code or the proprietary addressing code of the item tag 130, the test signal is specific to the item tag 130, and the remaining item tags 130 ignore the test signal.

Upon receipt of the test signal, the item tag 130 may perform one or any combination of the following tests in step 432: whether the power is sufficient, whether the test sensor 370 is able to sense normally, and then cause the speaker 330 and/or the visual indicator 340 to emit an audible and visual signal, which causes the standard wireless interface 250 to test whether other systems can be connected, and causes the proprietary wireless interface 240 to connect to the terminal 110.

after the testing step is completed, the merchandise tag 130 may notify the terminal 110 of the successful testing via the proprietary wireless interface 240 in step 434. In one example, when the merchandise tag 130 lacks the proprietary wireless interface 240, the administrator can determine whether the self-test was successful from the audible and visual signals emitted by the speaker 330 and/or the visual indicator 340.

Assuming the testing of the item label 130 is successful, step 440 is performed. The manager of the terminal 110 may use the scanner 230 to read the machine and/or human readable code on the item or its associated ticket. This step 440 may be performed before the step 420 of reading the identification code and/or the proprietary addressing code of the item tag 130 is performed.

After the identification code corresponding to the item of step 440 and the identification code/exclusive address of the item tag 130 of step 420 can be read correctly, step 450 is executed, the processing module 210 of the terminal 110 associates or pairs (pairing) the two identification codes, and records the corresponding relationship in the memory 220. The correspondence may also contain other parameters, such as time, administrator, provider, etc. related information. In order to avoid the loss of the corresponding relationship after power failure, the corresponding relationship can be stored in a nonvolatile memory or backed up to other internal or external memories.

After the pairing has been stored, the administrator of terminal 110 may inform the goods provider that the warehousing process has been completed, at step 452. Also, in step 454, the article tag 130 and its paired article may be attached together using a tether or mechanical structure as previously described. The manager then brings them to the warehouse for storage.

In optional step 460, the terminal 110 may print out the identification code corresponding to the item and/or the identification code of the item tag 130 via the printer 120, i.e., a receipt for the item to be placed in the warehouse. Next, in step 470, the receipt is handed to the provider of the item.

Please refer to fig. 5, which is a timing diagram illustrating a shipment scenario 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The pick-up delivery scenario 500 has four roles, including a retriever (retriever) that retrieves items in addition to the terminal 110, the printer 120, and the item tag 130 shown in fig. 1. This scenario 500 contains a number of actions or steps. The order of actions or steps may be altered other than in the timing sequence of FIG. 5 if there is no causal context between the actions or steps.

First, in step 510, the consignee can take a receipt for the goods to be placed in a warehouse, an identification code corresponding to the goods, and an identification code of the goods tag 130 to the manager of the terminal 110. The manager then reads the identification code of the item tag 130 or the identification code of the item using the scanner 230 at step 520.

When the scanner 230 reads the identification code of the item, the processing module 210 of the terminal 110 obtains the identification code/exclusive address internal code of the corresponding item tag 130 from the corresponding relationship of the memory 220 in step 530.

After obtaining the identification code/proprietary addressing code of the item tag 130, the terminal 110 calls the corresponding item tag 130 through the proprietary wireless interface 240 at step 540.

Upon receiving the call signal, the item tag 130 may cause the speaker 330 and/or the visual indicator 340 to emit an audible and visual signal at step 550 so that the manager may quickly find the item to which the item tag 130 is bound within the warehouse.

The manager may then read the machine readable code and/or the human readable code of the identification code on the surface of the item tag 130 again using the scanner 230 of the terminal 110 at step 560. The terminal 110 may stop issuing the call signal to cause the item tag 130 to stop causing the speaker 330 and/or visual indicator 340 to emit the audible and visual signal. This call-stop step may be replaced with a button, which may belong to the input interface 270 of the terminal 110.

After the item tag 130 is found, in step 570, the processing module 210 of the terminal 110 releases or deletes the corresponding relationship in the memory 220. The manager may separate the item tag 130 from the item and then hand the item to the consignee at step 580.

In optional step 590, the terminal 110 may print the identification code corresponding to the item as a bill of lading by the printer 120. Next, in step 595, the consignee is signed in on the bill of lading and may archive.

Because of the large number of item tags 130, a situation may occur where the power of one of the item tags 130 is too low at any time. Thus, in one embodiment, the terminal 110 may send a wireless signal testing the amount of power to all of the item tags 130. When the sensor 370 of an item tag 130 detects that its battery level is too low, the speaker 330 and/or the visual indicator 340 may be activated to emit an audible and visual signal to indicate to the manager to charge or replace the battery.

Please refer to fig. 6, which is a flowchart illustrating a terminal of an article management system according to an embodiment of the invention. The process 600 may be applied to the terminal 110 shown in fig. 1 and 2, and more particularly, to the processing module 210 shown in fig. 2. In this flow 600, if the cause and effect relationship between the steps is not defined, the sequence of the execution is not limited by the present invention.

step 610: the identification code on the label of the goods is scanned. As previously mentioned, the identification code on the item label may be a human-readable code or a machine-readable code, such as a one-dimensional barcode or a two-dimensional barcode. After the identification code is obtained, the rule can be used to convert the identification code into the exclusive addressing internal code of the goods label. Whether the identification code or the exclusive addressing internal code of the goods label can be used for uniquely identifying the goods label.

step 620: the identification code corresponding to the item is scanned. The goods, the goods packaging, the goods inventory are typically printed with an identification code, such as a human-readable code or a machine-readable code as previously described, such as a one-dimensional bar code or a two-dimensional bar code. The sequence of steps 610 and 620 can be changed arbitrarily. After step 610 is performed, optional steps 630 and 640 may be performed, or step 650 may be performed.

Optional step 630: and transmitting the self-testing instruction to the goods label through the wireless interface. The wireless interface may be transmitted directly to the item tag without passing through a wireless network. The self-test command includes an identification code and/or a dedicated address code of the item tag so that other or item tags ignore the self-test command.

Optional step 640: after step 630, a test success message for the item tag is received via the wireless interface. Then, execution may continue with step 650. If the test success information is not received or the test failure information is received within a period of time, the process 600 may end or be re-executed from the beginning.

Step 650: and storing the pairing relation between the identification code of the goods label and the identification code of the goods in a memory. After the storage is successful, the user can be prompted through the output interface that the storage is finished.

Optional step 660: the printer is caused to print a receipt to the goods provider. The receipt may include the identification code of the item label and/or the identification code of the item.

Please refer to fig. 7, which is a flowchart illustrating a terminal of an article management system according to an embodiment of the invention. The process 700 may be applied to the terminal 110 shown in fig. 1 and 2, and more particularly, to the processing module 210 shown in fig. 2. In this flow 700, if the cause and effect relationship between the steps is not defined, the sequence of the execution is not limited by the present invention.

Step 710: an identification code is accepted. The identification code on the receipt may be scanned by a scanner or may be entered by an input interface such as a keyboard or mouse. The identification code may be an identification code of an item or an item label.

Step 720: and finding the pairing relation containing the identification code in a plurality of pairing relations. Each pairing relationship comprises an identification code of an article and an identification code of an article tag. Regardless of the identification code entered at step 710, a pairing relationship may be found that includes the identification code. When found, flow 700 proceeds to step 730, otherwise optional step 750 is performed.

Step 730: and transmitting the calling information to the goods label in the pairing relationship through the wireless interface. As previously mentioned, the call information may include the identification code and/or the proprietary addressing code of the item tag, so that other item tags ignore the call information. Step 730 may be continuously repeated.

Step 740: receiving an instruction to release the pairing relationship from the memory. The instruction may be an identification code of the item scanned from the scanner. Or the command inputted by the user from the input interface such as keyboard and mouse.

Optional step 750: and displaying error information.

Please refer to fig. 8, which is a flowchart illustrating a method for processing an item tag of an item management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The process 800 may be applied to the item tag 130 shown in fig. 1 and 3, and in particular to the processing module 310 shown in fig. 3. In the steps in the process 800, if the cause and effect relationship between the steps is not defined, the sequence of the execution is not limited by the present invention.

Optional step 810: and switching from the power saving mode to the working mode. The power consumption of the working mode is larger than that of the power-saving mode, and the goods label can be awakened after being in the power-saving mode for a period of time and is switched into the working mode. The process then proceeds to step 820 or directly to step 850.

Optional step 820: the sensor is used to obtain the sensing value, or the sensing value is stored in the memory.

optional step 830: and judging whether the sensing value exceeds a critical value. When the threshold is exceeded, the process 800 continues to step 840. Otherwise, step 850 is then performed.

optional step 840: the warning information is transmitted to the terminal through the wireless interface. The warning message may include the above-mentioned sensed value exceeding the critical value.

Step 850: information from the terminal is received over the wireless interface. Step 850 then determines which information is. When the self-test message is received, step 860 is performed. When the call information is received, step 870 is performed. When the received power test information is the power test information, step 880 is performed.

Step 860: the self-test process may be the process 900 shown in FIG. 9. Next, step 890 may be performed.

Step 870: call flow, this step may be flow 1000 shown in fig. 10. Next, step 890 may be performed.

Step 880: the check power flow may be the flow 1100 shown in fig. 10. Next, step 890 may be performed.

Optional step 890: and switching from the working mode to the power-saving mode. After a period of time, the process 800 is executed again.

please refer to fig. 9, which is a flow chart illustrating an item tag of an item management system according to an embodiment of the invention. The process 900 may be applied to the item tag 130 shown in fig. 1 and 3, and in particular to the processing module 310 shown in fig. 3. In this flow 900, if the cause and effect relationship between the steps is not defined, the sequence of the execution is not limited by the present invention.

Step 910: self-test information is received from the terminal over the wireless interface.

Step 920: a self-test is performed. When the test is successful, step 930 is performed, otherwise step 950 is performed.

step 930: and sending a test success message back to the terminal through the wireless interface.

Optional step 940: the speaker is enabled to emit a second audio signal and the visual indicator is enabled to emit a second video signal to prompt the user that the self-test is successful.

Step 950: sending test failure information back to the terminal through the wireless interface.

Optional step 950: the speaker is enabled to emit a third audio signal and the visual indicator is enabled to emit a third video signal to prompt the user that the self-test fails.

since a wireless interface, sensor, speaker or visual indicator failure may be discovered during self-testing, steps 950 or 960 may not be successfully accomplished.

Please refer to fig. 10, which is a flow chart illustrating an article tag of an article management system according to an embodiment of the invention. The process 1000 may be applied to the item tag 130 shown in fig. 1 and 3, and in particular to the processing module 310 shown in fig. 3. In this process 1000, if the cause and effect relationship between the steps is not defined, the sequence of the execution is not limited by the present invention.

Step 1010: and receiving call information from the terminal through the wireless interface.

step 1020: within a period of time after receiving the call information, the loudspeaker sends out a first audio signal to prompt the user and the visual indicator sends out a first video signal to prompt the user.

Please refer to fig. 11, which is a flow chart illustrating an article tag of an article management system according to an embodiment of the invention. The process 1100 may be applied to the item tag 130 shown in fig. 1 and 3, and in particular to the processing module 310 shown in fig. 3. In this process 1100, the order of execution is not limited by the present invention, unless the cause and effect relationships between the steps are defined.

Step 1110: and receiving the electric quantity test information from the terminal through the wireless interface. The electric quantity test information can be in a broadcast mode and does not have the identification code or the exclusive addressing internal code of the goods label.

Step 1120: the battery power sensor is used for sensing the power of the battery supplying the electric power to the goods label.

Step 1130: when the electric quantity is lower than a critical value, the loudspeaker sends out an audio signal and the visual indicator sends out a video signal to prompt a user that the electric quantity of the goods label is insufficient.

Optional step 1140: and transmitting the warning information of insufficient electric quantity to the terminal machine through the wireless interface.

In the above embodiment, to provide a warehousing receipt to the goods provider, the processing module is further configured to cause the printer to print a receipt after the storing step, wherein the receipt comprises one of: the identification code of the goods label; and the identification code of the item. In one example, the terminal further includes another standard wireless interface for connecting to the printer for the convenience of the user moving around. In another example, the terminal further comprises the printer to avoid a standard radio interface failure.

In the above embodiment, in order to provide a good item tag, the processing module is further configured to transmit a self-test command to the item tag through the wireless interface after scanning the identification code on the item tag, and perform the storing step after receiving the test success information of the item tag through the wireless interface.

in the above embodiment, in order to find the goods label with insufficient electric quantity, the processing module is further configured to enable the wireless interface to send the checking electric quantity information to all the goods labels. The goods label that receives this inspection electric quantity information can carry out the electric quantity inspection, when the electric quantity is not enough, can make the speaker send audio signal and make visual indicator send video signal in order to indicate that the user's this goods label's electric quantity is not enough.

In the above embodiment, in order to facilitate the delivery of the goods by the delivery person, the terminal further comprises a scanner for scanning the identification code. In one example, the identification code comprises one of: the identification code of the goods label; and the identification code of the item.

in the above embodiment, in order to facilitate the delivery of the goods by the delivery person, the terminal further includes an input interface for inputting the identification code. In one example, the identification code comprises one of: the identification code of the goods label; and the identification code of the item.

In the above embodiment, in order to facilitate the release of the pairing relationship, the terminal further includes a scanner, wherein the instruction is to scan an identification code on the goods label through the scanner. In another embodiment, the terminal further comprises an input interface for receiving the command.

In the above embodiment, in order to provide the pickup record, the processing module is further configured to enable the printer to print the pickup record after the step of releasing the pairing relationship.

In the above embodiments, to provide the function of binding to the goods, the goods tag further comprises a housing to accommodate the wireless interface, the speaker, the visual indicator and the processing module; and a mechanical structure coupled to the housing for engaging an article.

In the above embodiment, in order to provide a good item label, the processing module is further configured to: receiving self-test information from the terminal through the wireless interface; performing self-testing; and sending a test success message back to the terminal through the wireless interface after the self-test is successful. In one embodiment, the processing module is further configured to cause the speaker to emit a second audio signal and the visual indicator to emit a second video signal to prompt the user that the self-test is successful after the self-test is successful. In one embodiment, the processing module is further configured to send a test failure message back to the terminal through the wireless interface after the self-test fails, and cause the speaker to send a third audio signal and the visual indicator to send a third video signal to prompt the user that the self-test fails.

In the above embodiments, in order to provide information related to an item or an item tag, the item tag further includes a sensor, wherein when a sensing value of the sensor exceeds a threshold value, the processing module is further configured to transmit a warning message to the terminal through the wireless interface. In one example, the sensor comprises one of: a battery level sensor; a temperature sensor; an accelerometer; a gyroscope; and a pressure sensor. In another example, the item tag further comprises a memory for storing a plurality of sensed values measured by the sensor.

In the above embodiment, in order to provide the electric power to the item tag, the item tag further comprises a battery electric power sensor, and the processing module is further configured to: receiving electric quantity test information from the terminal through the wireless interface; sensing the electric quantity of a battery supplying the electric power to the goods label by using the battery electric quantity sensor; when the electric quantity is lower than the critical value, the loudspeaker is made to send out an audio signal and the visual indicator is made to send out a video signal to prompt a user that the electric quantity of the goods label is insufficient. In one example, the processing module is further configured to send a low battery warning message to the terminal via the wireless interface.

In the above embodiment, in order to provide a warehousing receipt to the goods provider, the processing method further comprises causing the printer to print a receipt after the storing step, wherein the receipt comprises one of: the identification code of the goods label; and the identification code of the item. In one example, the terminal further includes another standard wireless interface for connecting to the printer for the convenience of the user moving around. In another example, the terminal further comprises the printer to avoid a standard radio interface failure.

In the above embodiment, in order to provide a good item tag, the processing method further includes transmitting a self-test command to the item tag through the wireless interface of the terminal after scanning the identification number on the item tag, and performing the storing step after receiving the test success information of the item tag through the wireless interface.

In the above embodiment, in order to find the article tag with insufficient power, the processing method further includes enabling the wireless interface to send the check power information to all article tags. The goods label that receives this inspection electric quantity information can carry out the electric quantity inspection, when the electric quantity is not enough, can make the speaker send audio signal and make visual indicator send video signal in order to indicate that the user's this goods label's electric quantity is not enough.

in the above embodiment, in order to facilitate the delivery of the goods by the delivery person, the processing method further includes: the identification code is scanned by a scanner of the terminal. In one example, the identification code comprises one of: the identification code of the goods label; and the identification code of the item.

In the above embodiment, in order to facilitate the delivery of the goods by the delivery person, the processing method further includes: and inputting the identification code by using an input interface of the terminal. In one example, the identification code comprises one of: the identification code of the goods label; and the identification code of the item.

In the above embodiment, in order to release the pairing relationship, the processing method further includes: and scanning the identification code on the goods label by utilizing a scanner of the terminal. In another embodiment, the processing method further comprises: the input interface of the terminal is used to receive the instruction.

In the above embodiment, to provide the pick-up record, the processing method further comprises the step of printing the pick-up record by the printer after the step of releasing the pairing relationship.

in the above embodiment, in order to provide a good item label, the processing method further includes: receiving self-test information from the terminal through the wireless interface; performing self-testing; and sending a test success message back to the terminal through the wireless interface after the self-test is successful. In one embodiment, the processing method further comprises, after the self-test is successful, causing the speaker to emit a second audio signal and causing the visual indicator to emit a second video signal to prompt the user that the self-test is successful. In one embodiment, the processing method further comprises sending a test failure message back to the terminal through the wireless interface after the self-test fails, and causing the speaker to send a third audio signal and the visual indicator to send a third video signal to prompt the user that the self-test failed.

In the above embodiment, in order to provide information related to an article or an article tag, the processing method further includes: sensing by using a sensor of the goods label to obtain a sensing value; and when the sensing value exceeds a critical value, sending warning information to the terminal through the wireless interface. In one example, the sensor comprises one of: a battery level sensor; a temperature sensor; an accelerometer; a gyroscope; and a pressure sensor. In another example, the processing method further includes storing a plurality of sensed values measured by the sensor in the memory of the item tag.

In the above embodiment, in order to provide the electric power for the goods label, the processing method further includes: receiving electric quantity test information from the terminal through the wireless interface; sensing the electric quantity of a battery supplying the electric power to the goods label by using a battery electric quantity sensor of the goods label; and when the electric quantity is lower than the critical value, the loudspeaker sends an audio signal and the visual indicator sends a video signal to prompt a user that the electric quantity of the goods label is insufficient. In one example, the processing method further includes sending an out-of-charge warning message to the terminal via the wireless interface.

The goods management system provided by the invention can dynamically pair the goods and the goods labels without inputting complicated information such as goods numbers and storage positions and without arranging infrastructure such as a wireless network, so that the goods management system can be deployed quickly, a user can know the goods positions quickly, the goods taking time is shortened, and the service efficiency is improved.

Claims

1. A terminal of a goods management system, comprising:

A scanner for scanning the identification code;

A wireless interface for wirelessly connecting the item tag;

A memory; and

A processing module coupled to the scanner, the wireless interface and the memory, for executing program code stored in the memory to perform the following steps:

scanning the identification code on the goods label;

scanning an identification code corresponding to the item; and

And storing the pairing relation between the identification code of the goods label and the identification code of the goods in the memory.

2. the terminal of claim 1, wherein the processing module is further configured to cause a printer to print a receipt after the storing step, wherein the receipt comprises one of:

the identification code of the goods label; and

the identification code of the item.

3. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the processing module is further configured to:

after scanning the identification code on the goods label, transmitting a self-testing instruction to the goods label through the wireless interface; and

And after the successful test information of the goods label is received through the wireless interface, the storage step is carried out.

4. the terminal of claim 1, wherein the processing module is further configured to:

And enabling the wireless interface to send the checking electric quantity information to be broadcast to all goods labels.

5. A terminal of a goods management system, comprising:

A wireless interface for wirelessly connecting the item tag;

the memory is used for storing a plurality of pairing relations between the identification code of the goods and the identification code of the goods label; and

A processing module coupled to the wireless interface and the memory, for executing program code stored in the memory to perform the following steps:

receiving an identification code;

Searching a pairing relation containing the identification code in the plurality of pairing relations;

When the pairing relationship is found, transmitting call information to the goods label in the pairing relationship through the wireless interface; and

After calling the goods label, receiving an instruction to release the pairing relationship from the memory.

6. The terminal of claim 5, further comprising a scanner to scan the identification code, wherein the identification code comprises one of: the identification code of the goods label; and the identification code of the item.

7. the terminal of claim 5, further comprising a scanner, wherein the instruction is to scan an identification number on the item tag through the scanner.

8. an article tag of an article management system, comprising:

A wireless interface for wirelessly connecting a terminal;

A speaker for emitting an audio signal;

a visual indicator for emitting a video signal; and

A processing module for executing the program code stored in the memory to perform the following steps:

Receiving call information from the terminal through the wireless interface; and

Within a period of time after receiving the call information, the loudspeaker sends out a first audio signal to prompt a user and the visual indicator sends out a first video signal to prompt the user.

9. The article tag of claim 8, wherein the processing module is further configured to:

Receiving self-test information from the terminal through the wireless interface;

Performing self-testing; and

When the self-test is successful, a test success message is sent back to the terminal through the wireless interface.

10. The item tag of claim 8, further comprising a sensor, wherein the processing module is further configured to transmit a warning message to the terminal via the wireless interface when a sensed value of the sensor exceeds a threshold value.

11. the item tag of claim 8, further comprising a battery level sensor, the processing module further configured to:

Receiving electric quantity test information from the terminal through the wireless interface;

sensing the electric quantity of a battery supplying the electric power to the goods label by using the battery electric quantity sensor;

When the electric quantity is lower than the critical value, the loudspeaker is made to send out an audio signal and the visual indicator is made to send out a video signal to prompt a user that the electric quantity of the goods label is insufficient.

12. An item management system, comprising a terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 7; and an item label according to any one of claims 8 to 11.

13. a processing method of a terminal of a goods management system is characterized by comprising the following steps:

Scanning the identification code on the goods label by using a scanner of the terminal;

Scanning the identification code corresponding to the goods by using the scanner; and

And storing the pairing relation between the identification code of the goods label and the identification code of the goods in the memory of the terminal.

14. The process of claim 13 further comprising causing a printer to print a receipt after the storing step, wherein the receipt comprises one of:

The identification code of the goods label; and

The identification code of the item.

15. The processing method of claim 13, further comprising:

After scanning the identification code on the goods label, transmitting a self-testing instruction to the goods label through a wireless interface of the terminal; and

16. The processing method of claim 13, further comprising:

17. A processing method of a terminal of a goods management system is characterized by comprising the following steps:

Receiving an identification code;

Searching a pairing relation containing the identification code in a plurality of pairing relations stored in the memory;

When the pairing relationship is found, transmitting calling information to the goods label in the pairing relationship through a wireless interface of the terminal; and

18. The processing method of claim 17, further comprising:

Performing self-testing; and

19. The processing method of claim 17, further comprising:

Sensing by using a sensor of the goods label to obtain a sensing value; and

When the sensing value exceeds a critical value, warning information is transmitted to the terminal through the wireless interface.

20. The processing method of claim 17, further comprising:

Sensing the electric quantity of a battery supplying the electric power to the goods label by using a battery electric quantity sensor of the goods label; and