JP2000106570A - Intra-factory data transmission system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To decrease the frequency of collision on a radio circuit and to suppress increase of the cost by placing a converter device, using the wireless of high frequency for the communication between a terminal provided on a mobile object prepared in an assembling factory and a private LAN and managing the information in a central computer system. SOLUTION: A server computer 2 totally controls a data transmission LAN system, and an operator presses a button 20 corresponding to the necessary parts of the assembly operation site terminals 16-18 when the assembly is needed at an assembly operation site. The push information on the button 20 is transmitted to a converter device 14 via the wireless of 400 MHz band and then transmitted to the radio base stations 6-8 from the device 14 via the wireless of 2.4 GHz band. The management computers 3 and 4 judge the data sent from the assembly operation site and transmit the supply information on the parts to be sent to a forklift 9 through the stations 6-8 and also transmit an under- processing signal to the assembly operation site to turn on a pilot lamp 21 there.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for transmitting information at a production site between a central computer system and an assembling site and a mobile unit such as a forklift moving in a wide area in real time using a wireless LAN system. Related to a transmission system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one of conventional data transmission systems using a wireless LAN, a central computer system comprising a server computer and a plurality of computers and a plurality of wireless base stations are connected by a wired line, and a plurality of wireless base stations and a forklift are connected. There is a method of wirelessly transmitting data between a terminal mounted on a mobile body such as a maintenance staff and communication between a plurality of wireless base stations and terminals at an assembly work site. Wireless equipment for data transmission in the 400 MHz band is mainly used as the wireless equipment used in this system.

[0003]

In the above system, when transmitting data wirelessly, 400 MHz is used.
In the communication using the wireless equipment for band data transmission, there are problems that the transmission rate is low and that the frequency of occurrence of collisions is high due to restrictions in the standard, and that it is difficult to transmit a large amount of data. To overcome this problem, it is possible to use the radio equipment of the radio station of the low power data communication system using the 2.4 GHz band, but there is a problem that the cost of the equipment used is high. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a data transmission LAN system in which the frequency of collisions on a radio line is greatly reduced and the cost of equipment is also suppressed. With the goal.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a central computer system comprising a server computer and a plurality of management computers, and a 2.4G computer system.
1. A plurality of wireless base stations that use frequencies in the Hz band are connected by wire via an Ethernet line, and communication between a terminal mounted or carried on a mobile body such as a forklift and maintenance personnel and the plurality of wireless base stations is performed. A plurality of converter devices for performing data transmission using a frequency of the 4 GHz band and transmitting data via a plurality of assembly work site terminals and a radio frequency of the 400 MHz band are arranged between the plurality of converter devices and the plurality of wireless base stations. L for data transmission using a frequency in the 2.4 GHz band
This is a means for constructing an AN.

[0005]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, a server computer 2, a plurality of management computers 3, 4, a wireless control gateway computer 5, and a plurality of wireless base stations 6, 7, 8 are connected to an Ethernet (registered trademark) line 1 to construct a LAN. Have been.

The mobile equipment forklift 9 has a radio equipment 1
0, and the maintenance personnel carry a terminal 13 with a built-in wireless device 12, and a 2.4 GH between each of the terminals 11, 13 and the wireless base stations 6, 7, 8.
It is possible to mutually transfer data by wireless in the z band.

Further, a plurality of converter devices 14 are arranged at several places in the factory, and communicate with the radio base stations 6, 7, and 8 by radio in the 2.4 GHz band via the radio device 15.
A plurality of assembly work site terminals 16 and 1 equipped with wireless devices
The communication with the wireless base stations 6, 7, and 8 and the assembly work site terminal 1 is performed by communicating with the wireless base stations 6, 7, and 8 via the wireless device 19.
Data transmission between 6, 17, and 18 is possible.

The data transmission LAN configured as described above
The operation of the system will be described.

The server computer 2 has a data transmission LA
N manages the entire N system. In this embodiment, LA
Although TCP / IP is used as the N system protocol, it is not limited to only TCP / IP, and it is possible to connect to a higher network.

A plurality of management computers 3 and 4 connected to the Ethernet 1 mainly maintain and manage data of the terminals 11 and 13 such as forklifts 9 and maintenance personnel, and function as a central computer system in cooperation with the server computer 2. The gateway computer 5 enables data transmission with a forklift 9 having no IP address and terminals 11 and 12 of maintenance personnel through a plurality of wireless base stations 6, 7 and 8.

When the necessity arises for an assembly part at the assembly work site, the worker operates the assembly work site terminals 16, 17, and 18.
Button 20 corresponding to the required part is pressed. Information that this button has been pressed is transmitted to the converter device 14 by radio in the 400 MHz band, and transmitted from the converter device 14 to the radio base stations 6, 7, and 8 by radio in the 2.4 GHz band.

The data between the assembly work site terminals 16, 17, 18 and the converter device 14 is limited to a part number, a terminal number, and the like, and the amount of information is small. Therefore, collision is unlikely to occur even in the 400 MHz band wireless communication. The converter device 14
The collision can be reduced by increasing the number of.

The management computers 3 and 4 judge the data transmitted from the assembly work site, transmit information for supplying parts to the forklift 9 through the radio base stations 6, 7 and 8, and are processing the information to the assembly work site terminal. A certain signal is sent, and the indicator light 21 of the assembly work terminal receiving the signal is turned on.

A list of information sent from the management computers 3 and 4 is displayed on the terminal 11 of the forklift 9, and the worker selects a supplyable part and presses a supply button. This information is sent to the management personal computers 3 and 4, and a signal is sent to the assembling work terminal, and the indicator light 21 blinks to indicate that the parts are currently being supplied. In this embodiment, the indicator light 21 blinks, but other means such as installing an indicator light may be used.

When the forklift 9 finishes supplying the parts, the operator presses the supply completion button, and this information is sent to the management personal computer, and as a result, the indicator light of the assembly work site terminal is turned off.

When a problem occurs at the assembly work site, the operator presses a maintenance staff call button. Subsequent communication with the maintenance personnel is performed in substantially the same manner as the above-described communication with the forklift.

[0018]

According to the present invention, a collision in wireless communication is reduced, and a data transmission system in a factory can be constructed at low cost, and the reliability thereof can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view showing the configuration of the present invention.

Claims (1)

[Claims] An information exchange with an assembly work site or the like where the amount of information to be transmitted is small is performed using a low frequency radio such as a 400 MHz band, and a local LAN is connected to a 2.4 GHz through a radio base station.
A converter device that exchanges information using high-frequency radio in the band is installed, and high-frequency radio is used for communication between terminals installed on mobiles such as forklifts and maintenance personnel in the assembly plant and the premises LAN. A factory data transmission system that manages information using a central computer system connected to a LAN.