EP1711917A1

EP1711917A1 - Method, device, computer system and computer program product for controlling a material flow

Info

Publication number: EP1711917A1
Application number: EP05761255A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Helmut Fleischer
Original assignee: Oce Printing Systems GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Canon Production Printing Germany GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2004-01-26
Filing date: 2005-01-26
Publication date: 2006-10-18
Also published as: DE102004003859A1; US20080125901A1; WO2005091188A1; US7860598B2

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling a process, wherein data is stored in a transponder and/or read by a transponder. In principle, the invention can be applied to any process, particularly those is which an object is assigned. For example, document management processes, document rights management, production, logistics, quality processes, recycling processes, waste disposal processes, software updating processes, auditing processes, service processes, etc. can be advantageously designed with the aid of the invention.

Description

Method, device, computer system and computer program product for controlling a material flow

The invention relates to a method, a device, a computer program system and a computer program product for controlling a material flow in the production, the supply of wearing parts or spare parts for a product composed of a plurality of individual parts. When producing or operating such products, such as complex machines, for example motor vehicles, production systems, high-speed printing systems or the like, in particular when supplying such systems with wear parts and spare parts, it is important that the parts are as correct and quick as possible from the manufacturer of the Individual parts are transported to the user or a service provider performing the service. For such logistical tasks, it is common to use computerized surveillance systems. At the same time, however, printed paper documents are still used as delivery notes, invoices, etc.

From WO 03/077169 AI it is known to mount a transponder on a printed delivery note in which application-specific data can be stored, read and changed. From US 2003/0227392 AI it is known to use radio frequency identification systems (RFID) in supply chains. From WO 01/82009 A2 it is known to attach transponders to parts in an automated production process in order to store information relevant for production therein and to make them available at various production stations. It is known from US 2003/0227392 AI and US 2003/0132853 AI to track objects in the movement of goods.

The aforementioned publications are hereby incorporated by reference into the present description.

It is an object of the invention to control the material flow in the production, the supply of wearing parts or spare parts for products which are composed of a large number of individual parts, so that the production or operation of the products is disturbed as little as possible and with demonstrable quality.

This object is achieved by the invention specified in the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

According to a first aspect of the invention, the individual parts are each delivered to a goods receipt of a logistics system in a method for controlling the material flow in the production or supply of wearing parts or spare parts for a product composed of a plurality of individual parts. Each individual part is assigned to a transponder in which production and / or delivery data for the individual part are stored. The data of the transponder are read at the goods receipt and used to control the further material flow in such a way that the individual parts are transported in a controlled manner to predetermined subsequent process stations.

The first aspect of the invention, in comparison with conventional systems in which deliveries of goods are documented with printed delivery notes, replaces the paper previously used with electronic data exchange. The data exchange takes place in particular between a goods supplier and a logistics company that delivers the goods from one from the supplier to one customer. However, data can also be exchanged directly between suppliers and customers or between all three parties. Corresponding computer systems and reading or writing units of the supplier, logistics company and customer are networked with each other, for example via the Internet.

According to a second aspect of the invention, which can also be independent of the first aspect of the invention, a method is provided for monitoring the product quality of a product composed of a plurality of individual parts, in which the individual parts are each delivered to a goods receipt of a logistics system and A transponder is assigned to each individual part, with quality data for the individual part being stored in the transponder. Further quality data are stored in the transponder at quality inspection stations for the individual parts and / or for units or unit parts which are composed of a large number of individual parts.

According to the first two aspects of the invention, a large number of individual parts are used to assemble a product. The product in turn can be divided into different units or unit parts, such as the drive motor of a motor vehicle, the steering of a motor vehicle or the fixing station or the developer station of an electrographic printing device. According to the invention, it is provided that a transponder is assigned to each individual part, in particular already during the manufacture and / or delivery of an individual part in the production plant or a logistics system for the individual parts connected to it. According to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, it is provided that a certain group of individual parts is a mass-produced article that is in a number of pieces than five are delivered in one container to the incoming goods of the production system of the complex product. The container includes the transponder, that is, a multitude of individual parts is assigned to a transponder. In particular, delivery data of the container are stored in the transponder, for example the number of individual parts which are located in the container. Furthermore, data can be stored in the transponder that are common to the group of mass-produced articles of the container, for example a quality indicator, production date, production lot or the like. The transponder data can in particular be recorded in a computer-aided production control system, material flow control system, wear part supply system, spare parts supply system, service system, logistics system, material management system and / or quality control system assigned to the production plant of the complex product. In particular, it can be provided that, based on the data stored in the transponder, the individual parts or parts of a group of individual parts assigned to the transponder are fed to a material store, a quality inspection station, an assembly station or a dispatch station, in particular for wear parts or spare parts.

Furthermore, the detection and tracking of goods can be improved and simplified with the invention. Processes, in particular goods flow processes and logistical processes, can easily be automated and thus optimized with the invention. This further streamlines the workflow. This further minimizes the error rate and the time required for delivery. By storing quality data in the transponder and optionally in computer networks, quality processes are further improved by simplifying and accelerating them in particular because fewer data entries are made manually or at different locations.

According to further aspects of the invention, an apparatus, a computer system and a computer program product for controlling a material flow are provided.

According to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, the reading and / or writing of data into or from the transponder is carried out using a mobile computer which has a first interface for wireless communication with the transponder and a second interface, in particular with a so-called docking -Station wired connection to a computer network. So-called hand held computers (Personal digital assistant, PDA) have proven to be particularly advantageous, as they are characterized by their particular compactness.

The transmission of digital electronic data stored in the transponder in direct connection with the goods makes it possible to transmit relevant production and other data from the manufacturer of the individual part to the operation or process that processes the individual part in real time, controlled by the flow of goods. In this way, the data processing systems of the supplying company and the processing company are automatically electronically coupled in terms of data, without an additional coupling or synchronization between their electronic data processing systems and the material flow of the individual parts being necessary.

According to a third aspect of the invention, which can also be viewed independently of the two aforementioned aspects of the invention or can be advantageously combined with these, service-relevant data and / or recycling data for an individual part are stored in a transponder assigned to the individual part, so that Using the transponder data in a more complex product for such individual parts, it can be determined directly in what amount of service calls are necessary (for example, according to the number of kilometers, number of operating hours or the number of printed pages) and / or the form in which the individual part is to be disposed of or reused is. Such usage information can also be stored as tables in the transponder depending on performance data.

In a further advantageous exemplary embodiment of the invention, which can be combined with one of the three main aspects mentioned above, an individual part is accommodated in a packaging and the transponder is attached to the packaging. After the data has been read from the transponder, the individual part is removed and fed directly to further handling, for example to a production process, to a warehouse, to a dispatch for wearing parts or spare parts and / or to a quality inspection station. It can in particular be provided to reuse this packaging with the transponder, in particular during recycling, that is to say when the individual part is returned for manufacture. This is particularly useful if the packaging is specially prepared to hold specific individual parts, for example using special brackets or padding firmly anchored in the packaging.

According to a further, preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, a plurality of individual parts are assembled to form an assembly and an assembly-related transponder is added to an assembly, in which data about the assembly are stored. In particular, the transponder data of the individual parts to which individual parts that had been delivered in a large number in one container and to which only one transponder was assigned were assigned the goods receipt station were read, transferred to an electronic data processing system, then read from the electronic data processing system and stored in the transponder assigned to the unit.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the receipt of an individual part is acknowledged at the goods receipt by means of the transponder data, the acknowledgment being sent to the supplier and / or to the supplier as a printout, as a transponder date and / or via computer-aided methods (network, internet, email) is transmitted to the manufacturer of the individual parts.

In a further preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, a plurality of transponders, which are accommodated together in one transport unit, are read out essentially simultaneously, in particular at the goods-in, using a detection device. For this purpose, in particular a gate can be provided, which can read out a large number of transponders in the shortest possible time. This makes it possible to record a delivery of goods that contains a large number of individual parts on a pallet with a correspondingly large number of transponders and to transfer the data to an electronic data processing system.

Corresponding electronic data processing programs for materials management, logistics, production control and / or quality assurance, which can be switched off according to the invention, are known per se. The modular computer program product known from the company SAP Deutschland AG and Co. KG Walldorf for various tasks in business and goods traffic appears to be particularly suitable for this.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a method for handling a product to which a transponder is assigned Neten is specified, with data about the goods and / or about the handling of the goods being read and / or stored in the transponder.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, a method for controlling a process is specified, data being stored in a transponder and / or read by a transponder. In principle, any process can be provided according to the invention, in particular those processes to which an object can be assigned. For example, documents administration processes, document rights management, production, logistics, quality processes, recycling processes, disposal processes, software update processes, auditing processes, service processes and so on can be advantageously designed with the invention.

According to the invention, it was recognized that transponders can advantageously be used in the control of processes, in particular in goods traffic. The following transponders / properties in particular were used to advantage. Transponders are electronic storage media that can be written to only once, can be written to multiple times and can be deleted. Transponders can be produced in various designs, especially in the form of stickers. Furthermore, transponders do not need their own energy source because they absorb energy through electromagnetic radiation and can be used to supply their own electronic components. The energy is supplied in particular by corresponding reading / writing devices which emit the electromagnetic radiation. The data transfer between the read / write station and the transponder takes place by modulating the radiation. Further aspects, advantages and effects of the invention will become clear from the following description, which is explained with figures.

Show it:

Figure 1 shows a flow of goods from the producer of a single part on the production of a complex product for its use to the disposal of the individual part and

FIG. 2 shows an information flow corresponding to FIG. 1.

Figure 1 shows the flow of goods and data in the manufacture, use and disposal of a product consisting of a large number of individual parts using the example of a printing system. Individual parts for printing devices, for example paper transport rollers 3 or electronic circuits 4, are produced at a supplier production site 1. The finished individual parts are handed over to a first logistics system 2 for delivery to a production site for printers 5 or to a printing device end customer (customer) 6 , If it is logistically advantageous, the individual parts can also be delivered from the first logistics system 2 to a second logistics system 7 and from there to the production facility 5 or the end customer 6, for example in the case of intercontinental shipping. At the end customer 6 there is a pressure device 8 which works in the production operation. Wear and spare parts for this pressure device 8 can be supplied directly to the customer by the manufacturer of the individual part 1 in question via one or both logistics systems 2, 7 or can be exchanged or installed at the end customer 6 via the production site 5 or an associated service company. Wear parts, spare parts or the entire printing system 8 can be completely or partially fed to a recycling process after the end of their service life or finally disposed of. For recycling, it is particularly provided that the corresponding parts are returned to the production site 5 and from there or directly from the end customer back to the supplier production site 1 of the individual part. In order to correctly determine the lifespan of the recycling and disposal routes, the manufacturer data and so on, it is provided in particular in the finished complex product (pressure device 8) at least for all individual parts for which special recycling or disposal regulations apply, corresponding data in a transponder assigned to the individual part. The transponder can be attached directly to the individual part or to a larger device unit (unit) to which the individual part belongs.

The data technology relationships between the individual systems involved are explained in more detail below. In the supplier production facility 1, a supplier server 10 is provided, which is connected in terms of data technology to a local supplier network 11 (LAN, local area network). Control programs run in the supplier server 10 and are used to control the production of the paper transport rollers 3 and the electronic circuits 4. For each individual part and / or for a group of individual parts, production data such as date of manufacture and time, used starting materials and their delivery data, quality data, identification data for used manufacturing machines and / or the people operating them and so on are recorded. These or data selected therefrom are transmitted with a production transponder reader / writer 12 to a transponder 14 located on the electronic circuit 4 to the respective circuit and without contact stored there or written to a group of 3 paper transport rollers 3 on a transponder 13 attached to the packaging 15 for the three transport rollers 3. A user computer 16 is also provided on the network 11, with which the control programs running on the server 10 can be monitored and manipulated, in particular the goods traffic and the data written on the transponders 13, 14 can be monitored and set. A further read / write system 17 is provided at the goods outlet of the supplier production facility 13. It comprises a portable pocket computer (PDA) which is connected to the network 11 via a wireless interface. As a result, the read / write unit 17 can be used in a mobile manner and is particularly suitable for capturing transponder data, the transponder of which, in any orientation, is located at a difficult location in a larger packaging unit. Alternatively, it is also possible to design the goods issue read / write system in such a way that it can capture transponder data over a greater distance and is able to do so in a short time (for example, only one or a few seconds) a large number of transponders read out or describe a larger packaging unit. With the read / write system 17, delivery data in particular are written on outgoing goods or their packaging, which are usually found in delivery notes, for example the delivery address, the description of the goods and the delivery quantity.

To identify the individual parts or the respective packaging, it is in particular possible to use characteristic data of a particular transponder, for example the individual identification number and / or one in a programmable, a transponder that is electronically stored in a read-only memory area during its manufacture read only memory area (PROM) or in a secured erasable programmable read only memory area (EPROM), transponder individual number stored by the supplier. Corresponding numbers can also be assigned for certain product groups, for example for electronic circuits on the one hand and for paper transport rollers on the other, thus creating a universal numbering system.

In order to be able to reuse packaging, it is advantageous to make certain memory areas of the transponder 13 erasable or rewritable. One and the same packaging can then be used regularly for different new productions. By assigning the group numbers in an area that cannot be deleted, the return of suitable packaging to certain parts can be precisely controlled.

At the goods issue of the supplier production system 1, the goods are handed over to the first logistics system 2. When loading the goods into the transport vehicle 19, all relevant delivery data are already on the corresponding ones

Transponders of the goods saved. In addition, the corresponding delivery data can be transmitted from the supplier server 10 via a remote data connection 20 (for example Internet) to a server 21 of the first logistics system 2 for a later comparison (confirmation of the delivery data). This is connected via a first local logistics network 22 to a user computer 23 and wirelessly to an incoming goods transponder read / write system 24, wirelessly to an outgoing goods transponder read / write system 25 and wired to a warehouse management transponder read / write system , The goods traffic within the logistics system with transport vehicles and a logistics warehouse 27 can thus be tracked exactly. The logistics system can also be equipped, in particular, with a global, satellite-guided position system (GPS), as described, for example, in US Pat. No. 6,429,810 B1. The content of which is hereby published at this point by reference in the present description.

The goods transport routes and directions are indicated in FIG. 1 with the arrows 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35.

The following describes how the goods and data traffic takes place within the production facility 5 when delivered individual parts such as the paper transport rollers 3 or electronic circuits 4 and further individual parts are assembled to form a complex product (printing device). The individual parts are delivered by a transport vehicle 19 to the goods receipt of the production facility for printer 5 and are read there by a mobile or stationary goods receipt transponder reader / writer. The read data are transmitted to a server 41 of the production site via a local network 42 of the production site. A merchandise management, administration and / or control program runs there, for example a program from SAP AG Walldorf. It can also be provided that. Transponder data determined at the goods receipt of the production site 5, in particular after manual or automatic checking (weighing, scanning with image processing), and to transmit confirmation data via the remote data connection 20 to the logistics server 21 or the supplier server 10 as a delivery confirmation.

The incoming individual parts can be placed in several identical containers, whereby a common transponder is provided for a group of containers, that is to say for one lot, in which the material, production, quality, recycling, or disposal , and delivery dates and so on are stored for the lot.

Depending on the agreement between the production site operator and the supplier, the individual parts can be delivered Trigger payment obligations from the production site operator so that the goods become the property of the production site operator or the goods can be taken over by the production site operator in trust and stored for the supplier in a production site warehouse 43 until it is required for production. In this case, the removal of the relevant part from the production site warehouse 34 is detected by a warehouse transponder reader / writer 44 or by a transponder reader / writer 45 installed at the installation site 46 for an assembly, and the payment obligation is only taken out when the warehouse is removed or when Installation of the part triggered in a pressure equipment unit.

In addition to production and delivery data, quality data can be stored in the transponder for individual parts, for example tolerance values for mechanical or electronic components. This quality data can be checked in the production facility 5 at quality inspection stations and, if necessary, deviating data can also be stored in the transponder. If the quality check reveals that the delivered individual parts are outside the permissible tolerance ranges, the rejection and return of the defective delivery can be triggered automatically in the material management system of the production server 41. Quality data for individual parts to which a transponder is not assigned in a ratio of 1: 1, but rather in a ratio of 1: N or whose transponder is attached to an outer packaging that is removed in the course of being brought into the production site warehouse 43, can be copied into transponders, which are attached to production site storage - internal containers, into which individual parts are inserted or in the production site storage computer system in such a way that they are available across the production network 42 across the production site. If such individual parts are installed at an assembly station 46 in an assembly of the printing system, then the the item associated data (production, ^'supply, disposal and / or quality on) and the reader / writer is written to a unit located at the transponder 45 on the production network 42nd The unit transponder has then saved the relevant data for all of its relevant individual parts. In the area of the production facility 5 in particular, it can be advantageous to provide data for an individual part at a plurality of throughput stations for an individual part and / or an aggregate in a transponder assigned to each of these. It is also possible for there to be an n: m relationship between a transponder and an individual part or an aggregate, where n, m are natural numbers.

A user computer 47 is also connected to the production network 42, via which the control processes of the production site warehouse are controlled and influenced by data input. At the goods exit 48 of the production site 5, finished pressure devices 48, which have gone through the production process, as well as spare parts or wearing parts, all of which have been temporarily stored in the production site warehouse 43, are delivered to the second logistics system 7 via route 35. The transponder data is read or written at the goods issue with a transponder reader / writer 49. On delivery, a part or device-specific transponder is again read and delivery data generated. Sequence, data transmission and control can take place in the same way as the delivery from the supplier 1 to the first logistics system 2 or from the first logistics system 2 to the production site 5.

For this purpose, the second logistics system has at least one transport vehicle 50, a logistics server 51, a local network 52, an intermediate storage 53, a goods receipt transponder reader / writer 54, a warehouse transponder reader / writer 55 and a goods issue transponder 55 Reader / writer 56 and a user computer 57, each connected to the local network 52. The logistics server 51 is connected to the aforementioned servers via the remote data connection 20.

A printing device 8, which produces printed documents at a place of use 6 for an end customer, is equipped with a transponder reader / writer 58. It is therefore able to read data from transponders on individual parts that are delivered to the customer site 6 as consumable or wearing parts and to automatically display installation instructions according to the data read, to set control parameters for individual parts or to reset the wear part counter. For wear parts or spare parts, too, whose transponder is attached to an outer packaging, the printing device can thus identify the corresponding part and make settings in the printer 8 or on computers which are connected to the customer's local network 59, in particular on one Customer server 61, optionally additionally controlled by inputs on the customer's user computer 60. The connection from the printer-internal reader / writer 58 to the network 59 can be interrupted in particular by a switch 63. In particular, this enables the customer to operate his own network 59 independently of the transponder-based communication and to import print data into the printer via the separate print data line 64. On the other hand, the reader / writer 58 can be connected directly to the data transmission line 20 via a connection 62 in order to transmit delivery data, delivery confirmations and so on to the servers 10, 21, 41 and / or 51. Server 61 is also optionally connected to data transmission line 20, so that corresponding delivery confirmations can be exchanged.

Pressure equipment, aggregates or individual parts that may have had their way fed to the disposal system 9 via path 31 are or returned via paths 30, 29, 34, 35, 32, 28 back to production site 5 or to supplier production site 1 for reprocessing (recycling). Just as with the delivery of new parts, the return of recycled parts can be controlled in terms of data traffic and the delivery process by data transmission by the transponder and / or by data transmission line 20. In the disposal system 9, the disposal-relevant data (material, disposal instructions, etc.) available in a transponder for the printing devices, units or individual parts are read contactlessly with a disposal transponder reader / writer and fed to the local network 66 of the disposal system. The disposal process can then be controlled via a disposal server 68 or user computer 67.

FIG. 2 shows the flow of goods and data management using the example of the production facility 5. Goods 71 coming in from a supplier 70 via the flow of goods 72 are either fed to a production warehouse 73 via the flow of goods 74 or via the flow of goods 75 to a spare parts store 76 (flow of goods 77) or directly to Customers 79 (flows of goods 78, 80). Data is collected from all the material movements, material processing, assemblies and uses involved, which in FIG. 2 lead to a hatched data flow to a database 83 stored in particular at the production site. In particular, customer reports, service reports, recycling information, repair reports and disposal information come as data. Production data, lifetime and usage data, performance data and quality data are also stored in the database 83. This opens up extensive evaluation options and options for analyzing weak points and thus improving product quality. With the material flow system described above, a number of advantages can be achieved compared to conventional logistics systems. A first advantage is that there is permanent quality assurance from the manufacturer of the individual part to the return (recycling) of the used part or until its disposal, which improves both product quality and environmental compatibility, because for every product from the production of the individual parts to supply to final disposal ^'/ recycling material and production data are available. Due to the fixed local coupling between a transponder and the product assigned to it (especially if the transponder is firmly attached to the individual part / product), logistical handling can be carried out with a shorter lead time and minimal space requirement, because the detection and tracking of goods is contactless and can be done largely automatically. In terms of data technology, transponder data and goods data in particular form a pair. Large quantities of non-metallic objects can be detected almost simultaneously with all common transponder technologies (so-called depth scanning). When the transponder data is imported into a networked computer system, there is also the advantage that a duplicate of the information on the transponder is available offline, that is, even if a computer system fails, the logistical or manufacturing processes can continue to run. Another advantage over conventional methods in which barcodes are attached to parts or packaging is that a relatively large amount of memory and plain text can be stored as data and that the data can be changed at any time.

In a direct delivery process, in particular spare parts or wearing parts from supplier 70 can be made directly to customer 80 via process routes 72a, 75, 78 and 80. It is not necessary to use a computer Establish a network connection between the supplier 70 and the customer 80 in order to enable proper operation of the spare or wearing part in a pressure device of the customer 79. Due to the fact that a transponder is delivered with the replacement or wearing part, in which characteristic data of the part are stored, the printing device at customer 79 can access the data stored in the transponder directly, if necessary, with an integrated transponder reading device Set the corresponding device parameters correctly and thus ensure proper operation of the device on site at the customer. Conversely, when recycling the spare or wearing parts when transporting the part back from the customer 79 to the supplier 70, a transponder attached to the wearing or spare part can be used to directly evaluate the operation of the spare or wearing part without having to enter data from the customer or the production center Need to become. Here, too, the transponder is used for direct data transmission in a simple and cost-effective manner, production data even being stored in the transponder, which also enables the supplier 70 to track the quality in his own manufacturing processes. It goes without saying that it is possible, if necessary, to read the data with a transponder reading device and, if necessary, to make it available to other process participants, for example the production center, via a computer network.

Further developments of the invention are also possible, in particular in the course of connecting the system according to the invention to existing material management control programs, as are described, for example, in US 2003/0132853 AI and in US 2003/0227392 AI. For this purpose, these publications are hereby incorporated by reference into the present description. Although the invention has been described with the aid of high-speed printers, the invention can be used for a large number of products, for example also for the production of products in which consumables for printers have been introduced, for example more complex toner containers or ink supply containers or devices. Furthermore, the invention can be used for complex packaging, books, transport units and warehouse applications, wine labels and so on.

According to the exemplary embodiment described above, delivery note information is exchanged between a transponder and a system server or between system servers. It can be particularly advantageous to standardize such information and / or corresponding transmission formats so that the logistical and accounting processing of such goods can be carried out as simply as possible between any supplier and customer.

Reference list of suppliers Production facility First logistics system Paper transport roller Electronic circuit Production facility for printers Printing devices - end customer Second logistics system Printer in operation Disposal system Supplier server Supplier LAN Production transponder reader / writer Packaging transponder for individual parts Packaging User computer Goods issue reading / writing system Pocket computer Transport vehicle remote data connection server of the first logistics system first logistics LAN user - computer goods receipt transponder read / write system goods issue transponder read / write system goods store transponder read / write system logistics warehouse 35 arrows for goods transport routes and directions aggregate aggregate transponder goods receipt transponder reader / writer Production server Production LAN Production site warehouse Warehouse transponder reader / writer Unit transponder reader / writer Assembly station User computer Goods issue Goods issue transponder read / write system Transport vehicle Logistics server Local network Interim storage facility Goods receipt transponder read / write system Warehouse receipt transponder read / write system Goods issue transponder -Reading / writing system user computer transponder reader / writer local network user computer customer server direct connection switch print data line disposal transponder reader / writer local network user computer disposal server supplier incoming goods flow of goods production flow goods flow goods flow goods spare parts warehouse goods flow goods flow customer 80 flow of goods

81 Data flow

82 Data flow

83 database

Claims

Patent claims

1. Method for controlling the material flow during production or the supply of wearing parts or spare parts of a product (8) composed of a large number of individual parts (3, 4), whereby - the individual parts (3, 4) are each sent to a goods receipt of a logistics system (2 , 5, 7) are delivered and each individual part (3, 4) is assigned a transponder (13, ¹⁴ ) in which production and/or delivery data for the individual part (3, 4) are stored, - the data of the transponder (13, 14) are read in particular at goods receipt and are used to control the further material flow in such a way that the individual parts (3, 4) are transported to predetermined subsequent process stations in a controlled manner.

2. Method for monitoring the product quality of a product (8) composed of a large number of individual parts (3, 4), in particular according to claim 1, wherein - the individual parts (3, 4) are each sent to a goods receipt of a logistics system (2, 5 , 7) are delivered and each individual part (3, 4) is assigned a transponder (13, 14) and in the transponder (13, 14) quality data for the individual part (3, 4) are stored, - at quality testing stations for the individual parts (3, 4) and/or for aggregates or aggregate parts that are assembled from a large number of individual parts, further quality data is stored in the transponder (14).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one group of the individual parts (3) is a mass production is an article that is delivered to the incoming goods department in a quantity of more than five in a container (15) and wherein the container (15) comprises the transponder (14), in which in particular a common quality indicator for the group of mass-produced items of the container ( 15) is saved.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein additional information about the amount of bulk items in the container is stored in the transponder (13).

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the reading and/or writing of data to the transponder (13, 14) is carried out using a mobile computer (25) which has a first interface (25a) for wireless communication with the transponder (13 , 14) and a second interface (25b) for communication with a computer network (42).

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein wireless communication takes place via the computer network interface (25b).

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein

- at least one item is housed in a packaging (15) and the transponder (13) is attached to the packaging (15), - the data is read by the transponder (13) and

- the individual part or parts (3) are removed and sent directly for further handling, in particular a production process and/or storage.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein on an aggregate (36) an aggregate-related Transponder (37) is added and this data is saved via the unit (36).

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the receipt is acknowledged at the goods receipt using the transponder data.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a large number of transponders (13, 14), which are accommodated together in a transport unit, are read out essentially simultaneously at the goods receipt using a detection device (24, 40, 54).

11- Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the data belonging to an individual part (3, 4) and stored on its assigned transponder (13, 14) are stored on a transponder (37) located on the fully assembled product (8).

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein additional data for recycling and/or disposal is stored in a transponder assigned to an individual part, an aggregate part or an aggregate.

13. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the data is recorded, stored and/or generated in a computer program and the material flow and/or the production process are controlled by a computer.

1 . Method for handling goods to which a transponder is assigned, wherein data about the goods and/or about the handling of the goods are read and/or stored in the transponder.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the handling data includes delivery data.

16. Method for controlling a process, wherein data is stored in a transponder and / or read from a transponder.

17. Device for carrying out a method according to one of the preceding claims.

18. Computer system comprising means for carrying out a method according to one of claims 1 to 16.

19. Computer program product which, when installed and run on a computer, causes a process according to one of claims 1 to 16.