IT202000012160A1 - CABINET CONFIGURED TO CONTAIN OBJECTS AND DETECT THEIR PRESENCE AUTOMATICALLY - Google Patents

Description

CABINET CONFIGURED TO CONTAIN OBJECTS AND DETECT THEIR PRESENCE AUTOMATICALLY.

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a cabinet configured to contain objects and detect their presence automatically.

Does the invention also concern an automatic management system for the issue of recovery orders, of the type comprising at least the aforementioned cabinet.

Furthermore, the invention? relating to a method of automatically managing the issue of recovery orders implemented through the aforementioned management system.

AND? It is known that most of the companies and industries that deal with the manufacture of finished products must be supplied by external suppliers of the raw materials or semi-finished products necessary to implement the production processes of these finished products.

In particular, usually, this supply takes place after the issue of an order by these companies, which deliver it or ship it by external suppliers of such raw materials or semi-finished products.

AND? equally known that if these companies are not well organized, pu? disadvantageously, it may happen that these raw materials or semi-finished products are used up before the order for their restoration has been issued or has been processed.

In addition, assuming that the order is made when the stock runs out, isn't it? said it can be delivered immediately. In fact, it is also necessary to consider the supplier's procurement times.

These circumstances, disadvantageously, can determine a slowdown or even a temporary stop in the company's production, consequently causing important losses from an economic point of view.

This negative situation is accentuated when a single external supplier? responsible for supplying multiple raw materials or semi-finished products that are different from each other, and therefore recovery management becomes more? complex and articulated.

The present invention intends to overcome all the indicated limitations and drawbacks.

In particular, ? an object of the present invention is to propose a system which is capable of detecting the absence or presence of particular objects, e.g. raw materials or semi-finished products and, consequently, to automatically issue an order for their recovery.

In detail ? object of the invention to create a cabinet configured to contain objects and detect their presence automatically in order to automatically implement the issue of recovery orders.

even more precisely ? purpose of the invention to create a cabinet capable of accurately detecting the presence of a multiplicity? of objects, different from each other, arranged inside it.

The said objects are achieved with the construction of a wardrobe in accordance with the main claim.

Further characteristics of the cabinet are described in the dependent claims.

The purposes are also achieved with the creation of an automatic management system for the issue of recovery orders, as reported in claim 10.

Are these purposes also achieved by a method for implementing the issuance of recovery orders automatically.

The aforesaid objects, together with the advantages which will be mentioned below, will be highlighted during the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which is given, by way of example but not in limitation, with reference to the attached drawings, where: - in the figure 1 ? represented in isometric view a wardrobe of the invention with the door in the open position;

- in figure 2 ? shown in front view of the wardrobe of the invention with the door in the open position;

- in figure 3 ? shown in isometric view of the wardrobe of the invention with the door in the closed position;

- in figure 4 ? shown in front view of the wardrobe of the invention with the door in the closed position;

- in figure 5 ? represented the wardrobe of the invention in sectional view according to a vertical section plane;

- in figure 6 ? shown in isometric view the housing for the electronic radio frequency reading device;

- in figure 7 ? shown in sectional view according to a vertical section plane, the housing for the electronic radiofrequency reading device;

- in figure 8 ? schematically represented the? unit? control electronics belonging to the cabinet of the invention;

- in figure 9 ? schematically represented the system for automatically managing the issue of recovery orders of the invention;

- in figure 10 ? represented the flow diagram of the operations carried out by the first computer product running in the cabinet of the invention.

The wardrobe of the invention, configured to contain objects and detect their presence automatically, is represented according to a preferred embodiment in figs. from 1 to 4, where it is indicated as a whole with 1.

This cabinet 1, as can be seen in figs. 1 and 2, comprises a box-like structure 2 which defines an internal containment area 3. Furthermore, clearly, this box-like structure 2 comprises an open side 2a to allow access from the outside to the aforementioned internal containment area 3.

Closet 1 ? otherwise provided? of a door 4 operatively connected to the box-like structure 2, configured to assume a closed position of the internal area 3, as shown in figs. 3 and 4, and at least one open position, to allow access to this internal area 3 from the external environment, as visible in figs. 1 and 2. According to the invention, as schematically represented in fig. 5, this cabinet 1 comprises an electronic radio frequency reading device 5 configured to emit an electromagnetic field and to detect the information stored in at least one RFID tag 101 arranged inside the internal area 3.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, this information comprises a unique alphanumeric code ID.

As regards the electronic radiofrequency reading device 5, according to the preferred embodiment, it is an RFID-type reader, in particular a UHF (Ultra High Frequency) reader.

The cabinet 1 of the invention also comprises at least one container 100 configured to be removably placed inside the aforementioned internal area 3 and provided with the aforementioned RFID tag 101 in which the aforementioned information is stored, in particular the aforementioned unique alphanumeric code ID .

In particular, this container 100 ? a box container configured to contain small parts.

Furthermore, cabinet 1 includes a unit? control electronics 6 operatively connected to the aforementioned electronic radiofrequency reading device 5 and configured to acquire this information, process it and send it remotely to external devices.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the unit? control electronics 6 ? configured to activate the aforementioned electronic radiofrequency reading device 5 when the leaf 4 ? arranged in the closed position and to deactivate the same electronic radiofrequency reading device 5 when the leaf 4 is opened.

Specifically, preferably, this unit? control electronics 6, as shown schematically in fig. 8, comprises storage means 61, a microprocessor 62 and a telecommunication device 63.

As regards the aforementioned storage means 61, as can be seen in the detail of fig. 8a, they comprise a database 7 and at least a portion of the code of a first computer product 8. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, this database 7 comprises one or more? record 71, each of which, in turn, preferably provides a first field 71a suitable for containing a unique alphanumeric ID code relating to a container 100 detected inside the internal area 3 of the cabinet 1, a second field 71b relating at the instant of time of the last detection of the presence of this container 100 with the aforementioned unique alphanumeric code ID, a third field 71c relating to the instant of time of first detection of the presence of the container 100 and, finally, a fourth field 71d relating to a flag of successful detection or not of the same container 100, this flag being able to assume a value chosen from ?true? it's false?. The utility of the aforesaid fields for the management of the cabinet 1 of the invention, sar? clarified shortly.

As regards the microprocessor 62, it ? configured to execute the portion of code of the aforementioned first computer product 8 stored in the storage means 61.

In particular, as schematized in the flow diagram of fig. 10, when such first computer product 8 ? in execution by the aforementioned microprocessor 62, it ? configured to detect, with the aid of the electronic radiofrequency reading device 5, the information, in particular the unique alphanumeric code ID memorized in each of the RFID tags 101 associated with a container 100, the latter arranged inside the internal area 3 of wardrobe 1.

Furthermore, this first computer product 8 ? configured, when running, to compare each of the unique alphanumeric ID codes detected, with the data present within said database 7 in order to update the latter on the basis of the detections carried out.

In detail, this first IT product 8 ? configured to check if a specific unique alphanumeric ID detected is already? present or not in the first field 71a of one of the records 71. If so, the first IT product 8 ? configured to further check if the fourth field 71d is set to ?false?, in this case the first computer product 8 ? configured to set the aforementioned fourth field 71d to ?true?.

If, on the other hand, for a specific unique alphanumeric code ID a relative record 71 is not identified, the first IT product 8 ? configured to add a new record 71 to the database 7, specific for this new unique alphanumeric code ID detected inside the aforementioned cabinet 1, clearly memorizing in the aforementioned first field 71a the aforementioned unique alphanumeric code ID, in the third field 71c the instant of time of the aforesaid detection and in the fourth field 71d the value ?true?.

Furthermore, the first computer product 8 ? configured to check if for one or more? records 71 present in the aforementioned database 7, each of which has a specific unique alphanumeric ID code stored in the first field 71a, there is no correspondence with one of the unique alphanumeric ID codes detected with the last reading by means of the electronic radio frequency reading device 5.

In this circumstance, the first computer product 8 ? configured to set to ?false? the fourth field 71d of the record or records 71 that do not match, and also to memorize in the second field 71b of the same records 71, the instant of time in which the absence of a container 100 associated with the specific alphanumeric code was found unique ID.

Preferably but not necessarily, the first computer product 8 ? also configured to verify, for each record 71 having the fourth field 71d set to ?false?, whether the period of time elapsed between the current detection and the instant of time stored in the related second field 71b is greater than a ?timeout value ? default. If so, the first computer product 8 ? configured to permanently delete the aforementioned record 71 from database 7.

Advantageously, this last function makes it possible to keep the database 7 clean automatically.

Finally, the first computer product 8 residing in the storage means 61 and executed by the microprocessor 62, for each reading, ? configured, following the detection of the unique alphanumeric ID codes belonging to the containers 100 present inside the cabinet 1 and the aforementioned verification operations, to send this database 7 to an external device, such as for example to a remote server 301, by means of the aforementioned telecommunication device 63.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the first computer product 8, when running, is configured to perform these detection, verification and sending operations at regular time intervals, preferably every 30 minutes).

Not ? excluding, however, that between one detection and the next there may be less or more time than the test time? indicated.

Not yet ? excluding that this survey is made on a one-off basis, e.g. whenever door 4 of the wardrobe is brought to the closed position.

As regards the telecommunication device 63, it ? a wireless-type telecommunications device, which implements a communication technology, e.g. GSM, GPRS, UMTS, HSDPA, LTE, WIFI or similar.

Not ? excluding, however, that according to alternative embodiments, this telecommunication device 6 implements a wired type of communication.

According to the invention, from a structural point of view, as can be seen in fig. 5, the electronic radio frequency reading device 5 ? fixedly arranged in a housing 211 defined in correspondence with the ceiling 21 of the box-like structure 2 and ? configured to emit the aforementioned electromagnetic field towards the underlying internal area 3.

even more in particular, as also represented in the details of figs. 6 and 7, according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, this housing 211 has, according to a vertical section plane, a substantially irregular quadrilateral shape with at least one oblique side, where the electronic radiofrequency reading device 5? fixed on the wall 211a which defines this oblique side of the aforesaid irregular quadrilateral, so as to generate the aforesaid electromagnetic field directed towards the underlying internal area 3 of the cabinet 1.

Advantageously, this geometry of the housing 211 makes it possible to optimize the directionality? of the electromagnetic field generated by the electronic radiofrequency reading device 5, towards the underlying internal area 3 and therefore towards the at least one container 100 inserted in this internal area 3.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, this oblique side is inclined with respect to the lower base 211b of the same irregular quadrilateral by an angle between 15? and 35?, preferably between 20? and 30?, even more? preferably the aforementioned oblique side ? inclined at an angle of 25?.

This housing, as always visible in fig. 5, preferably ? arranged off-centre with respect to the longitudinal development axis X of the underlying internal area 3, so that the wall 211a which defines the oblique side of the aforementioned irregular quadrilateral develops from the aforementioned ceiling 21 essentially in the vicinity of one of the side walls 22 of the box-like structure 2.

As regards the lower base 211b of the aforementioned housing 211, which divides the latter from the internal zone 3, it is made with a diamagnetic plastic material, which allows the lines of the electromagnetic field to pass towards the aforementioned internal zone 3 without modifying its electromagnetic characteristics.

Not ? however, excluding that, according to different embodiments of the invention, this lower base 211b is not physically present, so that the housing 211 communicates directly with the internal area 3.

Still preferably, the cabinet 1 of the invention provides that the base 23 of the aforementioned box-like structure 2, which defines the bottom of the internal area 3, comprises a layer of material capable of absorbing the electromagnetic field generated by the radiofrequency reading device 5 , while the side walls 22 are made of material capable of reflecting the waves of the aforementioned electromagnetic field.

This configuration, advantageously, allows the waves of the aforementioned electromagnetic field to be irradiated in an optimal way within the entire volume which constitutes the aforementioned internal area 3.

Also part of the invention is the automatic order management system 300, schematically represented in fig. 9, comprising at least one cabinet 1 of the invention, test? described according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, including the variants, and at least one remote server 301, connected to the aforementioned cabinet 1 via a telecommunication network 302.

In particular, such remote server 301 ? configured to receive from the unit? control electronics 6 of cabinet 1 the aforementioned database 7.

The remote server 301 also comprises a unit? storage 305 where ? memorized a portion of code of a second computer product 307, and a unit? processing logic 306 configured to execute this portion of code of the aforementioned second IT product 307.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, this second computer product 307, when in execution, is configured to check for each of the 71 records, at what value ? the fourth field 71d is set and, if this value is set to ?true?, to issue an order for the recovery of the raw material or semi-finished products, in particular small parts, which had been delivered inside the container 100 comprising an RFID 101 tag where ? stored the unique alphanumeric ID code corresponding to the one stored in the first field 71a of the specific record.

Also, this second 307 computer product, when running, ? also configured to verify, for all those records 71 which have the fourth field 71d set to ?false?, the value of the instant of exit, stored in the second field 71b, so as to verify the effective restoration of the stock.

Furthermore, a method is also part of the invention, implemented by means of the system 300 of the invention, for executing the issuance of recovery orders automatically by means of the order management system 300 of the invention, where this method provides to perform all test operations? described for both cabinet 1 and remote server 301.

From an operational point of view, by way of example, the system 300 of the invention, for the automatic management of the issue of recovery orders provides for having one or more? cabinets 1 of the invention in a company manufacturing finished products, which obtains its supplies as regards raw materials and/or semi-finished items from an external supplier. The remote server 301 ? instead managed by the aforementioned external supplier and preferably ? located in the headquarters of the latter.

Clearly, as previously mentioned, the remote server 301 and the aforementioned one or more cabinets 1 communicate with each other via a telecommunication network 302.

Will the supplier provide own semi-finished products and/or raw materials inside suitable containers 100, preferably cassette containers, each provided with an RFID tag 101, in which ? an information univocally correlated to the contents of said container 100 is stored, in particular a univocal alphanumeric code ID. These semi-finished products and/or raw materials are used by the company to manufacture the aforementioned finished products, and once these semi-finished products and/or raw materials are running out, an operator has the task of inserting the relative container 100, inside the internal area 3 of one of the wardrobes 1. At this point according to the invention, when one or more? containers 100 are present inside the cabinet 1, the same, at regular time intervals, ? configured to detect, by means of the radiofrequency reading electronic device 5, the information or information stored in each of the RFID tags 101 of the containers 100. Once this information has been detected, the unit? control electronics 6 of the cabinet 1 ? configured to compare the aforementioned information with the data contained in the aforementioned database 7 of the cabinet 1, in order to update the latter, and to send the updated database 7 to the aforementioned remote server 301.

The remote server 301 ? configured in turn, to process such data of the database 7, as specifically described above, in order to automatically issue the recovery order of the raw materials and/or semi-finished products which were contained in the aforementioned containers 100, to the order to promptly send this order to companies where ? arranged the aforementioned cabinet 1.

Finally, after the order ? been issued and processed, ? possible for the supplier to check that the container 100 present in the cabinet 1 which generated the automatic order is removed from the same cabinet 1, a sign that the stock of material ? been actually restored and ? again available to the customer.

Based on what has been said then, ? achieved the goal of proposing a system that is able to detect the absence or presence of particular objects, e.g. raw materials or semi-finished products and consequently to automatically issue an order for their recovery.

In detail ? achieved the object of the invention of realizing a cabinet configured to contain objects and detect their presence automatically in order to automatically implement the issue of recovery orders.

Further ? achieved the purpose of the invention to create a cabinet capable of detecting precisely the presence of a multiplicity? of objects, different from each other, present inside.

Claims (10)

1) Cabinet (1) configured to contain objects and detect their presence automatically, of the type comprising: - a box-like structure (2) which defines an internal containment area (3) and comprising at least one open side (2a) for access to said internal containment area (3); - at least one door (4) operatively connected to said box-like structure (2), configured to assume a closed position of said internal area (3) and at least one open position to allow access to said internal area (3) from the external environment; characterized by the fact that it includes: - an electronic radiofrequency reading device (5) configured to emit an electromagnetic field and to detect the information stored in at least one RFID tag (101) present within said internal zone (3); - a?unit? control electronics (6) operatively connected to said electronic radiofrequency reading device (5) and configured to acquire said information, process it and send it remotely to an external device; - at least one container (100) configured to be removably placed inside said internal zone (3) and comprising said RFID tag (101). 2) Cabinet (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said electronic radiofrequency reading device (5) ? configured to emit said electromagnetic field only when said leaf (4) ? arranged in said closed position. 3) Cabinet (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said electronic radiofrequency reading device (5) ? fixedly arranged in a housing (211) defined in correspondence with the ceiling (21) of said box-like structure (2) and configured to emit said electromagnetic field towards said underlying internal zone (3). 4) Cabinet (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that said housing (211) has, according to a vertical section plane, a substantially irregular quadrilateral shape with at least one oblique side, said electronic radio frequency reading device (5 ) being fixed to the wall (211a) of said housing (211) which defines said oblique side of said irregular quadrilateral, so as to generate said electromagnetic field directed towards the internal area (3) of said cabinet (1). 5) Wardrobe (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that said oblique side ? inclined with respect to the lower base of said irregular quadrilateral by an angle between 15? and 35?, preferably between 20? and 30?, even more? preferably said oblique side ? inclined at an angle of 25?. 6) Cabinet (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said unit? control electronics (6) comprises storage means (61), a microprocessor (62) and a telecommunication device (63), said storage means (61) comprising: - a database (7) provided with one or more? records (71), each of which ? configured to contain said information relating to one of said RFID tags (101); - a portion of code of a first computer product (8) which, when in execution by said microprocessor (62), ? configured to detect, with the aid of said electronic radiofrequency reading device (5), said information, in particular said unique alphanumeric code (ID) memorized in each of said RFID tags (101) associated with a container (100) present inside said internal area (3) of said wardrobe (1). 7) Cabinet (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that each of said records (71) comprises a first field (71a) capable of containing a unique alphanumeric code (ID) relating to a container (100) detected inside of said internal area (3) of said cabinet (1), a second field (71b) relating to the time instant of the last detection of the presence of said container (100) with said specific unique alphanumeric code (ID), a third field (71c) relating to the time instant of first detection of the presence of said container (100) with said unique alphanumeric code (ID) and a fourth field (71d) relating to a flag of successful detection or not of said container (100 ), said flag being able to assume a value chosen between ?true? it's false?. 8) Cabinet (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that said first IT product (8) is configured, when running, to compare each of said unique alphanumeric codes (ID) detected, with the data present within said database (7) in order to update said data on the basis of the detections made. 9) Cabinet (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that said first IT product (8) is configured when running, to: - check if a unique alphanumeric code (ID) detected is already? present or not in said first field (71a) of one of said records (71), if so, to verify whether the fourth field (71d) of said record (71) is set to ?false? and in this case to set the aforementioned fourth field (71d) to ?true?; in the case said unique alphanumeric code (ID) detected is not already? present in said first field (71a) of one of said records (71), said first computer product (8) ? configured to add a new record (71) specific to said unique alphanumeric code (ID) detected, storing in the relative first field (71a) said new unique alphanumeric code (ID), in the third field (71c) the instant of time of said detection and in the fourth field (71d) the value ?true?; - check if for one or more? of said records (71) present in said database (7), each of which has a specific unique alphanumeric code (ID) stored in the first field (71a), there is no correspondence with one of said unique alphanumeric codes (ID) detected and, if so, to set the value ?false? the fourth field (71d) of said record (71) and to memorize in the second field (71b) of said record (71), the instant of time in which ? found the non-presence of said unique alphanumeric code (ID); - sending said database (7) to an external device, following each of said detections and each of said checks. 10) Automatic order management system (300), characterized in that it comprises: - at least one cabinet (1) according to any one of claims 6 to 9; - at least one remote server (301), operatively connected to said cabinet (1) via a telecommunication network (302), said remote server (301) being configured to receive from said unit? control electronics (6) of said cabinet (1), said database (7), said remote server (301) comprising a unit? storage (305) where ? memorized a portion of code of a second computer product (307), and a unit? processing logic (306) configured to execute said portion of code of said second computer product (307), said second computer product (307), when running, being configured to verify, for each of said records (71) of said database (7), what value ? stored in said fourth field (71d) and: - if said value is ?true?, to issue an order for the recovery of the raw material or semi-finished products, in particular small parts, delivered inside the container (100) comprising an RFID tag (101) in which ? storing the unique alphanumeric code (ID) corresponding to that stored in said first field (71a) of said record (71); - if said value is ?false?, to verify that said restoration of the raw material or semi-finished products has actually been carried out.