JP2001178565A - Electrically-driven movable shelf apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make the deterioration or the life of functional components of an electrically-driven shelf apparatus judge able by the use of a monitor at a remote place by making software fir control maintainable from a remote place in the electrically-driven movable shelf apparatus wherein data cab be transferred between the movable apparatus and a remote place. SOLUTION: For transferring data between the movable shelf apparatus 3 and a remote place, a controller on the apparatus 3 side is connected to monitors 5, 6 through a communication means, thereby enabling software to be down loaded from the monitors 5, 6 to the controller through the communication means. It is preferable that software cab be uploaded from the controller to the monitors. It is more desirable that previous operation data of the movable shelf apparatus are collected by the monitors at a remote place so that data can be provided to judge the deterioration or the life of functional components of the subject electrically-driven movable shelf apparatus base one the operation data.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric moving shelf apparatus comprising a plurality of electric movable shelves arranged side by side. Of the mobile shelf device and the monitoring device at a remote location, software can be downloaded and uploaded, and the functional parts of the mobile shelf device It is possible to provide data on

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Moving shelves capable of storing and moving books and other articles are arranged such that a plurality of these shelves are converged and discretely arranged to form a moving shelf apparatus. By forming the work space only on the front of the shelf, there is an advantage that the limited space can be efficiently used as the article storage space. One of the moving methods of the moving shelf is an electric method using a motor as a driving source. In the moving shelf apparatus, it is necessary to form a space necessary for putting in and taking out the front of a shelf where articles are to be put in and out. In the electric type moving shelf device, the spatial position to be formed is specified, and when the spatial position is specified,
The shelf which needs to be moved and the direction of the movement are determined from the relationship between the designated position and the position of each moving shelf at that time, and the movement of each shelf is controlled according to the result of the calculation.

[0003] The movable shelf itself is heavy, and is used for storing books and other articles and moving it.
Once you start moving, you will have a large amount of kinetic energy, and it is dangerous if workers are caught between moving shelves,
Various safety devices are incorporated in the electric moving shelf device. For example, when a work space is formed at a designated position, the work space is interlocked until a reset operation is performed, so that a work space cannot be formed at another position, and a new work space is formed without permission You can't do that. In addition, when a worker enters the work space and works, if the shelf moves in a direction to narrow the work space, a safety bar switch horizontally installed on an article loading / unloading surface (frontage surface) of the shelf. When the operator pushes the button or a part of the operator's body touches the safety bar switch, the moving shelf stops immediately. The safety bar switch is also effective when foreign matter is falling into the work space. When the above-mentioned safety bar switch operates and the movable shelf stops immediately, the emergency operation switch is operated to move the movable shelf in the opposite direction. It will return to the operation mode. As another safety measure, if a command to create a work space at another position is issued repeatedly while moving based on the command, a double command that stops the movement of the shelf on the spot There is also a stop function.

Further, an alarm is issued under a specific situation. For example, there is a device that sounds a chime or the like while the shelf is moving. When a worker or a foreign object is caught between the shelves and the movement of the shelves is stopped by the operation of the safety bar switch, a predetermined emergency operation is performed to move the movable shelf in the opposite direction. Some of them have a bell or buzzer sound while they are there. Alternatively, there is a case where a bell or a buzzer is sounded even in the case of a double command. A visual alarm such as lighting of a lamp or display on a display may be used instead of or in addition to the acoustic alarm. In addition, when an overheating of the motor or other various troubles occurs, an acoustic or visual alarm is issued.

[0005] As described above, since the electric movable shelf apparatus has various complicated functions, it is often difficult for the user to fully utilize all of these complicated functions. For example, it is not originally a problem, such as not knowing how to operate the emergency stop of the moving shelf due to the operation of the safety bar switch, and how to deal with when an alarm is issued. Nevertheless, it may not be possible to return to normal operation. Of course, it may not be possible to return to normal operation due to some trouble. In such a case, in a conventional moving shelf, a maintenance staff gives advice by telephone by a call from the user, and if necessary, the maintenance staff goes to the user and takes appropriate measures.

[0006] When a maintenance person goes to the user by a call from the user and checks it, the user can often cope with only a small amount of advice, and despite the trivial trouble, a great deal of trouble occurs. Often spending a lot of time and money. If the user can accurately grasp the operating status of the mobile shelf and accurately communicate this to the maintenance staff by telephone etc., the maintenance staff can give accurate instructions, and the user can solve the trouble by following the instructions can do. However, it is impossible to expect the user to accurately grasp the operation state of the mobile shelf. Even if the user accurately grasps the operation status of the mobile shelf and communicates this to the maintenance staff, the maintenance staff may need to grasp the operation status in more detail. I had no choice but to go out and check.

Therefore, the present applicant makes it possible for maintenance personnel and the like to grasp the control status of the mobile shelf from a remote place, and to quickly resolve troubles and other problems without the maintenance personnel or the like going to the site. Can also
A patent has been previously filed for an electric moving shelf device that can transmit a control signal from a remote location as needed. The application related to Japanese Patent Application No. 10-257759 is such an application.

According to the invention of the above-mentioned application, the control unit on the mobile shelf device side and the monitoring device provided at the remote location are connected via the communication means, and data is exchanged between the mobile shelf and the remote location. This makes it possible to quickly resolve troubles and other problems without the need for maintenance personnel to go to the site, and if the communication means is wireless, it can be electrically operated from a remote location using PHS etc. You can grasp the control status of the mobile shelf device, without having to pull in a new telephone line,
It is possible to connect the electric movable shelf device to a remote terminal at low cost. Further, when a trouble or the like occurs, the user of the mobile shelf device can also search for the type of the trouble, and it is not impossible to cope with the trouble without the need of maintenance personnel, or it is not possible to deal with the trouble in a remote location. There are many advantages such as being able to respond promptly in accordance with the instructions of the maintenance personnel while viewing the same display as the maintenance personnel in the office and contacting them by telephone or the like.

[0009]

In many cases, the control of the electric moving shelf apparatus as described above uses a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as a "microcomputer"). This is usually done at the factory. However, software often contains bugs. When a bug is found, a ROM containing the modified software is sent from a remote location, and the customer is asked to install this software.
Engineers bring software development tools such as personal computers to the site. Alternatively, one measure is to have the CPU board returned from the site, replace the software, and then send it to the site again. When upgrading software, the above countermeasures are taken.

However, the above countermeasures include:
It requires a lot of time and money. Therefore, the present invention enables remote maintenance of control software in an electric moving shelf apparatus that enables data transfer between the moving shelf apparatus side and a remote place as in the invention according to the above-mentioned application, and furthermore, It is another object of the present invention to provide an electric moving shelf device capable of determining deterioration and life of functional components of the electric moving shelf by a monitoring device at a remote place.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a plurality of shelves movable by electric power are arranged, and the movement of each shelf is controlled by inputting a command signal. In order to enable data transfer between the movable shelf device side and a remote location in an electric movable shelf device having a control unit for forming a space necessary for loading and unloading articles between arbitrary shelves. By connecting the control unit on the mobile shelf device side to a monitoring device provided at a remote location via communication means, it is possible to download software from the monitoring device to the control unit via this communication means. It is characterized by the following. The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that software can be uploaded from the control unit to the monitoring device via the communication means.

The invention described in claim 3 is the first or second invention.
In the described invention, a monitoring device at a remote location collects past operation data of the mobile shelf device, and based on the operation data,
It is possible to provide data for judging the deterioration and life of the functional components of the target electric movable shelf. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a measuring unit capable of measuring a state of the functional component, and the monitoring device at the remote place is configured to perform a measurement based on a result of the measurement by the measuring unit. It is possible to provide data for judging the deterioration and life of the functional components of the target electric movable shelf.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Before describing an embodiment of an electric moving shelf apparatus according to the present invention, an electric moving shelf apparatus according to the present invention will be schematically described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 10, a telephone line is connected between the adapter 2 on the user side on which the electric movable shelf device 3 is installed and the monitoring device 1 installed on the manufacturer or dealer of the electric movable shelf device. Various data can be exchanged in both directions. The electric movable shelf device 3 itself is a well-known one, and a plurality of shelves movable by electric power are arranged, and the movement of each shelf is controlled by inputting a command signal, and a space necessary for taking in and out articles between arbitrary shelves. Is formed. The communication controller 4 provides general data, trouble data,
Failure history data and other various data are stored, and these data are transferred to the remote monitoring device 1 through the telephone line. The monitoring device 1 side
It has a data processing unit 5 and a monitor 6 and can display the transferred various data on the monitor 6, and a maintenance person or the like can grasp the control situation of the mobile shelf 3 by the communication controller 4 while watching the display. Can be. And
Between the telephone 8 on the user side and the telephone 7 on the monitoring device 1,
A conversation can be made by voice, and the user can inform the maintenance staff and the like of troubles and other operating conditions, and the maintenance staff and the like can tell a countermeasure for the situation. Alternatively, the maintenance staff or the like can analyze the operation status, predict the occurrence of a trouble, and inform the user that appropriate processing is performed before the trouble occurs.

FIG. 11 is a hardware configuration diagram more specifically showing the conceptual diagram shown in FIG. The monitoring device 1 has a personal computer 5 as a data processing unit, a printer 9 connected to the personal computer 5, and a modem 10 for placing a data signal on a telephone line. The personal computer 5 includes a monitor 6 shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the user has a plurality of blocks of the electric movable shelf device 3, and controls each block so that a work space is provided between desired shelves for each block. Can be formed. A dedicated communication module 15 is provided for each electric moving shelf device block, and each dedicated communication module 15 is connected to a communication controller 4 by a communication network.
It is connected to the. The various data signals stored in the communication controller 4 are loaded on a telephone line via the modem 11 and transferred to the monitoring device 1. The dedicated communication module 15, the communication controller 4, and the modem 11 constitute the user-side adapter 2.

FIG. 12 shows another conceptual diagram of the electric moving shelf apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 12, a remote monitoring apparatus 1 serving as a maintenance base includes a personal computer 5 having a built-in modem, and a monitor 6 connected to the personal computer 5. Electric moving shelf device 3 including a plurality of moving shelves
On the side, the main control unit 21 is provided on one moving shelf.
The electric movable shelf device 3 includes a microcomputer (hereinafter, referred to as “microcomputer”), and is controlled by the microcomputer. The main control section 21 is configured by a board including the microcomputer and has a communication port. This main control unit 2
The communication port 1 and the monitoring device 1 are connected by a telephone line. The personal computer 5 is connected to a mobile telephone relay station 43 through a telephone network, and the communication port of the main control unit 21 is connected to the mobile telephone 4 via a mobile data adapter 41.
It is connected to 2. The mobile data adapter 41
It is a kind of modem for mobile phones. Mobile phone 4
Reference numeral 2 includes a data communication port, which is capable of digital communication. The portable telephone 42 and the relay station 43 are communicated by radio waves so that data can be exchanged between the electric movable shelf device 3 and a remote place. The components including the mobile data adapter 41, the mobile phone 42, and the relay station 43 constitute communication means.

The example shown in FIG. 13 is an example in which the electric movable shelf device 3 and a remote place are connected by a wired telephone network. A main control unit 21 is provided on one of a plurality of movable shelves constituting the electric movable shelf device 3, and a communication port of the main control unit 21 is connected to the modem 11, and a personal computer 5 constituting a monitoring device at a remote place. And the modem 11 are connected by a wired telephone network so that data can be exchanged between the electric movable shelf device 3 and a remote location. Components including the telephone network and the modem 11 constitute communication means.

Next, an embodiment of an electric moving shelf apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows the overall concept of this embodiment, in which a mobile shelf control system 30 and a telemente service system 40 are shown.
And the network system 50. The moving shelf control system 30 includes an electric moving shelf device 3 including a plurality of electric moving shelves 32 arranged movably by electric power and a fixed shelf 31. Electric moving shelf device 3
Is a command signal for forming a work space between arbitrary shelves,
By inputting various other command signals, an operation according to the command is performed under the control of the control unit. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, articles are put in and taken out of shelves using a forklift 35, and by operating a wireless operation terminal 36 from above the forklift 35, the various command signals are transmitted wirelessly. It has become.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the telemaining service system 40 shown in FIG.
0, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, and FIG. 13, including a monitoring device from a remote place. In this example, a wireless telephone line is used as a telephone line, and a mobile data adapter 41, a wireless telephone 42, a wireless telephone The telephone relay station 43, the personal computer 5, and the monitor 6 are included. The above-mentioned various stored data is transferred from the mobile shelf control system 30 to the mobile data adapter 41, and these data are further transmitted to a wireless telephone 42 capable of transmitting digital data, such as a PHS (Personal Handy Phone System) telephone or a digital portable telephone. And transmitted to the personal computer 5 via the relay station 43 and a general telephone line. The personal computer 5 and the monitor 6 constitute the aforementioned monitoring device.

The forklift 35 has a wireless LAN
A (local area network) terminal 37 is mounted. The terminal 37 can wirelessly transmit and receive data to and from the terminal processor 51 in the network system 50. The network system 50 includes a personal computer 51 as the terminal processor, and a personal computer 52 of a central management center connected to the terminal processor 51 via a telephone line. A personal computer 51 constituting a part of the network system 50 and a moving shelf control system 30 are provided in the warehouse 20. The network system 50 is mainly used for inventory management in the warehouse 20 and the like.

FIG. 2 shows a more specific configuration between the mobile shelf control system 30 and the telemaining service system 40.
However, in the example of FIG. 2, the telephone line is wired. In FIG. 2, the moving shelf control system 30 includes a plurality of moving shelves 31,
The electric moving shelf device 3 in which 32, 33,... Are arranged is arranged over a plurality of blocks. A plurality of moving shelves 31, 32, 33,.
One of the shelves 31 is representative of the other shelves, and the main control board 21 is provided on the shelves 31. Here, the shelf 31 is called a main shelf, and the other shelves 32, 33,...
Is called a distribution shelf. Each of the movable shelves 31, 32, 33,... Is provided with a control module including a circuit board for controlling an operation as an electric movable shelf. Each main shelf 31 of each mobile shelf device 3 is provided with a communication module 15 composed of a circuit board for communication.
Reference numeral 5 forms a communication network. This communication network is connected to the communication controller 4 in the adapter 2 on the user side described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, and the communication controller 4 includes general data, control data, Various data such as data is collected and stored. The stored data is stored in the modem 1
1. The data is transferred to a monitoring device 1 such as a manufacturer via a telephone line. As described above, the adapter 2 functions as a transmitting means for transmitting the control data of each electric movable shelf device 3 through the telephone line. The monitoring device 1 such as a maker includes the personal computer 5, the monitor 6, and the printer 9, as described with reference to FIGS. 11, 12, and 13. Telephones 7 and 8 are provided on the monitoring device 1 side and the user adapter 2 side, respectively. The main shelf 31 may be an electric movable shelf or a fixed shelf as in the example shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows a more specific configuration example of the control system of each shelf constituting the electric movable shelf. The main shelf 31 is provided with a main control unit 21 and a distribution control unit 25.
2, a control unit 25 is provided. The main control section 21 is mainly connected to a main control board 24 having a CPU, a microprocessor and the like, to which a monitor 14 composed of a liquid crystal display or the like and a CNV module 15 which is a kind of interface are connected. Further, the main control board 24 includes an earth leakage breaker,
AC power is supplied via the power switch contact,
This AC power is supplied to each distributed control panel 25 via a power relay contact which is turned on / off under the control of the main control board 24. The main control panel 21 also receives signals from various sensors such as a passage switch, a stop sensor, an approach sensor, a safety bar switch, and the like, and is further connected with an illumination light, an operation light, a reset switch, a power switch, and the like. I have.

Each of the distributed control boards 25 includes a control module 2 having a CPU, a microprocessor, and the like.
Signals from various sensors such as a passage switch, a stop sensor, an approach sensor, a safety bar switch, etc. are input to the main unit 2, and further, an illumination lamp, a motor, an emergency stop switch, and the like are connected. The control module 22 of each distributed control panel 25 is connected to the main control board 24 via the CNV module 15.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the telemaintenance service system 40. In FIG. 4, the main shelf 31 has the main control board 24 and the monitor 14 as described above, and the adapter 18 for connecting the main control board 24 and the monitor 14.
Having. The main control board 24 and the monitor 14 constitute a monitoring device of the shelf device, and various data output from the main control board 24 via the adapter 18 are displayed on the monitor 14 and the display on the monitor 14 is viewed. As a result, the control status of the shelf can be grasped. The adapter 18 also transmits various data output from the main control board 24 to the mobile data adapter 41, the PHS
Alternatively, the data can be transmitted via a wireless telephone 42 such as a digital portable telephone. The mobile data adapter 41 and the wireless telephone 42 constitute transmission means for transmitting control status data of the mobile shelf device through a telephone line.

The control status data transmitted from the transmitting means is input to a personal computer 5 as a monitoring device via communication means including a relay station 43, a telephone network, and a modem 10, and is controlled by a monitor 6 attached to the personal computer 5. The control status data of the mobile shelf device is displayed at a remote location with respect to the mobile shelf device.
The control status of the mobile shelf device can be grasped by looking at the display. The control status data sent from the transmitting means includes trouble data indicating an abnormal operation of the mobile shelf device, and the monitoring device including the personal computer 5 can grasp the trouble of the mobile shelf. When a trouble occurs in the mobile shelf device, the maintenance staff or the like can give an accurate instruction to the user to solve the trouble by two-way communication or through an appropriate telephone line. In the case where there is a two-way communication function, the control signal of the mobile shelf may be transmitted from a remote place through a telephone line from the personal computer 5 as a monitoring device.

Next, the function or operation of the embodiment described above will be described. The operation modes of the above embodiment include operation modes as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 when a trouble occurs. FIG. 5 shows mode 1 which is an automatic notification mode. FIG. 6 shows mode 2 which is a data collection mode. FIG. 7 shows a mode 3 which is a data rewriting mode.
Is shown. 5 to 7, the M terminal refers to the monitoring device 1 on the manufacturer or dealer side, the U adapter refers to the adapter 2 on the user side, and AEX.
The system is a control system of the electric moving shelf device 3.

First, mode 1 shown in FIG. 5 will be described. The electric moving shelf device 3 moves and stops based on a predetermined command signal. At this time, the operation status signal indicating the operation mode, the operation mode, and the like is sent to the adapter 2 to monitor the operation state of the electric movable shelf device 3. If this activation status signal contains abnormal data,
This is detected as trouble data indicating a trouble of the moving shelf, and the internal data of the electric moving shelf device 3 at that time is temporarily stored in the main control unit 21 of the adapter 2. The abnormal data is a signal issued when the safety bar switch operates, a signal issued at the time of a double command, a torque abnormal signal,
It includes a timer abnormality signal that is issued when a predetermined time or more has elapsed from the issuance of the work space formation command signal to the formation of a work space having a predetermined width.

The adapter 2 is connected to the remote monitoring device 1 through a telephone line, the stored data is transferred to the personal computer 5 of the monitoring device 1, and the line is disconnected. The data transferred to the monitoring device 1 is displayed on the monitor 6 and is used for analysis and examination of the control status of the electric movable shelf device 3 by maintenance personnel or the like. As a result, when the recovery method is identified, the user is instructed to perform the recovery method by the two-way communication function or by contacting the user via another telephone line. On the user side, trouble can be solved by operating according to this instruction.

In the mode 2 shown in FIG. 6, a line is connected in response to a request from the monitoring device 1 side, and data is requested to the electric movable shelf device 3. In response to this request, the adapter 2 causes the motorized mobile shelf device 3 to further output internal data, collects, temporarily accumulates, and transfers it to the monitoring device 1. When receiving the data, the monitoring device 1 disconnects the line and displays the received data on a monitor. The maintenance staff or the like analyzes the monitor display to determine whether or not maintenance is necessary, and if necessary, determines a method for maintenance. If there is a need for maintenance and we know how to do it, we will support the maintenance by contacting the user with the two-way communication function or via another telephone line.

In mode 3 shown in FIG. 7, when it is necessary to change the setting data for the electric movable shelf 3 to be monitored, the data on the electric movable shelf 3 is corrected and updated. . The above setting data mainly relates to the number of bogies on the moving shelf, the number of passages, the limit of the running timer, the acceleration rate, the deceleration rate, the starting torque, and other various operating parameters. Arbitrary data can be changed in the block. First, input of change data is set on the monitoring device 1 side, then a telephone line is connected and transferred to the adapter 2 on the user side, and after the transfer is completed, the line is disconnected. The adapter 2 receives the changed data, rewrites the data, updates the data stored in the electric movable shelf device 3, and operates according to the updated data. In the examples of FIGS. 5 to 7, trouble detection, data request, and change data input setting are performed offline, and the telephone line is connected only during data transfer. Alternatively, the connection may be performed in a line connection state, and in some cases, the line may always be connected while the electric movable shelf device 3 is operating.

FIG. 8 shows a specific example of data targeted by the monitoring device 1 such as a maker or a dealer in the above embodiment. The target data includes general data, trouble information, operation parameters, failure history data, torque data, bogie control data, and operation status. The general data includes date / time, block address, number of vehicles,
Software version, cumulative power-on time, number of operations,
Includes various data on backlight lighting integration. The bogie control data includes reception data and transmission data. The trouble information is the details of the alarm when the alarm is issued or the details of the error when the error occurs, and includes the motorized moving shelf device block number, the type of the alarm or error, and the bogie number. Including each data. The failure history data is a history of failures (errors) that have occurred in the individual electric moving shelf device blocks so far, and includes data of a date, an error type, and a bogie number. The torque data indicates the state of the load for each moving shelf.
The transfer and display of each of these target data differs depending on the above-described mode 1, mode 2, and mode 3. As shown in FIG. 8, transfer and display of trouble information are performed only in mode 1. Transfer and display of operating parameters are in mode 1,
2 and 3. Transfer and display of other data are performed in mode 1 and mode 2.

FIG. 9 shows a display example of each data described above on a monitor. The display items conform to the example shown in FIG. However, the type or item of data to be displayed is not limited to the type or item described above, and is arbitrary, and the appearance of display is also arbitrary. Therefore, detailed description of FIG. 9 is omitted. In the case of a system capable of two-way communication, control data is transmitted from the monitoring device 1 located at a remote location to the electric movable shelf device 3 to control the electric movable shelf device 3, and trouble is generated based on the transferred data. It is more preferable to determine the presence / absence of the error, and if a trouble has occurred, perform control for solving the trouble.

According to the embodiment described above, in the electric moving shelf device, the electric moving shelf device 3
A monitoring device capable of grasping the control status from a remote place through a telephone line is provided, so that troubles and other troubles can be quickly solved without maintenance personnel or the like going to the site. Further, if necessary, a control signal can be transmitted from a remote place to update setting parameters and the like. If the telephone line is a wireless telephone line, PH
It is possible to grasp the control status of the electric mobile shelf device from a remote place using a digital wireless line such as S, and monitor the electric mobile shelf device and the remote place at low cost without having to draw in a new telephone line. The device can be connected.

As shown in FIG. 4, a monitoring device including a main control board 24 and a monitor 14 is also provided on the side of the electric movable shelf device 3 so that the control status of the electric movable shelf device 3 can be grasped. Since a trouble or the like occurs, the user of the electric movable shelf device 3 can search for the type of the trouble and the like even when a trouble or the like occurs, and can cope with the trouble even without maintenance personnel. It is not impossible, or it is possible to respond promptly in accordance with the instructions of the maintenance personnel while viewing the same display as the maintenance personnel at a remote location and making contact by telephone or the like. In addition, when the maintenance staff is seconded to the user, it is possible to quickly and accurately determine a trouble and take a corrective action by looking at the monitoring device.

As described in the section of the problem to be solved by the present invention, the present invention relates to an electric moving shelf apparatus capable of exchanging data between the moving shelf apparatus side and a remote place. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric moving shelf device that enables remote maintenance of wear and that can determine deterioration and life of functional components of the electric moving shelf by a monitoring device at a remote place. In order to enable remote maintenance of control software, software upload and download can be performed between a remote monitoring device and a control unit of an electric moving shelf device. It is necessary to add a new function such as collecting data for determining the deterioration and life of the functional component at a remote location and providing the determination result. As the functional block or circuit configuration therefor, the configuration described so far can be used almost as it is, and if some functional components such as a sensor and software for executing the above additional functions are added, Good. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation for achieving the object of the present invention will be described.

The remote monitoring device is provided with various software as shown in FIG. In FIG. 14, the monitoring device includes software related to communication control processing, main screen display, upload / download processing, preventive maintenance diagnosis processing, a component unique value table, a security measurement data statistical table, and a customer database.

The software for the communication control processing relates to line connection and main controller communication. The software of the main screen relates to program control such as menu display, screen switching, general local situation display, start / stop / reset, and the like. There are various screen displays following the main screen, which will be described later. The software for the upload / download processing is software for executing control software download and upload transfer processing. The software for the preventive maintenance diagnosis processing is software for estimating a maintenance time and a replacement part, determining an abnormal sign, and outputting a diagnosis report. The above-mentioned component specific value table contains an average failure interval (MTBF: Mean) for each component.
Time to Between Failure)
And a table in which manufacturer recommended values are recorded. The security measurement data statistical table is a table that records an average value and a standard deviation for each measurement point. The customer database is a database of various types of information on the user of the electric moving shelf device.

The following are various screen displays located below the main screen. Customer data screen: Customer of mobile shelf device, delivery date, serial number, sales representative, property specification, options, maintenance record, etc. Local layout screen: Location status of local mobile shelving units, grasp of the number of units, etc. In addition, a detailed screen of the shelf can be displayed in order to grasp an electric state, that is, an operation state of a sensor or the like of the designated shelf. Display display screen: The display contents of the display display screen in the local mobile shelf device can be grasped. Failure history screen: A failure history is displayed for the number of the truck on the movable shelf, the details of the failure, the operation time, the number of occurrences, and the like. Parameter screen: Displays parameter settings and changes. Sensor status screen: Displays the operating status of sensors provided on each shelf. Internal memory screen: The contents of the data memory, memory I / O, external input memory, and external output memory Y recorded in the internal memory of the main control unit are displayed.

Next, an example of a procedure for downloading software from a monitoring device at a remote place to a control unit of the electric moving shelf device via the communication means will be described with reference to FIG. The operation steps are “S1”, “S2”, “S3”
It expresses like. First, in S1, a file in which software to be transferred is stored is selected, in S2 the line between the monitoring device and the control unit of the electric moving shelf device is connected, and in S3, a command to download is transmitted. In S4, it is confirmed whether or not the normal reception of the command has been completed. If the normal reception has been completed, the object file, that is, the software body is transmitted in S5. In step S6, it is confirmed whether or not the normal reception of the object file has been completed. If the normal reception has been completed, the symbol file is transmitted in step S7. S8
It is checked whether or not the symbol file has been normally received. If the symbol file has been normally received, the line is disconnected in step S9, and the software download ends. In each of the above steps S4, S6, and S8, a fixed timeout time is set (S10). If normal reception is completed within this timeout time, the process proceeds to the next step, and normal reception is performed within the timeout time. If the processing is not completed, the processing is performed as an abnormal end in S11, the line is disconnected in S9, and the download is ended.

In this manner, the software can be downloaded from the remote monitoring device to the control unit of the electric moving shelf device, so that the control software on the electric moving shelf device side or other software can be downloaded. If it is found that there is a bug, the corrected software without the bug can be downloaded to the control unit of the mobile shelf device via the communication line. Therefore, unlike the conventional system, it is not necessary to send the ROM storing the modified software from a remote location, and it is not necessary for a technician to bring a software development tool such as a personal computer to the site to respond. It is possible to respond very quickly without having to take a complicated procedure such as returning the CPU board from, replacing the software, and sending the software to the site again. In this way, there is also an advantage that the time of system down can be reduced, and damage to the user and complaints from the user can be reduced. Not only when there is a bug in the software, but also when upgrading the software, it can be done via the communication line, and it can be handled very quickly, so it should be used to improve user services. Can be.

It is also possible to upload software from a control unit on the electric movable shelf device side to a monitoring device at a remote location via the communication means. FIG. 16 shows an example of the upload procedure. First, in S21, the name of the file storing the software to be transferred is set, in S22 the line between the monitoring device and the control unit of the electric moving shelf device is connected, and in S23, a command for uploading is transmitted. In S24, it is confirmed whether or not the normal reception of the command has been completed. If the normal reception has been completed, the object file, that is, the software body is transmitted in S25. In S26, it is confirmed whether the normal reception of the object file is completed,
If normal reception is completed, the symbol file is transmitted in S27. In S28, it is confirmed whether or not the normal reception of the symbol file has been completed. If the normal reception has been completed, the line is disconnected in S29, and the upload of the software is ended.
In each of the above steps S24, S26, and S28, a fixed timeout time is set (S30). If normal reception is completed within this timeout time, the process proceeds to the next step, and normal reception is performed within the timeout time. If it is not completed, the process is performed as an abnormal end in S31, the line is disconnected in S29, and the upload ends.

In this manner, the software can be uploaded from the remote monitoring device to the control unit of the electric moving shelf device. Therefore, when a bug is found in the moving shelf control software, etc., Uploading can be immediately performed to check the version of the software, and operation can be simulated using the uploaded software to verify the operation effectively. Further, it is possible to reproduce a bug at a remote place, and after performing a debugging operation, it is also possible to restore the local electric movable shelf device by downloading it again.

Next, a description will be given of a function of collecting data for determining the deterioration and life of the functional components of the electric movable shelf at a remote place, and providing a result of the determination. The failure of the electric moving shelf includes a failure caused by an accidental factor, a quality problem, an erroneous use, and the like, and a failure caused by the life of the functional component or deterioration over time. With regard to the latter failure, it is possible to quantitatively estimate the life and deterioration inherent to the component, and it is possible to prevent the failure and perform preliminary maintenance based on the estimation. Hereinafter, remote diagnosis of deterioration and life of functional components will be described separately for a passive method and an active method.

If the conditions for using remote diagnosis by the passive method are constant, it is possible to statistically estimate the service life and the standard of deterioration. In addition, the average time between failures
(MTBF) and some recommended values are published, and life and deterioration can be estimated based on these. An example of a specific estimation method will be described below. (1) The operation time or the operation time for each part and the number of operations are counted and stored in the electric moving shelf device. (2) On the remote monitoring device side, a database is used to store unique values for each functional component by the following method.・ For parts with MTBF and recommended values of the parts manufacturer, enter these directly. -Statistical processing of past maintenance records to determine a reliable replacement time based on the operating time and number of operations. (3) From a remote monitoring device via a communication network,
The data of item (1) is collected and collated with the eigenvalues of the database of item (2) to diagnose deterioration and life. (4) Based on the above diagnosis results, the remaining life, the degree of deterioration and the recommended maintenance time are summarized in a diagnosis report and provided. On the electric movable shelf device side, the deterioration and the life of each functional component can be estimated from the data compiled in the diagnostic report, and measures such as component replacement can be taken in advance.

FIG. 17 shows an example of the flow of remote diagnosis by this passive method. In FIG. 17, first, a line is connected (S31), and data relating to the operation time and the number of times of operation of the electric movable shelf device is obtained from the movable shelf device side (S3).
2). The operation time and the number of operations are integrated values from the time when the mobile shelf device was installed to the present. After acquiring the data, the line is disconnected (S33).

Next, time eigenvalue data serving as a reference value for each component is extracted from the component eigenvalue table, and this time eigenvalue is compared with the operation time (S34). If the time eigenvalue is longer than the operation time, next, the frequency eigenvalue data serving as a reference value for each component is extracted from the component eigenvalue table, and the frequency eigenvalue is compared with the above operation frequency (S3
5). When the number-of-times eigenvalue is larger than the number of times of operation, S34 and S35 are repeated for another component.

If the operation time exceeds the time eigenvalue in S34, it is determined in S37 that the component has reached the end of its life or has a high probability of failure.
Output as a diagnostic report. Also in the case where the number of times of operation exceeds the number-of-times inherent value in S35, the fact that the component has reached the end of life or the probability of failure is high is output in S37 as a diagnostic report. In this way, the diagnostic report lists and displays the parts that are due for replacement, prompting them to replace them. The diagnostic report may be displayed on a monitor or printed out. When the diagnosis is completed for all parts (S36), the operation ends.

Remote Diagnosis by Active Method Next, remote diagnosis by the active method will be described. (1) On the side of the electric movable shelf device, a security sensor for measuring the skew amount of the movable shelf, motor torque or motor current, traveling time, vibration and the like is provided, and appropriate measurement data is accumulated. (2) The remote monitoring device is connected via a communication network.
Collect the data of (1) and judge abnormality by the following method. -An upper limit value or lower limit value of each of the above measurement data is set, and when the value deviates from these limit values, it is determined that there is an abnormality.・ Statistically process the data of the appropriate period measured by the security sensor, calculate the average value and standard deviation in the past normal time, and read the measured amount at that time read in a remote place,
An abnormality is determined from the average value or the standard deviation. (3) Summarize the judgment results in a diagnostic report and provide it. On the side of the electric movable shelf device, the deterioration and the life of each functional component can be determined from the data compiled in the diagnostic report, and a measure such as component replacement can be taken in advance.

FIG. 18 shows an example of the flow of remote diagnosis by this active method. In FIG. 18, first, a line is connected (S41), and measurement data of the security sensor is obtained (S41).
42). Next, upper and lower limit values serving as a reference for each measurement point are extracted from the security measurement data statistical table, and it is determined whether the measured data is within the upper and lower limit values (S43). If the value is within the upper and lower limit values, the average value / standard deviation value as a reference for each measurement point is extracted from the security measurement data statistical table,
It is determined whether the measured data is within the tolerance of the average value / standard deviation (S44).

If the measured data deviates from the upper and lower limit values in S43, and if the measured data deviates from the tolerance of the average value / standard deviation in S44, the functional parts have deteriorated or the life has expired at the measurement point. Is determined, the measurement points are listed in a diagnostic report (S47), and are displayed on a display or printed out. In this way, measurement is performed for all the measurement points, and the steps from S42 are repeated until the diagnosis is completed. When the measurement is completed for all the measurement points (S45), the line is disconnected and the operation is terminated (S46).

According to the above-described embodiment, since the data for judging the deterioration and the life of the functional parts of the electric moving shelf is provided from the monitoring device at the remote place, the user of the electric moving shelf apparatus can The component can be replaced before the component is deteriorated and its function is greatly reduced, or before the end of its life. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the electric movable shelf from suddenly stopping due to a failure during operation, and it is possible to improve customer satisfaction.

[0051]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of shelves movable by electric power are arranged, the movement of each shelf is controlled by inputting a command signal, and a space necessary for loading and unloading articles between arbitrary shelves. In a motorized mobile shelf device having a control unit for forming a moving shelf device, a control unit on the mobile shelf device side and a remote control unit are provided at a remote location in order to enable data transfer between the mobile shelf device side and a remote location. Connected to the monitoring device via communication means,
Software can be downloaded from the monitoring device to the control unit via the communication means. Therefore, for example, when it is found that there is a bug in the control software or the like of the electric moving shelf device, the corrected software without the bug can be downloaded to the control unit on the moving shelf device side. Therefore, unlike the conventional system, it is not necessary to send the ROM storing the modified software from a remote location, and it is not necessary for a technician to bring a software development tool such as a personal computer to the site to respond. It is possible to respond very quickly without having to take a complicated procedure such as returning the CPU board from, replacing the software, and sending the software to the site again.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of shelves movable by electric power are arranged, and the movement of each shelf is controlled by inputting a command signal to form a space required for taking in and out articles between arbitrary shelves. In order to enable data transfer between the mobile shelf side and a remote location in a motorized mobile shelf apparatus having a control unit for controlling The device was connected to the device via communication means, and the software could be uploaded from the control unit to the monitoring device via the communication means. Therefore, if a bug is found in the mobile shelf control software, etc., uploading can be performed immediately to check the version of the software, and operation simulation can be performed using the uploaded software. Verification can be performed effectively. Further, it is possible to reproduce a bug at a remote place, and after performing a debugging operation, it is also possible to restore the local electric movable shelf device by downloading it again.

The third aspect of the present invention is the first or second aspect.
In the described invention, the remote monitoring device collects past operation data of the mobile shelf device, and provides data for judging deterioration and life of functional components of the target electric moving shelf based on the operation data. I made it possible. Therefore, the electric movable shelf device side can estimate the deterioration and the life of each functional component from the provided data, and can take measures such as component replacement in advance.

The fourth aspect of the present invention is the first or second aspect.
In the described invention, a measuring device capable of measuring the state of the functional component is provided, and the monitoring device at the remote location is configured to determine whether the functional component of the target electric movable shelf is deteriorated based on the measurement result by the measuring device. It is now possible to provide data for determining the life. Therefore, the electric movable shelf device side can determine the deterioration and life of each functional component from the provided data, and can take measures such as component replacement in advance.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment of an electric movable shelf device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing a telemaining service system which is a main part in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system of an electric movable shelf in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a system diagram showing a main part in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an operation procedure diagram showing one operation mode of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an operation procedure diagram showing another operation mode of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an operation procedure diagram showing still another operation mode of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a data distribution diagram showing target data in each operation mode in the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing a monitor display example in the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a system diagram schematically illustrating a configuration example of an electric movable shelf device according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a hardware configuration diagram schematically showing a configuration example of the electric moving shelf device.

FIG. 12 is a system diagram schematically showing another configuration example of the electric movable shelf device according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a system diagram schematically showing still another configuration example of the electric movable shelf device according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a system diagram illustrating an example of software included in the monitoring device.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of downloading software from the monitoring device to the mobile shelf device.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of uploading software from the electric moving shelf device to the monitoring device.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a failure prevention diagnosis applicable to the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing another example of a failure prevention diagnosis applicable to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Terminal device 2 Adapter as transmitting means 3 Electric moving shelf device 4 Control part 5 Personal computer which constitutes a monitoring device 6 Monitor which constitutes a monitoring device 14 Monitor which constitutes a monitoring device 11 Modem as communication means 21 Main control unit 24 Main control board 25 Distributed control board 31 Main shelf 32 Distributed shelf 41 Mobile data adapter as communication means 42 Wireless telephone as communication means 43 Relay station as communication means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B65G 1/10 B65G 1/10 F 1/137 1/137 A

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A control unit for arranging a plurality of shelves movable by electric power, controlling the movement of each shelf by inputting a command signal, and forming a space required for loading and unloading articles between arbitrary shelves. In order to enable data transfer between the mobile shelf device side and a remote location, a control unit on the mobile shelf device side and a monitoring device provided at the remote location have communication means. And the software can be downloaded from the monitoring device to the control unit via the communication means. 2. A control unit for arranging a plurality of shelves movable by electric power, controlling the movement of each shelf by inputting a command signal, and forming a space required for taking in and out of articles between arbitrary shelves. In order to enable data transfer between the mobile shelf side and a remote location, a control unit on the mobile shelf side and a monitoring device provided at a remote location use communication means. A motor-driven shelving apparatus, which is connected via a communication unit and capable of uploading software from the control unit to the monitoring device via the communication means. 3. A monitoring device at a remote location collects past operation data of the mobile shelf device and provides data for judging deterioration and life of functional parts of the target electric movable shelf based on the operation data. The electric moving shelf device according to claim 1, wherein the electric moving shelf device can perform the operation. 4. A measuring device capable of measuring a state of the functional component, wherein the monitoring device at the remote place, based on a result of the measurement by the measuring device, determines whether the functional component of the target electric movable shelf is deteriorated or not. 3. The electric movable shelf device according to claim 1, wherein data for judging the life is provided.