JP2002520179A - Access control device for multiple drawers - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To automate inventory control and related functions regarding the supply and use of tools of a machine tool. A tool distribution device includes a housing, a plurality of drawers in the housing, drawers for storing one or more tools, and a control system for controlling access to the drawers. , 34-50. Preferably, the apparatus 10 comprises a plurality of drawer trays 28 located within the housing 12 with one or more drawers 26 on each tray. The drawer is preferably divided into sections and the control mechanism providing access to the appropriate section is disclosed in detail.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device for controlling access to a plurality of drawers. One example is an apparatus for dispensing tools, such as cutting tools, used with machine tools.
Other examples include devices that dispense medication and devices that control access to legal documents such as witness statements.

[0002]

[Prior art]

Tools for use with machine tools are usually considered consumables and require a ready-to-use alternative tool that is always supplied close to the machine tool used. Efficient inventory control is important to ensure that machine tools are always available. Typically, a warehouse is provided and one or more people are hired to distribute tools as required and monitor warehouse use and stock replenishment. Of course, problems such as sick leave, vacations, and employment costs also arise. Accordingly, there has been a long-felt need for automation of inventory control and related functions with respect to tool supply and use of machine tools.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide an automatic machine tool distributing device that can solve the above-mentioned problems. This object is achieved by a combination of features described in the independent claims. The dependent claims define further advantageous embodiments of the present invention.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tool dispensing apparatus comprising a housing, a plurality of drawers in the housing, each drawer for storing one or more tools, and a control system for controlling access to the drawers. provide.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus having control means for controlling access to a plurality of drawers and the contents of the drawers, wherein the apparatus monitors when the drawers are in a completely closed position, At least one detector associated with each drawer, adapted and arranged to monitor the distance traveled by the drawer, to monitor the direction of movement of the drawer, and to monitor the speed of movement of the drawer; An apparatus is provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a housing, a plurality of drawers, a plurality of drawer trays disposed in the housing and having one or more drawers on each tray, and the contents of the drawers. And a control system for controlling access to the device.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus having control means for controlling a plurality of drawers and access to the contents of the drawer, wherein the control means includes a central processing unit and a plurality of distributed processing apparatuses. And each distributed processing device provides one or more devices associated with each drawer.

The above summary of the invention does not list all of the necessary features of the present invention, and sub-combinations of these features may also be inventions.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention. However, the following embodiments do not limit the claimed invention, and all combinations of features described in the embodiments are solutions of the invention. It is not always necessary for the means.

An embodiment of the present invention will first be generally described with reference to FIG.

The apparatus 10 comprises a module framework having two framework modules used in the example shown in FIG. The modules 12 are each connected to one another and have been coated using conventional techniques, for example, similar to those used in industrial racking. The dimensions of the module may be chosen freely, but convenient sizes are 1750 mm high, 500 mm wide and 500 mm deep.

The number of framework modules connected to each other may be adjusted to a desired number, but is preferably at least two. This allows the computer display screen 14 to be located above one module and the computer hardware 16 to be located above an adjacent module. Industrial light pen 1 used on display screen
8, computer hardware is located behind a front panel having a magnetic stripe reader 20 and a ticket printer 22. These arrangements are such that the use of a conventional computer keyboard is not required, and all normal processing is performed by a light pen and a magnetic stripe reader. The computer hardware has a modem for data transfer and may have a specific control function that can be operated by a remote computer (not shown).

The body 24 of each framework module 12 includes a plurality of drawers 26. Drawer 2
6 are arranged on a drawer tray 28, each extending over the width and depth of the framework. That is, the drawer tray 28 is connected to the main body 24 of the frame module 12.
It is arranged so as to be stacked on top of each other. The vertical spacing of the drawer trays 28 is selected according to the desired depth of the drawers 26 located on each tray.
The drawer tray 28 preferably uses a locking bar arrangement (not shown),
It is fixed to the framework on the rail.

As can be seen immediately from FIG. 1, the number of drawers per tray is as free as the depth of drawers per tray. As shown, one, two, or three drawers are provided for each tray. Convenient drawer height 28mm and 7
8 mm. The depth of each drawer is essentially the full width of the front and back of the framework. One or more partitions may be provided across the width within each drawer, thereby providing a plurality of sections that are successively accessed as the drawer is drawn from the framework. Thus, each drawer may provide one section, or may provide multiple separate sections by using a divider. In a preferred arrangement, eight, four, two or one section is provided within each drawer. Thus, if each of the 20 trays has three drawers, and each drawer has eight sections, the total number of sections in one module is 480.

The drawer section is used for storing tools. These drawer categories are:
In a manner more fully understood by the following description of the drawer control system,
Provides computer controlled tool distribution. However, according to the description given below, those requiring a new tool will need to insert the magnetic encryption card into the reader 20.
It is clear that the light pen 18 can be used to identify itself by "pulling" through it, and thus to release the drawer to access the appropriate compartment containing the required tools. Will be. Light pen 18 interacts with screen 14 to identify the required tool. Appropriate menus and instructions are displayed to assist the user, and the user need only specify the required tools with all other functions automatically controlled by the device. The ticket is printed automatically or as needed, and a record of the processing content is provided to the user. In general, the device controls tool distribution and provides immediate inventory control. The magnetic card identification system allows the device to control the release of only a specific tool for a specific user. The device can send inventory control information to a remote computer and provide such information on a "dial-in" basis. The device also sends a warning message when a drawer needs refilling. A historical database of tool distribution is established immediately.

FIG. 2 shows components (34-42, 46-50) arranged on a drawer tray 28 combined with one drawer 26. The withdrawal direction of the front of the framework and the drawer is indicated by arrow A.

Each drawer is latched by a mechanical latch 34 and is unlocked by applying a voltage to a corresponding solenoid 36. The latch has a telescopic spring 38
The drawer is always re-locked when no voltage is applied to the solenoid. This, of course, provides a fail-safe mechanism. The latch may be a simple U-shaped member pivoting about the boss 40, as shown, or may be a more elaborate construction.
As shown, by applying a voltage to the solenoid 36, the connected rod 42 moves in the direction of arrow B against the force of the spring 38,
Move in an arch shape indicated by arrow C.

The latch and the solenoid are arranged on a drawer tray 28, and a package bottom surface (striker plate) 44 (a portion shown by a dotted line in FIG. 2) is arranged on the back surface of the drawer 26. In a preferred arrangement of up to eight sections, the underside 44 has nine latch positions, one for full unlocking, one for full locking, and seven for intermediate positions.

A circuit board 46 is also arranged on the drawer tray 28, and has three optical sensors 48 and an integrated circuit (IC) 50. The drawer 26 is a raster piece 52 comprising a series of slots and a thin metal plate (web) that interact with a light sensor 48.
(A part shown by a chain line in FIG. 2). The raster piece 52 is arranged to pass through the light sensor 48 which functions under the law of light interruption. Other similarly equivalent variants, such as reflective systems, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

The light source 30 such as an LED is attached to the circuit board 46. The light source is arranged to illuminate the rear of the drawer handgrip 32 made of transparent or translucent. Light source 30 is powered on under the control of computer 16 and indicates to the user which drawer to draw to access the tool selected by the user using the light pen and display. The light source is turned off when the drawer is opened to the correct position and completely closed again.

The fully closed or “original” position of the drawer is determined by the elongated thin metal plate of the raster piece 52. The stretched metal plate and raster piece 52 are formed such that all three optical sensors are blocked only when the drawer is in its original position. When the drawer is partially or fully opened, i.e. when pulled out of the framework, the slots and metal strips of the raster piece 52 are not fully illuminated by two adjacent light sensors, instead of three. Alternatively, it is cut off. Therefore, the front sensor is used to detect the original position, and the two rear sensors are used to monitor the operation of the drawer.

The sensors 48 and raster pieces 52 not only provide position information, but also provide information regarding the speed and direction of the drawer operation. Thus, from the information provided by the sensors 48 and the raster pieces 52, the computer 16 can control the device according to the original position, distance traveled, direction and speed of each drawer. The original location information allows the computer 16 to control the device to allow the drawer to be opened only when all other drawers are completely closed. The distance traveled, along with a database that provides details about the sections within each particular drawer, allows the computer to control the release of the corresponding solenoid at the correct location of each drawer section. The moving direction information allows the computer to compensate for "strays" that may result from moving the drawer backwards and forwards. The travel speed information may be used, for example, to prevent damage due to drawers that are too fast (manually).

As described above, the control is performed by the computer 16. But,
Control is provided, at least in part, with an integrated circuit 50 that performs various computation and timing functions and adjusts the voltage applied to the solenoid 36. It is also possible to combine the outputs from multiple drawers simultaneously, thereby reducing the number of partitions required. For example, it may be convenient to monitor each tray of the drawer with a different integrated circuit.

A typical system bus provides each integrated circuit with the necessary power supplies, clock signals, and communication channels. The integrated circuit is preferably one that can be programmed to operate according to the method as described herein or that is specially made. First, the program should start running when power supply first comes up or comes back up. For example, a 5 volt power supply first
. When it rises above 75 volts, an automatic program initialization is made. Next, the program operates in two mutually exclusive modes: communication (COMMS).
It operates in mode and calculation / timing (C / T) mode. The program starts in a communication mode coupled to the system bus and waits for control messages from computer 16. The computer 16 is integrated to perform certain actions, such as causing certain drawers to be opened, to provide access to the specified compartment, or to report the status of all drawers that are controlled. An instruction can be given to the circuit. Such instructions from computer 16 cause the integrated circuit to go into a computation and timing mode while the required functions are performed and while the integrated circuit is effectively disconnected from the bus. When the required function is completed or a timeout occurs, the integrated circuit switches back to the communication mode and reports to the computer 16.

As described above, the present invention has been described using the embodiments. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. Various changes or improvements can be added to the above embodiment. It is apparent from the description of the appended claims that embodiments with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention. As a modification example not described above, there may be an arrangement of a worm drive gear or the like that automatically opens the drawer instead of manually opening the drawer as illustrated. As another modification, other forms of detector, such as a mechanical or magnetic sensor, may be used instead of the optical sensor described.

As indicated in the above description, a tool distribution device is one embodiment of the present invention. In one aspect, the invention involves an apparatus for controlling access to the contents of a plurality of drawers. Such a device may be used for dispensing medicine in a hospital using such a device in connection with the dispensing of tools. Advantageously, the above user identification can be enhanced, thereby providing more control over which medications are being distributed to which patients and how often. further,
Access controls to the contents of multiple drawers can be used in a wide variety of other applications. For example, a drawer of the above form may be used to store a witness statement at a police station. In the conventional manner, a police officer who needs access to a witness statement must manually fill out all journal entries identifying the police officer, date, time, etc. It will be clear that such information is automatically recorded using such a device.

[0027]

【The invention's effect】

As apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, inventory control and related functions can be automated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

 Embodiments of the invention will be described by way of example only with reference to the following figures:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a front surface of a tool distribution device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing various components related to control of a withdrawal operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Device 12 Framework module 14 Computer display screen 16 Computer hardware 18 Industrial light pen 20 Magnetic stripe reader 22 Ticket printer 24 Main body 26 Drawer 28 Drawer tray 30 Light source 32 Drawer handgrip 34 Mechanical latch 36 Solenoid 38 Telescopic spring 40 Boss 42 Rod 44 Bottom surface of package 46 Circuit board 48 Optical sensor 50 Integrated circuit 52 Raster piece

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Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus, wherein a plurality of drawers and one or more drawers are divided into a plurality of sections and control access to said sections.
Control means for controlling access to the contents of the drawer, monitoring when the drawer is in a completely closed position, monitoring the distance the drawer has moved, and monitoring the direction of movement of the drawer. At least one detector associated with each drawer and associated with each drawer, and a respective open position corresponding to a section in which the drawer is completely closed and which is allowed to be accessed by the control means And a latch mechanism corresponding to each drawer adapted to be locked in the drawer. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means comprises a central processing unit and a plurality of distributed processing units, each distributed processing unit being associated with one or more respective drawers. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detector associated with each drawer is adapted and arranged to monitor the speed of movement of said drawer.
An apparatus according to any one of the above. 4. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of drawer trays arranged on the housing, wherein one or more of the drawers are arranged. 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the latch comprises a fail-safe mechanism. 6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the latch mechanism is operated by a solenoid. 7. An indexing member associated with each drawer, the indexing member having a plurality of slots and a thin metal plate, the apparatus further comprising: the slot and the thin metal plate being moved by the detector when each drawer is opened. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is arranged to perform a relative movement between the index member and the detector to be detected. 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector is an optical sensor, the optical sensor, a latch mechanism, and a solenoid are disposed on a drawer tray, and the index member is attached to the drawer. An apparatus according to claim 6. 9. Each distributed processing device operates in two mutually exclusive modes,
3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein one communicates with the central processing unit and the other controls and / or monitors the opening of the one or more drawers. 10. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control means has a display screen and a light pen so that an operator can request a tool distribution by an interaction between the light pen and the screen. An apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 13. 11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a respective light source associated with each drawer, wherein the drawers are arranged to shine when unlocked for opening. The described device.