JP2003312813A - Picking system, and picking method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a picking system capable of locally processing data in the middle of picking, partially executing picking instructions, and reducing total cost. <P>SOLUTION: This picking system is provided with a picking sheet 2 as an RFID-assembled rewritable medium, a rewriting printer 1 to write picking instruction data to an RFID, and print a picking list on the picking sheet, a handy terminal 3 to read the picking instruction data written in the RFID, read bar codes on merchandise to which picking is completed in accordance with the picking list, delete data corresponding to the bar codes out of picking instruction data, and write a completion code in the RFID when work is completed, and an RFID reader to read the completion code on the RFID, and notify completion. The rewriting printer 1 is properly disposed even in the middle of a route of picking work, and the picking list printed on the picking sheet is rewritten as necessary. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a picking system in which work efficiency is improved by utilizing a rewritable medium with RFID.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A wireless LAN based on spread spectrum communication technology is showing signs of widespread use as one having characteristics that solve the problems of conventional LANs. Apparel, distribution,
In industries such as automobiles, wireless LA is used even in a picking system for picking and shipping products in accordance with shipping instructions.
A system has been put into practical use in which picking is performed based on picking instruction data downloaded from the host computer by N, and the data of the picking result is fed back to the host computer.

[0003]

However, the wireless L described above is used.
In the picking system by AN, since the data transfer during the picking work is performed via the host computer, there is a problem that the load on the computer system may become excessive.

Further, when the amount of picking instruction data is enormous, there is a problem that it is difficult to avoid operator mistakes such as omission of picking and multiple picking.

Further, there is a demand for reducing the total cost as a simpler structure, and there is a problem of reducing the total cost.

The present invention has been made under such a background, and provides a picking system capable of locally processing data during picking, dividing a picking instruction, and reducing the total cost. The purpose is to do.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a picking sheet made of a rewritable medium in which one or more RFIDs are incorporated, and picking instruction data from a host computer are written in the RFIDs. A rewriting printer that prints a picking list based on the picking instruction data on the picking sheet, and reads the picking instruction data written in the RFID, and reads the bar code of the picked product according to the picking list to obtain the picking instruction data. A handy terminal that erases data corresponding to the bar code and writes a completion code to the RFID when picking work is completed;
Provided is a picking system including an RFID reader for reading a completion code of an ID and notifying the host computer of completion.

The invention described in claim 2 is the same as claim 1.
In the picking system described above, the rewrite printer is appropriately disposed even in the middle of a picking work path,
The picking list printed on the picking sheet may be rewritten if necessary.

According to these inventions, RFI which is an ID system capable of contactless data reading and rewriting
By using a rewritable medium picking sheet in which D is incorporated and a handy terminal compatible with both barcode and RFID, data processing during picking work can be performed between the RFID and the handy terminal. A system that does not burden the host computer can be provided. In addition, the picking sheet can be printed with detailed information such as the location for the required amount of picking instruction data for the time being, so it is possible to easily reach the location of the relevant product, and the rewrite printer can By rewriting to the necessary picking instruction data,
The instruction list can be rearranged or excerpted in the order of work, and it is possible to avoid mistakes in the print data of the operator, perform reliable picking work, and improve work efficiency. Further, the data download to the picking sheet can be performed at any place where the rewrite printer is provided, and a plurality of workers can download the data in parallel.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the picking system according to the first or second aspect, the process of writing the picking instruction data from the host computer to the RFID incorporated in the picking sheet, and the picking instruction data is used. Printing a picking list on the picking sheet, reading the picking instruction data written in the RFID into a handy terminal, reading a bar code of a product picked according to the picking list by the handy terminal, Of the picking instruction data read in the handy terminal, a process of erasing the data corresponding to the read barcode,
If necessary, the process of rewriting the picking list printed on the picking sheet in the course of the picking work, the process of writing a completion code in the RFID when the picking work is completed, and the RF by the RFID reader
And a step of reading the completion code of the ID and notifying the host computer of the completion code.

According to the present invention, there is provided a picking method using the picking system according to claim 1 or 2.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration used in a picking system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, reference numeral 1
Is a rewrite printer with a built-in RFID encoder, which is connected to a terminal 1a that cooperates with a host computer (not shown) and performs printing and data writing on the picking sheet 2 described in the next section. Reference numeral 2 is a rewritable picking sheet, and the picking list is printed on the surface by the rewrite printer 1, and one or more RFIDs (three RFIDs in this figure) for storing and holding data therein are provided.
2a is incorporated. Reference numeral 3 is a handy terminal, which has a bar code reading function and a function of reading and writing data of the RFID 2a. Reference numeral 4 is an RFID reader, which reads the completion data of the RFID 2a and notifies it to a host computer (not shown) via the connected terminal 4a.

FIG. 2 is an operational image diagram of the picking system having the hardware configuration shown in FIG. In this figure, products (not shown) classified by product code are stored in the plurality of product shelves 5 in the A zone. At the start of the picking operation, the rewriting printer 1 arranged at the entrance of the zone A executes a <picking sheet writing routine> for writing on the picking sheet 2, and the RFID 2a data of the written picking sheet 2 is stored in the handy terminal 3 <RFID data read routine> is executed.

After that, the picking operator carries the picking sheet 2 and the handy terminal 3 and sequentially executes a <picking work routine> for taking out a corresponding product according to the picking list printed on the picking sheet 2. Next, a <list rewriting routine> for rewriting the picking list of the picking sheet 2 is executed by the rewrite printer 1 arranged on the way of the picking work. Continue to execute <picking work routine> according to the rewritten picking list, and finally <completion code writing routine>
To execute.

When the picking work is completed only in the A zone, the RFID reader 4 arranged at the exit of the A zone
Execute the <work completion notification routine> that causes the RFID 2a work completion code of the picking sheet 2 to be read by R
The FID reader 4 notifies the host computer of the completion of the work via the terminal 4a, and the picking sheet 2 is collected and the work is completed. When the picking work continues to the B zone, C zone, ... (not shown), the <work completion notification routine> is not executed, and the rewriting printer 1 writes the picking sheet 2 at the entrance of each zone. The <picking sheet writing routine> is executed, and the picking work is continued by the same procedure.

Next, the details of each routine will be described with reference to the flow charts of FIGS. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation sequence of the <picking sheet writing routine>. In step S1 (hereinafter referred to as S1 etc.) of this figure, picking instruction information (all processes) from the host computer is sent to the RFID 2 of the picking sheet 2.
Write to a. In S2, it is determined whether or not writing was successful. If the writing is OK, the picking list for only the A zone is printed on the picking sheet 2 in S3, and it is determined in S4 whether or not all the sheets have been output. If Yes, the routine proceeds to the next routine, and No If there is, the processing is returned to S1.

If the writing in S2 is No, the number of writings C whose initial value was zero in S5
The value of NT is set to +1 and it is determined in S6 whether or not the number of times of writing has reached the predetermined value N. If the predetermined value N has not been reached, the process is returned to S1 and rewriting is performed, and when the predetermined value N is reached, the process is moved to S7, and "write error" is given.
A warning pattern such as "1" is printed, and the process proceeds to S4.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation sequence of the <RFID data reading routine>. S1 in this figure
In 1, it is determined whether or not there is already stored data in the handy terminal 3, and if No, in S12, the picking instruction data for the A zone is sent to the picking sheet 2 as the RF.
Reading from the ID 2a, it is determined in S13 whether or not the reading is OK. If Yes, the routine proceeds to the next routine. If No, it is determined whether or not to retry in S14. If Yes, the process returns to S12, No. If so, another process is performed.

If the stored data already exists in S11 and the determination result is Yes, it is determined in S15 whether or not the existing stored data is to be deleted. If Yes, S16
The data is erased and the process returns to S11. When the determination in S15 is No, the process shifts to another process.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the operation sequence of the <picking work routine>. In S21 of this figure, the worker moves to the target product shelf according to the picking list. In S22, it is determined whether the product is in stock,
If Yes, one product is shelved in S23, and the barcode of the product is read by the handy terminal 3 in S24. In S25, the data matching the read barcode is <RFID data reading routine>.
I that matches the bar code read in the data read from the RFID 2a to the handy terminal 3 with I
It is determined whether or not there is D data. Matching ID
If there is data and the determination result in S25 is Yes, S
In step 26, the quantity is incremented by "1" and S2
At 7, it is determined whether the quantity has reached the designated quantity. If the determination result in S27 is Yes, it is determined in S28 whether picking of all products has been completed. If Yes, the completion flag is turned ON in S29 and the routine proceeds to the next routine.

If the result of the stock determination in S22 is N
If it is o, an out-of-stock process for inputting "out of stock" is performed in S30, and the process proceeds to S28. If the result of determination in S25 is No because there is no matching ID data, the shelf from which the product was taken out is confirmed and returned to the original shelf in S31, and the process proceeds to S22. If the determination result of the quantity in S27 does not reach the support quantity, and if No, the process proceeds to S22.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the operation sequence of the <list rewriting routine>. This routine is necessary for the picking work for reading the print contents of the picking sheet from now on by reading the data of the RFID 2a of the picking sheet 2 by the rewrite printer 1 arranged in the middle of the picking path and cooperating with the local inventory database of the host computer. Rewrite the information. RF
The data of ID2a is not rewritten because it is reused in the subsequent process. The database has a shelf number of a product shelf and a product code as basic fields, and has a structure in which a shelf number can be searched from the product code. Information on a target product shelf (group) is stored for each terminal, and all products are stored in each terminal. You don't have to have any information. In S41 of FIG. 6, the picking sheet 2 is set on the rewrite printer 1 arranged in the middle of the picking path, and the picking instruction data of the RFID 2a is read in S42. In S43, the database is searched for each item using the product code as a key, and S44 is searched.
The presence or absence of the product code is determined by, and there is the product code Yes
If it is, move to S45 as it is, and there is no product code
In the case of S, one data is discarded in S48 and the process proceeds to S45, and it is determined whether or not all the data are finished. If the determination result in S45 is No, that is, all cases have ended, the process returns to S43 and the next database search is continued. In steps S43 to S45 and S48, a process of extracting a shelf (product) to be handled by the terminal is performed. If the result of the determination in S45 is that all the cases have been completed and the result is Yes, the data is sorted in the rack order in S46 and is printed as a picking list in S47.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation sequence of the <completion code writing routine>. In S51 of this figure, the completion code and the person-in-charge code of the A zone are written in the RFID 2a of the picking sheet 2, and the writing result is judged in S52, and if Yes, the routine proceeds to the next routine. If the determination result in S52 is No, it is determined whether or not to retry in S53. If Yes, the process returns to S51 to retry, and No.
If so, another process is performed.

The operation of one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the design is within the scope of the present invention. The present invention includes modifications and the like.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention, picking by a rewritable medium incorporating an RFID which is an ID system capable of reading and rewriting data in a contactless manner using radio waves. By using a sheet and a handy terminal compatible with both barcode and RFID, data processing during picking work can be performed between the RFID and the handy terminal, and the system does not burden the host computer. be able to. Also, when using general wireless data communication, there is no restriction on the communication distance or restriction on the communication area due to the presence of radio wave obstacles, etc. You can access the data anywhere.

Further, since detailed information such as the location can be printed on the picking sheet for a required amount of picking instruction data for the time being, the location of the corresponding product can be easily reached, and the rewriting printer is used during the work. By rewriting the required picking instruction data, the instruction list can be rearranged or excerpted in the order of work, avoiding mistakes in the printing data of the operator to perform reliable picking work and improve work efficiency. You can

Data can be downloaded to the picking sheet at any place where the rewrite printer is installed, and a plurality of workers can download the data in parallel.

Further, the cost can be reduced by repeatedly using the picking sheet, and the total cost can be reduced by the simple structure.

Further, there is an effect that it is possible to make a clean system which is paperless and does not generate waste.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration used in a picking system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an operation image diagram of the picking system having the hardware configuration shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation sequence of <picking sheet writing routine>.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation sequence of <RFID data reading routine>.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation sequence of a <picking work routine>.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation sequence of a <list rewriting routine>.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation sequence of a <completion code writing routine>.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Rewrite printer 1a ... terminal 2 ... Picking sheet 3 ... Handy terminal 4 ... RFID reader 4a ... terminal 5 ... Product shelf

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A picking sheet made of a rewritable medium in which one or more RFIDs are incorporated, picking instruction data from a host computer is written in the RFID, and a picking list based on the picking instruction data is written in the picking sheet. A rewrite printer for printing, reading the picking instruction data written in the RFID, reading the bar code of the product picked according to the picking list and erasing the data corresponding to the bar code among the picking instruction data, Picking comprising a handy terminal for writing a completion code to the RFID when the picking work is completed, and an RFID reader for reading the completion code of the RFID and notifying the host computer of the completion system. 2. The picking list according to claim 1, wherein the rewrite printer is appropriately arranged in the middle of a picking work path, and rewrites the picking list printed on the picking sheet as needed. system. 3. The picking system according to claim 1, wherein the picking instruction data from the host computer is written in an RFID incorporated in the picking sheet, and a picking list based on the picking instruction data is printed on the picking sheet. And a step of reading the picking instruction data written in the RFID into a handy terminal, a step of reading a barcode of a product picked according to the picking list by the handy terminal, the picking read in the handy terminal Of the instruction data, the process of erasing the data corresponding to the read bar code, and the picking list printed on the picking sheet as necessary during the picking work route are written. A picking method comprising: a replacement step, a step of writing a completion code in the RFID when the picking operation is completed, and a step of reading the completion code of the RFID by an RFID reader and notifying the host computer.