JP2004352447A - Goods tumble confirming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a goods tumble confirming device capable of making sure tumbling of goods in transit through confirmation of the tumbling date and time and proving actually where the responsibility lies. <P>SOLUTION: The goods tumble confirming device 1 works at transporting goods which should not be tumbled and can confirm after the occurrence that any item of the goods is tumbled by mistake in transit, and the arrangement comprises a case 2 able to be installed stationarily relative to the goods, an actuator 13 to make actuation only when the case is tumbled, a sensor 14 to sense the actuation of the actuator, and a tumble time recording means to record the time at which the sensor senses the actuation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a product overturn confirmation device that can later confirm the fact that an important product that dislikes overturning is transported as luggage and that the luggage is accidentally overturned during transportation.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Generally, transportation of packages is performed by a shipping company. It is the responsibility of the carrier to contaminate or damage the package during transit. However, when transporting over long distances or overseas, it is difficult to pursue responsibilities because the package goes to multiple carriers. If the luggage is vulnerable to vibration or tipping over, it should be noted at best that it is displayed as useless or broken.
[0003]
When transporting important goods that are expensive and especially vulnerable to vibration, as a package, the transportation company is responsible for accidents that occur during transportation. However, when a plurality of shipping companies are involved, it is not possible to determine which company is responsible.
[0004]
Therefore, conventionally, as a technical means capable of confirming the impact during transportation after transportation, Japanese Patent No. 2,666,926 (impact detection device), Japanese Patent No. 2,719,580 (impact detection device), and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-62240. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-97724 (an impact recorder) is known, such as a publication (a method for recording impact data such as a drop of a transported product and a card for recording impact data).
[0005]
The impact detection device disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2666926 senses a physical change that an article undergoes during a handling operation such as packaging or shipping with various physical variables and meets a predetermined standard. An acceleration detection method and apparatus for recording a time history portion of the physical variable is shown. The method and apparatus are based on detecting acceleration, and show clock means, recording means, communication means, microprocessor means, and power supply means in a housing, detect acceleration under program control, quantify and record. I am trying to do it. Instructions are also provided so that the housing receives the same acceleration as the article. Although the present apparatus can confirm the impact during transportation by detecting acceleration and recording the acceleration, it is disliked that the apparatus is too large and delicate, and that its implementation is very expensive. In addition, vibration is detected, but fallover cannot be detected.
[0006]
A shock storage unit disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2719580 discloses a processing module box for calculating and storing shock information from a shock application signal in order to analyze shock information applied to goods being transported, and a sensor module box separated therefrom. Having a configuration in which an impact detection signal obtained from the sensor module box is supplied to the processing module box via a signal transmission medium, including a signal transmission cable and a signal converter, and the sensor module is fixed to a conveyed product. However, an example is shown in which the module box is fixed to a transport vehicle separately from the conveyed product.
[0007]
The shock storage unit disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-62240 discloses a method for recording shock data such as a drop of a conveyed product and a shock data recording card. In order to obtain impact data, a small and thin impact detection sensor is built in, and the recorded data is processed by a dedicated terminal such as a personal computer.
[0008]
The shock recorder disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-97724 is characterized in that it can detect the acceleration of a shock and correct the detected value to an actually received value.
[0009]
However, all of these conventional checking devices are configured to detect impact such as a drop, and to later process data detected by the acceleration sensor to obtain shock information, so that the device cost increases. Point and the fact that the impact detection data was actually dropped cannot be demonstrated 100%. Another problem is that the carrier can be operated from outside. Further, there is a problem that the acceleration sensor cannot detect when the load falls down instead of the impact.
[0010]
In transporting luggage, the most problematic is that falling as the luggage falls often becomes a problem. There are many cases where we want to confirm the fact of a fall. For example, let alone the water layer containing water, in a bank automatic teller machine, vending machine, other precision machinery, antique goods, antiques, etc., parts may be locked in anticipation of falling, Sometimes this is not possible. In this case, it is a fact that the display is made upside down and the transportation is requested. However, in transportation via a plurality of carriers, it is unknown which carrier has fallen, and it is necessary to confirm its location.
[0011]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent No. 2666926, page 1, FIG.
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent No. 2719580, page 1, FIG.
[Patent Document 3]
JP-A-8-62240, page 1, FIG.
[Patent Document 4]
JP-A-2000-97724, page 1, FIG.
[0012]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has a very simple configuration in the transportation of goods that are disliked to fall or have a problem of falling during transportation, such as high-precision machines such as automatic teller machines, test machines that hold chemicals, and antiques. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a product fall confirmation device capable of reliably detecting the fall of a package and verifying the fact of the fall after the fact.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A product overturn confirmation device of the present invention that can solve the above-described problems is a product overturn confirmation device that later confirms that, during transportation of a product that dislikes overturning as luggage, the luggage has been accidentally overturned. And
A case that can be fixedly installed with respect to the product,
An actuating body that operates only when the case has fallen,
A sensor for detecting the operation of the operating body,
Falling time recording means for recording the date and time when the sensor detects the operation.
[0014]
The main body of the device is, for example, a case having a thickness of 0.5 to 5 cm, a width of 3 to 10 cm, and a height of 3 to 15 cm. . In the limit, the case can be made card-like by miniaturizing the sensor part. Examples of the fixing means include screws, adhesives with release paper, magnets, etc., but there is a possibility that the magnet alone can be detached. I do. When the package is made of wood, it can be fixed to the wood with nails.
[0015]
The operating body is activated only when the product, that is, the device is overturned, and is provided with a sensor for detecting the operation. As an operating body that operates only when the apparatus main body falls, a vibration detecting apparatus used for a normal acceleration sensor, a seismic instrument, or the like cannot be used. This is because vibration is erroneously detected. In short, any sensor type can be used as long as it can detect the operation of the operating body. The only condition is that it can be detected accurately.
[0016]
An example of an operating body that operates only when the apparatus body falls down is an example in which an operating ball having a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the operating body is thrown into a vertical cylindrical container. What is necessary is just to detect the state in which the working ball thrown into the inside of the cylindrical member moves due to the falling of the cylindrical member. The material of the working ball can be selected from various types such as plastic, iron, and others according to the type of the sensor. As the sensor, a limit switch, a sensor for reading magnetic force or current, or other physical change can be used. The shape of the working ball is not limited to a perfect circle, but may be an ellipse or any other shape as long as it can operate by falling.
[0017]
Examples of an actuating body that operates only when the apparatus body falls down include a ball suspended by a string and a ball suspended by a spring so as to be able to swing up and down. In this case, only the fall can be detected by the upward movement of the ball due to the fall. However, for complete operation, a vertical cylindrical member is best. Further, it is also possible to use the liquid placed in the container as the operating body, and detect the overturn based on the presence or absence of the liquid. As a result, it is the most reliable to put the working ball into the vertical cylindrical member, and it can be manufactured at the lowest cost.
[0018]
The time recording means for recording the time when the sensor detects the operation of the operating body can be variously realized by a combination of a display and a memory. For example, it can be realized by storing the first fall time in a memory, displaying the time on a display such as a liquid crystal panel, and holding the value until reset. It is also possible to record a plurality of, for example, three times of falls in the memory, to sequentially display the records, or to take out the record to the outside via a terminal. From a practical point of view, it is sufficient to record multiple falls and display and save them. Therefore, the minimum memory capacity is sufficient if the date and time are recorded, for example, three to ten times. In the case of performing a plurality of recordings, it is necessary to provide a means such as measuring at intervals so as not to measure the number of vibrations.
[0019]
The product overturn confirmation device of the present invention can be composed of only a small case, a small cylindrical container disposed therein, a working ball placed therein, a proximity sensor, and a small microchip with a built-in timepiece. One feature is that it can be configured at very low cost. Further, since the operating body is configured to be able to reliably detect only the fall, the fall can be proved reliably. This is because the operation of the operating body cannot be replaced with another reason.
[0020]
The commodity overturn confirmation device of the present invention can be used for verifying that a carrier has carried a package without overturning it. That is, generally, the commodity overturn confirmation device of the present invention is attached to the outside of the baggage and transported, indicating that the device did not operate at the time of delivery of the baggage, and it can be verified that the device was not overturned.
[0021]
Further, the commodity falling confirmation device of the present invention can be used when requesting a package from a carrier. That is, an electric appliance, a machine, or a merchandise manufacturer or an antique dealer, etc., can fix the merchandise overturn confirmation device of the present invention inside merchandise or packaged goods and request a carrier.
[0022]
When the product arrives at the site, the packing of the product is opened, and the falling time during transportation can be checked by holding the product overturning confirmation device. By determining that the product has been damaged by falling and determining the responsible company based on the falling time, it is possible to pursue the responsibility.
[0023]
It is permissible to notify the carrier of the fact that the product overturn confirmation device is installed in the package. The carrier will carry the cargo with knowledge of that fact, deliver the package so that it does not fall over, and if notified of the damage of the product due to the fall after that, receive the report of the operation of the product fall confirmation device, It is only necessary to take assurance measures. At this time, the carrier has attached the overturn confirmation device of the invention, and if it can show that it is not operating, it can receive a report of the client's overturn confirmation device and can refute it. However, in this case, if the product overturn confirmation device is installed outside the luggage, it must be estimated that the device has been worked so as to be inactive by the hand of the transportation staff. Therefore, when the apparatus for checking the falling of the commodity of the present invention is installed on the luggage on the carrier side, it should be placed inside the luggage, for example, inside the package. When a fall confirmation device of a trader site is provided inside the packaged goods and attached to the product side by the client side, since the operation is absolutely the same, the fall is easily guaranteed, which is preferable. However, since the commodity falling confirmation device of the present invention can be confirmed 100% accurately, both of them must operate with the same contents. Therefore, in practice, it is more economical and preferable to limit to either one of the trust relationships.
[0024]
The device for checking the fall of the commodity of the present invention can accurately confirm the fall unless it is operated from the outside. Therefore, it is preferable to attach one to the commodity or the luggage inside the luggage under the agreement of the carrier and the carrier. If it is possible to prove that the product has been damaged due to the falling of the product during transportation, the responsible company can be determined based on the time of occurrence of the falling.
[0025]
Since the product overturning device of the present invention can be manufactured at a low cost with a simple configuration, it is also possible to manufacture the relatively expensive product such as an automatic teller machine by incorporating the device into the product itself. It is.
[0026]
It is also possible to provide a transmitter in the commodity falling confirmation device of the present invention, manage the falling time, and specify the trader who has fallen the commodity.
[0027]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a product fall confirmation device according to an embodiment of the present invention and the arrangement of main members. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the present apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of the present apparatus.
[0028]
As shown in FIG. 1, a product fall checking device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a case 2 having a thickness, a width, and a height dimension of ABC, and a product or luggage ( A mounting plate 3 is provided for fixing screws to each of them (not shown). The dimension A is, for example, about 0.5 cm to 5 cm, the dimension B is 3 to 10 cm, and the dimension C is 3 to 15 cm.
[0029]
A display plate 4 is provided on the front surface of the case 2. Indicators 5 and 6 are provided on the display plate 4, and the display 5 can display the date and the display 6 can display the time (hour and minute). The displays 5 and 6 can be composed of a liquid crystal or an LED. The display panel 4 is provided with switches 7, 8, and 9. The switch 7 is a main switch. When the switch is pressed, the apparatus starts operating, and the lamp 10 lights up to indicate that the apparatus is operating. The switch 8 is a changeover switch for performing a display command and a display changeover. The switch 9 is a reset switch, which can reset data and clear a part or all of the data by this operation.
[0030]
A control board 11 is disposed below the display board 4 on the front surface of the case 2.
[0031]
A cylindrical container 12 having a diameter of about 0.5 cm to 1 cm is fixed in the vertical direction inside the case 2, and an iron ball 13 having a diameter of about 0.3 to 9 mm as an operating body is inserted therein. I have. Further, a proximity sensor 13 is fixed at an opening position of the cylindrical container 12.
[0032]
Therefore, if the iron ball 13 moves to the upper position in the drawing of the container 12, the proximity sensor 14 can detect and output a detection signal.
[0033]
In short, the proximity sensor 14, including a limit switch, may be any sensor that detects that the iron ball 13 as an operating body is turned on and outputs an ON signal. Magnetic force detection or charge detection may be used. It is a requirement that it does not malfunction.
[0034]
As shown in FIG. 2, a ROM 16 storing a control program, a RAM 17 for storing data, a clock 18 for forming a clock signal, and an I / O 19 for inputting / outputting a signal are arranged on the control board 11, mainly a CPU 15. They are connected and arranged. A battery 20 and a driver 21 for driving a display are connected to the I / O 19. The I / O 19 is also connected to the switches 7, 8, 9, the proximity sensor 14, the display units 5, 6, and the lamp 10.
[0035]
The product fall confirmation device 1 having the above configuration is fixed to the inside of a package, for example, the inside or surface of a product, or the inside of a package. For fixing, the mounting plate 3 is fixed to the mounting position with screws or screws. It can also be fixed using double-sided tape. You may tie it with a string. Ensure that it does not move or tilt easily. The mounting posture is vertical, that is, the cylindrical container 12 is vertical. It does not matter if the angle is slightly shifted. This is because a slight misalignment will not cause a malfunction. Specifically, a deviation of about 5 to 15 ° is sufficiently allowable. An inclination state, such as when a vending machine is carried by a unicycle (cat car), is not detected.
[0036]
With the above-described configuration, if the baggage being transported to which the product overturn confirmation device 1 is attached falls during transportation, the iron ball 13 comes into contact with the proximity sensor 14 and an ON signal is output from the proximity sensor 14. The only function of the control board 11 is to record and display the falling time upon receiving this signal. With this simple configuration, the fall can be confirmed with certainty. This is because a malfunction is impossible.
[0037]
In FIG. 3 showing a specific control method of the control board 11, in step 301, the clock is constantly operated by the clock 18. When the main switch 7 is turned on in step 302, the signal of the proximity sensor 14 is sensed in step 303. At this time, it is assumed that the reset switch 9 is turned on and the data is cleared.
[0038]
When an ON signal is output from the proximity sensor 14 in step 304, this is detected in step 304, the time at that moment is recorded in step 305, and the time at that time is displayed on the displays 5 and 6 in step 306. . When the time of the clock is constantly displayed on the display devices 5 and 6, the time is stopped and the falling time is displayed in a fixed manner.
[0039]
As described above, after transportation, the package can be unpacked and the display 4 can be checked for overturning. If a plurality of data can be stored in the RAM 17, the number of times of falling and the time can be checked, and the processing status at the time of falling can be confirmed. In addition, it is possible to confirm a state in which a plurality of contractors have tilted a plurality of times. The most significant feature is that you can prove that you have fallen down.
[0040]
FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an example in which the shape of the cylindrical container is changed. The illustrated cylindrical container 12A has a depth D formed as short as about twice the diameter d of the iron ball 13. Considering the falling situation during transportation, if the depth D of the cylinder is set to 1.5 to 2 times or more the diameter d of the iron ball 13, it will function satisfactorily and fall can be reliably detected. It is preferable to make the depth D of the cylinder as deep as possible so as not to detect the jumping of the iron ball 13 and to improve the reliability. This is because an absolute fall can be guaranteed.
[0041]
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a cylindrical container 12B shown as an example in which the wall surface is widened at an angle θ with respect to the opening direction and formed into a cup shape. θ = about 5 to 15 °. In this example, since the wall surface has the angle θ, even when the load falls on a slope that maintains the angle, the fall can be reliably detected. It does not operate when the vehicle is tilted at an angle of 60 ° or less by a unicycle or the like.
[0042]
In the above-described embodiment, the container for storing the iron ball is shown as a cylindrical example, but this may be a corner or any other shape.
[0043]
Further, although the working body is shown as an example of an iron ball, the operating body may be made of a material other than iron, and may have another shape instead of the ball. The storage state of the RAM 17 can be taken out to the outside using a magnetic card or the like and processed by a personal computer or the like. It is also possible to put an operating body having a smaller diameter into a cylindrical container having a diameter of several mm and form a card having a thickness of 0.5 mm or less.
[0044]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be appropriately modified without departing from the gist of the present invention, and can be implemented in various modes.
[0045]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the present invention is a product overturn confirmation device that later confirms that during transportation, when transporting a product that dislikes overturning as luggage, the luggage has been accidentally overturned,
A case that can be fixedly installed with respect to the product,
An actuating body that operates only when the case has fallen,
A sensor for detecting the operation of the operating body,
And a fall time recording means for recording the date and time when the sensor detects the operation. Product can be confirmed without fail.
[0046]
Further, the operating body is an operating ball placed in a vertical cylindrical container, and the sensor is a proximity sensor that detects a state in which the operating ball has moved to an upper position due to the falling of the vertical cylindrical container. In the simplest case, the fall can be confirmed reliably.
[0047]
Further, since the case is a fall-down confirmation device, the case is fixed to the inside of the baggage, that is, to a part of the product, or to the inside of a package for packing the product. The person in charge cannot work on the way, and the confirmation can be proved reliably.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a product overturn confirmation device and an arrangement of main members according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional mechanism of the product overturn confirmation device shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the merchandise store check device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the vertical cylindrical container.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing still another embodiment of the vertical cylindrical container.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Product fall confirmation device 2 Case 3 Mounting plate 4 Display plate 5, 6 Display 7 Main switch 8 Changeover switch 9 Reset switch 10 Lamp 11 Control board 12, 12A, 12B Cylindrical container 13 Iron ball 14 Proximity sensor 15 CPU
16 ROM
17 RAM
18 Clock 19 I / O
20 Battery 21 Driver A, B, C Dimension D Depth of cylinder d Diameter of iron ball

Claims (3)

When transporting a product that does not want to fall as luggage, a product fall confirmation device that afterwards confirms that the luggage has been accidentally overturned during transportation,
A case that can be fixedly installed with respect to the product,
An actuating body that operates only when the case has fallen,
A sensor for detecting the operation of the operating body,
A falling time recording means for recording a date and a time when the sensor detects the operation. 2. The commodity falling confirmation device according to claim 1, wherein the operating body is an operating ball placed in a vertical cylindrical container, and the sensor moves the operating ball to an upper position due to the falling of the vertical cylindrical member. 3. A product fall confirmation device, which is a proximity sensor for detecting a state. 2. The product fall confirmation device according to claim 1, wherein the device main body is located inside a package and fixed to a part of the product or fixed inside a package for packing the product. Product fall confirmation device.

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