JP2010058974A - Article management device and article management method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article management device 1 capable of improving the accuracy of pegging between a bar code and a non-contact IC medium T by preventing a human error for realizing easy, convenient, and secure article management. <P>SOLUTION: A control part 21 executes bar code image obtain processing for obtaining a bar code B1 image from a shot image P obtained by a shooting part 12, steps S11-S16 for reading bar code information from the bar code B1 image, steps S5, S7 for associating the bar code information to UID of the non-contact IC tag T2 of a rewritable sheet 31 for storing the information in at least either the non-contact IC tag T2 of the rewritable sheet 31 or a storage part 16, and a step S9 for printing the bar code B1 image on a surface 32 of the rewritable sheet 31 with a printing part 18 to issue an operation instruction document 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an article management apparatus and an article management method for managing articles in, for example, a factory or a distribution site.

  Conventionally, barcodes or non-contact IC media are used in systems used for article management. In recent years, the use of non-contact IC media that can store a large amount of information and can perform non-contact communication is increasing.

  When unifying the management of goods in factories and other offices with non-contact IC media, if a barcode slip is attached to an article coming from outside, this barcode slip can be converted into a non-contact IC media slip. is necessary.

  An inspection / sorting system has been proposed as a method for writing bar code slip information into a non-contact IC medium slip (see Patent Document 1). This system reads a barcode slip attached to an article and writes necessary shipping information to a non-contact IC medium based on this information. The reading of the bar code slip and the writing to the non-contact IC medium are sequentially executed on the transport path transported by the conveyor.

  However, this inspection / sorting system has a problem that the apparatus becomes large because the barcode slip is read and written to the non-contact IC medium on the conveyance path. Further, this inspection / sorting system is configured such that the symbol reader reads the barcode slip on the upper surface of the article from above the transport path. For this reason, there is a problem that the barcode slip cannot be read normally when the barcode slip is pasted on the side surface of the article that is prohibited from lying down.

  On the other hand, as a method for preventing such a problem from occurring, a method in which information on a barcode slip is converted into a non-contact IC medium slip by an operator can be considered. There are two possible conversion methods: a case where the barcode slip can be separated from the article and a case where the barcode slip cannot be separated from the article.

  First, if the barcode slip can be separated from the article, it is conceivable to prepare a clear pocket equipped with a non-contact IC medium tag and sandwich the barcode slip in the clear pocket. In this case, the barcode information and the non-contact IC information may be read after being sandwiched, and the barcode information and the non-contact IC medium information may be associated with each other.

If the barcode slip cannot be separated from the article, the barcode slip is read with a handy scanner or the like, and a new barcode slip is created by duplicating the barcode slip. It can be considered to be sandwiched in a clear pocket equipped with an IC medium. In this case as well, the barcode information and the non-contact IC information may be read after being sandwiched, and the barcode information and the non-contact IC information are associated with each other.
If the worker performs in this way, there is an advantage that the barcode slip can be read without any problem even if it is on the side of the article, and the apparatus is not enlarged.

However, in the method using the clear pocket loaded with the non-contact IC medium as described above, there is a problem that an operation error may occur such that a barcode slip to be sandwiched is different from another. In addition, there is a problem that even if a barcode slip is correctly inserted into a clear pocket mounted with a non-contact IC medium, an article to be attached can be mistaken. For this reason, there is a problem that the certainty of article management is lowered.
Japanese Patent No. 3050221

  In view of the above-described problems, the present invention provides an article management apparatus and an article management method capable of improving the accuracy of associating a barcode and a non-contact IC medium by preventing human error, and for simple and reliable article management. It aims to be realized.

  The present invention relates to an information storage print medium having an image acquisition means for acquiring an image of an article, a storage means for storing various data, a non-contact IC medium section, and a printable surface. A non-contact IC reader / writer unit that reads and writes non-contact IC information; a print medium issuing unit that includes a printing unit that prints the printable surface; and a control unit that controls the print medium issuing unit. A barcode image acquisition process for acquiring a barcode image from an image acquired by the acquisition means, a barcode reading process for reading barcode information from the barcode image, and the barcode information as a non-contact IC of the information storage print medium An association storage process in which the information is stored in at least one of the non-contact IC medium portion of the information storage print medium and the storage means, and the barcode image; Wherein said the information stored print the print medium issuing unit configured with the article management apparatus that executes printing and issuing process of issuing the information stored print medium by the printing unit of the printable surface of the medium.

  The image of the article can be constituted by a two-dimensional photographed image obtained by photographing the received article, and can be constituted by a color image, a gray scale image, a binary image, or the like.

The image acquisition means can be constituted by an appropriate means for acquiring a captured image, such as a CMOS camera or a CCD camera.
The non-contact IC medium unit can be formed of an appropriate non-contact IC medium such as an active tag or a passive tag.

  The printable surface can be composed of an appropriate material capable of printing characters and patterns, such as a rewritable sheet material that is colored by heat and can be printed and erased, or a material such as paper to which a paint can be applied.

  The information storage print medium can be composed of a medium capable of reading and writing information and printing characters and patterns, such as a rewritable sheet with a non-contact IC medium or paper with a non-contact IC medium.

  The printing unit can be configured by an appropriate device that prints characters and patterns, such as a thermal printing unit that develops color on a rewritable sheet by heat, or an ink head unit that ejects paint.

  The print medium issuing means can be constituted by an appropriate device that issues information by reading / writing information from / to the stacked information storage print medium by the non-contact IC reader / writer unit or printing by the print unit.

  The barcode image may be an appropriate barcode image such as a one-dimensional barcode image or a two-dimensional barcode image.

  The barcode image acquisition process can be an appropriate process for acquiring a barcode image from a captured image, such as a process of extracting a barcode image from a captured image using a template matching method and a model fitting method.

  The association storage process may be a process of associating and storing the barcode information and the non-contact IC medium with an appropriate ID. For example, when storing in the storage means, the ID of the non-contact IC medium and the barcode information can be stored together or in association with each other. Further, for example, when storing in the non-contact IC medium part of the information storage print medium, the barcode information is stored in the non-contact IC medium part so that the ID of the non-contact IC medium part is associated with the barcode information. Can be remembered.

  According to the present invention, human error can be prevented and the accuracy of linking a barcode and a non-contact IC medium can be improved, and simple and reliable article management can be realized.

As an aspect of the present invention, the barcode image acquisition process is configured to extract all barcode images when there are a plurality of barcodes in the image, and the issuing process includes the plurality of barcode images as one piece of information. It can be configured to print on a storage print medium.
Thereby, a plurality of barcodes can be handled, and the amount of information that can be processed can be increased.

  Further, as an aspect of the present invention, the storage means stores a plurality of templates having different barcode inclinations for each type of barcode, and the barcode image acquisition process uses the barcode in the image as the template. In comparison, the inclination is detected, and when the barcode in the image is not front-facing, the inclination is corrected and converted to a front-facing barcode image, and the issuing process includes the converted front-facing bar A code image can be printed.

  The template can be a template for recognizing a barcode or a template for recognizing a slip including a barcode. For example, the template includes appropriate data such as a barcode, feature data of a slip, or image data. can do.

  According to this aspect, even if the barcode reflected in the photographed image is tilted, the barcode image corrected in the correct direction can be printed on the information storage print medium.

  Further, as an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article non-contact IC reader / writer for reading and writing non-contact IC information through non-contact communication with an article non-contact IC medium provided in the article, and the control means includes the bar code A non-contact IC communication process for performing non-contact communication with a non-contact IC medium for articles by the non-contact IC reader / writer for articles together with an image acquisition process is performed for one article, and the non-contact IC reader / writer for articles is configured. The non-contact IC medium for articles is configured to execute the barcode image acquisition process, the barcode reading process, the association storage process, and the issuance process when communication with the article non-contact IC medium is not possible. When the reader / writer can communicate with the non-contact IC medium for articles, the non-contact IC medium for articles is removed from the non-contact IC medium for articles by the reader / writer. The taking non-contact IC information article can be configured to run articles for non-contact IC information storage process of storing in the storage means.

  The non-contact IC medium for an article is a non-contact IC medium originally attached to the article, and can be configured by an appropriate non-contact IC medium such as an active tag or a passive tag.

  The non-contact IC communication process includes a process of reading data of a non-contact IC medium for articles, a process of inquiring (polling) the non-contact IC medium for articles, or a process of writing data to the non-contact IC medium for articles. Thus, an appropriate process can be performed.

  According to this aspect, an article with a non-contact IC medium can be managed using the non-contact IC medium, and an article without a non-contact IC medium can be managed with a non-contact IC medium section. Articles can be managed using an information storage printing medium having

  As an aspect of the present invention, if the bar code image can be acquired by the bar code image acquisition process when the control unit can communicate with the non-contact IC medium for the article by the non-contact IC reader / writer for the article, The reading process and the linking storage process can be executed.

  Thus, when an article with both a barcode and a non-contact IC medium is received, information on both the barcode and the non-contact IC medium can be acquired and the article can be managed.

Further, as an aspect of the present invention, the barcode image acquisition processing can be configured to recognize the type of barcode using the template.
According to this aspect, the barcode information can be accurately read by recognizing the type of barcode.

  Also, as an aspect of the present invention, the control unit acquires a slip-related image acquisition process for acquiring a slip-related image different from the barcode image from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit, and a plurality of the slip-related images. A visual image creation process that collects these images as a single visual image is executed, and the issuing process is configured to print the visual image on a printable surface of the information storage print medium. it can.

The slip-related image may be a slip-related image in which a product name, a model, a lot, a quantity, or a plurality of these are displayed in characters.
The slip-related image acquisition process can be an appropriate process for acquiring a slip-related image from a captured image, such as a process of extracting a slip-related image from a captured image using a template matching method and a model fitting method.

  The visual image creation processing can be configured by an appropriate method, such as creating a plurality of slip-related images by arranging them in a line with their inclinations corrected and facing them in front, or by combining them.

  According to this aspect, the user can clearly recognize which article is the information storage print medium to be attached to with the visual image, and human errors such as attachment errors can be prevented.

  As an aspect of the present invention, the control means is configured to execute an article information acquisition process for recognizing article information relating to the article from the slip-related image, and the linking storage process stores the article information. It can be.

The article information acquisition process can be a process for recognizing character information from the slip-related image, and can be configured by software called OCR (Optical Character Reader).
According to this aspect, information on an article can be acquired from a slip-related image, and the amount of information that can be acquired can be increased.

As an aspect of the present invention, an operation input means for inputting inspection information obtained by inspecting the article can be provided.
The inspection information may be appropriate information indicating an inspection result, such as inspection OK and inspection NG, or a quality level.

The operation input means can be constituted by an appropriate means capable of executing input, such as a push button or a touch panel monitor.
According to this aspect, inspection information when receiving an article can be obtained, and article management can be performed more efficiently and appropriately.

  Further, the present invention provides an image acquisition means for acquiring an image of an article, a storage means for storing various data, a non-contact IC medium section, and an information storage print medium having a printable surface, the non-contact IC medium section. An article management apparatus comprising: a non-contact IC reader / writer unit for reading and writing non-contact IC information; a print medium issuing unit having a printing unit for printing the printable surface; and a control unit for controlling these units. An article management method for managing a barcode image acquisition process for acquiring a barcode image from an image acquired by the image acquisition means by the control means, and a barcode reading process for reading barcode information from the barcode image The barcode information is associated with the non-contact IC information of the information storage print medium, and the non-contact IC medium portion of the information storage print medium and the storage means An associating storage process to be stored in at least one, and an issuing process to issue the information storage print medium by printing the barcode image on a printable surface of the information storage print medium by a printing unit of the print medium issuing means It can be set as the article management method which performs.

  Thereby, it is possible to make the worker accept the article with an easy operation, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a human error.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent human error, improve the accuracy of linking a barcode and a non-contact IC medium, and realize simple and reliable article management.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the article management apparatus 1, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the article management apparatus 1.

  The article management apparatus 1 includes a handy terminal 11, a non-contact IC reader / writer 14, a PC (personal computer) 15, and a rewritable printer 17.

  The handy terminal 11 includes a photographing unit 12 that acquires a photographed image P (Pa, Pb) that is a two-dimensional image by photographing, and an operation unit 13 that accepts an operation input by an operator, such as a PC 15 and a USB cable. They are connected by appropriate signal lines. The imaging unit 12 is configured by an image acquisition device such as a CMOS, and the operation unit 13 is configured by an input device such as a push button. The handy terminal 11 takes a picture with the photographing unit 12 in accordance with an operation input from the operation unit 13, and transmits the acquired photographed image to the PC 15. The photographed image P photographed at this time includes an image image of the barcode B1 attached to the article A, an image image of the product name C, an image image of the slip D, and the like.

  The non-contact IC reader / writer 14 is formed in a substantially plate shape, and the communication area extends up to a certain height above the entire contactless IC reader / writer 14. The non-contact IC reader / writer 14 performs non-contact communication with the non-contact IC tag T1 attached to the article A placed on the upper surface in accordance with a control signal from the PC 15 connected by an appropriate signal line. The non-contact IC reader / writer 14 performs, as non-contact communication according to the control signal of the PC 15, a polling process for inquiring about the presence of the non-contact IC tag T1, a read process for reading data stored in the non-contact IC tag, and a non-contact Write processing for writing data to the IC tag is executed.

  The PC 15 includes an appropriate storage unit 16 including a hard disk, an input operation unit including a keyboard and a mouse, a display unit 20 such as a CRT display, an external device connection interface such as a USB connector, and a control unit 21. A device is provided. The control unit 21 of the PC 15 functions as the control unit 21 of the entire article management apparatus 1, performs a process of receiving the captured image P from the handy terminal 11, and transmits a control signal to the non-contact IC reader / writer 14 to transmit the control signal to the non-contact IC tag T 1. The tag data is read / written, and a control signal is transmitted to the rewritable printer 17 to execute print processing and non-contact communication processing with the non-contact IC unit.

  The rewritable printer 17 is a non-contact IC that reads and writes data through non-contact communication with a printing unit 18 that performs printing with a rewritable dye on the surface 32 of the rewritable sheet 31 and a non-contact IC tag T2 provided on the rewritable sheet 31. A reader / writer unit 19 is provided. When printing on the rewritable sheet 31, the printing unit 18 prints the product name image 33, the barcode image B <b> 2, and other data.

  The control unit 21 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM provided in the PC 15. The control unit 21 is activated according to a program stored in the ROM, expands the program stored in the storage unit 16 into the RAM, and follows the program. The CPU executes control processing and arithmetic processing for various devices.

  As the arithmetic processing, the barcode D that recognizes the slip D, the product name C, and the barcode B1 from the photographed image P acquired from the photographing unit 12 of the handy terminal 11 by the template matching method and the model fitting method, and further reads the data of the barcode B1. There is a reading process.

  The control process includes an article acceptance process executed when the article A is received, a rewritable sheet issue process executed when the rewritable sheet 31 is issued, and the like. In the article receiving process, in addition to the barcode reading process, a non-contact communication process at the time of receiving and transmitting data to and from the non-contact IC tag T1 of the article A through the non-contact IC reader / writer 14 is performed. In the rewritable sheet issuance processing, printing processing at the time of printing on the rewritable sheet 31 through the printing unit 18 and non-contact communication at the time of sending and receiving data to and from the non-contact IC tag T2 of the rewritable sheet 31 through the non-contact IC reader / writer unit 19 are performed. Process.

  With this configuration, the article management apparatus 1 reads these data when the received article A is attached with the barcode B1 or the non-contact IC tag T1, and generates the rewritable sheet 31 suitable for article management in the facility. The barcode image B2 and the like can be printed and the non-contact IC tag T2 and the article A can be linked.

  The connection between the PC 15 and the handy terminal 11, the non-contact IC reader / writer 14, and the rewritable printer 17 is not limited to a signal line connection but may be a wireless communication connection.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the template data 16a, the article management data 16b, and the read data 16c among the data stored in the storage unit 16.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the template data 16a has a template number, a template type, a template image 1, a template image 2, and the like.

The template number is a number indicating a template, and is configured with a number that does not overlap.
The template type is data indicating the type of template and represents, for example, the type of slip.

  The template image (template image 1, template image 2,...) Stores various image images corresponding to the template detailed type, for example, an image image of a barcode, an image image of a product name print portion, an image image of a specification print portion, and the like. ing. This template image is not only an image image captured (or scanned) in front, but also an image image captured in various situations for one template detail type, such as a tilted image image or a perspective image image. Is remembered.

  With this template data 16a, necessary parts (a slip D part, a barcode B1 part, a product name C part, a specification part, etc.) can be cut out from the photographed image P photographed by the photographing unit 12 by a template matching method.

  Further, the type of barcode (JAN, ITF, CODE 39, QR, etc.) and the type of character (product name, specification, etc.) can be discriminated from the extracted image of the necessary part by a model fitting method. Further, it is possible to detect the inclination, and it is possible to obtain a front-facing image of a necessary portion by correcting the inclination.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the article management data 16b includes a management number, a management UID, management RFID data, inspection data, and the like.
The management number is a number for managing the articles managed in the facility including the received article A, and is composed of unique numbers without duplication.

  The management UID is a UID (unique number assigned to the non-contact IC tag) assigned to the non-contact IC tag T2 of the rewritable sheet 31, and is an ID assigned when the non-contact IC tag is shipped from the factory.

The management RFID data is data of an article managed by the non-contact IC tag T2, and is composed of an article name, a model, a number, and the like.
As the inspection data, the inspection result when the article is received is stored. For example, 0/1 indicating inspection OK / inspection NG is stored.

  By this article management data 16b, it is possible to attach a non-contact IC tag T2 to all articles handled in the facility, and to manage with the non-contact IC tag T2. The non-contact IC tag T2 is not limited to the one provided on the rewritable sheet 31, but various non-contact IC tags T2 such as a single non-contact IC tag T2 may be used according to the article to be managed. Even in this case, it can be appropriately managed by making the code systems of various non-contact IC tags T2 common.

  As shown in FIG. 3C, the read data 16c includes a read number, a management UID, a visual image, read character data, a bar code image, bar code data, a read UID, read RFID data, and the like. .

The reading number is a serial number added each time the captured image P of the received article A or the data of the non-contact IC tag T1 is read.
The management UID stores the management UID of the article management data 16b. With this management UID, the data related to the received article A is linked to the article management data 16b managed in the facility. The linking method is not limited to this. For example, the reading number of the reading data 16c is stored in the article management data 16b, and the data related to the article A received thereby is linked to the article management data 16b managed in the facility. May be.

  The visual image is an image obtained by extracting the image of the product name part and the specification part from the photographed image P obtained by photographing the article A for visual observation and applying the inclination correction to the front. Specifically, a part of the photographed image P of the article A in which the product name is reflected or a part in which the specification is reflected is extracted by a template matching method or the like, and the extracted image is subjected to tilt correction by a model fitting method and then moved to the front. The image for visual observation can be made. The visual image may be an appropriate image such as a product name image 33 (see FIG. 1) that is an image image of the product name portion.

  The read character data is character data indicating the type, lot, quantity, etc. recognized by the OCR from the part other than the barcode B1 of the slip image D (for example, the product name C image).

  The barcode image is an image obtained by extracting the barcode image portion from the photographed image P obtained by photographing the article A and applying the inclination correction to the front. Specifically, a portion of the captured image P of the article A in which the barcode is reflected is extracted by a template matching method or the like, and the extracted image is subjected to inclination correction by a model fitting method and is directed to the front, and the barcode image ( The barcode image B2) of FIG.

The barcode data is data read (decoded) from the barcode image.
The read UID is the UID (unique number assigned to the non-contact IC tag) of the non-contact IC tag T1 read from the non-contact IC tag T1 attached to the article A.

  The read RFID data is data read from the non-contact IC tag T1 attached to the article A. This data includes appropriate information such as product name, model, specification, quantity, and the like.

  The read data 16c can store appropriate information already given to the article A when the article A is received. That is, if the barcode B1 is pasted, the data stored in the barcode B1 can be read. If the non-contact IC tag T1 is pasted, the data is stored in the non-contact IC tag T1. Can be read. In addition, the product name and specifications attached to the exterior by printing or sticking can be stored as visual image information.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation performed by the control unit 21 of the article management apparatus 1 when the article A is received, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a barcode reading process performed by the control unit 21 of the article management apparatus 1. It is.

  At the time of receiving the article A, the operator performs an operation of placing the article A on the non-contact IC reader / writer 14 and photographing with the handy terminal 11. Thereby, the control part 21 of the article | item management apparatus 1 starts subsequent operation | movement.

  When detecting the operation of the operation unit 13 of the handy terminal 11 by the operator (step S1: Yes), the control unit 21 detects the non-contact IC tag T1 by the non-contact IC reader / writer 14 (step S2). This detection may be performed by the non-contact IC reader / writer 14 transmitting a polling signal.

  When the non-contact IC tag T1 is detected by a response signal from the non-contact IC tag T1 (step S2: Yes), the control unit 21 executes a barcode reading process (step S3).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 21 that performs the barcode reading process first acquires the captured image P of the article A by the imaging unit 12 of the handy terminal 11 (step S <b> 11). It should be noted that the acquisition of the captured image P is preferably executed at the same time or almost the same time as the operation detection in step S1 described above.

  The control unit 21 acquires the number and position of the slips D shown in the acquired captured image P by the template matching method (step S12), and acquires the slip number, position, and inclination information (step S13).

  In addition, the control unit 21 reads character data from the slip-related image such as a slip D image or a product name C image obtained by removing the barcode B1 image from the slip D image by OCR processing (step S14).

  The control unit 21 further recognizes the number of barcodes and the position by a model fitting method (step S15), and acquires the number of barcodes, the position, and the inclination information (step S16). At this time, the barcode type can be determined, and the barcode image can be saved. If there are a plurality of barcodes, the types of all barcodes are determined.

  Further, the control unit 21 reads the barcode information from the barcode image (step S17), and acquires the necessary images such as the barcode B1 image, the product name C image, the specification image, and the slip D image by correcting the inclination (step S17). S18). Here, if there are a plurality of barcode images, product name images, specification images, slip images, etc., the inclination correction is performed for the plurality of barcode images, product name images, specification images, slip images, and the like.

  When the barcode reading process is completed as described above, the process returns to FIG. 4 and the control unit 21 reads the non-contact IC tag T1 by the non-contact IC reader / writer 14 (step S4).

  Then, the control unit 21 registers various information obtained by the barcode reading process in the storage unit 16 as the article management data 16b and the read data 16c (step S5), and proceeds to step S10. During this registration process, the control unit 21 extracts necessary items from the read data 16c, converts the code system, registers the items in the article management data 16b, and manages the received article A together with other articles in the facility. It can be so. At this time, the management UID of the read data 16c (the UID read from the non-contact IC tag T1) is registered in the management UID of the article management data 16b, and is extracted from the read data 16c and registered in the article management data 16b. The management data and the non-contact IC tag T1 are linked. Thereafter, the article A can be managed together with other articles in the facility by using the non-contact IC tag T1 originally attached to the article A.

  If character data such as model, lot, quantity, etc. cannot be acquired by the barcode reading process (step S3) and the RFID reading process (step S4), the operator operates the necessary data on the PC 15 in this registration process. Input is preferable. As a result, necessary data can be acquired with certainty, and the certainty of article management can be further increased.

  In addition, it is preferable that inspection data (for example, inspection OK / inspection NG) inspected by the operator through the acceptance inspection is input by the operation unit 13 of the handy terminal 11 or the input unit (keyboard or mouse) of the PC 15. Thereby, the inspection result of the article A at the time of acceptance can be registered, which can be used for article management.

  When the non-contact IC tag T1 cannot be detected in step S2 (step S2: No), the control unit 21 performs the barcode reading process described above (step S6).

  The control unit 21 executes the registration process similar to step S5 described above (step S7). Here, the difference from step S5 is that the UID assigned to the non-contact IC tag T2 of the rewritable sheet 31 to be used for printing later in step S9 is used. That is, the control unit 21 reads the UID stored in the non-contact IC tag T2 of the rewritable sheet 31 set in the rewritable printer 17, and uses this UID as the management UID of the article management data 16b and the management UID of the read data 16c. Register with. Data other than the management UID of the article management data 16b and the read data 16c is registered by the same process as step S5. Thus, the article management data extracted from the read data 16c and registered in the article management data 16b is associated with the non-contact IC tag T2.

  If character data such as model, lot, quantity, etc. cannot be acquired in the barcode reading process (step S6), it is preferable that the operator inputs the necessary data on the PC 15 in this registration process. As a result, necessary data can be acquired with certainty, and the certainty of article management can be further increased.

  In addition, it is preferable that inspection data (for example, inspection OK / inspection NG) inspected by the operator through the acceptance inspection is input by the operation unit 13 of the handy terminal 11 or the input unit (keyboard or mouse) of the PC 15. Thereby, the inspection result of the article A at the time of acceptance can be registered, which can be used for article management.

  The control unit 21 creates a slip image based on the various data obtained in steps S11 to S18 (step S8). This slip image is created by combining the product name image 33 and the barcode image B2 read from the barcode B1, and the specification image and the slip image. At this time, one visual image is created by combining the slips acquired from the captured image P in step S13.

  The control unit 21 prints the created slip image on the rewritable sheet 31 by the rewritable printer 17, issues the printed rewritable sheet 31 as the work instruction 30 (see FIG. 1) (step S9), and completes the process (step S10). After finishing the process. This completion process is a process for notifying the worker that the process for acceptance has been completed, and can be an appropriate process that allows the worker to recognize the completion. For example, the handy terminal 11 is provided with an output unit such as an LED and the output of this output unit is lit, or the rewritable printer 17 is provided with an output unit such as a display unit and the output unit is lit or a work instruction is present / It is possible to notify by an appropriate method such as displaying either no work instruction or notifying the completion by voice guidance. As a result, the worker can recognize the completion of the work and can realize reliable processing.

  A work instruction is an instruction that presents a procedure for assembly work to a production worker who performs assembly work or the like on a production line in a factory, and is also referred to as a production instruction or production instruction. Is.

  With the above configuration and operation, the worker can complete the acceptance of the article A with one action. That is, the article A is placed on the non-contact IC reader / writer 14, the operation unit 13 of the handy terminal 11 is operated, and the photographing unit 12 is used to store the image in the barcode B1 of the article A or the non-contact IC tag T1. The read data can be read and linked to be registered in the article management data 16b, and thereafter managed in the facility.

  When the non-contact IC tag T1 is attached to the article A, the article A can be managed using the non-contact IC tag T1. For this reason, it is not necessary to affix a non-contact IC tag newly, and the work at the time of acceptance can be simplified.

  Further, when the non-contact IC tag T1 is not attached to the article A, the work instruction 30 with the non-contact IC tag T2 can be issued. For this reason, the worker can perform the article management using the non-contact IC tag for the article A only by pasting the work instruction 30 on the article A or the like.

  Since the product name image 33, the barcode image B2, and the like are printed on the work instruction 30, it is possible to easily prevent the operator from making a mistake when attaching the work instruction 30 to the article A. That is, since the image of the part attached to the surface of the article A and used for identification by the operator is printed on the rewritable sheet 31 with the front facing as it is, the rewritable sheet 31 and the article name image 33 of the article A are viewed. In comparison, it can be immediately determined whether or not they are the same. Accordingly, human errors such as mistakes in attaching the work instructions 30 can be prevented, and highly reliable article management can be realized with a simple configuration.

  In addition, since the received article A and the article originally managed in the facility can be managed by the non-contact IC tag T (T1, T2), the management method can be unified and can be used conveniently.

  Further, when receiving, the non-contact IC tag T1 attached to the article A and the non-contact IC tag T2 attached to the rewritable sheet 31 are not written, and these non-contact IC tags T1, Since the UID stored in each T2 is registered as the management UID of the article management data 16b, the processing time can be shortened. That is, since it is not necessary to wait for the worker until the completion of writing, when processing a large amount of articles A, the processing of the article management apparatus 1 is delayed and an error occurs without completing the registration process. Can be prevented. Thereby, the received article | item A can be managed reliably.

  In addition, the operator associates the non-contact IC tag T1 attached to the article A or the non-contact IC tag T2 attached to the article A with the barcode management data 16b by one operation. be able to. That is, the operator does not need to perform two operations such as reading the barcode data of the barcode B1 and causing the contactless IC reader / writer 14 to read the contactless IC tag T1 (or T2). Thereby, human error can be prevented and reliable article management can be realized.

  In addition, since the article management apparatus 1 automatically determines and processes whether the article A attached to the received article A is the barcode B1 or the non-contact IC tag T1, it is possible to prevent a human error caused by an operator's operation. . That is, if only the barcode B1 is attached to the article A, the article management apparatus 1 automatically outputs the work instruction 30. For this reason, an operator should just stick the work instruction 30 which came out to the article | item A. Further, if the non-contact IC tag T1 is attached to the article A, the article management apparatus 1 does not output the work instruction 30. For this reason, the worker may accept the article A as it is. In this way, human error can be prevented. In this case, if the process completion is output by the output unit after the registration process (steps S5 and S7) is completed, the operator can recognize the completion of the normal process and can improve the certainty. In particular, if the output unit informs whether the work instruction 30 is issued or not, it is possible to prevent the article A not attached with the non-contact IC tag T1 from being received without attaching the work instruction 30.

  Moreover, if such an article management apparatus 1 is used for process management, the accuracy of process management using the article A can be improved by preventing human error, and the production efficiency can be improved. That is, for example, when an incorrect work instruction 30 is given when accepting a plurality of articles A, they are transported to a process different from the original, and the production plan is out of order without the articles A reaching the production site. If the production plan goes wrong in one place, the subsequent processes will be greatly affected. In addition, it is very difficult to find the article A that has been transported excessively, and it may be necessary to reorder. In this way, by using the article management apparatus 1 for important process management, it is possible to realize highly reliable article management and process management without applying a work load at the time of acceptance, and to prevent a production plan from being confused.

  The article management apparatus 1 described above may be configured to use an apparatus other than the handy terminal 11 as an apparatus for reading the barcode B1 or the non-contact IC tag T1 of the article A.

  For example, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 6A, a data exchange box 41 having a transparent plate 42 on the upper surface and including the photographing unit 12 and the non-contact IC reader / writer 14 inside may be used. In this case, if the slip 50 attached to the article A received by the worker is placed on the transparent plate 42, the photographing unit 12 that is always photographing detects the slip 50 and executes steps S2 to S9. What is necessary is just composition.

  Thereby, when the slip 50 can be peeled off from the article A, the worker can complete the acceptance of the article A by one action using the slip 50, and the same effect as the case of the handy terminal 11 described above can be obtained. . Moreover, it can be performed by an operation that is easy for the operator to understand. Further, the influence of the size of the slip 50 (form) is small, and it is possible to flexibly deal with various slips 50.

  Further, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 6B, a pass-through data exchange box 51 may be used. The pass-through data exchange box 51 may be configured to include a slit hole 52 penetrating vertically and to include the imaging unit 12 and the non-contact IC reader / writer 14 inside. In this case, when the slip 50 attached to the article A received by the operator is inserted into the slit hole 52, the photographing unit 12 that is always photographing detects the slip 50 and executes steps S2 to S9. do it.

  Thereby, when the slip 50 can be peeled off from the article A, the worker can complete the acceptance of the article A by one action using the slip 50, and the same effect as the case of the handy terminal 11 described above can be obtained. . Further, it can be executed by a one-touch operation of only inserting the slip 50. In addition, it can be fixed to a pillar in the facility and used in a space-saving manner. In addition, since the influence of external light is small and radio waves can be prevented from protruding, it is possible to improve the accuracy of acquiring the barcode B1 image and reading / writing the non-contact IC tag T1.

  Further, instead of the non-contact IC reader / writer 14, the handy terminal 11 may be provided with a non-contact IC reader / writer integrally. In this case, the worker does not need to place the article A on the non-contact IC reader / writer 14, and if the operation unit 13 is operated by the handy terminal 11 anywhere, the photographing unit 12 provided in the handy terminal 11 and the non-contact IC reader. Shooting and non-contact communication can be performed with the writer. Thereby, it can utilize more conveniently.

  Further, the article management apparatus 1 may be configured as an article management system by connecting to a network. In this case, a server connected to the network may be provided, and a database for centrally managing the template data 16a, the article management data 16b, and the read data 16c may be provided on the server. Then, the article management apparatus 1 is used as a terminal, and a program in the article management apparatus 1 accesses the server and uses the template data 16a, the article management data 16b, and the read data 16c. What is necessary is just to make it the structure which performs operation | movement. As a result, a plurality of terminals can be used as the article management apparatus 1, and convenience can be further improved.

In correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment,
The image acquisition means of the present invention corresponds to the imaging unit 12 of the embodiment,
Similarly,
The operation input means corresponds to the operation unit 13,
The non-contact IC reader / writer for goods corresponds to the non-contact IC reader / writer 14,
The storage means corresponds to the storage unit 16,
The template corresponds to the template data 16a,
The print medium issuing means corresponds to the rewritable printer 17,
The control means corresponds to the control unit 21,
The information holding print medium corresponds to the rewritable sheet 31,
The printable surface corresponds to surface 32,
The non-contact IC medium for goods corresponds to the non-contact IC tag T1,
The non-contact IC medium part corresponds to the non-contact IC tag T2,
The image of the article corresponds to the captured image P of the article A,
The barcode image corresponds to the barcode B1 image,
The slip-related image corresponds to the slip D image and the product name C image,
Non-contact IC information corresponds to UID,
Bar code information corresponds to bar code data,
Non-contact IC communication processing corresponds to step S4,
The non-contact IC information storage process for goods corresponds to step S5,
The association storage process corresponds to steps S5 and S7,
The visual image creation process corresponds to step S8,
The issuing process corresponds to step S9,
The barcode image acquisition process corresponds to steps S11 and S16,
The slip-related image acquisition process corresponds to steps S12 to S14,
The article information acquisition process corresponds to step S14.
The barcode reading process corresponds to step S17,
Inspection information corresponds to inspection data,
The present invention is not limited only to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and many embodiments can be obtained.

Explanatory drawing explaining the structure of an article | item management apparatus. The block diagram which shows the structure of an article | item management apparatus. Explanatory drawing of the data memorize | stored in a memory | storage part. The flowchart which shows the operation | movement which the control part of an article | item management apparatus performs. The flowchart which shows a barcode reading process. Explanatory drawing of the data exchange box of another Example, and a pass-through type data exchange box.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Goods management apparatus, 12 ... Image pick-up part, 13 ... Operation part, 14 ... Non-contact IC reader / writer, 16 ... Memory | storage part, 16a ... Template data, 17 ... Rewritable printer, 18 ... Printing part, 19 ... Non-contact IC reader Writer unit, 21 ... Control unit, 31 ... Rewritable sheet, 32 ... Surface, A ... Article, B ... Bar code, C ... Product name, D ... Slip, Pa, Pb ... Photographed image, T1, T2 ... Non-contact IC tag

Claims (10)

Image acquisition means for acquiring an image of the article;
Storage means for storing various data;
Non-contact IC reader / writer unit for reading / writing non-contact IC information of the non-contact IC medium unit and printing for printing the printable surface on an information storage print medium having a non-contact IC medium unit and a printable surface Printing medium issuing means having
Control means for controlling these,
The control means includes
A barcode image acquisition process for acquiring a barcode image from the image acquired by the image acquisition means;
A barcode reading process for reading barcode information from the barcode image;
An association storage process in which the barcode information is associated with the non-contact IC information of the information storage print medium and stored in at least one of the non-contact IC medium portion of the information storage print medium and the storage unit;
An article management apparatus configured to execute issue processing for issuing the information storage print medium by printing the barcode image on a printable surface of the information storage print medium by a printing unit of the print medium issuing unit. The barcode image acquisition process includes:
If there are a plurality of barcodes in the image, all barcode images are extracted,
The article management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the issuing process is configured to print the plurality of barcode images on one information storage print medium. The storage means is configured to store a plurality of templates having different barcode inclinations according to barcode types,
The barcode image acquisition process includes:
When the barcode in the image is compared with the template to detect the inclination, and the barcode in the image is not front-facing, the inclination is corrected and converted to a front-facing barcode image,
3. The article management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the issuing process is configured to print the converted front-facing barcode image. A non-contact IC reader / writer for articles that reads / writes non-contact IC information through non-contact communication with a non-contact IC medium for articles provided in the article,
The control means includes
Along with the barcode image acquisition process, the non-contact IC communication process for performing non-contact communication with the non-contact IC medium for articles by the non-contact IC reader / writer for articles is performed on one article,
Configuration for executing the barcode image acquisition process, the barcode reading process, the linking storage process, and the issuing process when the article non-contact IC reader / writer cannot communicate with the article non-contact IC medium age,
When it is possible to communicate with the non-contact IC medium for articles by the non-contact IC reader / writer for articles,
2. The article non-contact IC information storage process for storing the article non-contact IC information read from the article non-contact IC medium by the article non-contact IC reader / writer in the storage means. Item management apparatus of 2 or 3. The control means;
When it is possible to communicate with the non-contact IC medium for articles by the non-contact IC reader / writer for articles,
The article management apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the barcode reading process and the linking storage process are executed if a barcode image can be acquired by the barcode image acquisition process. The barcode image acquisition process includes:
The article management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the template is used to recognize a barcode type. The control means includes
A slip-related image acquisition process for acquiring a slip-related image different from the barcode image from the image acquired by the image acquisition means;
When a plurality of the slip-related images are acquired, a visual image creation process is performed in which these are combined into one visual image,
The article management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the issuing process is configured to print the visual image on a printable surface of the information storage print medium. The control means includes
It is configured to execute article information acquisition processing for recognizing article information relating to the article from the slip-related image,
The article management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the association storage process is configured to store the article information. The article management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising operation input means for inputting inspection information obtained by inspecting the article. Non-contact IC information of the non-contact IC medium unit for an information storage print medium having an image acquisition unit for acquiring an image of an article, a storage unit for storing various data, a non-contact IC medium unit and a printable surface Management method for managing articles by an article management apparatus comprising: a non-contact IC reader / writer unit for reading and writing; a printing medium issuing unit having a printing unit for printing the printable surface; and a control unit for controlling the printing medium issuing unit Because
By the control means,
A barcode image acquisition process for acquiring a barcode image from the image acquired by the image acquisition means;
A barcode reading process for reading barcode information from the barcode image;
An association storage process in which the barcode information is associated with the non-contact IC information of the information storage print medium and stored in at least one of the non-contact IC medium portion of the information storage print medium and the storage unit;
An article management method for executing an issuing process of printing the barcode image on a printable surface of the information storage print medium by a printing unit of the print medium issuing unit and issuing the information storage print medium.

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