JP2013063836A - System and method for product management - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To manage stock and shipment of products appropriately according to a rule suitable for each product.SOLUTION: In storing and managing a product attached with a wireless ID tag stored with individual information, a wireless ID tag reader for receiving a wireless signal from the wireless ID tag is disposed in each product storage area. The management of stock and shipment of products in each storage area is carried out using individual information read by the wireless ID tag reader disposed in the each product storage area. The information obtained based on the management process is then transmitted to a terminal for indication.

Description

  The present invention relates to a product management system and a product management method when products are stored in a warehouse or the like, and more particularly to a technique for managing products using a wireless ID tag.

  In the shipping operation from the warehouse that stores the products, it is important to identify the products to be shipped from among the products stored in the warehouse and ship them without fail. In the unlikely event that a product is shipped incorrectly, the cost and labor required to collect and re-ship the product will increase, and frequent occurrence may lead to a deterioration in the corporate image.

  As a conventional method for improving the efficiency of shipping work in a warehouse, for example, a method in which a label printed with a barcode or QR code is attached to a product, and the barcode or QR code is read and managed using a dedicated reader. It has been known.

  These bar codes and QR codes need to read solid information one by one using a dedicated reader. On the other hand, in recent years, it has been proposed to apply a wireless ID tag called RFID or the like to product management. By attaching a wireless ID tag to a product and receiving a wireless signal emitted from the wireless ID tag with a receiver, it becomes possible to specify the position of each product, using a conventional barcode or the like. It is possible to efficiently manage shipping and the like than the case.

  In other words, at the site where barcodes and QR codes have been introduced, if there are multiple shipments, it takes time to read the barcodes and QR codes, and the workability is poor. If there is, an event such as inventory going wrong has occurred. On the other hand, when a wireless ID tag is applied, it is not necessary to read such codes one by one, and forgetting to read can be reliably prevented.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228561 describes a point of using a wireless ID tag in a system for managing product storage in a warehouse.

JP 2007-137737 A

  By the way, when shipping a product stored in a warehouse, there are various shipping rules depending on the nature of the product. There is a well-known rule that ships from the oldest manufacturing date, but there are other products that cannot be shipped unless a certain period of time has passed since the date of manufacture, and vice versa. There are complex rules that vary from product to product, such as restricted products. Conventionally, a great deal of labor and time has been required to comply with such rules for each product.

  In addition, products manufactured during a certain period may be prohibited from shipment due to defective raw materials or equipment processes after the manufacture of the products is completed or after shipment. Or it may be necessary to collect from the shipping destination. When these processes are required, it takes a lot of labor and time to identify the target product.

  An object of the present invention is to enable appropriate management conforming to each rule in a product management system and product management method applied to management in a warehouse or the like.

The product management system of the present invention is applied to a product management system for storing and managing a product to which a wireless ID tag storing individual information is attached.
And the product management system of the present invention uses a plurality of wireless ID tag readers that are arranged for each product storage area and receives wireless signals from wireless ID tags, and individual information read by a plurality of wireless ID tag readers. A management server that performs management processing of product stock and shipment for each storage area, and a transmission unit that transmits information obtained based on the management processing in the management server to the terminal.

The product management method of the present invention is applied to a product management method for storing and managing a product to which a wireless ID tag storing individual information is attached.
In the product management method of the present invention, a wireless ID tag reader that receives a wireless signal from a wireless ID tag is arranged for each product storage area, and the individual information read by the wireless ID tag reader for each product storage area is used. , Manage the inventory and shipment of products for each storage area. Then, information obtained based on this management process is transmitted to the terminal and displayed.

  According to the present invention, the product is managed based on the result of receiving the wireless signal from the wireless ID tag by the wireless ID tag reader provided for each product storage area, so that, for example, the storage location of the product to be shipped can be easily specified. can do. Therefore, by transmitting information necessary for product identification etc. to the terminal, the worker who possesses the terminal can take out and ship the item to be shipped appropriately, reduce the worker's workload, It is possible to prevent erroneous shipment.

It is a block diagram which shows the example of the product management system by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of affixing the wireless ID tag to the product by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of leader arrangement | positioning in the warehouse by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the detailed example of the warehouse area by one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of location registration of the product by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the position registration state of the product by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the shipping rule by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the shipment prohibition goods by one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process at the time of shipment by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the information which instruct | indicates the product shipment by one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process of the registration and notification at the time of shipment by one embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[1. Overall system configuration]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a product management system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The product management system 100 according to the example of the present embodiment is a system for managing warehouses, and a wireless ID tag 202 (FIG. 2) to be described later is attached to each product stored in the warehouse, and each wireless ID tag. Individual information necessary for identifying individual products is stored in 202. The wireless ID tag 202 is also referred to as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) or the like, and is a tag that performs individual identification by radio waves.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the product management system 100 includes a warehouse management server 102 connected to a core system server 101 via a network. The core system server 101 is a server that manages the entire process from manufacture to shipment. The warehouse management server 102 is a server that manages products in the warehouse.

The warehouse management server 102 includes a product information database 102a and a shipping information database 102b. The product information database 102a stores information about products stored in the warehouse, and the shipping information database 102b stores information about products shipped from the warehouse. Store information.
The warehouse management server 102 is connected to the client computer apparatus 103 in the warehouse, the wireless LAN access point 104, and the wireless ID tag readers 304, 305, and 306 via a network in the warehouse.
The client computer device 103 in the warehouse displays information of the product information database 102a and the shipping information database 102b in the warehouse management server 102, and corrects the information. Also, registration and correction of product shipping rules can be performed by the client computer device 103. Alternatively, the shipping rules may be acquired from the core system server 101.

The wireless LAN access point 104 is a transmission / reception unit that performs wireless communication with the mobile terminal device 105 possessed by an operator in the warehouse. Various information is transmitted from the warehouse management server 102 to the portable terminal device 105 via the wireless LAN access point 104. The wireless LAN access points 104 are preferably installed at a plurality of locations so that wireless communication can be performed with respect to the portable terminal devices 105 possessed by workers in all areas in the warehouse.
The mobile terminal device 105 includes a display unit, and performs display based on information obtained by the mobile terminal device 105 through wireless communication with the wireless LAN access point 104.

  The wireless ID tag readers 304, 305, and 306 are readers installed in each area in the warehouse, wirelessly communicate with the wireless ID tag attached to each product in the warehouse, and stored in the wireless ID tag. Get information. Each of the wireless ID tag readers 304, 305, and 306 is a reader having the same configuration in terms of function, but the installation location is different. In other words, it is composed of a warehousing area wireless ID tag reader 304, a warehousing area wireless ID tag reader 305, and a warehouse area wireless ID tag reader 306. A plurality of warehouse area wireless ID tag readers 306 are installed according to the configuration of a warehouse area for storing products. An arrangement example of the warehouse area wireless ID tag reader 306 will be described later.

  Each of the wireless ID tag readers 304, 305, and 306 can wirelessly communicate with a plurality of wireless ID tags that exist in the vicinity of the place where each reader is installed, and is stored in the wireless ID tag that exists in the vicinity of each reader. Read out information. Information read by each of the wireless ID tag readers 304, 305, and 306 is sent to the warehouse management server 102 and stored in the product information database 102a or the shipping information database 102b.

[2. Example of wireless ID tag]
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the wireless ID tag 202 is attached to the product 201 stored in the warehouse.
As shown in FIG. 2, a wireless ID tag 202 is attached to the surface of the box of each product 201 stored in the warehouse. In the wireless ID tag 202, the internal storage unit 203 stores the detailed information of the product. When the antenna 205 connected to the communication processing unit 204 detects a signal from the wireless ID tag reader, the communication processing unit 204 returns the stored information from the antenna 205 to the wireless ID tag reader.
The detailed product information stored in the storage unit 203 in the wireless ID tag 202 is, for example, information such as product name, manufacturing date, manufacturing number, manufacturing factory, and lot number.
Note that the wireless ID tag 202 is preferably a passive type that uses radio waves from a wireless ID tag reader as a power source for operation, but may be an active type that incorporates a battery.

[3. Arrangement example of wireless ID tag reader]
Next, an arrangement example of the wireless ID tag reader in the warehouse will be described with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the warehouse to which the product management system of the example of the present embodiment is applied includes a warehousing area 301 through which products are received, a warehousing area 302 through which products are shipped, and products. And a warehouse area 303 for storing The conveyance of the product from the warehousing area 301 to the warehouse area 303 and the conveyance of the product from the warehouse area 303 to the warehousing area 302 may be carried by either automatic conveyance or manual conveyance by an operator.
A warehousing area wireless ID tag reader 304 is disposed in the warehousing area 301, a warehousing area wireless ID tag reader 305 is disposed in the warehousing area 302, and a warehouse area wireless ID tag reader 306 is disposed in the warehouse area 303. A plurality of wireless ID tag readers 306 arranged in the warehouse area 303 are arranged according to the storage space of the warehouse area 303. An arrangement example of the wireless ID tag reader 306 in the warehouse area 303 will be described later.

The warehousing area wireless ID tag reader 304 reads stored information of the wireless ID tag 202 attached to the product 201 received by the warehousing area 301.
The delivery area wireless ID tag reader 305 reads stored information of the wireless ID tag 202 attached to the product 201 moved from the warehouse area 303 to the delivery area 302.
Note that the entry area wireless ID tag reader 304 and the exit area wireless ID tag reader 305 are arranged so that information can be read from the wireless ID tags 202 of all products 201 in the corresponding area 301 or 302. Therefore, a plurality of warehousing area wireless ID tag readers 304 and warehousing area wireless ID tag readers 305 may be arranged in accordance with the situation of the warehousing area 301 and the warehousing area 302.

FIG. 4 shows an arrangement example of the wireless ID tag reader 306 in the warehouse area 303.
As shown in FIG. 4, the warehouse area 303 includes a storage shelf 401 that stores products. Here, addresses 1, 2,... Are assigned to each storage location of the storage shelf 401, and a wireless ID tag reader 306 is installed at each address storage location. Therefore, the address at which each product 201 is stored can be determined from the installation location (address) of the wireless ID tag reader 306 that has read the information of the wireless ID tag 202 of the product 201. The storage address of the product 201 is determined by, for example, the warehouse management server 102 shown in FIG. 1 determining the network address of the wireless ID tag reader 306 that is the information transmission source. That is, the warehouse management server 102 has a table storing the correspondence between the network address of the wireless ID tag reader 306 and the storage address of the product 201, and the warehouse management server 102 determines the storage shelf address by referring to this table. .

[4. Product management processing example]
Next, a product management process in the warehouse management server 102 based on information obtained by reading the wireless ID tag will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, an example of processing when the warehousing area wireless ID tag reader 304 and the warehouse area wireless ID tag reader 306 read the information of the wireless ID tag 202 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
When the product information from the wireless ID tag 202 is received by the warehousing area wireless ID tag reader 304 or the warehouse area wireless ID tag reader 306 (step S11), the warehouse management server 102 obtains the received product information from the product information database 102a. Search is performed (step S12). In this search, it is determined whether the received product is a product temporarily registered in the product information database 102a (step S13).

The temporary registration state here is a state set when it is detected that the wireless ID tag reader 304 in the warehousing area has received the goods. When storage of the corresponding product is detected by the wireless ID tag reader 306 in the warehouse area, a storage address is added to the product information database 102a, and the temporary registration state is shifted to the main registration state.
Accordingly, at the stage of reading with the warehousing area wireless ID tag reader 304, the read information is determined to be information of a product that is not temporarily registered in step S13, and the read product information is registered in the product information database 102a. (Step S18). Then, at the time of registration in the product information database 102a, the temporary registration flag is turned on and a temporary registration state is set (step S19). After the provisional registration state is set in step S19, the process returns to the determination in step S11 and waits until another product information is received.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S13 that the detected product information is in the temporary registration state, this corresponds to the case where the information is received by the wireless ID tag reader 306 in the warehouse area, and the network of the wireless ID tag reader 306 of the data transmission source An address is acquired (step S14). Then, the address of the storage shelf corresponding to the wireless ID tag reader 306 of the data transmission source is acquired with reference to the correspondence table between the acquired network address and the storage shelf address (step S15). The storage shelf address acquired in this way is added to the corresponding product information in the product information database 102a (step S16), and the temporary registration flag of the corresponding product information is changed to OFF to enter the full registration state. (Step S17). After canceling the temporary registration state in step S17, the process returns to the determination in step S11 and waits until another product information is received.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the registration state of the product information database 102a.
The data 500 of the product information database 102a includes a product name 501, a manufacturing date 502, a manufacturing number 503, a temporary registration / main registration flag 504, a storage shelf address (location) 505, and the like. Hold for each. Further, other data such as a manufacturing factory and a lot number may be registered in the product information database 102a.
When the product information database 102a is in the temporary registration state, the storage shelf address of the corresponding product is not registered, and the storage shelf address is registered, thereby entering the full registration state.

Next, the shipping process of the product registered in the product information database 102a will be described.
In the example of the present embodiment, shipping rules for products stored in the warehouse are determined. This shipping rule is registered in the warehouse management server 102.
FIG. 7 shows a list of shipping rule data 600 registered in the warehouse management server 102. In the shipping rule data 600, a product name 601 and a shipping rule 602 applied to the product indicated by the product name 601 are registered.
For example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 7, a rule for shipping products “ABC” in order from the oldest manufacturing date is set, and a rule for shipping products “DEF” that have passed five days or more after the manufacturing date is set. Is set.

Apart from the shipping rules shown in FIG. 7, the shipping prohibition rules are also registered in the warehouse management server 102.
FIG. 8 shows a list of the shipping prohibition rule data 700 registered in the warehouse management server 102. In the shipping prohibition rule data 700, a product name 701, a production number 702, and data 703 for prohibiting shipment of the product indicated by the product name and the production number are registered. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, it is indicated that the product with the product number “111” having the product name “ABC” is prohibited to be shipped due to the defect of the raw material A.
In the example of FIG. 8, the product for which shipment is prohibited is specified by the product name and the manufacturing number, but data for specifying the product for which shipment is prohibited may be used by a manufacturing lot or a manufacturing factory.

Next, a process for generating information to be transmitted from the warehouse management server 102 to the portable terminal device 105 when a product is shipped will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.
First, the warehouse management server 102 receives information about products to be shipped from the core system server 101 or the like (step S21). Upon acquiring the information on the shipped product, the warehouse management server 102 searches the shipping prohibition rule data 700 (step S22) and the shipping rule data 600 (step S23).
Thereafter, the storage status of the instructed product is determined by searching the product information database 102a (step S24), and the shipment prohibition rule and the shipping rule are applied to the product stored in the warehouse, and the product is released from the warehouse. Processing for finalizing the product is performed (step S25).

  When the goods to be shipped are determined, information about products to be delivered from the warehouse area 303 is transmitted to the mobile terminal device 105 (step S26). At this time, information on the address of the storage shelf storing the product is added to the information such as the product name to instruct where the product is to be taken out. Also, the number to be shipped is transmitted to the portable terminal device 105 and instructed.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of shipping instruction data 800 transmitted to the mobile terminal device 105.
The shipping instruction data 800 includes a product name 801, a storage location 802, and a shipping quantity 803. The mobile terminal device 105 that has received the shipping instruction data 800 displays the shipping instruction data 800 and instructs the operator who has the mobile terminal device 105 to take out the shipped product.
The worker who has confirmed this display takes out the designated product from the designated storage location and transports it to the delivery area 302.
Alternatively, when a transport mechanism that automatically transports the product from the warehouse area 303 to the delivery area 302 is provided, instead of transmitting the information of the shipped product to the mobile terminal device 105, the information obtained in step S25 is stored in the transport mechanism. Send to the control unit and instruct the automatic transfer of the corresponding product.

Next, processing in the warehouse management server 102 based on data received by the wireless ID tag reader 305 arranged in the exit area 302 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, when the warehouse management server 102 receives product information received by the delivery area wireless ID tag reader 305 (step S31), whether or not the received product matches the delivery product determined in step S25 of the flowchart of FIG. Is determined (step S32). Here, it is determined whether there is a match by including not only the product name but also detailed items such as a production number.

  If it is determined in this determination that the product matches the shipment-instructed product, the corresponding product is regarded as shipped, and the data in the product information database 102a for the corresponding product is moved to the shipping information database 102b ( Step S33). At this time, when information such as the shipping destination and the shipping date is obtained, the information is registered in the shipping information database 102b. By having the shipment information database 102b as described above, for example, even when it becomes necessary to collect a product shipped after shipment, it is possible to immediately specify the product to be collected.

  If it is determined in step S32 that the product instructed to ship does not match the received product, alarm information indicating that the product has been shipped incorrectly is transmitted to the mobile terminal device 105 (step S34). ). The mobile terminal device 105 that has received this alarm information displays information (product name, serial number, etc.) that identifies a product that has been accidentally taken out in the exit area 302, and also displays such information as blinking and warning sound output. Perform alarm processing.

As described above, by applying the product management system 100 according to the example of the present embodiment, it is possible to ship stock products according to the determined shipping rules, and to perform efficient warehouse management. In particular, even a warehouse having complicated shipping rules can handle various shipping rules for each item. In addition, since it is possible to easily identify a product to be shipped in the warehouse, it is possible to reduce labor and time for searching for the target product.
In addition, since the products to be shipped can be specified, the inventory data in the warehouse can be automatically updated. In addition, when an incorrect product is taken out, an alarm notification is sent to the terminal device owned by the worker, reducing the workload and reducing the variation in work quality by the worker, and ensuring erroneous shipment. Can be prevented. In addition, since it is possible to prevent erroneous shipment, it is possible to suppress the cost for collection at the time of erroneous shipment.

  Further, by registering the shipping destination data at the time of shipment, even when a defective product is found, the collection range can be specified easily and in a short time. In the case of inventories in the factory, if a defective product is found, the target product can be identified in a short time, and a shipment prohibition measure can be taken quickly to prevent the distribution of the defective product.

[5. Modified example]
In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the wireless ID tag is directly attached to the box of the product 201. On the other hand, for example, a wireless ID tag may be attached to a pallet for conveying a product.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the selection process of the terminal when transmitting information from the warehouse management server 102 to the mobile terminal device 105 has not been described. Information may be transmitted by selecting the mobile terminal device 105. For example, the product to be shipped may be instructed to the mobile terminal device 105 in the warehouse area 303, and the erroneous shipment alarm process may be performed to the mobile terminal device 105 in the delivery area 302.

  Further, when performing an alarm process for erroneous shipment, when instructing a target product in the exit area 302, the mobile terminal device 105 is also instructed about the address of the storage shelf 401 for storing the product in the warehouse area 303. The work of returning to the warehouse area 303 may be performed accurately.

  Further, the shipping rules shown in FIG. 7 and the shipping prohibition rules shown in FIG. 8 are examples, and other shipping rules and shipping prohibition rules may be set. The shipment rule and the shipment prohibition rule are basically conditions that are applied in combination, and the shipment product is determined after satisfying all the set rules.

  Further, in the example of the present embodiment, the wireless ID tag information is read by the reader. However, the wireless ID tag reader / writer that can both read and write the stored information of the wireless ID tag is provided. A configuration may be adopted in which management information is written in a wireless ID tag of a product.

  In addition, the wireless ID tag reader has a system configuration installed in a warehouse. For example, some wireless ID tag readers are built in the portable terminal device 105 possessed by the worker, You may make it read the information of a wireless ID tag using the portable terminal device 105. FIG.

  Further, the system shown in the example of the present embodiment is configured to prepare the warehouse management server 102 as a dedicated device that executes the various processes described in the present embodiment. On the other hand, for example, a program (software) for executing the product management processing method described as an example of the present embodiment may be installed in an information processing apparatus such as a general-purpose computer apparatus to form a similar system. .

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Product management system, 101 ... Core system server, 102 ... Warehouse management server, 102a ... Product information database, 102b ... Shipping information database, 103 ... Client computer apparatus, 104 ... Wireless LAN access point, 105 ... Portable terminal device, 201 ... Product, 202 ... Wireless ID tag, 203 ... Storage unit, 204 ... Communication processing unit, 205 ... Antenna, 301 ... Receiving area, 302 ... Exiting area, 303 ... Warehouse area, 304 ... Wireless ID tag reader for receiving area, 305 ... Wireless ID tag reader for delivery area, 306... Wireless ID tag reader for warehouse area, 401.

Claims (7)

In a product management system for storing and managing a product attached with a wireless ID tag storing individual information,
A plurality of wireless ID tag readers that are arranged for each storage area of the product and receive wireless signals from the wireless ID tags;
A management server for managing inventory and shipment of products for each storage area, using individual information read by the plurality of wireless ID tag readers;
The product management system provided with the transmission part which transmits the information obtained based on the management process in the said management server to a terminal. The management server manages the shipment of the product according to the registered rules, obtains information on the storage location of the product targeted for shipment in the shipment management, and transmits the information on the storage location of the product targeted for shipment. The product management system according to claim 1, which is transmitted from the unit to the terminal. One of the plurality of wireless ID tag readers is arranged in a product exit area,
The product management system according to claim 2, wherein the management server manages whether a product in the delivery area is a product to be shipped by receiving a signal from a wireless ID tag by a wireless ID tag reader in the delivery area. When the management server detects a product that is not a shipment object by receiving a signal from the wireless ID tag in a wireless ID tag reader in the delivery area, the management server has a product that is not a shipment object in the delivery area from the transmission unit to the terminal. The product management system according to claim 3. The management server registers storage information about a product determined to be shipped based on a signal received by a wireless ID tag reader in a shipping area in a shipping information database, and adds information about a shipping destination to the shipping information database. 3. The product management system according to 3. One of the plurality of wireless ID tag readers is arranged in a product storage area,
The product management system according to claim 3, wherein the management server manages product warehousing by receiving a signal from a wireless ID tag by a wireless ID tag reader in a warehousing area. In a product management method for storing and managing a product to which a wireless ID tag storing individual information is attached,
For each storage area of the product, arrange a wireless ID tag reader that receives a wireless signal from the wireless ID tag,
Using the individual information read by the wireless ID tag reader for each storage area of the product, the product inventory and shipping management process for each storage area,
A product management method for transmitting information displayed on the basis of the management process to a terminal for display.

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