JP2018058684A - Virtual 3D warehouse system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To store and manage articles three-dimensionally, with arranging and stacking containers that contain the articles.SOLUTION: A virtual 3D warehouse system includes: a passive tag 12 attached to a container 11; an active tag 13 attached to the container 11 on the uppermost stage of a container group stacked in a row; a passive tag 14 attached to the active tag 13; a plurality of receiving devices 15 for receiving radio signals of the active tag 13; position information generating means 16 for receiving a signal from the receiving device 15 and generating position information of the active tag 13; a reading device 17 for reading identification information from the passive tags 12, 14; longitudinal direction information generating means 18 for generating longitudinal direction information by associating the passive tag 12 and the passive tag 14 included in the container group when the identification information of the passive tags 12, 14 is read by the reading device 17; and a management device 19 for previously holding article information associated with the passive tag 12 and an article and managing the position of the article from the position information, the longitudinal direction information and the article information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a virtual 3D warehouse system that stores articles in a three-dimensional manner by storing articles in a container and arranging the containers in a horizontal direction or stacking them in a vertical direction.

  As an inventory management system capable of automatically managing entry and exit of articles arranged in a free space such as a flat warehouse, the one described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. According to this, a positioning base is provided with a wireless position detection tag as a transmission unit attached to a forklift, and a wireless positioning base station as a reception unit fixed at a predetermined position in the storage space. The position of the position detection tag can be automatically measured based on the radio wave received by the station.

  And thereby, position management etc. of the article which a forklift conveys can be performed. However, the system in Patent Document 1 cannot three-dimensionally manage articles in containers stacked in the vertical direction.

JP 2010-18408 A

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances. A virtual 3D warehouse system that stores and manages articles three-dimensionally by arranging containers containing articles in a horizontal direction or stacking them in a vertical direction. It is intended to provide.

In order to solve the above problems, a virtual 3D warehouse system according to the present invention is:
A container capable of storing and stacking articles to be managed;
A first information holding medium attached to the container and holding unique identification information;
An active tag that is attached to the topmost container and holds unique identification information for a group of containers in a vertical direction stacked in a single or multi-stage stack,
A second information holding medium attached to the active tag and holding unique identification information;
A plurality of receiving devices for receiving signals wirelessly transmitted from the active tag;
Position information generating means for receiving a signal from the receiving device, measuring the position of the active tag, and generating the position information;
A reader for reading identification information from the first information holding medium and the second information holding medium;
When the reading device is operated to read the identification information of all the first information holding media and the second information holding media included in the container group, the first information holding medium and the second information included in the container group Vertical direction information generating means for generating vertical direction information in association with a holding medium;
Article information associating the first information holding medium with the management target article stored in the container is held in advance, and the position information received from the position information generation unit and the vertical direction information generation unit and the vertical information are stored. And a management device that manages the position of the management target article stored from the direction information and the article information.

  The active tag has a built-in power supply, has a long communication distance, and is suitable as a position detection tag. However, when the active tag becomes a shadow of the managed article or container when viewed from the receiving device, the radio wave is absorbed or reflected depending on the material of the managed article or the container. May become unstable or disconnected. In that respect, according to the present invention, since the active tag is attached to the uppermost container, the communication state with the receiving apparatus can be always good. As a result, the horizontal position of the active tag can be accurately measured with a small number of receivers.

  For a group of stacked containers (including the case of one-stage stacking), attach an active tag to the uppermost container, attach a first information holding medium to each container, and grasp them in association with each other. It is possible to grasp the horizontal position of the first information holding medium.

  For the association, a reader is used, but the identification information of the active tag and the identification information of the first information holding medium cannot often be read by the same reader, which is very inconvenient. However, according to the present invention, since the active tag and the second information holding medium are attached as a pair, the identification information of the second information holding medium and the identification information of the first information holding medium are read by the same reading device. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the same effect as when the identification information of the active tag and the identification information of the first information holding medium are read by the same reading device.

  Since the first information holding medium attached to the container and the articles to be managed in the container are grasped in advance in association with each other, if all the first information holding media in the horizontal direction can be grasped, The horizontal position of the article to be managed can be grasped.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to store and manage articles three-dimensionally in a free space by arranging containers containing articles in the horizontal direction or stacking them in the vertical direction. Since shelves are not installed, the cost is low and large items can be stored.

It is explanatory drawing which showed the virtual 3D warehouse system typically. It is explanatory drawing which showed the container typically.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the virtual 3D warehouse system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the technical scope of the present invention is of course not limited thereto. A detailed description of known techniques is omitted.

  First, the structure of the virtual 3D warehouse system 1 which is embodiment is demonstrated with reference to FIG.1 and FIG.2. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the virtual 3D warehouse system of this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a container.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the virtual 3D warehouse system 1 is installed in an indoor free space, and mainly includes a container 11 (corresponding to a container), a passive tag 12 (corresponding to a first information holding medium), an active tag 13, and a passive A tag 14 (corresponding to a second information holding medium), a receiving device 15, a position information generating unit 16, a reading device 17, a vertical direction information generating unit 18, and a management device 19 are configured.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the container 11 is a container made of a metal framework, and can store articles to be managed and can be stacked.

  The passive tag 12 is a passive RFID tag and holds unique identification information. As shown in FIG. 2, the passive tag 12 is attached to the container 11, but is attached to a position away from the frame of the container 11 by a passive tag attachment bag 111 (corresponding to the separation attachment means). This is to prevent radio waves from being reflected by a metal framework and causing communication errors.

  The passive tag mounting bag 111 is made of transparent vinyl and has a bag shape so that the passive tag 12 can be accommodated therein. A magnet (not shown) is fixed to the upper back surface of the passive tag mounting bag 111, and this magnet is attached to the framework portion of the container 11. In the passive tag mounting bag 111, an identification symbol of the passive tag 12 is displayed. In FIG. 2, “P819” is an identification symbol. That is, the identification symbol of the attached passive tag 12 is displayed on the container 11.

  The passive tag 12 is input with unique identification information in advance. That is, the passive tag 12 holds unique identification information. This identification information can be rewritten, but basically does not need to be rewritten.

  The association between the passive tag 12 (identification information thereof) and the management target article (manufacturing number, number, etc.) is input to the management device 19 described later when the management target article is placed on the container 11 and stored in the warehouse. To do. That is, only the management device 19 grasps the relationship between the passive tag 12 (identification information thereof) and the management target article. In the present embodiment, the passive tag 12 does not hold information on managed items.

  Moreover, the management apparatus 19 records the input time, when the information of the association | association with the passive tag 12 (identification information) and managed article is input. This is because first-in first-out is performed when there are a plurality of the same management target articles.

  The active tag 13 is an active RFID tag and holds unique identification information. The unique identification information is built in at the time of manufacture and has a structure that cannot be rewritten.

  The active tag 13 is attached to the container 11 when the container 11 is placed in a single stack, and attached to the uppermost container 11 when the container 11 is placed in a multi-stack. The active tag 13 is attached upward on the upper surface of the container.

  The passive tag 14 is the same as the passive tag 12. However, the role is different and the passive tag 12 is used to identify the container 11, whereas the passive tag 14 is used to identify the active tag 13. The identification information of the passive tag 14 and the identification information of the passive tag 12 can be read by the same reading device 17.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the passive tag 14 is attached to the active tag 13, but is attached to a position away from the framework of the container 11 by a passive tag attachment bag 112 (corresponding to a separation attachment means).

  The passive tag attachment bag 112 is made of transparent vinyl and has a bag shape so that the passive tag 14 can be accommodated therein. One end of the string is fixed to the upper part of the passive tag mounting bag 112, and the other end of the string is fixed to the active tag 13, so that the passive tag mounting bag 112 is connected to the active tag 13. . In the present embodiment, an identification symbol of the passive tag 14 is displayed on the passive tag mounting bag 112. In FIG. 2, “A001” is an identification symbol.

  The passive tag 14 is input with unique identification information in advance. That is, the passive tag 14 holds unique identification information. This identification information can be rewritten, but basically does not need to be rewritten.

  The passive tag 14 (identification information) and the active tag 13 (identification information) are associated with each other and recorded in the management device 19 in advance. That is, only the management device 19 grasps the relationship between the passive tag 14 (identification information) and the active tag 13 (identification information). In the present embodiment, the passive tag 14 does not hold information on the active tag 13.

  The receiving device 15 is a device that receives its own identification information signal and position measurement signal wirelessly transmitted from the active tag 13. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality are installed on the ceiling of the building.

  The position information generation means 16 is a computer on which a position information generation program is installed. The position information generating unit 16 receives a signal from the receiving device 15, measures the position of the active tag 13, and generates the position information. The position information generating means 16 is configured to be able to communicate with the plurality of receiving devices 15 via a network device such as a hub. Moreover, it is comprised so that communication with the management apparatus 19 is also possible.

  In the present embodiment, the active tag 13 uses an ultra wide band (UWB) type 8.5 GHz to 9.5 GHz radio signal as a position measurement signal, and the receiving device 15 includes a plurality of receiving elements (not shown). I have.

  The active tag 13 outputs a short pulse signal of several nanoseconds, and the receiving device 15 measures a time lag when the signal reaches a plurality of receiving elements. Thereby, a straight line indicating the direction of the active tag 13 viewed from the receiving device 15 can be accurately determined. The receiving device 15 transmits this straight line information to the position information generating means 16.

  The position information generation means 16 receives straight line information indicating the direction of the active tag 13 from at least two receiving devices 15, and obtains the intersection of the straight lines or the closest point so that the position of the active tag 13 in plan view is obtained. Calculate the coordinates. The position information generation means 16 calculates position coordinates for all active tags 13.

  In the present embodiment, the above-described configuration is adopted as a method for calculating the position coordinates of the active tag 13, but, of course, the configuration is not limited to such a configuration. For example, if the receiving device 15 has a function capable of measuring the direction and distance of the active tag 13, the position coordinates of the active tag 13 are calculated based on the measurement result of the single receiving device 15. It may be.

  Further, if the receiving device 15 has a function capable of measuring only the distance to the active tag 13, it receives signals from at least three receiving devices and calculates the position of the active tag 13. May be. Moreover, you may use systems other than these.

  In the present embodiment, the active tag 13 transmits a position measurement signal once every 30 seconds. Thereby, the position of the management target article in the warehouse can be managed almost in real time. However, the transmission interval may be arbitrarily set depending on the frequency of entering and leaving.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the receiving device 15 transmits information on the time when the signal from the active tag 13 is received to the position information generating unit 16 in addition to the above-described straight line information. This time information is transmitted to the management device 19 together with the position information generated by the position information generation means 16, and the management device 19 records the information of this time. This is for traceability. The time information is not transmitted from the receiving device 15 but only needs to know the approximate time at which the position of the active tag 13 is grasped.

  The reading device 17 is a passive tag reader that communicates with the passive tags 12 and 14 and reads identification information from the passive tags 12 and 14. The reading device 17 includes a microcomputer (longitudinal information generating means 18) on which at least a vertical direction information generating program is mounted.

  In the present embodiment, the reading device 17 includes a display unit, and when the start button is pressed, “Please read the parent tag (passive tag 14)” is displayed. When the passive tag 14 (identification information thereof) is read, the message “Please read the child tag (passive tag 12)” is displayed next. When all passive tags 12 (identification information) are read and the end button is pressed, the input content is transferred to the vertical direction information generation means 18.

  The vertical direction information generating means 18 generates the vertical direction information by associating the passive tag 14 (identification information) with all the passive tags 12 (identification information thereof), and transmits it to the management device 19. Moreover, in this embodiment, the management apparatus 19 records the information of the time when the signal of the vertical direction information generation means 18 was received. This is for traceability.

  The management device 19 is a computer in which various management programs are installed. Although not shown, the management device 19 includes a calculation unit and a storage unit, and further includes a display unit, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like as input / output devices.

  The management device 19 associates the pre-input active tag 13 (identification information) with the passive tag 14 (identification information) and the position of the active tag 13 received from the position information generation means 16 in plan view. Based on the information and the association information of the passive tag 14 (identification information) and the passive tag 12 (identification information) received from the vertical direction information generation means 18, the position of the passive tag 12 in plan view is calculated and managed. To do. Then, the position and quantity of the management target article are also calculated and managed from the association information between the passive tag 12 (identification information) and the management target article (manufacturing number, number, etc.) input in advance.

  Thereby, it is possible to manage the position of the article to be managed in plan view and which passive tag 12 is accommodated in the attached container. And since the identification symbol which is the same as the identification information of the passive tag 12 is displayed on the passive tag attachment bag 111 in which the passive tag 12 is accommodated, the worker can search for the management target article immediately. .

  In addition, the management device 19 displays the association information between the active tag 13 (identification information) and the passive tag 14 (identification information) input in advance, and the active tag 13 received from the position information generation unit 16 in plan view. The space in which the container is stacked in a plan view on the basis of the position information and the association information of the passive tag 14 (identification information) and the passive tag 12 (identification information) received from the vertical direction information generation means 18 Manage the availability of warehouses.

  The reader 17 has an input means for inputting the number of containers attached from the top or bottom of the one row of container groups (including the case of one-stage stacking) on which the passive tags 12 are stacked. It may be. For example, a display unit is provided, and when a start button is pressed, “Please read the parent tag (passive tag 14)” is displayed. When the passive tag 14 (identification information) is read, the message “Please read the uppermost child tag (passive tag 12)” is displayed. Then, when the uppermost passive tag 12 (identification information) is read, “read the second child tag (passive tag 12) from the top” is sequentially read up to the lowest level. Then, when the end button is pressed, the input content is transferred to the vertical direction information generation means 18 or the like.

  In this case, the vertical direction information generation means 18 is based on the signal from the reading device 17 and information indicating which identification information passive tag 12 is attached to which container from the top or bottom and the passive tag 14. The vertical direction information is generated in association with (identification information).

  In this case, the management device 19 is a plan view of the active tag 13 received from the position information generating unit 16 and the association information between the active tag 13 (identification information) and the passive tag 14 (identification information) input in advance. Based on the upper position information and the association information of the passive tag 14 (identification information) and the passive tag 12 (identification information) received from the vertical direction information generation means 18, the position of the passive tag 12 in plan view and Calculate and manage how many containers are installed from the top or bottom. And the position of the management target article is also calculated and managed from the association information of the passive tag 12 (identification information) and the management target article inputted in advance.

  Further, the reading device 17 itself may remain as in this embodiment, and the reading method may be devised. For example, when the start button is pressed, “Please read the parent tag (passive tag 14)” is displayed. When the passive tag 14 (identification information thereof) is read, the message “Please read the child tag (passive tag 12)” is displayed next. At this time, all the passive tags 12 (identification information) from the top to the bottom are read in order, and when the end button is pressed, the input content is transferred to the vertical direction information generation means 18, etc. is there.

  In this case, the vertical direction information generation means 18 calculates information indicating which identification information passive tag 12 is attached to which number of containers from the top or bottom from the order of reading by the reading device 17, and passive The vertical direction information is generated in association with the tag 14 (identification information thereof).

Next, a method for using the present system 1 in an indoor free space will be described.
(Advance preparation)
As shown in FIG. 1, a grid-like line indicating the position where the container 11 is placed in an indoor free space is drawn. A mark is attached to each cell so that the position can be easily grasped.
Passive tag 14 is placed in passive tag mounting bag 112 and attached to active tag 13. Further, the active tag 13 (identification information) and the passive tag 14 (identification information) are associated with each other and input to the management apparatus.
The passive tag 12 is put in the passive tag attachment bag 111, and the passive tag attachment bag 111 displays the identification symbol (same as the identification information) of the passive tag 12.

(At goods receipt)
When the container 11 containing the management target article enters the warehouse, the passive tag 12 is attached to the container 11, and the passive tag 12 (identification information thereof) and the management target article (manufacturing number and number) are associated with each other. Input to 19 and record.
The container 11 that has been received is placed arbitrarily or at a location designated by the management device 19.
When the container 11 is placed in a space where no layers are stacked, the active tag 13 and the passive tag 14 are attached to the uppermost container 11 after being stacked. It may be attached before stacking.
When the container 11 is further stacked on the place where the container 11 is stacked, the active tag 13 and the passive tag 14 that are originally attached are changed to the uppermost container 11 after being stacked. You can change it before stacking. The container 11 that was originally the uppermost layer may be temporarily placed on the side, stacked, and then returned to the uppermost layer.
The reading device 17 sequentially reads the passive tag 14 (identification information) and the passive tag 12 (identification information).

(When leaving)
When the container 11 to which the active tag 13 is not attached is delivered, after the remaining containers 11 are unloaded, the reading device 17 sequentially reads the passive tag 14 (identification information) and the passive tag 12 (identification information). . The container 11 that was originally the uppermost level may be returned to the uppermost level. Otherwise, the active tag 13 and the passive tag 14 may be replaced with the uppermost level container 11.
When the container 11 to which the active tag 13 is attached is delivered, the active tag 13 and the passive tag 14 are replaced with the uppermost stage of the remaining container 11, and the passive tag 14 (identification information) and the passive tag 12 are read by the reading device 17. (Identification information) is read sequentially.
When all the rows of container groups stacked in the vertical direction are delivered, the active tag 13 and the passive tag 14 are collected.
The identification information of the passive tag 12 attached to the delivered container 11 may be input to the management device 19, but this is not essential.
In addition, although it is not leaving, when the container 11 is moved, the passive tag 14 (identification information) and the passive tag 12 (identification information) are sequentially read by the reading device 17 for the changed container group.

(Automatic measurement)
The active tag 13 transmits its own identification information and a position measurement signal every 30 seconds, and the receiving device 15 receives the signal. The receiving device 15 transmits information for determining the position of the active tag 13. The position information generation means 16 receives information from at least two receiving devices 15 and calculates the position coordinates of the active tag 13 in plan view.
The vertical direction information generating means 18 generates the vertical direction information by associating the passive tag 14 (identification information thereof) with all the passive tags 12 (identification information thereof) from the information transferred from the reading device 17, and the management device 19. To call. The management device 19 calculates and manages the position of the passive tag 12 in plan view. Then, it is determined which cell is inside. The position of the management target article is also calculated and managed.

  When searching for an article to be managed, the serial number of the article to be managed is input to the management device 19. Then, on the display screen of the management device 19, the symbol of the placed cell and the identification symbol (same as the identification information) of the passive tag 12 attached to the container 11 in which the articles to be managed are accommodated are displayed. The operator goes to the mesh marked with the mesh symbol and searches for the passive tag mounting bag 111 on which the identification symbol is displayed. An article to be managed is accommodated in the container 11 to which the passive tag attachment bag 111 is attached.

As a modification of the virtual 3D warehouse system 1, the reader 17 is disposed in a portion that moves up and down integrally with the forklift claw, and the passive tag 14 (identification information thereof) and the passive tag 12 (identification information thereof) are automatically provided. May be read.
In the case where the container 11 is moved every two stages, it is preferable that two reading devices 17 are arranged vertically.

  The contents described above relate to an embodiment of the present invention, and do not mean that the present invention is limited to the above contents. For example, in the above embodiment, the virtual 3D warehouse system has been described as being used in an indoor space surrounded by a wall, but the virtual 3D warehouse system of the present invention may be applied to an outdoor storage facility.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the function of the position information generation unit 16 is implemented in the computer has been described. However, the function of the position information generation unit 16 may be implemented in the reception device 15. In this case, information on the relative position of the UWB tag with respect to the detected receiving device 15 may be configured to be transmitted to the management device 19 via a network such as a LAN.

  In the present embodiment, the first and second information holding media 12 and 14 are passive tags, but may be letters such as alphabets and numbers. In this case, the reading device 17 may be a character recognition camera. The first and second information holding media 12 and 14 may be barcodes. In this case, the reading device 17 may be a bar code reader.

  In the present embodiment, the container 11 is made of metal, but may be a resin container.

1 Virtual 3D warehouse system 11 Container (container)
12 Passive tag (first identification information holding medium)
13 Active tag 14 Passive tag (second identification information holding medium)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Receiver 16 Position information generation means 17 Reading apparatus 18 Longitudinal information generation means 19 Management apparatus 111 Passive tag attachment bag (separate attachment means)
112 Passive tag mounting bag (spaced mounting means)

Claims (6)

A container capable of storing and stacking articles to be managed;
A first information holding medium attached to the container and holding unique identification information;
An active tag that is attached to the topmost container and holds unique identification information for a group of containers in a vertical direction stacked in a single or multi-stage stack,
A second information holding medium attached to the active tag and holding unique identification information;
A plurality of receiving devices for receiving signals wirelessly transmitted from the active tag;
Position information generating means for receiving a signal from the receiving device, measuring the position of the active tag, and generating the position information;
A reader for reading identification information from the first information holding medium and the second information holding medium;
When the reading device is operated to read the identification information of all the first information holding media and the second information holding media included in the container group, the first information holding medium and the second information included in the container group Vertical direction information generating means for generating vertical direction information in association with a holding medium;
Article information associating the first information holding medium with the management target article stored in the container is held in advance, and the position information received from the position information generation unit and the vertical direction information generation unit and the vertical information are stored. A management device that manages the position of the managed article stored from the direction information and the article information;
Virtual 3D warehouse system with   The virtual 3D warehouse system according to claim 1, wherein an identification symbol of the attached first information holding medium is displayed on the container.   The container is a container whose framework is made of metal, the first information holding medium and the second information holding medium are passive tabs, and the first information holding medium and the second information holding medium are removed from the frame of the container. The virtual 3D warehouse system according to claim 1, further comprising separation attaching means for attaching to the separated positions.   The said management apparatus also manages the condition of the present empty space from the said positional information and the said vertical direction information received from the said positional information generation means and the said vertical direction information generation means. The virtual 3D warehouse system according to item. The reading device has an input means for inputting which first information holding medium is attached to which number of containers from above or below the container group;
The vertical direction information generated by the vertical direction information generating means includes information on what level of container each first information holding medium included in the container group is attached from above or from below. The virtual 3D warehouse system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The virtual 3D warehouse system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the reading device is disposed in a portion that moves up and down integrally with a forklift claw, and automatically performs a reading operation. .

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