JP2021050069A - Article carrying management system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an article carrying management system which eliminates the need of replacing a battery and carrying out of a beacon tag for charging.SOLUTION: Based on battery residual quantity information and identification information (terminal ID) from a beacon tag 30, power is fed (charged) to the beacon tag 30 by a movable body 20 at the same time as carrying (entering and exiting) of an article 40 by the movable body 20. At this time, a cargo of short storage time is preferentially allocated to a shelf 50 at which the beacon tag 30 of less battery residual quantity is installed, and the number of times of power feeding to the beacon tag 30 is increased.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an article transport management system that manages the transport of goods to a specific place, such as a shelf in a warehouse.

Conventionally, when transporting luggage into a warehouse, work in the warehouse is performed using a forklift, an automatic guided vehicle, etc. At that time, a shelf number management system that manages the shelf number manages the luggage to the forklift, an automatic guided vehicle, etc. Is giving instructions to put in and take out.

In order to transport luggage into the warehouse in this way, it is necessary to grasp the relative positions of forklifts, automatic guided vehicles, etc. in the warehouse. Therefore, for example, a beacon tag is installed on each shelf for loading and unloading luggage, a signal from the beacon tag is received by a forklift, an automatic guided vehicle, etc., and the relative position is grasped based on the received signal. It has been done conventionally.

As a position search system using a beacon, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which two types of signals having different intensities are transmitted and a position is estimated according to the received signal. Specifically, the communication terminal receives one or both of the first signal and the second signal transmitted from the beacon, and depending on the type of the received signal, between the beacon and the own device. The distance is estimated and the position of the beacon is searched.

In Patent Document 2, the reception cycle of the intermittently receiving receiver is changed according to the reception state in which the beacon signal is received, thereby improving the reception state of the beacon signal and capturing the beacon signal. A configuration that increases the probability is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-20170 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-207151

Beacon tags used for position grasping generally use batteries as an operating power source, and as the remaining battery level decreases, the strength of the transmitted signal becomes unstable, making it difficult to measure the position accurately. .. Therefore, there is a problem that the management of the shelf number in the shelf number management system is hindered. Furthermore, when the remaining battery level is low, the system administrator, user, or the like needs to go to the place where the beacon tag is installed to replace or charge the battery.

Frequently checking the remaining battery level of the beacon tag, etc. requires time, effort, and cost. In addition, it is necessary to move or take out the beacon tag to replace or charge the battery during work in the warehouse. .. As a result, it becomes difficult to grasp the position, and there is a possibility that accurate shelf number management cannot be performed in the shelf number management system.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to remove a beacon tag from a shelf for battery replacement and charging when managing shelf numbers using an information transmission terminal (beacon tag). It is to provide an article transportation management system that does not need to be taken out.

The following configuration is provided as a means for achieving the above object and solving the above-mentioned problem. That is, the first exemplary invention of the present application is an article transport management system, in which a battery is used as an operating power source, an information transmission terminal that transmits predetermined information including battery remaining amount information of the battery, and at least transport of articles. And a mobile body that supplies power to the information transmitting terminal, and the mobile body stores the article in a predetermined storage location based on the battery remaining amount information or the battery remaining amount information and the storage period information of the article. It is characterized by being transported to.

The second exemplary invention of the present application is an article transportation management method, in which a battery is used as an operating power source, and an information transmission terminal for transmitting predetermined information including battery remaining amount information of the battery is installed in a predetermined storage location. The storage period is determined based on at least the process of preparing a moving body that transports the article and supplies power to the information transmission terminal, the battery remaining amount information, or the battery remaining amount information and the storage period information of the article. Instruct the moving body to transport an article shorter than a predetermined storage period to a storage location in which the information transmitting terminal is installed, in which the remaining battery level of the battery is lower than the predetermined threshold value in the predetermined storage location. It is characterized by having a process of putting out.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably perform shelf number management such as warehousing and warehousing of goods while maintaining the remaining battery level of the information transmitting terminal (beacon tag) at a certain level or higher.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an article transportation management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the beacon tag. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a state when a shelf for accommodating luggage is viewed from the front. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a control sequence at the time of warehousing of articles in the article transport management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a state of charging the beacon tag at the time of warehousing of the luggage. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a control sequence at the time of delivery of an article in the article transport management system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a state of charging the beacon tag at the time of delivery of the luggage. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure for transporting articles in the article transport management system according to the modified example.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an article transportation management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The goods transport management system 1 of FIG. 1 performs transport management including shelf number management for managing the location of goods in the warehouse. Therefore, the article transportation management system 1 includes a transportation management unit 10 that controls the entire transportation management (receipt and delivery) of goods, a moving body (for example, a forklift) 20 that travels in the warehouse to transport the goods (luggage) 40, and a warehousing. It is configured to include a shelf 50, which is a storage place for the stored luggage or the luggage waiting to be delivered.

Although omitted in FIG. 1, one or a plurality of moving bodies (forklifts) 20 carry out loading and unloading of cargo according to the scale of the warehouse and the like.

A beacon tag (also simply referred to as a beacon) 30, which is an information transmission terminal, is installed at a predetermined position on the shelf 50. The transport management unit 10 may be installed inside or outside the warehouse as long as it can wirelessly transmit and receive information to and from the mobile body 20 as described later.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the beacon tag 30. In FIG. 2, the control unit (CPU) 31 is composed of, for example, a microprocessor, and controls the entire beacon tag 30 as a beacon transmitter. The power receiving unit 33 receives power from the moving body 20 as described later, whereby the battery BT is charged.

The battery BT is a secondary battery, for example, a nickel cadmium battery, a nickel hydrogen battery, a lithium ion battery, or the like.

The voltage detection unit 37 detects the voltage of the battery BT (remaining battery level), and the detection result is sent to the beacon transmission unit 35 via the control unit 31. The beacon transmitting unit 35 wirelessly transmits the battery remaining amount information and the like as a beacon signal to the outside.

As shown in FIG. 1, a beacon receiving unit 23 is installed in the moving body (forklift) 20 traveling in the warehouse, and receives battery level information and the like transmitted from the beacon transmitting unit 35 of the beacon tag 30. .. The received battery level information and the like are sent from the beacon receiving unit 23 to the wireless communication unit 21. The wireless communication unit 21 wirelessly transmits the battery remaining amount information and the like to the transport management unit 10 that manages the shelf number and the like to notify the transport management unit 10.

The transport management unit 10 receives the battery remaining amount information and the like transmitted from the wireless communication unit 21 of the mobile body (forklift) 20 by the wireless communication unit 11, and based on the information, the beacon installed on the shelf 50. The remaining battery level of the tag 30 is detected. When the transport management unit 10 detects that the remaining battery level is low, the transport management unit 10 is a storage unit of the shelf 50 on which the beacon tag 30 having a low battery level is installed with respect to the moving body (forklift) 20 as described later. Instruct them to store or leave short-term luggage.

Here, the storage period refers to, for example, in the case of an industrial product, the number of days from receiving an order from a customer until it can be shipped.

Upon receiving the above instruction from the transport management unit 10, the moving body 20 receives the above-mentioned instruction by the power feeding unit 25 as a power feeding unit installed at a predetermined position of the moving body 20 when loading or unloading the luggage into or leaving the storage unit of the predetermined shelf. The beacon tag 30 with a low battery level is charged.

Non-contact power supply is performed from the power feeding unit 25 of the mobile body 20 to the power receiving unit 33 of the beacon tag 30. Therefore, the power feeding unit 25 and the power receiving unit 33 include, for example, an induction coil capable of transmitting and receiving power in a non-contact manner, and an electronic circuit for obtaining a direct current from the high frequency current generated in the induction coil.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a state when the shelf 50 is viewed from the front. As shown in FIG. 3, the shelf 50 has a plurality of storage units 53 partitioned by a plurality of shelf boards, and loads of luggage are carried into these storage units 53. Beacon tags 30a to 30d are installed in each of the lowermost storage portions 53a.

By doing so, the battery remaining amount information of the beacon tags 30a to 30d can be acquired from the outside. Further, by installing the beacon tag in the lowermost storage unit 53a, the beacon tag can be charged in a state of being close to the power supply unit 25 of the moving body (forklift) 20 at the time of loading and unloading the luggage.

Next, the article transport process in the article transport management system according to the present embodiment will be described. First, the processing procedure when warehousing the goods in the goods transportation management system will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a control sequence at the time of warehousing of articles in the article transport management system according to the present embodiment.

In step S1 of FIG. 4, the beacon tags 30a to 30d installed on the shelf 50 of the article transport management system 1 create battery remaining amount information indicating the voltage (battery remaining amount) of the battery BT detected by the voltage detection unit 37. To do. Then, in step S2, the beacon tags 30a to 30d wirelessly transmit the beacon signal including the identification information (terminal ID) of the beacon tag and the battery remaining amount information from the individual beacon transmitting units 35.

The mobile body (forklift) 20 that has received the beacon signal grasps its own position and the like (for example, the distance to the beacon tag and the shortest route to the beacon tag) based on the signal strength of the beacon signal (step S3). ).

In step S3, the position is fixed, the distance from the beacon tag to which the position and the identification information (terminal ID) are linked is estimated from the signal strength, and three-point survey is performed to estimate the own position. Use the survey method.

In step S5, the moving body 20 analyzes the information contained in the received beacon signal, and in step S7, conveys a notification signal including the identification information (ID) of the beacon tag which is the source of the beacon signal and the battery remaining amount information. Make a wireless call to the management unit 10.

On the other hand, the transportation management unit 10 manages the ordering information created in advance based on the order received from the customer or the like (step S11), and calculates the storage period of each package based on the ordering information (step S13). The status of the luggage on the shelf 50 including the ordering information created in this way, the calculated storage period, and the like is stored in the memory 13 of the transport management unit 10 as storage management information.

When the transport management unit 10 receives the above-mentioned notification signal from the mobile body 20, in step S15, whether or not the remaining battery level of the beacon tag, which is the source of the beacon signal, is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value based on the content of the notification signal. To judge. In the following step S17, the transport management unit 10 creates a baggage carry-in instruction based on the remaining battery level and the baggage storage period calculated in step S13.

Regarding the remaining battery level, for example, when the remaining battery level is 30% of the fully charged battery, a predetermined threshold value is set. The set value of the threshold value can be set in advance by the goods transportation management system or can be set by the user.

For example, the transport management unit 10 stores a package having a short storage period in a storage unit of a shelf 50 on which a beacon tag whose remaining battery level is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold is installed, and a battery remaining for a package having a long storage period. Create a baggage carry-in instruction to assign to a shelf with a sufficient amount of beacon tags. This is because if luggage having a long storage period is centrally stored in a row of storage units of the shelf 50, the beacon tag may be charged at the time of warehousing but may not be charged at the time of warehousing.

In step S19, an instruction signal consisting of the above carry-in instruction is wirelessly transmitted to the moving body 20. In addition, the carry-in instruction includes a shelf number corresponding to a position on the shelf 50 in the warehouse where a beacon tag having a battery level of less than a predetermined threshold value is installed and a position where a beacon tag having a sufficient battery level is installed. Contains information indicating the parcel number.

Therefore, the moving body 20 moves to the shelf 50 (self-propelled) based on the instruction signal received from the transport management unit 10 in step S21, the distance from the beacon tag grasped in step S3 above, and the route to the beacon tag. To do.

In step S23, the moving body 20 stores the luggage in the storage unit indicated by the shelf number and the division number, and at that time, the moving body 20 approaches the beacon tag installed on the shelf. As a result, power is supplied to the beacon tag by the power supply unit 25 of the mobile body 20. As a result, the battery BT of the beacon tag is charged in step S25.

FIG. 5 schematically shows the state of charging the beacon tag at the time of warehousing the luggage. The beacon tag is charged from the moving body for, for example, several tens of seconds required for the warehousing operation.

Next, the processing procedure when the article is delivered in the article transport management system will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a control sequence at the time of delivery of an article in the article transport management system according to the present embodiment.

In step S31 of FIG. 6, the transport management unit 10 of the article transport management system 1 identifies the package whose storage period has expired from the above-mentioned order information. Then, in the following step S33, an instruction signal including information indicating the shelf number and section number in which the package is stored and the identification information (ID) of the corresponding beacon tag is wirelessly transmitted to the mobile body 20.

Therefore, in step S35, the moving body 20 moves to the shelf 50 based on the identification information (ID) of the beacon tag included in the instruction signal received from the transport management unit 10. Then, in step S37, the moving body 20 takes out (delivers) the luggage stored there according to the shelf number and the section number, and at that time, by approaching the installed beacon tag, the power feeding unit of the moving body 20 Power is supplied to the beacon tag by 25.

In this way, the battery BT of the beacon tag is charged even when the package is delivered (step S39). FIG. 7 schematically shows the state of charging the beacon tag when the luggage is delivered. Here, too, the charging of the beacon tag from the moving body is performed for, for example, several tens of seconds, which is required for the warehousing operation, as in the case of warehousing.

It should be noted that the battery remaining amount information from the beacon transmitting unit of the beacon tag may be notified at all times, or may be notified only when the battery remaining amount becomes a predetermined value or less.

Further, the information transmitted from the beacon tag may include not only the remaining battery level and the identification information (terminal ID) but also the information regarding the operating state of the tag. By transmitting information on the operating state other than the remaining battery level, the moving body 20 can grasp the operation abnormality of the beacon tag and the like.

As for the power supply from the mobile body to the beacon tag, a method of preferentially charging the beacon tag having a small amount of charge may be adopted. Further, the moving body 20 may have the function of the transport management unit 10 described above, and the moving body 20 may handle the storage management information.

As described above, the article transportation management system according to the present embodiment supplies (charges) the beacon tag by the moving body together with the transportation of the article by the moving body based on the battery remaining amount information from the beacon tag. With the configuration, it is possible to reliably store and deliver goods while maintaining the remaining battery level of the beacon tag above a certain level. In addition, since it is not necessary to take out the beacon tag from the shelf for battery replacement and battery charging, accurate shelf number management can be performed.

In addition, the battery level information and the baggage ordering information are linked, and the baggage with a short storage period is preferentially allocated to the shelf where the beacon tag with a low battery level is installed, and the baggage with a long storage period is sufficient. By allocating to a shelf with remaining battery power, an opportunity to wirelessly charge the beacon tag is created, and it is possible to prevent the remaining battery power from falling below the threshold.

That is, by preferentially transporting an article having a short storage period to a storage location where a beacon tag with a low battery level is installed, the number of times of power supply to the beacon tag is increased and power supply (charging) is effectively performed. It will be possible to do. As a result, the strength of the radio signal transmitted from the beacon tag is stable, and the moving body can acquire accurate position information.

Furthermore, by transmitting power (power supply) from the power supply unit of the mobile body to the power receiving unit of the beacon tag in a non-contact manner, the beacon tag can be easily charged with a simple configuration, and the beacon tag can be charged quickly. Along with smoothing, the man-hours required for charging can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible.

<Modification example 1>
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure for transporting articles in the article transport management system according to the first modification. In step S51 of FIG. 8, the transport management unit 10 determines whether or not the remaining battery level of the beacon tag is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. When the remaining battery level is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, the transport management unit 10 carries in the storage unit of the shelf 50 on which the beacon tag is installed so that the luggage having a short storage period is preferentially stored in step S61. Create instructions.

If the remaining battery level of the beacon tag is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, the transport management unit 10 determines in step S53 whether or not there is only one empty space in the storage unit row of the shelf on which the beacon tag is installed. If there is one or more vacant spaces, in step S55, a carry-in instruction is created in the storage unit of the shelf on which the beacon tag is installed to store the luggage having a long storage period.

On the other hand, when there is only one empty space in the storage unit row of the shelf on which the beacon tag is installed, the transport management unit 10 knows when the remaining battery level will be reduced to a predetermined value. Calculate the period until the amount falls below the threshold. Then, in step S59, a carry-in instruction is created to store the parcel with a storage period shorter than the calculated period.

In this way, by predicting the period until the remaining battery level falls below the threshold value and avoiding that the entire row of storage units on the shelves is filled with luggage, it is possible to prevent the beacon tag from being unable to be charged. In addition, it becomes easy to determine whether or not the remaining battery level is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, and the processing time and cost for that determination can be reduced.

<Modification 2>
As a modification 2, the transport management unit 10 may be configured to manage not only the remaining battery level of the beacon tag but also the usable period (life) of the beacon tag itself including the number of times of charging. As a result, the life of the battery built in the beacon tag can be known, and the replacement time of the beacon tag can be grasped, so that unnecessary charging and excessive charging can be avoided.

<Modification example 3>
As a modification 3, the forklift 20 may be configured to patrol a predetermined route close to the installed beacon tag, including a storage place (shelf) for goods in the warehouse. By patrol, the battery level information of the beacon tag is surely received, and it becomes easy to grasp the beacon tag with a low battery level.

1 Goods transport management system 10 Transport management unit 11,21 Wireless communication unit 13 Memory 20 Mobile unit (forklift)
23 Beacon receiving unit 25 Power feeding unit 30, 30a to 30d Beacon tag 31 Control unit (CPU)
33 Power receiving unit 35 Beacon transmitting unit 37 Voltage detecting unit 40 Articles (luggage)
50 Shelf 53, 53a Storage BT battery

Claims (14)

An information transmission terminal that uses a battery as an operating power source and transmits predetermined information including battery level information of the battery.
At least a mobile body that transports goods and supplies power to the information transmission terminal.
With
The moving body is an article transport management system that transports the article to a predetermined storage location based on the battery remaining amount information or the battery remaining amount information and the storage period information of the article. A claim that further includes a transport management unit that sends predetermined battery level information or a predetermined instruction based on the battery level information and the storage period information to the moving body, and manages the transport of articles by the moving body. The article transportation management system according to 1. According to the instruction, the moving body stores an article whose storage period is shorter than a predetermined storage period, in which the information transmission terminal is installed, in which the remaining battery level of the battery is lower than the predetermined threshold value in the predetermined storage location. The article transportation management system according to claim 2, wherein the product is transported to a place. The article transportation management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information transmission terminal transmits the battery remaining amount information only when the battery remaining amount of the battery becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. Further provided with means for calculating the period until the remaining battery level of the battery becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value based on the remaining battery level information.
According to claim 3, the transport management unit instructs the mobile body to transport an article having a storage period shorter than the calculated period to a place where an information transmission terminal that transmits the battery remaining amount information is installed. Described article transport management system. The article transportation management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the mobile body has a power feeding unit arranged so as to be close to a power receiving unit of the information transmitting terminal. The article transportation management system according to claim 6, wherein the moving body supplies power to the information transmission terminal at the time of warehousing and warehousing of the goods in the predetermined storage place. The article transport management system according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the power supply to the information transmission terminal is non-contact power supply. The article transportation management system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined information includes information regarding an operating state of the information transmitting terminal. The predetermined information includes the identification information of the information transmitting terminal, and includes the identification information.
The article transport management system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile body specifies the position of the mobile body based on the signal strength of a radio wave including the identification information transmitted from the information transmission terminal. The moving body is a forklift that moves in a warehouse, and the power feeding unit provided at a predetermined position of the forklift is close to the power receiving unit of the information transmitting terminal to supply power to the information transmitting terminal. The article transportation management system according to any one of the above items. The article transport management system according to claim 11, wherein the forklift has means for specifying the position of the forklift in the warehouse based on the signal strength of a radio wave transmitted from the information transmission terminal. The article transport management system according to claim 11, wherein the forklift circulates a predetermined route including a storage place for articles in the warehouse. A process of installing an information transmission terminal that uses a battery as an operating power source and transmits predetermined information including battery level information of the battery in a predetermined storage location, and
At least the process of preparing a mobile body that transports goods and supplies power to the information transmission terminal,
Based on the battery remaining amount information or the battery remaining amount information and the storage period information of the article, an article whose storage period is shorter than the predetermined storage period is stored in the predetermined storage place where the battery remaining amount of the battery is high. A step of instructing the moving body to transport the information transmission terminal to a storage location where the information transmission terminal is installed, which is lower than a predetermined threshold.
Goods transport management method.

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