JP4786146B2 - Product storage system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a product storage system, and is particularly suitable for a product storage system that stores a product in a predetermined storage area.

  There is a wide range of logistics service operations where logistics companies collectively carry out custody operations for custody and storage of customer products and delivery operations for transporting custody products to designated destinations based on customer instructions. . In this logistics service business, once the delivery destination of the stored product is determined, pick up the stored product for each delivery destination or every delivery route before the scheduled delivery date or immediately before delivery. A shipping picking operation is performed.

  In this shipment picking work, the worker confirms the individual product such as the product name and product code of the product to be searched using the storage location information of the stored product as a clue, so that the product can be picked without fail. Required. That is, the confirmation work is performed by visually confirming the exterior display by the operator himself or by displaying information for identifying the individual product (for example, when a barcode label is affixed or printed, this barcode label ) At a reading terminal (for example, a barcode reading terminal).

  Conventionally, the product storage position information, which is a clue to search for products, is transported to the storage position when the product is received, and left by the worker who has placed it in his / her memory, or the address indicating the storage position is determined and stored in advance. Sometimes the address is registered in the inventory management system.

  The latter is an operation method called a fixed location or storage address method, and there is an advantage that a product can be searched for by using the address as a clue to a person other than the storage worker. This product storage information is a collective management of product information such as the product name, product code and quantity of the product itself, and storage location information such as addresses, etc., which are collectively referred to as inventory management. It is called the system, and it is used and distributed by many logistics companies. In addition, as a patent document regarding an inventory management system, there exists Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2002-356227 (patent document 1), for example.

JP 2002-356227 A

  However, in the conventional inventory management system, since the worker himself inputs the storage address, there is a possibility that an input error occurs. In addition, in the conventional inventory management system, it is not necessary to synchronize the work for placing the product at the storage position and the timing for registering and inputting the storage address, so that the storage address is not registered and input in synchronization with the completion of the storage. It was possible to enter the storage address before the storage or after a considerable time from the completion of the storage. For this reason, there is a possibility that a difference occurs between the actually stored position and storage time and the storage position and storage time input to the inventory management system. In addition, in an area where products are stored (for example, in a warehouse), the stored products are frequently moved and rearranged frequently for the purpose of organizing and organizing the stored products and improving storage efficiency. In warehouses where storage addresses are completely managed, it is necessary to re-enter storage location information every time a product is moved or rearranged, which is a heavy burden for logistics companies and storage workers. This also caused a difference between the storage address registered in the inventory management system and the storage address registered in the inventory management system, which was a major operational problem.

  Therefore, in these inventory management systems for warehouses with completely managed storage addresses, the area of storage addresses is allocated a little larger, and even for minor movements and rearrangements, each area is large enough to be handled as movement within the same storage address. In many cases, a device for assigning a storage address is taken. However, as the storage address becomes wider, the meaning of information as a clue to search for a product at the time of shipping picking work is diminished, and a new problem has arisen that cannot be performed efficiently.

  Therefore, it is desirable to know the product position in detail, to obtain a storage address that does not burden the actual warehousing work, and to input the storage position in synchronization with the product storage work that does not depend on the operator's input. Yes. In other words, there is a mechanism that allows storage addresses to be registered when the products are stored while maintaining the storage address area allocation that is useful for actually searching for stored products, and a minor issue that occurs due to reasons such as organizing and ordering in the warehouse. Construction of a product storage system with high flexibility that can easily cope with storage address changes during simple movement is desired.

  In addition, for products that have a significant management responsibility, such as medical materials and drugs, the slight movement of products in the warehouse is constantly monitored, and workers in the warehouse and product managers are responsible for the stored products in the warehouse. It is necessary to monitor the act of approaching itself and ensure the safety of stored products. In other words, in such a warehouse, it is necessary to sufficiently manage the dynamic monitoring of workers, etc., and the functions of the inventory management system described above include attendance information and current location of workers and product managers in the warehouse. It is desired to add a function of a work management system that is constantly grasped and to build a product storage system that integrates an inventory management system and a work management system.

This onset Ming purpose, storage products and current position working in the storage location's and of product management responsible for the dynamics can be accurately recognized efficiently, it is efficiently and reliably shipped picking work can be a highly secure storage It is to provide a possible product storage system.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a work terminal held by a worker who carries in and picks up a stored product containing medicine, and a wireless tag attached to the stored product and recorded with product information A person-in-charge portable terminal held by a product manager who is a pharmacist, a plurality of relay devices that transmit and receive information to and from the work terminal in the product storage area, the person-in-charge portable terminal, and the wireless tag, and the relay A management server that transmits / receives information to / from the work terminal , the person in charge mobile terminal, and the wireless tag via a device, and the management server transmits the wireless tag in the product storage area that is transmitted through the relay device. recognizes the position of the storage product based on the information, the work stations on the basis of prior SL said working information of the terminal product storage area which is transmitted through the relay device Recognizes the location, the recognized position of the person responsible for the mobile terminal based on the said head of the portable terminal product information storage area that is transmitted through the relay apparatus, the work terminal, the person responsible for the mobile terminal and the The storage product position information is associated with the storage address information obtained by subdividing the product storage area, and is transmitted to the work terminal and the responsible person's mobile terminal through the relay device, and the wireless tag in the product storage area is transmitted. The product information, the location information of the stored product and the current date and time are simultaneously recorded based on the information, and the location of the worker based on the information from the work terminal and the responsible person portable terminal in the product storage area. Information, the location information of the person in charge of product management and the current date and time are simultaneously recorded, and the work information and location information of the person in charge of product management are stored in the inventory management information of the stored product. Centrally manage and location information of the product managers and the location information of the storage product to suit look, the work terminal displays the received content that was sent through the relay device from the management server, the person responsible for mobile The terminal is configured to display the received content transmitted from the management server through the relay device .

A more preferable specific configuration of the present invention is as follows.
(1) said at the time to find the storage products in the shipment picking operation industry, the wireless communication function with the working end at the end of the screen on which the worker is mobile, display the current position of the work terminal and storage location of the storage product To do .

According to the present invention, can accurately recognize efficiently and dynamics of the worker and product management representative at the current position and location of storage products, efficiently and reliably can be shipped picking operations can highly secure storage A safe product storage system.

  Hereinafter, a product storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a product storage system according to the present embodiment. The product storage system 100 includes work terminals 2A and 2B held by workers and cargo handling equipment, a person-in-charge portable terminal 3 held by a product manager in the product storage area 70 (see FIG. 6), and storage. The wireless tag 4 attached to the product 4a to be recorded and the product information recorded thereon, the relay device 5 for transmitting / receiving the information to / from the work terminals 2A, 2B and the wireless tag 4 in the product storage area 70, and the relay device 5 And a management server 6 that transmits and receives data to and from the work terminals 2A and 2B and the wireless tag 4.

  The product storage system 100 includes an entrance management gate 7 and a control device 8.

  Further, the product storage system 100 is linked to the position information system 110 outside the product storage area 70. That is, the management server 6 manages the position information and related information of the position information system 110 outside the product storage area 70 with the same mechanism as the position information and related information in the product storage area 70, and the position information outside the product storage area 70. The system 110 and the storage management system 100 in the product storage area 70 are coordinated and coordinated.

  The position information system 110 is configured by connecting a GPS satellite 111, a communication carrier 112, a position information center 113, terminals held in a transportation vehicle 114, and the like via a wireless or Internet network 1A.

  The work terminal 2A is a terminal with a wireless communication function carried by an operator, and the work terminal 2B is a terminal with a wireless communication function mounted on a movable cargo handling facility such as a forklift. Here, the worker is, for example, an operator who directly transports and stores the product, transports and stores the product using the cargo handling equipment, and picks a product to be shipped from the stored product. It is. The work terminal 2A has a function of reading the product information of the stored product 4a from a barcode or the like, transmitting the product information to the relay device 5, and registering it in the management server 6.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the work terminals 2A and 2B of the present embodiment. The work terminals 2A and 2B include an input unit 21, a control unit 22, a display unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a communication unit 25.

  The input unit 21 has a character input unit such as a numeric keypad, and is connected to the control unit 22 so as to input the input result to the control unit 22. The control unit 22 is configured by a microcomputer or the like, performs predetermined processing based on the input data and the data transmitted from the management server 6, stores the processing result in the storage unit 24, and outputs it to the display unit 23. Has a function of outputting to the outside wirelessly via the communication unit 25. The display unit 23 includes a liquid crystal display unit and the like, and is connected to the control unit 22 and displays input contents, received contents, processing contents, and the like. The storage unit 24 stores specific information such as an employee code and employee name related to the worker, or an equipment code and driver related to the cargo handling equipment, and is connected to the control unit 22. The communication unit 25 has a function of enabling transmission / reception of the work terminals 2 </ b> A and 2 </ b> B to the relay device 5 and is connected to the control unit 22.

  The responsible person portable terminal 3 is a terminal with a wireless communication function that is carried by the person responsible for product management. When the stored product is a medicine, for example, a pharmacist becomes the product management manager.

  FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the person-in-charge portable terminal 3 of this embodiment. The responsible person portable terminal 3 includes an input unit 31, a control unit 32, a display unit 33, a storage unit 34, and a communication unit 35.

  The input unit 31 has a character input unit such as a numeric keypad and is connected to the control unit 32 so as to input the input result to the control unit 32. The control unit 32 is configured by a microcomputer or the like, performs predetermined processing based on the input data and data transmitted from the management server 6, stores the processing result in the storage unit 34, and outputs it to the display unit 33. Furthermore, it has a function of outputting wirelessly to the outside via the communication unit 35. The display unit 33 includes a liquid crystal display unit and the like, and is connected to the control unit 32 and displays input contents, received contents, processing contents, and the like. The storage unit 34 stores unique information such as the employee code, employee name, and qualification related to the product manager, and is connected to the control unit 32. The communication unit 35 has a function of enabling the responsible person mobile terminal 3 to transmit and receive to the relay device 5 and is connected to the control unit 32.

  The wireless tag 4 stores product information and is attached to a product 4a to be stored. Here, the product 4a to be stored includes a product packaging material, a packaging material, and a storage basket. The means for transmitting information from the wireless tag 4 to the relay device 5 is means for transmitting the position of the wireless tag 4 as information in response to a transmission request transmitted from the relay device 5, and a work terminal with a wireless communication function carried by the worker 2A and means for transmitting the position of the wireless tag 4 as information in response to a transmission request transmitted from the wireless terminal 2B or the like mounted on a movable cargo handling equipment such as a forklift, based on the internal settings of the wireless tag 4 itself Any one of the means for transmitting the position of the wireless tag itself as information at time intervals, or a combination thereof.

  The relay device 5 is composed of a wireless repeater and a base station, and a plurality of relay devices 5 are installed so as to transmit / receive information to / from the work terminals 2A and 2B, the responsible person portable terminal 3 and the wireless tag 4 in the product storage area 70. 1 is connected. A management server 6 is connected to the network communication network 1, and information is transmitted and received between the relay device 5 and the management server 6.

  FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the management server 6 of this embodiment. The management server 6 is connected to the network communication network 1 so as to be able to transmit / receive to / from the work terminals 2A and 2B, the responsible person portable terminal 3 and the wireless tag 4 via the relay device 5.

  The management server 6 includes an input unit 61, a control unit 62, a display unit 63, a storage unit 64, a communication unit 65, and a printer 66.

  The input device 61 has an input unit such as a keyboard and is connected to the control unit 62. The control unit 62 is constituted by a microcomputer or the like, and performs main processing in this product storage system. The display unit 63 includes a CRT display unit, a liquid crystal display unit, and the like, is connected to the control unit 62, and displays a transmission / reception screen and an input screen necessary for the operation of the product storage system. The storage unit 64 stores information necessary for the processing of the control unit 62 and is connected to the control unit 62. The communication unit 65 has a function of enabling the control unit 62 to transmit and receive to the network communication network 1.

  FIG. 5 is a file configuration diagram of the storage unit 64 of the management server 6 of this embodiment. The file structure in the storage unit 64 includes server control software 64a, position measurement system software 64b, storage position recognition system software 64c, inventory management system software 64d, work management system software 64e, activity management database 64f. And an inventory management database 64g and a work management database 64h.

  The server control software 64a is software that controls the management server 6 itself.

  The position measurement system software 64b is software for measuring these positions based on the information of the work terminals 2A and 2B, the responsible person portable terminal 3, and the wireless tag 4 received through the relay device 5. The measurement result of this position is converted into X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis coordinates, and is used by the storage position recognition system software 64c, the inventory management system software 64d, and the work management system software 64e. The

  The storage position recognition system software 64c is based on the information of the work terminals 2A and 2B, the person-in-charge portable terminal 3 and the wireless tag 4 transmitted through the relay device 5, and the work terminals 2A and 2B, the person-in-charge portable terminal 3 and the wireless The position of the tag 4 (stored product 4a) is recognized, and the location information of the work terminals 2A, 2B, the responsible person portable terminal 3 and the wireless tag 4 (stored product 4a) is stored in the storage address obtained by subdividing the product storage area 70. In association with the information, it has a function of transmitting to the work terminals 2A, 2B and the responsible person portable terminal 3 through the relay device 5.

  Here, the storage address will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the storage address of this embodiment, FIG. 6 (a) is an explanatory diagram of subdivision from the floor 70a to the block 70c, and FIG. 6 (b) is a subdivision from the block 70c to the shelf 70d. It is explanatory drawing of conversion.

  In the illustrated example, the product storage area 70 includes three floors 70a configured from the first floor to the third floor. As shown in FIG. 6A, the floor 70a is divided into a plurality of zones 70b, and the zone 70b is divided into a plurality of blocks 70c. Further, the block 70c is divided into shelves 70d composed of a plurality of rows and stages, as shown in FIG. In this way, in the product storage area 70, storage addresses divided by the hierarchy of the floor 70a, the zone 70b, the block 70c, and the shelf 70d are set. This storage address classification is stored in advance in the storage position recognition system software 64c. For example, the storage address of the star symbol in FIG. 6B is “2nd floor-south 1-A block-6 rows-1 stage (2S1A61 in terms of code)”. Note that the stored address can be appropriately changed, so that appropriate product storage can be performed in response to a change in layout, a change in the stock amount of stored products, and the like. The management server 6 manages data in a unified manner for a plurality of product storage areas.

  The storage position recognition system software 64c records product information, product position information, and the current date and time at the same time based on information from the wireless tag 4, and constantly monitors the product storage position. Also, based on the information from the work terminals 2A, 2B and the responsible person portable terminal 3, the worker information, the position information of the worker and the product manager and the current date and time are simultaneously recorded, and the product storage position is constantly monitored. It is like that.

  Furthermore, the storage position recognition system software 64c has a function of determining the safety of storage work based on the recognized positions of the work terminals 2A and 2B and the responsible person mobile terminal 3. In other words, the storage position recognition system software 64c has a function of performing dynamic management based on the dynamic management database 64f.

  FIG. 7 is a data configuration diagram of the dynamic management database 64f of the present embodiment. The data structure of the dynamic management database 64f includes a target category, a current location, a previous location, a warning category, a business office, coordinate transformation 1, coordinate transformation 2, and coordinate transformation 3.

  Here, the target category relates to a product or a person whose behavior is managed. Specifically, the product 4a to which the wireless tag 4 is attached, or a worker such as an operator who holds the work terminal 2A or an operator who operates a cargo handling equipment that holds the work terminal 2B or the like is a target category. The current position and the previous position are represented by three-dimensional coordinates of the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis. The warning classification classifies whether the warning is related to delivery, indoor transportation, relocation, theft, or the like. Coordinate conversion 1 converts longitude and latitude, coordinate conversion 2 converts storage addresses, and coordinate conversion 3 converts attendance information. The attendance information includes attendance, vacation, and outing.

  The inventory management system software 64d is for collectively managing product information and product storage information using the inventory management database 64g.

  FIG. 8 is a data configuration diagram of the inventory management database 64g of the present embodiment. The data structure of the inventory management database 64g includes a product code, a product name, a total inventory quantity, packing information, a representative storage address, and an actual storage address.

  The work management system software 64e is for managing the work status of workers including workers and product managers using the work management database 64h.

  FIG. 9 is a data configuration diagram of the work management database 64h of the present embodiment. The data structure of the work management database 64h includes an employee code, employee name, attendance history, employee classification, commute route, paid leave, current attendance status, and current position.

  The storage position recognition system software 64c combines the work information and location information of the product manager with the inventory management information of the product so as to manage the location information of the product and the location information of the product manager in an integrated manner. It has become.

  Further, the storage position recognition system software 64c performs communication processing for the work terminal 2A to read the product information of the storage product 4a from a barcode or the like, transmit the product information to the relay device 5, and register it in the management server 6. When performing, it has a function of including the current position information of the work terminal 2A in the product information as product placement location information and registering it in the management server.

  Further, the storage position recognition system software 64c is mounted on a movable cargo handling equipment such as a work terminal 2A with a wireless communication function carried by an operator or a forklift when searching for a stored product 4a in shipping picking work or the like. It has a function of generating information for displaying the storage position of the stored product 4a and the current positions of the work terminals 2A and 2B on the screen of the work terminal with wireless communication function 2B.

  And, in the logistics process of delivering products such as medical materials and pharmaceuticals from the manufacturing location to the use location such as medical institutions, the manufacturers themselves consign storage and transport operations to a specialized logistics company instead of transporting directly to the use location. As a result, logistics are becoming more efficient. However, in the case of medical materials and pharmaceuticals, even if the distribution is outsourced, the quality control in this distribution process must be strictly controlled by the manufacturer and the seller. In other words, regarding the management aspects of safety, security, and quality other than actual logistics work, it is required that manufacturers and sellers perform quality control. In particular, in a warehouse as a storage location, a pharmacist must be working as a manager and is an important quality control issue. As in this example, centralized management of pharmacist work status and product storage information ensures that quality control is observed automatically and without information. This is an effective system.

  In addition, for medical materials and pharmaceuticals that require strict management standards, theft and misdelivery in the logistics process may lead to accidents, so manufacturers and sellers outsource logistics. Instead, it was common to deliver directly to users of medical institutions. Therefore, there has been a problem that excessive transportation costs are required. Therefore, in this embodiment, the management server 6 includes an inventory management system that collectively manages product information and product storage information, and a work management system for workers including workers and product managers. The product management information and the location information of the product manager are centrally managed by combining the work information and location information of the product management manager with the product inventory management information. As a result, even for medical materials and pharmaceuticals that require strict management, it is possible to outsource distribution and realize a product storage system that can be safely and securely stored, reducing distribution costs and enhancing quality control. Can be realized simultaneously.

  In the present embodiment, the management server 6 simultaneously records product information, product location information, and current date and time based on information from the wireless tag 4, constantly monitors the product storage location, and uses the work terminal 2A. When performing communication processing for reading product information of the stored product 4a and registering the product information in the management server 6, the current location information of the work terminal 2A is included in the product information as product placement location information in the management server. I am trying to register. As a result, it is possible to prove the authenticity of whether or not the actual state of the stored work actually existed. In other words, depending on the product to be stored, there is no doubt that you want someone other than the worker who performed the storage work to prove that the product was stored at that time on that date. Because there is.

  According to the present embodiment, the management server 6 recognizes the position of the stored product 4a based on the information of the wireless tag 4 transmitted through the relay device 5, and subdivides the position information of the stored product 4a into the product storage area. Since it is configured to transmit to the work terminals 2A and 2B through the relay device 5 in association with the stored storage address information, the current position of the stored product 4a can be accurately and efficiently recognized, and the picking operation can be performed efficiently and reliably. It can be a product storage system.

  Further, the management server 6 recognizes the positions of the work terminals 2A and 2B based on the information of the work terminals 2A and 2B transmitted through the relay device 5, and the information of the responsible mobile terminal 3 transmitted through the relay device 5 Based on the position of the person-in-charge portable terminal 3, and the safety of the storage work is determined based on the recognized positions of the work terminals 2A and 2B and the person-in-charge portable terminal 3. It is possible to make a product storage system capable of accurately recognizing a person's behavior and capable of highly safe storage.

Furthermore, the following specific effects can be obtained by the configuration of the embodiment described above.
(1) The storage position can be automatically recognized and registered in the inventory management system.
(2) When a wireless tag is attached to a stored product, it is possible to automatically track the position of the product and re-register the product storage position even when the stored product frequently moves.
(3) Position information can be registered unconsciously by the operator, and the labor and time can be greatly reduced.
(4) Since it is possible to track the flow of movement and movement of product storage managers and workers, it is useful for preventing theft and finding work mistakes.
(5) The storage position of the product and the storage position registered in the inventory management system can be completely matched, and not only can the efficiency of storage and shipping work in the warehouse be improved, but also mechanical equipment It is possible to realize storage location management in a warehouse that is flexible and easy to operate without the need for automation equipment.

It is a block diagram of the product storage system which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a block diagram of the work terminal of a present Example. It is a block diagram of the person in charge portable terminal of a present Example. It is a block diagram of the management server of a present Example. It is a file block diagram of the memory | storage part of the management server of a present Example. It is a conceptual diagram explaining the storage address of a present Example. It is a data block diagram of the dynamics management database of a present Example. It is a data block diagram of the inventory management database of a present Example. It is a data block diagram of the work management database of a present Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Network communication network, 2A, 2B ... Work terminal, 3 ... Responsible person portable terminal, 4 ... Wireless tag, 4a ... Storage product, 5 ... Relay device, 6 ... Management server, 7 ... Entrance management gate, 8 ... Control device 70 ... Product storage area, 70a ... Floor, 70b ... Zone, 70c ... Block, 100 ... Product storage system.

Claims (2)

A work terminal held by a worker who carries in and picks up a stored product containing medicine;
A wireless tag attached to the stored product and recorded with product information;
The responsible person ’s mobile terminal held by the product manager who is the pharmacist,
A plurality of relay devices for transmitting and receiving information to and from the work terminal in the product storage area, the responsible person portable terminal and the wireless tag;
A management server that transmits and receives information to and from the work terminal , the responsible person portable terminal, and the wireless tag via the relay device;
The management server is
Said recognizes the position of the storage product based on the information of the wireless tag, wherein the working information of the terminal in the product storage area which is transmitted through the front Symbol repeater of the product storage area which is transmitted through the relay device Recognizing the position of the work terminal based on the information, and recognizing the position of the responsible mobile terminal based on the information of the responsible mobile terminal in the product storage area transmitted through the relay device, the work terminal , The location information of the responsible person mobile terminal and the stored product is associated with the information of the storage address obtained by subdividing the product storage area, and transmitted to the work terminal and the responsible person portable terminal through the relay device,
Based on the information of the wireless tag in the product storage area, the product information, the location information of the stored product, and the current date and time are simultaneously recorded, and from the work terminal and the responsible person portable terminal in the product storage area The position information of the worker, the position information of the person in charge of product management, and the current date and time are simultaneously recorded based on the information of the product, and the work information and location information of the person in charge of product management are combined with the inventory management information of the stored product. Centrally manage the location information of the stored product and the location information of the product manager ,
The work terminal displays the received content transmitted from the management server through the relay device,
The product storage system, wherein the responsible person portable terminal displays the received content transmitted from the management server through the relay device .   2. The product storage system according to claim 1, wherein when searching for the stored product in the shipment picking work, the storage position of the stored product and the current status of the work terminal are displayed on a screen of a work terminal with a wireless communication function carried by an operator. Product storage system characterized by displaying the position.

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