JP4932681B2 - Traceability system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing system (referred to herein as a “traceability system”) having a traceability that can trace product distribution from a production stage to a final consumption stage.

  In particular, when a defect is found in a certain product, it is possible to estimate a product having the same defect and immediately identify the current location of those products in the distribution channel so that those products will not be distributed anymore. It is related with the traceability system which can stop those distribution.

  In recent years, the traceability of products from manufacturing to distribution and reaching the final consumer is regarded as important.

  In particular, in the field of food products, traceability is gaining importance in order to ensure food safety.

  In a conventional traceability system, when a product is manufactured in a factory, the manufacturing factory and the manufacturing time are described in the product, thereby specifying the manufacturer or the manufacturer and then placing the product on the distribution channel.

In the conventional traceability system, if a defect is found in a certain product, it was manufactured from the manufacturer or manufacturer and the manufacturing time of the product at the same time zone starting from the manufacturing factory (manufacturer or manufacturer). A product is pursued along its distribution route, and when the location of the product is found, the product is collected.
JP 2003-276847 A JP 2003-22115 A JP 2003-167999 A JP 2003-177814 A Japanese Patent No. 3735083

  However, in the conventional normal distribution channel, the manufacturer's factory, warehouse, and collection / delivery place manage the products using their own identification information. For example, when products arrive at warehouses and collection offices, they are placed on pallets and managed by pallet numbers assigned independently.

  In addition, warehouses and collection / delivery offices may further subdivide the products received independently, or collect the products received and manage them with unique identification information (pallet number).

  Since such identification information, for example, pallet numbers, is uniquely assigned by each warehouse or collection / delivery place, there are cases where the numbering system is different or accidentally the same identification information.

  For this reason, when a defect is found in a certain product, if you try to pursue a product manufactured in the same time zone from the manufacturing factory (manufacturer or manufacturer) along the distribution route, The product identification information changes with each movement, and the product identification information has to be read and tracked, requiring a great deal of labor and time. In some cases, the same identification information may appear and confuse traceability.

  In addition, the current distribution system has a complicated and diverse distribution route, and the distribution route is often branched. Further, as described above, products are subdivided or aggregated at the distribution base, and unique identification information is obtained. In many cases, it is almost impossible to quickly collect all products that may be defective.

  Therefore, in the conventional traceability system, when a defect is found in a certain product, a manufacturing factory (manufacturer or manufacturer) is specified, and all products of the manufacturer or manufacturer are collected.

  In such a traceability system, when a defect occurs, the defective product and the non-defective product are treated as defective products, and all products from the same manufacturer are discarded and waste resources. Not only that, it took a lot of labor, and it was still impossible to recover the total number of defective products.

  Therefore, one problem to be solved by the present invention is that when a defect is found in a certain product, the current location of the product that may have the same defect can be immediately identified. The object is to provide a traceability system capable of stopping the above distribution.

  Generally, when a defect is found in a certain product, the range of products that can be estimated to have the same defect differs depending on the nature of the defect.

  For example, when there is a defect in a raw material such as food, all products using the same raw material must be collected, and the range for determining a defect becomes wide.

  However, for example, when a defect is discovered in the packaging of the product, it is necessary to collect only the products in the time zone in which the packaging apparatus has been operated with the defect in relation to the defect of the packaging apparatus.

  These product failures are closely related to the cause of the failure, and the width of the defective product should be adjusted according to the cause of the failure.

  However, according to the conventional technology, all the products are collected without specifying the width of the defective product according to the cause of the defect.

  Accordingly, one problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a traceability system having a user interface for inputting a condition for estimating a defective product in accordance with the cause of the malfunction.

  In general, in the field of food products, quality control is performed in order to demand food safety. However, the quality control of the food stores the product for a certain period of time after production, during which bacteria are not generated. A certain amount of time is required to confirm the presence or absence, that is, to observe the change over time.

  However, on the other hand, in the field of food, in order to demand freshness, it is also an important requirement to deliver to consumers as soon as possible after production.

  Thus, in the field of food, there is a conflict between the requirement to delay the distribution of products for the sake of safety and the requirement to put the products in circulation as soon as possible in order to provide fresh food.

  In the conventional traceability system, products are distributed while sacrificing one of the requirements.

  Therefore, one problem to be solved by the present invention is that quality control is performed to ensure safety, while product distribution is started at an early stage, and products are delivered to consumers as soon as safety is proved by quality control. It is to provide a traceability system that can.

The traceability system according to the present invention is:
A controller having a communication function provided in each manufacturing device of the factory until the product is completed;
An arrival management device and a shipment management device having a communication function provided at each distribution relay point on the distribution route of the product,
A control center that is communicably connected to the controller, the arrival management device of each distribution relay point, and the shipment management device via a communication network;
The control center
Communication means capable of communicating with the controller, the arrival management device, and the shipping management device;
Manufacturing lot number of the product, manufacturing time including manufacturing completion time of each manufacturing process of each manufacturing lot, pallet number derived from the lot number, factory shipping time of the pallet with the pallet number, and the pallet A master database that stores and manages the location information of the distribution relay points that are distributed, the time when each pallet arrives at the distribution relay point, and the time that the pallet is shipped in association with each other;
A manufacturing time including a manufacturing completion time of each manufacturing process of a predetermined manufacturing lot is received from the controller via the communication network and the communication means, and the manufacturing lot number is assigned to the manufacturing lot to determine the manufacturing time. Record in the master database corresponding to the production lot number, record pallet numbers derived from the production lot numbers and factory shipment times of those pallets in the master database in correspondence with the production lot numbers, and From the arrival point management device and the shipping management device of the relay point, via the communication network and the communication means, receiving the arrival information and the shipping information to the physical distribution relay point of the pallet with each pallet number, The arrival time and shipping time at the distribution relay point are recorded in the master database in correspondence with the corresponding pallet number. To, and product location information collection means,
Pallet derived from the manufacturing lot number is received via the manufacturing lot number stored in association with the pallet number by receiving defective product information and referring to the master database when the defective product information is a pallet number The pallet number and its location are identified as pallet numbers that may contain defective products by identifying the location information where the pallets with those pallet numbers are currently located by the master database. When the defective product information is the manufacturing time of a single product, the master database is referred to, the manufacturing lot number corresponding to the manufacturing time of the single product is specified, and the information is derived from the specified manufacturing lot number. Pallet numbers are specified, and there are currently pallets with those pallet numbers. Identify the location information are, for outputting the pallet number and its location information as a pallet number that may contain defective products, defective products and defective products estimating means,
Enter the pallet number and its location information that may contain the defective product output by the defective product estimation means, identify the specific communication destination and communication method, and specify the specified communication destination and communication method. An alarm transmission means for transmitting an alarm message selected by the user based on the
It is characterized by having.

  A user interface for receiving information from the communication unit, determining that the received information is defective product information, passing the defective product information to the defective product estimation unit, and inputting a condition for estimating the defective product; It is possible to provide a defective product information receiving unit that provides and outputs a condition for estimating a defective product input by the user to the defective product estimation unit.

  The alarm transmission means may transmit a shipment stop command for stopping the shipment of the pallet to the shipment management device at the distribution relay point storing the pallet that may contain a defective product. it can.

  The user interface provided by the defective product information receiving unit can input a range of manufacturing time estimated to include defective products before and after the manufacturing time of defective products.

Has a defect history database that stores and manages the history of defects for each manufacturing device in the factory,
When the cause of the failure is attributed to a predetermined manufacturing apparatus, the defective product estimation means refers to the defect history database, displays the defect history of the manufacturing apparatus to the user via the interface, and gives the user a defective product. A condition for estimation can be input.

  The traceability system of the present invention includes a controller having a communication function provided in each manufacturing apparatus of a factory, an arrival management apparatus and a shipment management apparatus having a communication function provided at each distribution relay point on a product distribution route, The control center is communicably connected via a communication network.

  In the control center, when a product is manufactured in a predetermined production lot and the product is placed on a pallet by a palletizer, the production lot number is assigned to the production lot, and the pallet separated from the production lot is assigned to the control center. A pallet number is assigned, and the production lot number, the production completion time of each production process of the production lot, and the pallet number are associated and recorded in the master database.

  Further, the location information of the distribution relay points through which each pallet circulates, the time when each pallet arrives at a predetermined distribution relay point, and the shipping time are stored and managed in the master database in association with the pallet number.

  By collecting the production lot number, production time, pallet number, and receipt / shipment time of location information in near real time by the product location information collection means, the control center master database stores the pallet placed on the distribution channel. The current location is recorded.

  That is, according to the present invention, products are managed by the same pallet number consistently in the distribution route, and the pallet number of which pallet currently exists at which distribution relay point is grasped in real time by the control center. ing.

  Assuming that a defect is found in a product on a pallet, the defective product information is input to the defective product estimation means in the control center, and the defective product estimation means enters the master database from the pallet number of the pallet where the defective product was found. The production lot number of the production lot to which the pallet belongs can be specified through the recorded information. Further, the defective product estimation means specifies the pallet number of another pallet derived from the manufacturing lot number (the same manufacturing lot) from the manufacturing time of the specified manufacturing lot number, and further, these pallet numbers are assigned. The location information where the pallet currently exists can be identified, and the pallet number and its location information can be output as a pallet number that may contain a defective product.

  Furthermore, the control center can specify a specific communication destination and communication method by the alarm transmission means, and can transmit an alarm message selected by the user based on the specified communication destination and communication method.

  Depending on the embodiment, a shipment stop command for stopping the shipment of the pallet is directly transmitted from the alarm transmission means to the shipment management device at the distribution relay point storing the pallet that may contain a defective product. You can also.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when a defective product is found, the product of the pallet is manufactured not only by specifying the pallet containing the defective product but also by referring to the control center. The production lot can be identified, the pallet number of other pallets produced in that production lot can be identified, and the distribution relay point that stores the pallets that may contain those defective products. Up to location information can be output.

  In this way, it is possible to instantly grasp and collect the current location of all pallets that may contain defective products.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, the warning message can be immediately transmitted to all distribution relay points storing pallets that may contain defective products by the warning transmission means.

  When the alarm transmission means transmits a shipment stop instruction for stopping the shipment of the pallet to the shipment management device at the distribution relay point storing the pallet that may contain a defective product, the shipment management device Pallets that may contain such defective products can be detected, and further distribution can be stopped quickly.

  Thus, according to the present invention, the current location of all products is always known at the control center, and when a defective product is found, all relevant or potential products are immediately alerted or Since a shipment stop command can be transmitted, there is no concern about the possibility of collection, and the product can be put on the physical distribution route immediately after production.

  Taking advantage of this advantage, especially in the field of food products, after production, part of the product is stored at the quality control center of the factory to observe the aging of the product, and in parallel with this, put the product on the logistics route and consume it The product can be delivered until just before the person in charge.

  In the above distribution system, the quality control center can issue a permission signal to give the product to the consumer when the safety is confirmed by observing the change over time of the product. It can save time for carrying and carrying the product, and the product can be provided to the consumer safely and as fresh as possible.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a traceability system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The traceability system 1 of the present embodiment includes a control center 2, a factory 3, a distribution relay point 4 including relay points such as a warehouse and a collection / delivery place, and a communication network 5.

  In FIG. 1, only one factory 3 is shown, but this includes a case where there are a plurality of factories. The same applies to the warehouse.

  In FIG. 1, only two systems are shown as the distribution route, but there are cases where one distribution route branches to a plurality of three or more distribution routes.

  Furthermore, one distribution route is not limited to two relay points, and there may be one or three or more relay points.

  The factory 3 includes a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses, and each manufacturing apparatus includes controllers 3a, 3b, 3c,... Having a communication function.

  For example, the manufacturing equipment includes a filler (filling machine), a seamer (sealing device), a caser, a palletizer, and the like. Each of them is provided with a controller 3a, 3b, 3c,.

  Next, each distribution relay point 4 is provided with a receipt management device having a communication function and shipment management devices 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f,.

  The controller 3a, 3b, 3c,... Of the factory 3 and the arrival management device and the shipping management devices 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f,. Communication with the center 2 is possible.

  The communication network 5 may be the Internet, a public communication network, or a dedicated communication network, but preferably uses the Internet.

  Next, the internal configuration of the control center 2 will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the internal configuration of the control center 2.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control center 2 includes a communication unit 6, a product location information collection unit 7, a master database 8, a defective product information reception unit 9, a defective product estimation unit 10, and an alarm transmission unit 11. have.

  The communication means 6 can communicate with the controllers 3a, 3b, 3c,... Of the factory 3 and the arrival management device and the shipping management devices 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f,. It is configured.

  The master database 8 has a production lot number, a production time including a production completion time of each production process of each production lot, a pallet number of a pallet derived from the production lot of each lot number, and a pallet number. The factory shipping time of the pallet, the location information (location identification information) of the distribution relay point through which the pallet circulates, and the time when each pallet arrives at the distribution relay point and the shipping time are related to each other. Memory management.

  Here, the relevance of the data will be described.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the data structure of the master database 8.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the master database 8 holds the production lot number, the production time, the pallet number, the factory shipment time, the location information, the arrival time of each location, and the shipment time as data items.

  When there are a plurality of manufacturing steps for one manufacturing lot number, the manufacturing completion time of each manufacturing apparatus is recorded for one manufacturing lot number.

  In other words, each manufacturing time of a plurality of manufacturing processes of one manufacturing lot is stored and managed, and not only the time zone from the start of manufacturing of the manufacturing lot of interest to the completion of manufacturing can be known, but also each manufacturing process of that manufacturing lot The time zone from the start of manufacture to the completion of manufacture can be understood.

  Products belonging to one production lot are placed on a plurality of pallets by the palletizer. In the master database 8, when a plurality of pallets are generated from one production lot, the production lot number of each production lot and each The pallet numbers of the pallets are stored and managed in association with each other, and are stored and managed in a form in which a plurality of pallet numbers are derived from one production lot number.

  That is, a parent production lot number is specified from a specific pallet number, and a plurality of pallet numbers belonging to it can be grasped from one production lot number.

  The pallet number is maintained at the same number in the distribution route, each distribution relay point 4 is given specific location information (identification information), and the master database 8 is received in the distribution relay point 4 for each pallet number. And shipping time are stored and managed.

  At the final distribution relay point 4, the product is decomposed into smaller units from the pallet, but in the present invention, the product after being decomposed from the pallet is grasped by the manufacturing time of a single item.

  FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the production lot number, the pallet number, and the production time of a single item in the present invention.

  As described with reference to FIG. 3, in the present invention, a plurality of pallet numbers are derived from one production lot number. Further, when the pallet is disassembled into single items at the final distribution stage, a plurality of single items are derived from one pallet number.

  These production lot number, pallet number, and single item are linked to each other by time data.

  That is, the production lot number has production time data from the start of production to the completion of production, the pallet number has factory shipment time data, and the single product has production time data printed directly on the product. Therefore, the production lot number can be specified for any package.

  In the case of a single product, the production lot number can be identified from the production time of the single product and the production time of the production lot, and in the case of a pallet number, the production lot number can be identified from the associated data in the master database 8.

  Also, if the source production lot number can be specified, the pallet number or single item derived therefrom can be specified.

  With the above data structure in mind, a method for grasping the current location of a product will be described next.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for grasping the current location of a product.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when a product is manufactured in a manufacturing factory, the controller 3a, 3b, 3c,... Of the manufacturing apparatus in each manufacturing process sends the manufacturing completion time of each manufacturing process to the communication means 6 in the control center. Is transmitted (step S100).

  When the manufacturing completion time is sent to the communication means 6, the manufacturing completion time is passed to the product location information collecting means 7, which associates the manufacturing lot number with the manufacturing completion time of each manufacturing process. It is recorded in the master database 8 (step S110).

  Next, when the product is placed on the pallet by the palletizer, each pallet is assigned a pallet number, and when the pallet is shipped from the factory, the pallet number and its factory shipping time are communicated from the controller of the palletizer to the control center. 6 and associated with the production lot number by the product location information collecting means 7 and recorded in the master database 8 (step S120).

  The pallet number is maintained at the same number in the distribution route, and when the pallet with the pallet number is received at a predetermined distribution relay point 4, the arrival management devices 4a, 4c, 4e,. From, the arrival information of the distribution relay point including the received pallet number and its arrival time is transmitted to the communication means 6 of the control center (step S130).

  When the arrival information of the distribution relay point is transmitted to the communication means 6 of the control center, the distribution relay point arrival information is transferred to the product location information collecting means 7, and the product location information collecting means 7 makes the pallet number and the distribution relay point. The location information of the distribution relay point that is the transmission source of the arrival information and the arrival time when the pallet is received at the distribution relay point of the transmission source are recorded in the master database (step S140).

  Next, when a product (pallet) is shipped from a predetermined distribution relay point, the distribution relay including the shipped pallet number and its shipping time from the shipping management devices 4b, 4d, 4f,. The point shipment information is transmitted to the communication means 6 of the control center (step S150).

  When the distribution relay point shipment information is transmitted to the communication means 6 of the control center, the distribution relay point shipment information is transferred to the product location information collecting unit 7, and the product location information collecting unit 7 uses the pallet number and the distribution relay point. The location information of the distribution relay point that is the transmission source of the shipping information and the shipping time when the pallet is shipped from the distribution point of the transmission source are recorded in the master database 8 (step S160).

  In this way, in the present invention, every time the pallet moves through the distribution relay point, the arrival time is recorded in the received distribution relay point, and the shipping time is recorded in the shipped distribution relay point, respectively. .

  As a result, referring to the master database 8 for a predetermined pallet number, it can be seen that a pallet with the pallet number exists at a distribution relay point where only the arrival time is recorded and the shipping time is not recorded.

  As a result, the current location of all pallet numbers can be grasped in near real time.

  Next, processing when a defective product is found will be described below.

  FIG. 6 shows a processing flow when a defective product is found.

  A defective product may be found from a predetermined pallet during distribution, or may be found after being disassembled into a single product from the pallet.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when a defective product is found, defective product information including the pallet number of the pallet containing the defective product or the manufacturing time of a single product is transmitted to the communication means 6 of the control center (step S200). ).

  The defective product information is transferred from the communication unit 6 to the defective product information receiving unit 9, and the defective product pallet number or the single product manufacturing time is transferred from the defective product information receiving unit 9 to the defective product estimation unit 10 (step S210).

  Here, the defective product information receiving means 9 receives information from the communication means 6, determines that the received information is defective product information, passes the defective product information to the defective product estimating means 10, and This is a means for providing a user interface for inputting a condition to be estimated, and for outputting a condition for estimating a defective product input by the user to the defective product estimation means 10.

  Of course, the type of received information can be determined by the communication means 6 without using the defective product information receiving means 9 as an independent means. In addition, for the estimation of defective products, it is possible to uniformly estimate the production lot that contained the problematic pallet and the production lot that had the problem. The user interface can be omitted, and the defective product information receiving means 9 can be omitted.

  However, in this description, an embodiment having defective product information receiving means 9 will be described.

  The user interface for inputting a condition for estimating a defective product is a user interface capable of inputting a width before and after the manufacturing time of a defective product estimated to contain a defective product, for example.

  In other words, as a minimum unit, a pallet number derived from the production lot is output as a pallet number that may contain a defective product only for the production lot in which the defective product is manufactured, and with a certain amount of width. Enter the manufacturing time range before and after the time when the defective product was manufactured (estimated from the shipping time of the pallet number), identify the manufacturing lots manufactured at those manufacturing times, and derive from those manufacturing lot numbers The pallet number may be output as the pallet number of a pallet that may contain a defective product.

  The width before and after the manufacturing time estimated to include defective products input through the user interface is the width of such manufacturing time.

  In addition, the condition for estimating a defective product input through the user interface may be related to a specific manufacturing apparatus.

  For example, when a defect is found in the packaging of a product, it is clear that it is related to the defect of the packaging device, and it is only necessary to collect the product during the time period when the packaging device has been operated with the defect. become.

  When such a manufacturing process is specified and defective products are estimated, it is necessary to provide a defect history database for storing and managing a defect history of each manufacturing apparatus in the factory.

  In the case where a defective product is found in the system in this case, when the cause of the failure is attributed to a predetermined manufacturing apparatus, the defective product estimation means 10 refers to the defect history database by a user's operation, and via the user interface. Product failure history of each manufacturing device is displayed to the user, the user designates the failure of a specific manufacturing device, and the product manufactured in the time zone when the manufacturing device was defective may be defective Can be estimated as

  As described above, when the condition for estimating the defective product is input or when the condition for estimating the defective product is determined in advance, the defective product estimating means 10 is based on the condition for estimating the defective product, The master database 8 is referred to from the factory shipping time of the pallet number of the defective product or the manufacturing time of the single product, and the production lot number where the defective product may have been manufactured is specified (step S220).

  When the production lot numbers of the production lots that may have been produced with defective products are identified, the current location of the pallet or single item derived from those production lots is identified.

  The defective product estimation means 10 identifies a related pallet number included in the manufacturing lot from the manufacturing lot number of the manufacturing lot in which the defective product is manufactured, and estimates the pallet number as a pallet number that may contain a defective product. Then, the pallet number and the location information where those pallets currently exist are output (step S230).

  Since the pallet number that may contain the defective product output by the defective product estimation means 10 and the location information of the distribution relay point are only location identification information, it is necessary to perform specific alarm transmission processing. is there.

  Therefore, the pallet number that may contain a defective product and the location information of the distribution relay point are passed to the alarm transmission unit 11, and the alarm transmission unit 11 uses the specific transmission address (e-mail address) from the location information of the distribution relay point. And a transmission method (facsimile etc.) are specified, and an alarm message selected by the user is transmitted to the distribution relay point where each pallet exists (step S240).

  In this case, it is preferable that the alarm transmission unit 11 is configured to be able to refer to a table of location information, a transmission method, and a transmission destination (address, etc.), and to be able to refer to an alarm message candidate.

  The alarm message selected by the user can be, for example, an alarm message appropriately determined according to the type of product or the design of the system, for example, whether it is immediately collected, retained, or discarded.

  Further, the alarm transmission means 11 specifies a pallet number and stops the shipment of the pallet to the distribution management point shipping management device that stores the pallet that may contain a defective product. Can also be sent.

  In that case, if a pallet that may contain a defective product is to be shipped from a distribution relay point that stores the pallet, the shipment management device can stop the shipment.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to freeze the distribution of a pallet that may contain a defective product immediately, and reliably prevent the defective product from being distributed by mistake.

  Even when a defective product is discovered after pallet disassembly, the final distribution relay point of the product manufactured in the same production lot can be specified, and therefore the defective product can be collected intensively within a small range.

  As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, what changed the grade which can be suitably made by those skilled in the art without changing the essential part of this invention is also contained in this invention.

  For example, the communication means 6 and the product location information collection means 7 may be integrated so that the product location information collection means 7 has a communication function.

  Further, the communication unit 6 and the alarm transmission unit 11 may be integrated so that the alarm transmission unit 11 has a communication function.

  Furthermore, the receipt management device and the shipment management device at the distribution relay point 4 can be integrated to manage receipt / shipment as one receipt / shipment management device.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which information is transmitted in real time from the controller or the receipt / shipment management apparatus to the product location information collection unit 7 has been described. Alternatively, information may be collected by accessing a controller or a receipt / shipment management apparatus.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to grasp the current location of a large number of pallets distributed in a complicated distribution route in almost real time, and in the unlikely event that a defective product is found, by referring to the control center, The production lot number of the production lot in which the product of the pallet was manufactured can be identified, from which other pallets that may contain defective products can be identified, and the distribution relay point that stores those pallets It is possible to output up to the location information, and it is possible to reliably stop further distribution of pallets that may contain defective products.

  According to the present invention, in the field of food, after manufacturing, a part of the product is observed in the quality control center of the factory for the change of the product over time, and in parallel with this, the product is put on the distribution route, until the product reaches the consumer. Can be delivered.

  According to this system, when the quality control center confirms the safety of the product over time, the product can be immediately delivered to the consumer, and the product can be safely and as fresh as possible. Can be provided.

  Finally, according to the present invention, it will be described that a huge amount of product can be managed with a small amount of data.

  In the present invention, the production lot number in which the single product is manufactured can be finally specified by the manufacturing time of the single product. However, the amount of data to be managed by the manufacturing time for each single product is huge. .

  On the other hand, according to the present invention, data management is performed consistently by pallet number from the time of pallet loading in the factory to the final stage of distribution. As a result, it is not necessary to directly manage the data of single items contained in the pallet from the factory shipment to the final stage of distribution. Instead, it is managed by the pallet number, and if a problem occurs at the consumer, Therefore, it is possible to identify a product that may have the same problem from the manufacturing time, and to manage the distribution process of the product without any trouble with a small amount of data.

The figure which showed the whole structure of the traceability system by one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which showed the structure of the control center of the traceability system by one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which showed the data structure of the master database by one Embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing which showed the relationship between the manufacturing lot number of this invention, a pallet number, and single item manufacturing time. A flowchart of a method for grasping the current location of a product. A flow chart of processing when a defective product is found.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Traceability system 2 Control center 3 Factory 3a Controller 3b Controller 3c Controller 4 Distribution relay point 4a Arrival management apparatus 4b Delivery management apparatus 4c Delivery management apparatus 4d Delivery management apparatus 4e Delivery management apparatus 4f Delivery management apparatus 5 Communication network 6 Communication means 7 Product Location information collecting means 8 Master database 9 Defective product information receiving means 10 Defective product estimating means 11 Alarm transmitting means

Claims (5)

A controller having a communication function provided in each manufacturing device of the factory until the product is completed;
An arrival management device and a shipment management device having a communication function provided at each distribution relay point on the distribution route of the product,
A control center that is communicably connected to the controller, the arrival management device of each distribution relay point, and the shipment management device via a communication network;
The control center
Communication means capable of communicating with the controller, the arrival management device, and the shipping management device;
The production lot number of the product, the production time including the production completion time of each production process of each production lot, the pallet number derived from the production lot number, the factory shipment time of the pallet with the pallet number, A master database for storing and managing location information of distribution relay points through which pallets circulate, and the time at which each pallet arrives at the distribution relay points and the time of shipment in association with each other;
A manufacturing time including a manufacturing completion time of each manufacturing process of a predetermined manufacturing lot is received from the controller via the communication network and the communication means, and the manufacturing lot number is assigned to the manufacturing lot to determine the manufacturing time. Record in the master database corresponding to the production lot number, record pallet numbers derived from the production lot numbers and factory shipment times of those pallets in the master database in correspondence with the production lot numbers, and From the arrival point management device and the shipping management device of the relay point, via the communication network and the communication means, receiving the arrival information and the shipping information to the physical distribution relay point of the pallet with each pallet number, The arrival time and shipping time at the distribution relay point are recorded in the master database in correspondence with the corresponding pallet number. To, and product location information collection means,
Pallet derived from the manufacturing lot number is received via the manufacturing lot number stored in association with the pallet number by receiving defective product information and referring to the master database when the defective product information is a pallet number The pallet number and its location are identified as pallet numbers that may contain defective products by identifying the location information where the pallets with those pallet numbers are currently located by the master database. When the defective product information is the manufacturing time of a single product, the master database is referred to, the manufacturing lot number corresponding to the manufacturing time of the single product is specified, and the information is derived from the specified manufacturing lot number. Pallet numbers are specified, and there are currently pallets with those pallet numbers. Identify the location information are, for outputting the pallet number and its location information as a pallet number that may contain defective products, defective products and defective products estimating means,
Enter the pallet number and its location information that may contain the defective product output by the defective product estimation means, identify the specific communication destination and communication method, and specify the specified communication destination and communication method. An alarm transmission means for transmitting an alarm message selected by the user based on the
A traceability system characterized by comprising:   A user interface for receiving information from the communication unit, determining that the received information is defective product information, passing the defective product information to the defective product estimation unit, and inputting a condition for estimating the defective product; 2. The traceability system according to claim 1, further comprising: a defective product information receiving unit that provides a condition for estimating a defective product input by a user and outputs the condition to the defective product estimating unit.   The alarm transmission means transmits a shipment stop command for stopping shipment of the pallet to a shipment management device at a distribution relay point that stores pallets that may contain defective products. The traceability system according to claim 1.   The traceability system according to claim 1, wherein the user interface provided by the defective product information receiving means can input a manufacturing time range estimated to include defective products before and after the manufacturing time of defective products. . Has a defect history database that stores and manages the history of defects for each manufacturing device in the factory,
When the cause of the defect is attributed to a predetermined manufacturing apparatus, the defective product estimation means refers to the defect history database, displays the defect history of the manufacturing apparatus to the user via the user interface, and displays the defective product to the user. The traceability system according to claim 2, wherein a condition for estimating the input is input.

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