JP5061495B2 - Inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inspection device used for inspecting whether or not an article has been correctly picked in response to a picking instruction.

A wholesaler who ships merchandise to a retail store or the like accommodates and ships a plurality of types of merchandise in a container. These products are stored together with a plurality of other products in a product storage shelf provided in a warehouse or the like of a wholesaler, selected (picked) from the plurality of products, and stored in a container.
Conventionally, a barcode is provided on a picking instruction document that describes the type, quantity, etc. of the ordered product, and a display device is provided on the product storage shelf.By reading the barcode, the display device on the product storage shelf is caused to emit light, A picking system that informs the location and quantity of products to be picked is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1) and is referred to as “digital picking”. According to this digital picking, an error in which a product is mistaken can be prevented by performing the picking according to the instruction of the display device.

In this digital picking, an operator finally inspects a product (inspection of the type and quantity of the product) accommodated in a container by a manual operation such as reading a barcode provided for each product.
However, the barcode can specify the type of the product, but even if there are a plurality of the same products, since the barcodes of the products are the same, there is a possibility that the quantity of the products is wrong.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-32409

  The subject of this invention is providing the inspection apparatus which can perform inspection work correctly.

The present invention solves the above problems by the following means.
The invention of claim 1 is provided in a picking object, a first IC tag that holds identification information that enables identification of the individual of the picking object, and a storage container in which the picking object is stored A first IC tag that communicates with a second IC tag that holds identification information of the picking object, and the identification information of the first IC tag and the picking object that the second IC tag holds A reader that reads identification information , and a collation that collates the identification information of the first IC tag and the identification information of the picking object held by the second IC tag according to the output of the reader and parts, said comprising an output unit for outputting the result of the comparison by the matching unit, and a holding area for temporarily holding prior to accommodating the picking objects to the container, the reader, prior to A first communication unit that is provided in the vicinity of the holding area and communicates with the first IC tag of the picking target held in the holding area, and a second communication that communicates with the second IC tag And an inspection device.

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The picking object can be identified by the first IC tag. By reading the first IC tag, the attributes (for example, type, quantity, etc.) of the picking object can be set. Since it is possible to accurately grasp, it is possible to accurately inspect whether or not the kind, quantity, etc. of the picking object actually picked with respect to the picking instruction information is correct.
(2) Since the first communication unit is provided in the vicinity of the holding area that temporarily holds the picking object, for example, even if there are a plurality of picking objects, a plurality of picking objects can be held by holding them in the holding area. The object identification information can be read at once, and the workability of the inspection work is improved.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an inspection apparatus capable of accurately performing inspection work, and to provide a first IC tag for each product to enable identification of the individual, and to provide a first identification tag provided in a container. This is realized by holding picking instruction information in the two IC tags, and providing a reading device for reading them and a matching unit for checking the output of the reading device.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a flow of inspection work using an embodiment of an inspection apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
The inspection device 10 according to the present embodiment is provided in a warehouse of a wholesaler that ships a product 20 (a picking object) to a retail store, for example, and when the product 20 is shipped, the type of the product 20 picked according to the order and Used for quantity inspection.
In the picking operation, an operator picks a product 20 of a type and quantity according to an order from a product storage shelf (not shown) that stores a plurality of types of products 20, and the products 20 are placed on a belt conveyor 30. It is carried out in a (container).

The kind of goods 20 is not specifically limited, For example, they are food-drinks etc.
The product 20 is stored in a plurality of storage shelves for each type (for example, food, beverage, etc.). A plurality of picking work areas are set for each storage shelf, and workers are arranged for each of these work areas. One inspection device 10 is also provided for each of these work areas.
The container 40 is a box formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a resin material, and can be folded when not in use.
Each product 20 and container 40 includes a first IC tag T1 and a second IC tag T2, respectively.

  The IC tag is also referred to as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), and includes an IC chip and an antenna that hold identification information that enables individual products 20 and individual containers 40 to be identified, and this information is contactless by wireless communication. Can be read. The IC tags T1 and T2 of this embodiment are of an electromagnetic induction type using a communication frequency band of 13.56 MHz, for example, and are formed into a sheet shape as a whole. It is affixed to the surface.

As described above, the belt conveyor 30 is provided in a warehouse of a wholesaler, and a product storage shelf (not shown) is provided in parallel with the belt conveyor 30.
A reader / writer device 31 and an inspection device 10 are provided in the middle of the conveyance path of the container 40 by the belt conveyor 30.
The reader / writer device 31 is provided in a portion upstream of the belt conveyor 30 from the picking work area, and is formed in a gate shape straddling the belt conveyor 30. The reader / writer device 31 can communicate with the server 32 wirelessly. The server 32 holds picking instruction information, which will be described later, and its installation position is not particularly limited. The reader / writer device 31 communicates with the server 32 and writes the picking instruction information to the second IC tag T2 provided in the container 40.

The inspection device 10 is provided on the downstream side of the belt conveyor 30 with respect to the reader / writer device 31, is formed in a table shape across the belt conveyor 30, and includes a leg 11, an inspection table 12, a verification unit 13, and a monitor device 14. Yes.
In the present embodiment, four leg portions 11 are provided, one of which is provided with the second reading device R2. The second reading device R2 is a second communication unit that communicates with a second IC tag T2 provided in the container 40. Moreover, the leg part 11 is equipped with the wheel 15, and the inspection apparatus 10 can move within the picking work area.

The inspection table 12 is a portion corresponding to the top plate of the inspection device 10 formed in a table shape, and is a holding area on which the product 20 is temporarily placed before being accommodated in the container 40. The inspection table 12 includes a first reading device R1. The first reading device R1 is a first communication unit that communicates with the first IC tag T1 provided in each product 20.
The communicable area of the first reading device R1 extends over the entire area of the surface portion on which the product 20 of the inspection table 12 is placed, and the first reading device R1 is a product regardless of the position of the product 20 placed on the inspection table 12. 20 can communicate with the first IC tag T <b> 1. In addition, the first reading device R1 can read a plurality of products 20 placed on the inspection table 12 in a lump.
The collation unit 13 collates the identification information of the product 20 obtained from the outputs of the first reading device R1 and the second reading device R2 and the picking instruction information, and the first reading device R1 and the second reading device R1. It is electrically connected to the reading device R2 and includes an arithmetic device such as a CPU.
The monitor device 14 is an output unit that outputs a result of collation performed by the collation unit 13, and includes, for example, an LCD, a speaker, and the like.

Next, the flow of inspection work of the present embodiment will be described using a flowchart.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of inspection work. Hereinafter, step by step will be described step by step.
(Step S1: Picking instruction information creation)
The picking instruction information is created in response to an order from a retail store and stored in the server 32. The picking instruction information includes at least data regarding the type and quantity of the goods 20 to be accommodated, and also includes information regarding the individual number of the container used for the picking work.

(Step S2: Write picking instruction information)
The container 40 is placed on the belt conveyor 30 and conveyed to the reader / writer device 31. At this time, the reader / writer device 31 communicates with the second IC tag T <b> 2 provided in the container 40, reads the individual number of the container 40 from the identification information of the container 40, and outputs it to the server 32. In response to this output, the server 32 transmits picking instruction information for picking performed using the container 40 to the reader / writer device 31. The reader / writer device 31 communicates with the second IC tag T2 and writes picking instruction information related to the product 20 accommodated in the container 40.

(Step S3: Reading and displaying picking instruction information)
Next, the container 40 is transported to the picking work area, and the second reading device R2 of the inspection device 10 communicates with the second IC tag T2 of the container 40 to read the picking instruction information.
The collation unit 13 displays picking instruction information on the monitor device 14 in accordance with the output of the second reading device R2. Moreover, the collation part 13 communicates with a goods storage shelf, and displays the position and quantity of the goods to pick on the light emission display apparatus provided in the goods storage shelf where the goods 20 used as the picking object were stored.
The picking operator moves the product 20 from the product storage shelf to the inspection table 12 of the inspection device 10 according to the display on the light emitting display device.

(Step S4: Reading product identification information)
The first reading device R1 provided on the inspection table 12 communicates with the first IC tag T1 provided on each picked product 20. The collation unit 13 displays the read data on the monitor device 14 in accordance with the output of the first reading device R1.
Here, since the first IC tag T1 holds the identification information that enables the individual product 20 to be identified, the type and quantity of the picked product 20 can be accurately specified.

(Step S5: Read data verification)
The collation unit 13 collates the product identification information obtained from the outputs of the first reader R1 and the second reader R2 with the picking instruction data, and there is an error in the type or quantity of the picked product 20. If this is the case, a message to that effect is displayed on the monitor device 14 and an alarm sound is emitted from the speaker (return to step 4).
When the product 20 is correctly picked with respect to the picking instruction information, the collation unit 13 displays the fact on the monitor device 14, and the picking operator stores the product 20 in the container 40.

(Step S6: Container transport)
The container 40 containing the product is transported to the downstream side by the belt conveyor 30, and the other product 20 is picked and inspected by the inspection device 10 provided in another picking work area provided on the downstream side ( Step S3 and subsequent steps are repeated.

As described above, according to the inspection apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The product 20 can be identified by the first IC tag T1, and the type and quantity of the product 20 can be accurately specified by reading the first IC tag T1. It is possible to accurately inspect whether the type and quantity of the picked product 20 are correct with respect to the picking instruction information.
(2) Since the inspection table 12 is provided in the inspection device 10 and the plurality of products 20 are accommodated in the container 40 so that the first IC tag T1 can be collectively read on the inspection table 12, the inspection work is easy. is there.
(3) Since the picking instruction information is held in the container 40, the picking operator can obtain the picking instruction information without referring to the external device such as the server 32. Therefore, for example, the equipment can be simplified as compared with a case in which equipment such as a wireless LAN is provided and communication is performed between the server 32 and the inspection apparatus 10 to refer to the picking instruction information.
(4) Since the picking instruction information is written to the second IC tag T2 provided in the container 40, for example, it is not necessary to issue a document in which the details of the picking instruction are described, and the inspection work can be performed without paper.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible, and these are also within the equivalent scope of the present invention.
(1) In the embodiment, the container is transported by a belt conveyor, but is not limited thereto, and may be transported by another transport device, for example, a roller conveyor.
(2) In the embodiment, the product is stored in the resin container. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the product may be stored in another storage container, for example, a cardboard box.
(3) In the embodiment, the reading devices are provided at two places (legs and inspection table) and communicate with the IC tag of the product and the container, respectively, but the number of reading devices is not limited to this. For example, the reading device may be provided in one place and both the product and the IC tag of the container may be read. Two or more reading devices that communicate with the picking object may be provided according to the size of the inspection table. Further, the second reading device may be provided on each of two leg portions facing each other with the belt conveyor interposed therebetween.
(4) In the embodiment, the product is placed on the inspection table before being stored in the storage container, and the second IC tag is read by the second reading device. The product and the second reading device may be omitted, and the product may be directly stored in the container, and the IC tag of the product may be read in this state.

It is the schematic which shows the flow of the inspection operation | work using the Example of the inspection apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the inspection operation | work of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Inspection apparatus 11 Leg part 12 Inspection table 13 Verification part 14 Monitor apparatus 20 Goods 30 Belt conveyor 40 Container T1, T2 IC tag R1, R2 Reader

Claims (1)

A first IC tag that is provided in a picking target and holds identification information that enables identification of the individual of the picking target, and a storage container in which the picking target is stored, the picking target A reader that communicates with a second IC tag that holds the identification information of the first IC tag, and that reads the identification information of the first IC tag and the identification information of the picking object held by the second IC tag; ,
A collation unit that collates the identification information of the first IC tag with the identification information of the picking object held by the second IC tag according to the output of the reading device;
An output unit for outputting a result of the collation by the collation unit ;
A holding region for temporarily holding the picking object before storing it in the storage container,
The reader is
A first communication unit that is provided in the vicinity of the holding area and communicates with the first IC tag of the picking object held in the holding area;
A second communication unit that communicates with the second IC tag
Inspection equipment characterized by

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