JPH036686A - Article discriminating system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the load on a higher-order computer by transmitting data between data carriers only by an ID controller to perform a prescribed processing. CONSTITUTION:ID controllers 12 is provided with data transmitting means which transmit data to data carriers 8a, 8b and receive transmitted data, discriminating means which perform the discrimination processing based on data read out from data carriers 8a and 8b, and output means which output obtained discrimination signals to the external. Consequently, each ID controller 12 transmits the data to data carriers 8a and 8b attached to articles 1a and 1b and discriminates read data and outputs the discrimination signal to the external by the output means and changes carrying routes 2 to 4 of articles 1a and 1b, to which data carriers 8a and 8b are attached, or processes articles 1a and 1b in accordance with this output. Thus, the load on a higher-order computer 13 is reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an identification system for tools for machine tools, parts in factories, products used in product management, distribution systems, and the like.

[Conventional technology]

In order to mechanize the tool management of conventional machine tools and the identification of parts and products on assembly lines in factories, tools 2
A system is needed to identify and manage various items such as parts and products. Therefore, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-221950, a data carrier having a memory is provided in the object to be identified, and the necessary information is written in such memory by external data transmission, and the information is read as necessary. An article identification system has been proposed in which the article is displayed on the screen.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of such a conventional article identification system. In this figure, a pallet l loaded with goods
A conveyance path 2 for conveying a, l b------- is provided, branch paths 3 and 4 are provided in the center thereof, and a plurality of ID controllers 5-1 to 5-1 are provided in the conveyance path 2.
5-4. ! An ID controller 5-5 is installed in the feed paths 3 and 3.
and 5-6 are provided. In such a transport system, data carriers that hold data are provided on each side of the transport path.

Each ID controller 5-1 to 5-6 is connected to a read/write head 6-1 to 6-6, respectively, and is also connected to a host computer 7. ID controller 5-1
writes data to the data carrier 8a attached to the pallet at a position close to the read/write head 61 of the pallet, and writes data to the data carrier 8a attached to the pallet at a position close to the read/write head 61 of the pallet, and
-2, the branch data held in the data carrier 8b is read. Based on the branch data, the host computer 7 controls the branch control device 9 to transport the pallet to either of the two transport routes, performs desired processing on each transport route, and merges the transport routes to perform inspection, etc. Processing takes place.

In such conventional article identification systems, the ID controller simply transfers commands and data given from the host computer to the data carrier, and sends the data read from the data carrier to the host computer. All data processing, branch instructions, etc. are performed by the host computer.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In such a conventional identification system, the host computer determines the branch destination of the first processing method based on processing data and branch data, which increases the load on the host computer. Therefore, when a large number of ID controllers are connected, there is a drawback that smooth data communication with data carriers cannot be realized.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the conventional article identification system, and it is an object of the present invention to determine branching and processing using an ID controller, thereby enabling desired processing to be performed. Consider it a technical issue.

[Means to solve the problem]

The present invention is an article identification system used for the management of machine tools, parts in factories, products, or logistics systems, which includes a memory that holds data, and a memory that controls writing and reading of data in the memory. control means,
It has a data transmission means that demodulates commands and data given from the outside and transmits the read data to the memory control means, and transmits the data to the data carrier attached to the article to be identified and sends out the data. an ID controller having a data transmission means for receiving the data read from the data carrier, a discrimination means for performing discrimination processing based on the data read from the data carrier, and an output means for outputting the discrimination signal obtained from the discrimination means to the outside; It is characterized by comprising the following.

[Effect]

According to the present invention having such characteristics, the ID controller performs data transmission with the data carrier attached to the article, determines the data read from the data carrier, and outputs the data to the outside from the output means. There is. Based on this output, the transport route of the article to which the data carrier is attached is changed or the article is processed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Therefore, according to the present invention, there is no need to connect a host computer to the ID controller, and each ID controller alone can perform data transmission with the data carrier and perform predetermined processing. Therefore, the load on the higher-level computer is reduced, and in some cases, the higher-level computer can be made unnecessary. Furthermore, since each ID controller executes a predetermined process, it is possible to achieve distributed control.

[Explanation of Examples]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of an article identification system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the same parts as those in the conventional example described above are indicated using the same reference numerals. In this figure, the article identification system indicates that the conveyor path 2, 1b, . . . , which holds the article to be identified is
Each pallet la, l
Data carriers 3a and 3b are directly attached to b...-, respectively. In addition, there is a read/write head (
(hereinafter referred to as an RW head) 11, and an ID controller 12 connected to the RW head 11 to control its operation. The ID controller 12 is connected to a host computer 13. Further, a branching control device 14 is connected to the ID controller 12 to branch the pallets to the branching points of the transport routes 2 and 3.4. The branching control device 14 controls the pallet passing through the transport route 2 to be transported along the transport route 2 as it is or to be branched to either the transport route 3 or 4 by driving the actuators 15a and 15b in the vertical direction, respectively. It is something.

As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 2, the RW head 11 and the ID controller 12 are connected to a microprocessor (
A CPU) 21 and a memory 22 for holding its system programs and data are provided, and the host computer 1
Upper interface 23 and RW for human output with 3
Lower interface 24 that performs input/output with the head 11
will be provided. Now, the RW head 11 has a modulation circuit 25 that modulates the output given from the ID controller 12 and a transmitter 26 that is driven by the output. The transmitter 26 transmits data to the data carrier 8 by outputting an FSK modulated signal from a coil, for example.

Also, the received signal obtained from the data carrier 8 is transmitted to the receiving section 27.
The signal is applied to the demodulation circuit 28 via the . The demodulation circuit 28 demodulates this signal and provides it to the lower interface 24, and the modulation circuit 25 to the demodulation circuit 26 constitute data transmission means of the ID controller. Also, the CPU performs a branching agent based on the judgment information given from the host computer and the data successively output from the data carrier. I[l
The output is given to the output signal circuit 29. The output signal circuit 29 is an output means that provides a branch signal to an external control device, for example, the branch control device 14 in the example shown in FIG. 1, in response to a signal from the CPU 21 in the ID controller.

Next, the configuration of the data carrier 8 will be explained with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, a transmitting/receiving section 31 receives and transmits a frequency signal emitted from the RW head 13, and its received output is given to a demodulation circuit 32.

The demodulation circuit 32 demodulates this signal and provides data to the control section 33.

A static RA backed up by a memory 34, for example a battery 35, is connected to the control unit 33 via a bus.
A memory 34 configured with M or E"PROM is connected. The control unit 33 is a memory control means that controls writing or reading of data according to commands and data given from the ID controller 12. The data is converted into a serial signal and the output thereof is given to the transmitting/receiving section 31 via the modulation circuit 36. Transmitting/receiving section 31
For example, a signal is given to the RW head 11 side by changing the resonance frequency of a resonance circuit. Here, the transmitting/receiving section 31. The demodulation circuit 32 and the modulation circuit 36 constitute data transmission means that demodulates command data given from the ID controller, supplies it to the memory control means, and transmits the read data.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 4 (al is the upper computer 13,
FIG. 4 (bl is a flowchart showing the operation of the ID controller 12. First, the host computer 13
Output control information, for example, control information indicating what kind of branching is to be performed in accordance with the branching data of the data carrier provided on the pallet that has reached the position of the ID controller, is sent to the controller 12 (step 50). Then, in step 51, the ID controller 12 temporarily stores this information in the memory 22 via the upper interface 21. The process then proceeds to step 52 and waits for the arrival of the data carrier 8. When a pallet with any data carrier 8 attached arrives, the process proceeds to step 53 and reads a predetermined address where branch data of the data carrier is held. Then check whether reading of this data has been completed normally (step 54).
, if the process does not end normally, the process returns to step 53 and the same process is repeated. If the branch data at this address is read normally, the routine advances to routine 55 and branch determination processing is performed. Then, the process advances to step 56 to check whether this branch judgment process has ended normally, and if it has not ended normally, the process returns to step 53. If this process ends normally, the process advances to step 57 and the branch end code is sent to the data carrier 8.
Write to a specific address and check if this write was successful. If the writing is completed normally, the process proceeds to step 59, where the branch end data is sent to the host computer 13 and the process is ended. The branching end data includes, for example, a data carrier number, product code, branching code, etc., and the host computer 12 receives these data (step 60) and ends one branching process.

Next, the branch processing of routine 55 will be described in more detail. FIG. 5 is a memory map of the memory 22 of the ID controller 12, and output control information from the host computer 13, for example, from address r1000J to AB
Assume that three branch codes of C are roughly given. For example, the A branch code branches the valent passing through the conveyance path 2 to the conveyance path 3 by fixing the actuator 15a downward and the actuator 15b downward;
5a and 15b are fixed upwardly and downwardly, respectively, so that the pallet is conveyed as it is along the conveyance path 2 without branching at a branch point. Further, the C branch code is a branch code that branches the pallet passing through the transport route 2 to the transport route 4 by driving the actuator 15a upward and the actuator 15b upward. Now, the branch judgment process is performed by reading the data at the address where the branch code is stored from the data carrier 8 in the flowchart shown in FIG.
J2000J is executed (step 61).

Then, it is checked whether the branch code read in steps 62 to 64 matches any of the branch codes A to C. If it matches the A branch code, the output signal is set to A (10) as shown in the figure, and the output signal is set to B.
If it matches the branch code, the output signal is B (0
0), and if it matches the C branch code, the output signal is set to C(01). This output signal is given to the branch control device 14 via the output signal circuit 29 of the ID controller 12, and the actuators 15a, 15b are driven upward or downward, respectively. If the branch is taken in this manner, the branch determination process is normally terminated. If the branch codes successively appearing from the data carrier 8 do not match any of these branch codes, it is assumed that the process has not ended normally and the process returns to step 53 to repeat the same process. Here CPU2
1 achieves the function of a discriminating means that performs discriminating processing based on the data read from the data carrier in steps 52 to 58.

As described above, in this embodiment, the branch judgment process is performed only by the ID controller, and the pallet passing through the conveyance route is conveyed in a predetermined direction. In this embodiment, an example has been described in which a branch control device is connected to the ID controller as an output device, but instead of the branch control device, a processing device that performs predetermined processing is used to perform predetermined processing according to the processing data of the data carrier. It is also possible to perform control to perform the following.

Further, in this embodiment, the output control information is sent from the host computer to the ID controller, but by setting this information in the ID controller in advance, it can be operated without the host computer.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of an article identification system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the ID controller, Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the data carrier, and Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing its operation. , FIG. 5 is a memory map of the ID controller, FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing branch control processing, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a conventional article identification system. 2, 3. 4-----One conveyance route 8a,
8 b---Data carrier 11-1---...
Read/write head 12--ID controller 1
3.---1--1 upper level computer 14...-
...Branch control device 15a.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A memory that holds data, a memory control means that controls writing and reading of data to the memory, demodulating commands and data given from the outside, and transmitting the read data to the memory control means. a data carrier that is attached to an article to be identified; a data transmission means that transmits data to the data carrier and receives the transmitted data; An article identification system comprising an ID controller having a discrimination means for performing discrimination processing and an output means for outputting a discrimination signal obtained from the discrimination means to the outside.