JPH10167426A - Warehouse article checking system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the burden of a worker for article checking work, and carry out an accurate cargo input and output management, by making it possible to count the article checking number instantly from the weight by lifting up a commodity by a forklift, so as to reflect to the managing data. SOLUTION: When commodities stacked on a pallet 2 are loaded onto the fork 4 of a forklift 3, a weight perceiving part 5 perceives the weight, and reports it to a host computer 20. The host computer 20 calculates the number of the stacked commodities from the unit weight of the commodities by reducing the weight of the pallet 2 and the like. This result and a scheduled article checking number are compared, and when both values are made coincident with each other, it is made as a decided article checking number. The result is displayed on a display 13 and the like, and utilized for the commodity management. A printer 11 printes a commodity code label 15 to display the commodity code and the article checking number, and the commodity code label 15 is stuck on the pallet 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for storing goods in a warehouse and taking out the goods for shipping, and checking the quantity of the goods at each time of storage and taking out work.
The present invention relates to a warehouse inspection system that can perform inspection processing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a product is stored in a warehouse and the product is taken out in response to a shipping request, information indicating how many corresponding products have been stored in the warehouse in advance and how many products have been shipped this time. A check is performed with a slip displaying the contents of the arrival and the shipment. In such inspection work,
When a staff member transports a product using a forklift or a trolley, the quantity is checked and written on a work slip or the like. The contents of such work slips are finally collected by a person in charge of management, and management data is input to a computer and various calculations are performed.

[0003]

However, the conventional system as described above has the following problems to be solved. According to a method in which a worker checks the number of commodities when the commodities are received or shipped, a large error may occur in the counted number of commodities when the commodities are difficult to count, such as stacked books, paper, and parts. This hinders accurate inventory management and the like.

For example, paper or the like is put on a scale and the quantity is converted from its weight. In addition, the parts etc. stored in the box are once taken out and weighed,
Further, the quantity is estimated in relation to the total weight, and written in a slip or the like. These operations are relatively complicated for the operator, and furthermore, there is a problem that errors in the calculated quantities are large due to input errors and calculation errors, which are not always suitable for fine-grained inventory management and the like.

[0005]

The present invention employs the following structure to solve the above problems. <Structure 1> A weight sensing unit mounted on a product transporter and sensing the total weight of the product, and provided on the product transporter or the host computer, based on the output of the weight detector and the unit weight of the product. And a display unit for displaying the output of the quantity conversion unit as inspection information.

<Configuration 2> In configuration 1, a scanner mounted on a product transporter and reading a product code of a product transported by the product transporter, and a host computer storing the total weight of the product and the product code read by the scanner. And a product database provided on the host computer side, in which the product code and the unit weight of the corresponding product are recorded in association with each other, and the product database is referred to from the received product code with reference to the product database. A warehouse inspection system comprising: a database search unit for obtaining a unit weight of the product; and a quantity conversion unit for obtaining an actually measured inspection quantity from the total weight of the product, the unit weight, and the tare weight.

<Structure 3> In structure 1 or 2, the commodity transporter and the host computer exchange information with each other by a wireless communication device, and a scheduled inspection quantity recorded in a commodity database on the host computer side and a quantity conversion unit. A warehouse inspection system characterized by comprising an inspection matching processing unit for comparing the actual inspection inspection quantity obtained by the above and determining the receipt / shipment quantity of the product.

<Structure 4> In any one of structures 1 to 3, the goods transporting machine may be provided with a tare designating section for inputting a type of tare for loading a plurality of goods at a time. Is a warehouse inspection system characterized by recognizing the weight of a designated tare type and performing arithmetic processing to obtain the quantity of the product.

<Structure 5> In the structure 3 or 4, the difference between the total weight corresponding to the scheduled inspection quantity recorded in the product database on the host computer side and the total weight sensed by the weight sensing unit is a predetermined tolerance. If the weight difference is within
A warehouse inspection system comprising an inspection matching processing unit for determining the inspection quantity of the product.

<Structure 6> In any one of Structures 3 to 5, the product transporter is equipped with a printer that prints and issues a label displaying bar code of product data including the determined inspection quantity. And warehouse inspection system.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below using specific examples. <Specific Example> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the system of the present invention. In the figure, goods 1 are stacked on a pallet 2 in a warehouse or the like. This palette 2
Is transported by a forklift 3 and is carried from a truck to the interior of the warehouse when it is received, and is transported from the interior of the warehouse to a truck or other transportation device when it is received. In the present invention, the forklift 3 is called a product transporter. The pawl 4 of the forklift 3 is for lifting the pallet 2.

Here, the forklift 3 of the present invention is provided with a weight sensing unit 5 for sensing the weight when the product is lifted on the pawl 4. The output of the weight sensing unit 5 is received and processed by the terminal 6 mounted on the forklift 3. The terminal 6 includes a communication device 7 as shown in FIG. 1 and is configured to exchange information with a host computer 20 via an antenna 8. The communication device 7 is connected to a printer 11, a keyboard 12, a display 13, and the like.

Further, a scanner 14 is connected to the tip of the claw 4 of the forklift 3, and its output is also connected to the communication device 7. The scanner 14 is provided for reading the product code label 15 attached to the pallet 2.
On the product code label 15, a bar code including a product code widely used for general products and various information on the product is written. The printer 11 is a device for issuing such a product code label 15.
The keyboard 12 is for notifying the host computer 20 via the communication device 7 of information indicating what kind of container, pallet 2 or the like the product 1 is mounted on.

In the present invention, the keyboard 12 is called a tare designation section. The display 13 is provided to display the number of products calculated by the host computer 20 and the like when the worker lifts the products 1 together with the pallets 2 with the claws 4 of the forklift 3. This is called a display unit. The host computer 20 is provided with a product database 21 in which various information related to the product is stored.

FIG. 2 is a system block diagram of the host computer according to the present invention. The system on the host computer side is specifically described as follows. Here, the data transmitted from the terminal of the forklift through the antenna 22 and the communication device 23 is input to the host computer 20. The host computer 20 is connected to a quantity conversion unit 25, an inspection collation processing unit 26, a database search unit 24, and the like. The database search unit 24 is a part for searching the product database 21.

In the product database 21, in this example,
In addition to the product management data D, which is a master file for performing inventory management of the product, a file in which a product code D1 is associated with a unit weight B of the product, a pallet type D2, and a tare weight A as the weight are stored. The associated file and information such as the expected quantity S of inspections to be inspected by receiving or shipping this time are written. The database search unit 24 refers to these and transmits them to the host computer 20.

The quantity conversion section 25 is a section for obtaining the actual inspection product quantity N based on necessary information in a manner to be described later. Further, the inspection collation processing unit 26 is a part that compares the inspection scheduled quantity S with the actually measured inspection quantity N and determines whether or not they substantially match. Note that an allowable weight difference display section 27 is provided to show how much error due to calculation is allowable. Here, in the form of data, how much permissible error is recognized in terms of weight for each product in terms of the quantity of the product. The inspection collation processing section 26 executes processing while referring to the allowable weight difference display section 27.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of each part of the system. (A) of the figure shows the pawl 4 of the forklift shown in FIG.
Shows a mechanism for sensing the weight of a product. This figure is a side view of the pawl 4 of the forklift. The load cell 31 is attached to the base portion. As is well known, the load cell 31 is an element that outputs an electric signal proportional to the pressure when receiving the pressure. Thereby, the weight of the pallet or the product placed on the pawl 4 of the forklift is output from the load cell 31 as an electric signal, and is sent to the communication device 7 through the weight sensing unit 5 shown in FIG. Thereby, the load cell 31
Is converted to the actual total weight of the pallet 2 and the product 1, and is notified to the host computer 20.

FIG. 3B shows an external view of the terminal 6.
This is mounted on a forklift cab or the like. The terminal 6 is provided with a display 13 and a keyboard 12 for inputting necessary commands and displaying the results on the display 13. (C) shows a modification of the present invention. Here, a bogie 32 is shown instead of a forklift. That is, in the above-described example, when the product is lifted together with the pallet by the pawl of the forklift and the product is carried, the weight of the product is sensed simultaneously with the work. Thus, there is an effect that the quantity of the product can be calculated quickly. The same is possible when goods are stacked on top of this using the carriage 32. At this time, for example, a table 33 is arranged on the carriage 32, and the load cell 31 is provided below the table 33. Thus, the weight of the stacked products can be measured in the same manner as the claw of the forklift. The operator uses the cart 32 for receiving and shipping products while pressing the handle 34.

FIG. 2D is a side view of the carriage 32 as viewed from the right side of FIG. Immediately below the handle 34, for example, a terminal 6 as shown in FIG. In the case of a cart as well, the intention of the worker is input to the terminal 6 in this manner, and necessary information is displayed on the display 13. In both the case of the forklift 3 and the truck 32, the type of the container or the pallet of the product is input from the keyboard 12, and the final confirmed detection quantity is displayed on the terminal 6.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the product code D1 read by the scanner 14 from the terminal 6 to the host computer 20, the total weight W of the product 1 and the pallet 2 detected by the weight sensing unit 5, the keyboard The pallet type D2 input by the operator from 12 is sent to the host computer 20. The host computer 20 obtains the confirmed inspection quantity D3 based on such information and obtains the terminal 6
To return. This is displayed on the display 13.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the arithmetic processing.
The host computer 20 shown in FIG. 2 performs an arithmetic process as shown in this figure based on the data input from the terminal and the data read from the product database 21 to obtain the actual inspection product quantity N. The calculation of the actually measured inspection quantity N is directly executed by the quantity conversion unit 25 shown in FIG. First, the host computer 20 receives a total weight W including a product and a pallet or various containers from the terminal via the antenna 22. Further, the product code D1 is also received by the host computer 20.

The database search unit 24 in FIG. 2 refers to the product database 21 using the product code D1,
The unit weight B of the product is determined. The terminal also transmits the pallet type D2 to the host computer 20. The database search unit 24 obtains the weight of the pallet, that is, the tare weight A, by referring to the product database 21 using the pallet type D2. Assuming the total weight W, the unit weight B, and the tare weight A, the actually measured inspection quantity N can be obtained by a simple formula as shown in FIG. 4, that is, the calculation of (WA) / B.

That is, in this case, the host computer 2
0 holds data of a very accurate value for the unit weight of the product or the tare weight of the pallet or the like, and precisely calculates the quantity of the product based on the total weight actually measured by the forklift. Thereby, in practice, the inspection quantity of the product can be quickly obtained with a very small error. This is referred to as an actual measurement inspection quantity N.

On the other hand, the quantity of merchandise to be shipped or received in advance is clarified at the stage of merchandise management. This data is included in the product management data D or the like, or separately stored in the product database 21 as the scheduled inspection quantity S. Inspection verification unit 26
Compares the inspection scheduled quantity S with the actually measured inspection quantity N to determine whether or not they match. When sensing the weight of a product, the weight based on the expected inspection quantity does not always exactly match the actually measured total weight in terms of accuracy.

However, considering the permissible error of the weight of the product itself, the permissible error of the weight of the tare, and the like, it becomes clear how much the total weight difference may be. This is stored in the allowable weight difference display section 27, and if the weight difference is within the range, the quantity is converted into the confirmed inspection quantity D3. In actuality, the actually measured inspection quantity N is obtained by, for example, rounding off, and if it matches the inspection expected quantity S, this can be used as the confirmed inspection quantity D3 without any problem.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart summarizing the operation of the system described above. Steps S1 to S5 in the figure are processing on the terminal side,
Steps S14 to S14 are processing on the host computer side. Then, finally, step S15 is executed on the terminal side, and a series of processing ends. First, in step S1,
As shown in FIG. 1, the product code on the product code label 15 attached to the pallet 2 is read by using the scanner 14 provided at the tip of the claw 4 of the forklift 3. In the case of a trolley, for example, a reading device is attached to the trolley, or an operator reads a product code using a reading device connected to the terminal 6. Further, the product code may be input using the terminal keyboard.

Next, in step S2, the product code is transmitted to the host computer. Next, in step S3, the goods 1 and the pallet 2 are
And lift it. Thus, the weight is sensed in the manner described with reference to FIG. In step S4, the weight is sensed and displayed on, for example, the display 13 of the terminal. At the same time, the contents are transmitted to the host. The operator operates the terminal 6 to input the pallet type from the keyboard 12. This is also sent to the host.

In step S6, the host computer refers to the product database 21. And step S
At 7, the unit weight of the product is determined from the product code.
In step S8, the pallet weight is obtained from the pallet type. In step S9, the quantity conversion unit 25 provided on the host side converts the product quantity to obtain the actual inspection quantity N. Further, the host computer 20 refers to the product database 21 to determine the scheduled inspection quantity S.
In step S11, the actually measured inspection quantity is compared with the inspection inspection quantity.

The permissible errors and the like in this case are converted into weights,
Judgment is made as to whether they match or not in the manner described above.
If it is determined in step S12 that they match, step S13
Move to and confirm the inspection quantity. On the other hand, if it is determined that they do not match, the process proceeds to step S14, and requests the terminal to measure the weight again. When the determined inspection quantity is transmitted to the terminal, the terminal receives this and operates the printer 11 shown in FIG. 1 to issue the product code label 15 in step S15.

This product code label 15 is attached to an appropriate place on the pallet 2. In the product code label 15, the final inspection quantity, the product code, the product quantity, the date on which the label was issued, and the like are written as bar codes. By reading these, in the next processing, based on the quantity etc.,
The next inspection is performed. Although this printer is not shown on the cart in FIG. 2, it is incorporated in a part of the terminal and issues a label in the same manner.

[0032]

According to the warehouse inspection system having the above-described structure, when an article to be stored or shipped in the warehouse is lifted by a forklift or put on a trolley, the inspection quantity of the article is immediately calculated by the computer from the total weight thereof. You. Since this is calculated based on the accurate unit weight and tare weight of the product, there is little error and the value is extremely accurate. As a result, the quantity is compared with the planned inspection quantity.For example, if the value is significantly different from the planned inspection quantity, the weight is re-weighed again, and if the value is still different, only the requested quantity is Is not transported,
In the case of arrival, measures may be taken such as confirming the arrival quantity or the like, and in the case of shipment, adding a new product to be shipped. As a result, the burden on the worker is sufficiently reduced,
Accurate entry / exit management becomes possible. Moreover, when such a process is performed, a product code label is issued and attached to a product, a pallet, a product container, or the like, so that subsequent product management can be facilitated.

In the above-described specific example, it is sufficient that at least the weight detector for measuring the weight of the product or the pallet on which the product is loaded is provided on the product transporter side, and the other portions are provided on the host computer 20 side. Or on the merchandise transporter side. Therefore, data indicating the unit weight of a product, data indicating the tare weight of a pallet, or the like exemplified as the contents of the product database may be stored in the terminal 6 in advance. The scheduled inspection quantity and the like may also be transmitted in advance from the host computer, and the conversion of the quantity and the calculation of the confirmed inspection quantity may be almost performed on the terminal 6 side. By such a process, the worker can omit the work of transporting the commodities while referring to the slips and counting the commodities individually. That is, warehouse entry / exit management can be performed in a paperless manner in real time. Further, the method of exchanging information wirelessly between the commodity transporter and the host computer 20 has been described as an example. However, the method may be such that the information is transmitted and received via light, infrared light, or an extendable code or the like. In addition, the comparison between the actually measured inspection quantity and the inspection scheduled quantity may be performed not only by weight comparison but also by various methods including a quantity comparison and a method of determining whether an error is within an allowable range.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a specific example of a system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a host computer side system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of each unit of the system.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a calculation processing operation.

FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart of the system of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Product 2 Pallet 3 Forklift 4 Claw 5 Weight detector 6 Terminal 7 Communication device 8 Antenna 15 Product code label 20 Host computer 21 Product database

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A weight sensing unit mounted on a goods transporter for sensing the total weight of a product, and provided on a product transporter or a host computer, based on an output of the weight detector and a unit weight of the product. A quantity conversion unit for converting the quantity of goods, and a display unit for displaying the output of the quantity conversion unit as inspection information. 2. The scanner according to claim 1, wherein the scanner reads a product code of a product mounted on the product transporter and transported by the product transporter, and stores the total weight of the product and the product code read by the scanner in a host computer. A communication device to be transmitted, a product database provided on the host computer side, in which a product code and a unit weight of the product are recorded in association with each other, and by referring to the product database, A warehouse inspection system, comprising: a database search unit for obtaining a unit weight; and a quantity conversion unit for obtaining an actually measured inspection quantity from a total weight of a product, a unit weight, and a tare weight. 3. The product transporter and the host computer according to claim 1 or 2, perform information exchange by a wireless communication device, and check an expected inspection quantity recorded in a product database of the host computer and a quantity conversion unit. A warehouse inspection system, comprising: an inspection matching processing unit that determines the quantity of the goods received and shipped by comparing the obtained actual inspection quantity. 4. The container transporter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the goods transporter is provided with a tare designating unit for inputting a type of tare for loading a plurality of commodities collectively. A warehouse inspection system for recognizing the weight of a designated tare type and performing arithmetic processing to determine the quantity of the product. 5. The weight according to claim 3, wherein the difference between the total weight corresponding to the scheduled inspection quantity recorded in the product database on the host computer side and the total weight sensed by the weight sensing unit is a preset allowable weight. A warehouse inspection system comprising an inspection matching processing unit for determining the inspection quantity of the product when the difference is within the difference. 6. The product transporter according to claim 3, wherein the product transporter is equipped with a printer that prints and issues a label displaying bar code of product data including the determined inspection quantity. Warehouse inspection system.