KR100755210B1 - Module for managing goods and apparatus for managing goods including the module - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to article management, and more particularly, to a technology for facilitating management of articles stored in article storage cases.

The article management module according to the present invention may obtain barcode information of an article stored in a case and provide the manager with article information stored in the case through RFID technology. Therefore, the manager can check the history of the goods stored inside without opening the case, and also do not need to perform a manual manual for the history management of the goods to prevent the waste of manpower, item history information for manual problems Can prevent the management of goods caused by mistaken input by mistake.

Goods, Management, Cases, Barcodes, RFID.

Description

Article management module and a goods management apparatus including the same {Module for managing goods and apparatus for managing goods including the module}

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an article management module according to the present invention.

2 is a perspective view of an article management module according to the present invention.

3 is a front view of the article management module according to the present invention.

4 is a rear view of the article management module according to the present invention.

5 is a side view of the article management module according to the present invention.

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view showing an article management device consisting of a case and an article management module mounted to the case according to the present invention.

Figure 7 is a front view of the case and article management module and the article management apparatus combined case according to the present invention.

Figure 8 is a side view of the article management device combined article management module and case in accordance with the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings>

10: goods management module 20: case

21: mounting groove 100: barcode reader

110: scanner 120: interface unit

200: RF tag 210: interface unit

220: wireless communication unit 230: tag storage unit

240 control unit 250 interface unit

300: power supply unit 400: temperature sensor

The present invention relates to article management, and more particularly, to a technology for facilitating management of articles stored in article storage cases.

In general, to store the goods in the logistics management case for distribution of goods, or to manage the history of the goods stored in the case for the refrigeration / freezing required for goods such as foodstuff materials, the information about the goods to be stored in the case in advance Should be identified. This can be managed by the administrator to create an Excel file by hand, but when a large quantity of the case is stored in the case or a lot of cases for storage of goods, it is inconvenient to manage. In particular, in the case of a large quantity of goods, such as Hyundai, it is not only easy to consume manpower for goods management, but also it is not easy to grasp the inventory of the goods stored in the case. In addition, since information about the article is manually input to the computer by the administrator, a problem arises that the article management becomes more difficult when it is not properly input.

The present invention is derived from this background and aims to improve article management.

It is also an object of the present invention to facilitate quality control of articles requiring refrigeration / freezing.

Article management module according to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is a bar code reader unit for reading bar code information of the article, and stores the bar code information read by the bar code reader unit and wirelessly stores the bar code information stored in the tag reader Includes an outgoing RF tag.

An article management module according to a further aspect of the invention is mounted to a case for article storage. Therefore, the manager closes the barcode of the article to the barcode reader to provide barcode information, and then stores the article inside the case. Then, the tag reader is stored near the RF tag to check the history of the article stored in the case. Bar code information can be obtained.

As described above, the article management module according to the present invention may obtain barcode information of the article stored in the case and provide the manager with the article information stored in the case through the RFID technology. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the waste of manpower by eliminating the need for the manager to manually carry out the manual management of the goods, and to prevent the confusion of the goods management caused by the mistaken input of the item history information due to the manual problem. have.

The article management module according to an additional aspect of the present invention deletes the stored information if the barcode information read from the barcode reader unit is stored, and stores the newly stored barcode information if it is not stored.

As described above, the article management module according to the present invention reads the barcode information of the article and stores it in the RF tag when the administrator keeps the article in the case, and the manager does not store the article stored in the case in the case anymore. In the case of taking out, the barcode information of the article is read and the barcode information stored in the RF tag is deleted, thereby making it easier to grasp the inventory of the article stored in the case.

The article management module according to an additional aspect of the present invention further includes a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature inside the case, and the RF tag stores the temperature value sensed by the temperature sensor and wirelessly transmits the stored temperature information to the tag reader.

As described above, the article management module according to the present invention makes it possible to check whether or not the inside temperature of the case for storing articles that require particularly refrigeration / freezing management is appropriate, so that it is possible to grasp whether the article is properly managed.

Meanwhile, according to another aspect of the present invention, the article management module as described above is integrally mounted to a case for storing the article, and is implemented as an article management device, thereby creating the effects as described above.

The foregoing and further aspects of the present invention will become more apparent through the preferred embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail to enable those skilled in the art to easily understand and reproduce the present invention.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an article management module according to the present invention. As shown, the article management module according to the present invention reads from the barcode reader unit 100 for reading the barcode information of the article, the tag storage unit 230 for storing the barcode information, and the barcode reader unit 100 It includes an RF tag 200 including a control unit 240 for processing the bar code information entered to update the tag storage unit 230 and wirelessly transmits the information stored in the tag storage unit 230 to the tag reader 50. .

The barcode reader unit 100 includes a scanner 110 for scanning a barcode printed or attached to an article, and an interface unit (I / F) 120 for transmitting the scanned barcode information to the RF tag 200 which will be described later. ). In one example, the scanner 110 may be a flatbed scanner, the role of which is to scan a barcode indicating the unique value of the article formed in the article. A barcode is a combination of black bars and white bars of different thicknesses in order to make it easier for a computer to read information about an article. The barcode is a one-dimensional barcode method and a two-dimensional barcode method. The scanner 110 is configured to read such a barcode optically or magnetically, and since the scanner 110 is a known technical configuration, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The interface unit (I / F) 120 provides a physical connection interface for signal transmission between the barcode reader unit 100 and the RF tag 200 which will be described later. According to an example, the interface unit (I / F) 120 may be an interface type for serial communication, and may be, for example, RS-232 as is well known.

The RF tag 200 communicates with the tag reader 50. Here, the tag reader 50 is composed of an antenna, an RF circuit, a demodulator, a real time signal processing module, a processor, and the like, and controls frequency transmission and decrypts data received from an RF tag. The tag reader 50 may be classified into a fixed type, a mobile type, and a portable type according to a use.

The RF tag 200 is composed of a transponder chip and an antenna made of a semiconductor. The RF tag 200 communicates with the tag reader 50 to wirelessly transmit data stored therein to the tag reader 50. Typically, the RF tag 200 is classified into an active type and a passive type according to whether a battery is installed.

The RF tag 200 according to the present invention has an interface unit I having a common interface with the interface unit (I / F) 120 of the barcode reader unit 100 for physical connection with the barcode reader unit 100. / F) 210. Although not shown, the wireless communication unit 220 includes an antenna and a demodulation unit for modulating and demodulating a signal transmitted and received with the tag reader 50. The antenna is formed along the outer circumference of the tag in a printed pattern or coil. Since a modulation unit for modulating a signal to be transmitted and a demodulator for demodulating a received signal are well known in the art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The tag storage unit 230 is a nonvolatile semiconductor memory capable of reading / writing, for example, an EEPROM or a flash memory, and preserves data even when power is lost. The tag storage unit 230 stores barcode information of an article scanned by the barcode reader unit 100 and transmitted through the interface unit (I / F) 120 or 210.

The controller 240 may control the entire system of the RF tag 200 and may further control the entire article management module 10. The controller 240 may be implemented with dedicated hardware of digital logic designed as a state machine, for example, an ASIC circuit designed based on flip-flops and gates. In another embodiment, the controller 240 may be implemented as a microprocessor. The control unit 240 itself, which can be implemented in this manner, is a well-known technical configuration, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The power supply unit 300 supplies power necessary for the entire article management module 10. According to an example, the article management module 10 includes a power switch operable by an administrator, and when the power switch is turned on, the power supply unit 300 supplies power to the barcode reader unit 100 and the RF tag 200. do. The barcode reader unit 100 and the RF tag 200 are activated by the power supply. Meanwhile, although FIG. 1 illustrates that the power supply unit 300 is implemented separately from the RF tag 200, the RF tag 200 may be an active type having the power supply unit 300. In this case, the RF tag 200 is activated by the power supply unit 300 to control the power supply to the barcode reader unit 100 to directly control the activation of the barcode reader unit 100.

The appearance of the article management module 10 according to one embodiment is shown in FIGS. 2 to 5. 2 is a perspective view of the article management module according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a front view, Figure 4 is a rear view, Figure 5 is a side view. As can be seen from the article management module 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the RF tag 200 is provided on one side, the barcode reader unit 100 is provided on the other side of the opposite side. Additionally, the article management module 10 further includes a temperature sensor 400 as described below, which is preferably provided on the same side as the barcode reader unit 100 as shown in FIG. Although not shown, the interface unit (I / F) 120 of the barcode reader unit 100 and the interface unit (I / F) 210 of the RF tag 200 are preferably physically connected in the internal space. .

6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an article management apparatus including a case 20 and an article management module 10 mounted to the case 20 according to the present invention. Case 20 is a structure that can provide a closed space for storing the goods for distribution or inventory management of the goods. Such a case 20 may be provided with a refrigeration / freezing function for proper temperature management of the article. The case 20 may be a structure required for distribution or may be a refrigerator.

In the present embodiment, the article management module 10 is preferably mounted on the case 20 and used. To this end, the case 20 is provided in the mounting groove 21 at one side so that the article management module 10 can be mounted. The manner in which the article management module 10 is mounted in the mounting groove 21 of the case 20 may be made in a sliding manner, and has a mounting form as shown in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 8, the inner space of the case 20 is sealed by mounting the article management module 10.

In the present embodiment, when the article management module 10 is mounted to the case 20 in a sliding manner, the scanner 110 of the barcode reader unit 100 provided in the article management module 10 as shown in FIG. 20) exposed to the inside, the RF tag 200 provided in the article management module 10 is exposed to the outside of the case (20). Desorption technology itself according to the sliding method is obvious, so detailed description thereof will be omitted. Meanwhile, the article management module 10 is described as being detachable from the case 20, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the article management module 10 may be integrally formed on the case 20 so as not to be separated.

Hereinafter, a detailed operation of the article management module 10 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. When the manager wants to store the goods inside the case 20, the scanning is performed by bringing the barcode printed or attached to the goods to the scanner 110 exposed inside the case 20. The scanner 110 scans a barcode of an adjacent article and outputs the barcode to the interface unit (I / F) 120. The interface unit (I / F) 120 outputs the barcode information output from the scanner 110 to the interface unit (I / F) 210 of the RF tag 200. The interface unit (I / F) 210 of the RF tag 200 receives barcode information output from the interface unit (I / F) 120 of the barcode reader unit 100 and outputs the barcode information to the controller 240. The controller 240 processes the input barcode information according to a storage method, records the barcode information in the tag storage unit 230, and stores the barcode information in the tag storage unit 230. According to this process, the bar code storage unit 230 stores barcode information on all items stored in the case 20.

On the other hand, if the manager approaches the tag reader 50 to the RF tag 200 exposed to the outside of the case 20 to grasp information about the goods stored in the case 20, the wireless communication unit 220 of the RF tag 200 ) Receives the radio frequency transmitted from the tag reader 50, the control unit 240 extracts the barcode information stored in the tag storage unit 230 in response to the received radio frequency to the tag reader through the wireless communication unit 220 Wirelessly transmits to (50).

The tag reader 50 receives barcode information wirelessly transmitted from the RF tag 200. According to an example, in the internal memory of the tag reader 50, detailed information about an item for each barcode information may be stored as data in a text format. In this case, the tag reader 50 outputs detailed information of the article related to the received bar code information on a display screen provided in the reader, and accordingly, the manager may store the article information and each item being stored through the display screen of the tag reader 50. Detailed information about the item, such as the expiration date can be found. Alternatively, the tag reader 50 may receive only information from the RF tag and transmit the received barcode information to the computer, whereby the administrator may check the item information stored in the case 20 and detailed information about each item through the computer. .

As such, the article management module according to the present invention obtains barcode information of the article stored in the case and provides the manager with the article information stored in the case through RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technology, so that the administrator does not have to open the case. It can check the history of the goods in storage, and also prevents the administrator from having to perform manual work for managing the history of the goods separately, thus preventing the waste of manpower. This can prevent confusion in the management of goods.

The control unit 240 according to an additional aspect of the present invention is characterized in that if the bar code information read from the bar code reader unit 100 is stored in the tag storage unit 230, the control unit 240 deletes the bar code information. This is to more efficiently manage the article to be stored in the case 20. To this end, the manager places the article inside the case 20 after scanning the barcode of the article close to the scanner 110 and stores the article inside the case 20 when storing the article inside the case 20. Even if you want to exit, you must remove the article after bringing the barcode of the article close to the scanner 110 while taking out the article. Since the scanner 110 is exposed to the inside of the case 20 as illustrated in FIG. 8, the manager may easily scan the barcode of the article when the article is inserted into or taken out of the case 20.

The controller 240 checks whether the barcode information scanned from the scanner 110 and transmitted through the interface unit (I / F) 120 or 210 is stored in the tag storage unit 230, and if not, It is recognized that the article is to be stored in the case 20. Therefore, the controller 240 outputs the barcode information to the tag storage 230, and the barcode information output from the controller 240 is recorded in the tag storage 230. On the contrary, if the barcode information scanned from the scanner 110 and transmitted through the interface unit (I / F) 120 or 210 is stored in the tag storage unit 230, the controller 240 is stored in the case 20. It is recognized that the article in question is no longer intended to be stored in the case 20. Therefore, the controller 240 deletes the corresponding barcode information stored in the tag storage 230.

As described above, the article management module according to the present invention reads the barcode information of the article and stores it in the RF tag when the administrator keeps the article in the case, and the manager does not store the article stored in the case in the case anymore. In the case of taking out, the barcode information of the article is read and the barcode information stored in the RF tag is deleted, thereby making it easier to grasp the inventory of the article stored in the case. In particular, it is advantageous when the article is not stored once in the case but the entry and exit of the article is free. For example, when applied to the refrigerator used at home, the large refrigerator used in a restaurant, etc., goods management can be made more efficient.

Meanwhile, the article management module 10 is limited to the case in which the scanner 110 of the barcode reader unit 100 is exposed to the inside of the case 20. However, the article management module 10 is not necessarily required, and the scanner 110 also includes the RF tag 200. Similarly provided on the same side may be exposed to the outside of the case 20. In this case, the manager closes the barcode of the article to the scanner 110 exposed to the outside of the case 20 and keeps it inside the case 20. If the user wants to terminate the storage, the article is stored inside the case 20. After removing from the case 20, the case 20 must be brought close to the scanner exposed outside.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the article management module 10 further includes a temperature sensor 400. If the article to be stored in the case 20 requires refrigeration / freezing management, it is important to keep it at an appropriate temperature continuously. Therefore, the manager must manage the temperature inside the case 20. To this end, the article management module 10 further includes a temperature sensor 400. The temperature sensor 400 is for sensing the internal temperature of the case 20. For this purpose, the temperature sensor 400 is provided on the same surface as the barcode reader unit 100 and exposed to the inside of the case 20 as illustrated in FIG. 4. Therefore, the temperature sensor 400 may sense the temperature inside the case 20. In the present embodiment, the temperature sensor 400 senses the internal temperature of the case 20 periodically, for example, every 30 minutes.

The temperature sensor 400 outputs a temperature value of sensing the internal temperature of the case 20, and the controller 240 is provided through an interface unit (I / F) 250 supporting physical connection with the temperature sensor 400. Receive the temperature value. In addition, the controller 240 controls the temperature sensor 400 to sense an internal temperature of the case 20 according to a sensing cycle. In this case, the sensing period may be set in advance when the article management module 10 is manufactured and stored in the internal memory. Otherwise, although not shown, a key input means operable by a manager may be provided at one side of the article management module 10 so that a sensing period may be set according to a key input by the manager. The controller 240 controls the temperature sensor 400 according to the sensing period set as described above.

The controller 240 stores and processes the temperature value sensed by the temperature sensor 400 in the tag storage 230. Preferably, the controller 240 accumulates and stores the temperature value sensed by the temperature sensor 400 in the tag storage 230. However, temperature value data that may be stored in the tag storage 230 may have a maximum allowable value. For example, the tag storage unit 230 stores up to 10 temperature values sensed by the temperature sensor 400. Accordingly, when all ten temperature values are stored in the tag storage unit 230, according to an example, the control unit 240 may later store the temperature values sensed by the temperature sensor 400 in the tag storage unit 230. Delete and save the oldest temperature in. That is, the temperature value is stored in the FIFO (First In First Out) method.

On the other hand, when the administrator approaches the tag reader 50 to the RF tag 200 exposed to the outside of the case 20, the wireless communication unit 220 of the RF tag 200 receives the radio frequency transmitted from the tag reader 50 In addition, the control unit 240 extracts the barcode information and the temperature value stored in the tag storage unit 230 in response to the received radio frequency and wirelessly transmits the barcode information to the tag reader 50 through the wireless communication unit 220. Accordingly, as described above, the manager can check the history of the goods stored inside without opening the case, and furthermore, check whether the internal temperature of the case is properly maintained and manage the management.

As described above, the article management module and the article management apparatus according to the present invention obtain the barcode information of the article stored in the case and provide the article information stored in the case to the manager through RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technology. You can check the history of the goods stored inside without opening the case, and also prevent the administrator from having to perform manual management for the history of the goods separately to prevent waste of manpower, and accidentally misread the product history information due to manual problems This can prevent the management of goods caused by wrong input.

In addition, the article management module and the article management apparatus according to the present invention reads the barcode information of the article and store it in the RF tag when the administrator keeps the article in the case, and the administrator no longer keeps the article stored in the case in the case When removing from the case, the barcode information of the article is read and the corresponding barcode information stored in the RF tag is deleted, thereby facilitating the inventory of the goods stored in the case. In particular, the article is not stored once in the case, it is advantageous when the entry and exit of the article is free. For example, when applied to the refrigerator used at home, the large refrigerator used in a restaurant, etc., goods management can be made more efficient.

In addition, the article management module and the article management apparatus according to the present invention can provide information on whether the product is continuously maintained at an appropriate temperature when the refrigeration / freezing management of the article is required, so the quality control for temperature changes for food, etc. To make it possible.

As described above, the article management module and the article management apparatus according to the present invention provide an advantage that the RF tag can be collectively managed for items that cannot be attached to each other, and can be used for automatic calculations such as large discount stores. Let's do it. It also enables the history management of materials and quality control of temperature changes in restaurants and restaurants. In other words, the manager can manage the quality and product history such as the expiration date and temperature management of the ingredients and food in the refrigerator without opening the refrigerator door.

On the other hand, the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, which are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be defined only by the appended claims.

Claims (9)

A barcode reader unit for reading barcode information of the article; A tag storage unit for storing barcode information, and a controller for processing barcode information read from the barcode reader unit, updating the tag storage unit, and reading the information stored in the tag storage unit and wirelessly transmitting the information to an adjacent tag reader. RF tag; Article management module comprising a. The article management module of claim 1, wherein the article management module comprises: An article management module, characterized in that the detachable to the case for storing the goods, or made inseparable integrally. The article management module of claim 2, wherein the article management module comprises: The bar code reader unit is provided on one side and the RF tag is provided on the other side, when mounted to the case, the bar code reader unit is exposed to the inside of the case, the article management module, characterized in that the RF tag is exposed to the outside of the case. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein the control unit: The bar code information read from the bar code reader unit is deleted if stored in the tag storage unit, the article management module, characterized in that if not stored. The article management module of claim 4 wherein the article management module comprises: Further comprising; a temperature sensor for sensing the internal temperature of the case, The control unit: The article management module, characterized in that for processing the temperature value sensed by the temperature sensor and write to the tag storage. A case having a mounting groove and storing the article; Including the article management module mounted to the mounting groove of the case, wherein the article management module comprises: Bar code reader part to read bar code information of article, A tag storage unit for storing barcode information, and a controller for processing barcode information read from the barcode reader unit, updating the tag storage unit, and reading the information stored in the tag storage unit and wirelessly transmitting the information to an adjacent tag reader. An article management apparatus comprising an RF tag. The article management module of claim 6 wherein the article management module comprises: The barcode reader unit is provided on one side and the RF tag is provided on the other side, and when mounted in the mounting groove of the case, the barcode reader unit is exposed inside the case, and the RF tag is exposed to the outside of the case. Management device. The method of claim 6 or 7, wherein the control unit: The bar code information read from the bar code reader unit is deleted if stored in the tag storage unit, and if not stored, characterized in that the article management apparatus. The article management module of claim 8 wherein: It further comprises a temperature sensor provided on one side for sensing the temperature inside the case, The control unit: The article management device, characterized in that for processing the temperature value sensed by the temperature sensor and write to the tag storage.

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