Physical distribution management system, and physical distribution management method

The present invention relates to a physical distribution management system and a physical distribution management method, and more particularly to a physical distribution management system and a physical distribution management method for storing and distributing goods in a physical distribution container.

In a general physical distribution management system, when storing an article such as a baggage in a physical distribution container or a packing body, it is necessary to confirm whether or not the packing body and the article are appropriate to be accommodated. The confirmation work for confirming whether or not the combination of the package and the article inside the package is correct is also performed at the time of shipping or arriving of the article. Conventionally, such confirmation work has been performed manually while the worker creates a checklist or the like and confirms the article and the package.

Here, a physical distribution management system using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) or a two-dimensional barcode is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-160324 (Patent Document 1). According to Patent Document 1, RFID is attached to the article stored in the package, and a two-dimensional barcode is attached to the outer surface of the package. The RFID contains a code that identifies the RFID itself and information that identifies the attached article. The two-dimensional barcode contains at least a list of codes (ID list) that identifies the RFID attached to each article. By using this RFID and two-dimensional barcode, it is planned to improve the efficiency of the confirmation work of the articles stored in the package.<patcit num="1"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-160324</text></patcit>

<p> According to Patent Document 1, it is necessary to prepare an ID list included in the two-dimensional barcode in advance. Creating such an ID list is generally performed manually, such as by manually entering a code. The work of inputting such a code is very complicated and not efficient.</p><p> An object of the present invention is to provide a physical distribution management system capable of efficiently managing physical distribution data.</p><p> Another object of the present invention is to provide a physical distribution management method capable of efficiently managing physical distribution data.</p><p> Still another object of the present invention is to provide a physical distribution management device capable of efficiently managing physical distribution data.</p><p> Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an identification device capable of efficiently managing physical distribution data.</p>

<p> The distribution management system according to the present invention includes a distribution container capable of accommodating articles and having a first RFID tag, and an identification device capable of identifying articles and having a second RFID tag. , A reader that can read the data stored in the first and second RFID tags, and a storage means that associates and stores the data stored in the first and second RFID tags read by the reader. Be prepared.</p><p> According to the distribution management system having such a configuration, the data stored in the RFID tag attached to the distribution container capable of accommodating the goods and the RFID tag attached to the identification device capable of identifying the goods are read and read. Associate and memorize. Then, it is not necessary to perform complicated work such as manual input of data. Therefore, the physical distribution data can be managed efficiently.</p><p> Preferably, the storage means stores the identification data of the article identified by the identification device in association with the data stored in the first and second RFID tags.</p><p> More preferably, the storage means stores a plurality of data in a common data format for each event related to physical distribution.</p><p> More preferably, the data stored by the storage means includes mono data about the event, person data about the event, time point data about the event, position data about the event, and state data about the event.</p><p> More preferably, the article is attached with a barcode storing ID data for identifying the article, and the identification device includes a barcode reader capable of reading the barcode. According to Patent Document 1, it is necessary to attach RFID to all the articles stored in the package. Such systems are generally costly. If the goods themselves are cheap, RFID will be more expensive and not worth the cost. However, with such a configuration, it is not necessary to provide an expensive RFID tag for all the goods contained in the distribution container. Therefore, it can be constructed at low cost.</p><p> In a more preferred embodiment, the bar code includes a two-dimensional bar code.</p><p> More preferably, the reader comprises an antenna that receives radio waves from the first and second RFID tags, which are provided in place. By doing so, if the radio waves from the first and second RFID tags are received, it can be grasped that the distribution container and the identification device are within the detection range of the antenna.</p><p> Further, when the reading device reads the data stored in the plurality of second RFID tags, the storage means selects the data from the second RFID tag whose radio wave reception intensity is larger than the predetermined intensity. It may be configured to be memorized.</p><p> Further, the storage means is configured to include a notification means for notifying when it is determined that the association of the data stored in the first and second RFID tags is different from the predetermined association. May be good.</p><p> In another aspect of the invention, the physical distribution management method comprises a first reading step of reading data stored in a first RFID tag attached to a physical distribution container capable of containing goods, and an identification device capable of identifying the goods. It includes a second reading step of reading the data stored in the second RFID tag attached to the first and second RFID tags, and a storage step of associating and storing the data stored in the first and second RFID tags.</p><p> In addition, the distribution management method is attached to the first reading step of reading the ID data of the distribution container from the first RFID tag attached to the distribution container that can store the goods inside, and the barcode reader. A second reading step in which the reader reads the ID data of the barcode reader from the second RFID tag, and a third reading step in which the ID data of the article is read by the barcode reader from the barcode attached to the article. It includes a reading step and a storage step of associating and storing the ID data of the distribution container, the ID data of the barcode reader, and the ID data of the article read by the first, second, and third reading steps.</p><p> In yet another aspect of the present invention, the physical distribution management device is an identification device capable of identifying the goods and having a second RFID tag attached, and a first RFID attached to a physical distribution container capable of containing the goods. It includes a reading device that can read the data stored in the tag and the second RFID tag, and a storage unit that stores the data stored in the first and second RFID tags read by the reading device in association with each other. ..</p><p> In yet another aspect of the present invention, the identification device is an identification device that can identify an article by reading the identification data attached to the article, and is an RFID that is read by being placed in a position readable by the reading device. It is tagged.</p>

<p> According to such a distribution management system, the data stored in the RFID tag attached to the distribution container capable of accommodating the goods and the RFID tag attached to the identification device capable of identifying the goods are read and associated with each other. Remember. Then, it is not necessary to perform complicated work such as manual input of data. Therefore, the physical distribution data can be managed efficiently.</p><p> Further, the physical distribution data can be efficiently managed also for such a physical distribution management method, the physical distribution management device, and the identification device.</p>

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, event data used in the physical distribution management system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. As will be described later, event data refers to events related to physical distribution, such as an event in which a physical distribution container is installed at a predetermined location and an event in which a bar code attached to an article is read by a bar code reader. It refers to the data to be stored.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the data format of event data. With reference to FIG. 1, the event data 11 has a common data format at a plurality of events in the distribution of goods. The event data 11 has, as common data formats, mono data 12a which is information about an event, person data 12b which is information about a person about an event, time data 12c which is information about a time about an event, and information about a place about an event. Includes some location data 12d and state data 12e, which is state information about the event. The mono data 12a, the human data 12b, the time point data 12c, and the position data 12d are concepts connected by the state data 12e, respectively.

Next, the hardware configuration of the physical distribution management system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a physical distribution management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of work when storing goods in a physical distribution container in the physical distribution management system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the distribution management system 21 is capable of accommodating the article 22, distinguishing between the distribution container 23 with the first RFID tag 29a and the article 22. By the barcode reader 24 as an identification device with the second RFID tag 29b, the reader 25 as a reader 25 that can read the data stored in the first and second RFID tags 29a and 29b, and the reader 25. It is provided with a computer 26 as a storage means for associating and storing the data stored in the read first and second RFID tags 29a and 29b. Hereinafter, the RFID tag is simply referred to as a tag, the distribution container 23 is simply referred to as a container 23, and the barcode reader 24 is referred to as a BC reader 24.

The article 22 is attached with a barcode 28 in which the article ID data that identifies the article 22 is stored. The barcode 28 is attached to a position recognizable from the outside of the article 22, for example, on the outer surface of the article 22. The barcode 28 is preferably a two-dimensional barcode. Since such a barcode 28 can be created as a sticker and attached to the outer surface of the article 22, for example, it can be constructed at low cost.

The container 23 is larger in size than the article 22 and can accommodate the article 22. The container 23 is used as a distribution container for distributing the article 22. The container 23 can accommodate a plurality of articles 22. It is desirable that the container 23 has a structure that can be folded into a small size when the article 22 is not accommodated.

The first tag 29a is attached to the container 23 as described above. The first tag 29a is attached to, for example, the outer surface of the container 23. The first tag 29a stores various data including container ID data that identifies the attached container 23.

The BC reader 24 can read the barcode 28 attached to the article 22. Specifically, by bringing the detection unit 31 of the BC reader 24 closer to the barcode 28, the data stored in the barcode 28 is read and the article 22 is identified from the article ID data. The BC reader 24 is connected to the computer 26 by the connection line 32, and the data of the barcode 28 read by the BC reader 24 can be transmitted to the computer 26.

Further, the second tag 29b is attached to the BC reader 24 as described above. The second tag 29b is attached to a portion of the BC reader 24 that does not interfere with the detection by the detection unit 31, for example, the outer lateral surface of the BC reader 24. The second tag 29b stores various data including BC reader ID data that identifies the attached BC reader 24.

The reader 25 as a reader can read the data stored in the first and second tags 29a and 29b. The reader 25 includes an antenna 27 that receives radio waves from the first and second tags 29a and 29b. The reader 25 reads the data from the first and second tags 29a and 29b via the connected antenna 27. The antenna 27 connected to the reader 25 is attached to and fixed to the workbench 30 so that radio waves from tags within a predetermined range on the workbench 30 can be received. The dotted line in FIG. 2 illustrates the detection range of the antenna 27. That is, when the container 23 or the BC reader 24 is installed within the detection range of the antenna 27, the antenna 27 receives radio waves from the first and second tags 29a and 29b, and the first and second tags 29a, The data stored in 29b is read by the reader 25.

The reader 25 is connected to the computer 26 and can transmit the data stored in the first and second tags 29a and 29b to the computer 26. The reader 25 may be provided with a writer function for writing data to the first and second tags 29a and 29b.

The computer 26 as a storage means generates event data shown in FIG. 1 for a plurality of events when the article 22 is distributed, and stores the event data. Examples of the storage means include a hard disk drive, which is a non-volatile storage medium provided in the computer 26, and a memory-related (neither is shown) such as a DRAM, which is a volatile storage medium. Specifically, the event data is stored in a database (not shown) provided in the computer 26. The event data stored in the database can be referenced and searched later.

Next, a method of storing event data related to physical distribution management will be described. Here, as a series of typical events related to the goods storage work as a part of physical distribution management, an event in which the container 23 is installed on the workbench 30, an event in which the BC reader 24 is installed on the workbench 30, An event occurs in which the article 22 is housed in the container 23, and an event occurs in which the container 23 on the workbench 30 is excluded.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the detection states of the BC reader 24 and the reader 25 when an event occurs. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis indicates the elapsed time. The vertical axis in FIG. 4 shows the detection status of the BC reader 24 and the reader 25. Specifically, the line 36a shows the detection state of the first tag 29a in the reader 25, the line 36b shows the detection state of the second tag 29b in the reader 25, and the line 36c shows the bar in the BC reader 24. Indicates the detection status of code 28. In addition, FIGS. 5 (A) to 5 (E) show schematic diagrams of event data for each event.

FIG. 5 (A) shows the installation event data of the container 23, which is indicated by the person in charge ID who installed the container 23 as human data, the container ID as mono data, the antenna 27 as position data, and the arrow A in FIG. 4 as time data. At time A, event data 41a called installation is stored as status data.

FIG. 5B shows the installation event data of the BC reader 24, the person in charge ID who installed the BC reader 24 as human data, the BC reader ID as mono data, the antenna 27 as position data, and the arrow in FIG. 5 as time data. At time B indicated by B, event data 41b called installation is stored as status data. Here, the position data and the time point data are compared with the position data and the time point data in the event data 41a when the association event data described later is generated.

FIG. 5 (C) shows the read event data of the barcode 28, the person in charge ID who read the barcode 28 by the BC reader 24 as human data, the article ID as mono data, the BC reader 24 as position data, and the time point data. At time C indicated by the arrow C in FIG. 5, event data 41c called read as state data is stored. Here, the mono data and the time point data are compared with the mono data and the time point data in the event data 41b when the association event data described later is generated.

FIG. 5 (D) shows the exclusion event data of the container 23, which is indicated by the person in charge ID who excluded the container 23 as human data, the container ID as mono data, the antenna 27 as the position data, and the arrow D in FIG. 5 as the time point data. Event data 41d called exclusion is stored as time D and state data. Here, the position data and the time point data are compared with the position data and the time point data in the event data 41b when the association event data described later is generated.

Here, FIG. 5 (E) is the association event data that associates the article 22 with the container 23, and this is generated from the event data 41a and 41c shown in FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (C) described above. Will be done. Specifically, the person data, the mono data, and the time point data are migrated from the event data 41c, and the position data is migrated from the event data 41a. That is, the association event data that associates the article 22 with the container 23 includes the person in charge ID as human data, the article ID as mono data, the container ID as position data, the time C as time data, and the event data 41e that associates as state data. It will be remembered.

Such association event data is associated by the detection state of BC reader 24 and reader 25. That is, if the container 23 and the BC reader 24 are not in the detection state, the container 23 and the BC reader 24 are not within the detection range of the antenna 27. Then, since the container 23 and the BC reader 24 are not within the detection range of the antenna 27, the article 22 with the barcode 28 read by the BC reader 24 is not housed in the container 23. Become. From this point of view, with the container 23 and the BC reader 24 in the detection state, the article 22 with the barcode 28 read by the BC reader 24 can be associated with being housed in the container 23. ..

That is, to explain with reference to FIG. 4, it can be related that the article 22 is contained in the container 23 only in the region 37a surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. On the other hand, in the region 37b surrounded by the alternate long and short dash line and the region 37c surrounded by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 4, the first or second tags 29a and 29b attached to the container 23 and the BC reader 24 were detected. Therefore, the data of the barcode 28 read in these areas 37b and 37c shown by the line 36d and the line 36e is treated as an error.

Next, a method of associating the article 22 with the container 23 will be specifically described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing flow when associating the article 22 with the container 23 in the physical distribution management system 21 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

With reference to FIG. 6, first, in the reader 25 receiving the read instruction (step S11 in FIG. 6, hereinafter, step is omitted), the container 23 is installed at a predetermined position within the detection range of the antenna 27. Then, the reader 25 reads the data of the first tag 29a attached to the container 23 (S12). Here, when a plurality of tags are read, the tags are selected (S13). The tag may be read by using a known method, for example, by detecting whether or not the reception intensity at the backscatter level is within a predetermined range. The selection method when radio waves from a plurality of tags are received will be described later.

Then, after determining whether the tag selection flag is 1 (S14), it is determined whether the container ID is appropriate (S15). The tag selection flag is a flag that is set when only one tag attached to the container 23 is detected. That is, if the tag selection flag is 0, which does not detect only one, the process ends (NO in S14).

Next, it is determined whether or not the container installation event data has been stored (S16), and if it is not stored, it is stored (S17). That is, the event data 41a shown in FIG. 5 (A) described above is stored.

After that, it is determined whether or not the second tag 29b attached to the BC reader 24 is detected (S18). If detected, the BC reader installation event data is stored (S19). That is, the event data 41b shown in FIG. 5 (B) described above is stored.

Next, the barcode 28 attached to the article 22 is read, and the barcode reading event data is stored. That is, the event data 41c shown in FIG. 5 (C) described above is stored.

At this time, the article 22 and the container 23 are associated with each other, and the association event data is generated and stored. Specifically, in the barcode reading event data 41c, the BC reader installation event data having the BC reader as mono data is searched in the database. When event data is found, the time data of the BC reader installation event data is compared, and the container installation event of the BC reader installation event data having the time data having the smallest difference and the difference equal to or less than the preset threshold value. Search data and container exclusion event data. Next, the container installation event data and the container exclusion event data having the closest time point data to the time point data of the BC reader installation event data are searched. After that, in the associated event data, the mono data of the bar code reading event data as mono data, the operation time of the search program as the time point data, the person in charge ID indicating the person in charge preset in the program as the person data, and the position data. Generates the event data associated with the container ID and status data of the container installation event data. It should be noted that this search may be configured so as not to search for items that have passed a predetermined period.

After that, it is determined whether or not the output of the antenna 27 has stopped (S20), and if the output of the antenna 27 has stopped, the container exclusion event data is stored (S21). That is, the event data 41d shown in FIG. 5 (D) described above is stored.

Here, if it is determined that the detected ID is not the container ID, it is determined that something other than the container 23 is installed on the workbench 30, and error message 1 is displayed (S22). After that, it is determined whether or not the container installation event data is stored (S23, S24). On the other hand, if the tag selection flag is not 1 (NO in S14) or the tag of the BC reader 24 is not detected (NO in S18), the BC reader installation event data is deleted (S25).

As described above, the physical distribution management system 21 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured. That is, according to such a distribution management system 21, the first tag 29a attached to the container 23 capable of containing the article 22 and the second tag 29b attached to the BC reader 24 capable of identifying the article 22. The stored data is read, and these are associated and stored. Then, it is not necessary to perform complicated work such as manual input of data. Therefore, the physical distribution data can be managed efficiently.

Further, in this case, since the ID data of the article 22 is stored in the barcode 28, it is not necessary to provide an expensive tag for all the articles 22 housed in the container 23. Therefore, it can be constructed at low cost.

Here, when the association between the article 22 and the container 23 is determined in advance, it is determined whether the article ID and the container ID are correct, that is, whether the appropriate article 22 is contained in the appropriate container 23. The case of doing so will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in this case. First, the barcode 28 is read by the BC reader 24 with reference to FIG. 7 (S31). Next, refer to the container installation event data (S32). Next, refer to the BC reader installation event data (S33). These two references are referenced using each event data stored in the database. Next, it is determined whether or not these combinations are normal combinations (S34). If it is a normal combination, the article and container association event data is generated as it is and stored (S35). On the other hand, if it is determined that the combination is not normal, error message 2 is displayed (S36). Here, the computer 26 and the like operate as a notification means. Specifically, an error indicating that the combination is not normal is displayed on the screen of the display included in the computer 26. That is, when the computer included in the physical distribution management system determines that the association of the data stored in the first and second RFID tags is different from the predetermined association, the computer provides a notification means for notifying that fact. Be prepared.

Here, a case where a plurality of tags are detected will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in this case. With reference to FIG. 8, the tag with the maximum reception level is selected from the reception levels from the multiple detected tags (S41). Next, it is determined whether or not the reception level is higher than a predetermined threshold value (S42). If it is determined to be greater than the predetermined threshold (YES in S42), then the second highest reception level is selected (S43) to determine if the reception level is greater than the predetermined threshold (S). S44). Then, if the second highest reception level is larger than a predetermined threshold value (YES in S44), it is regarded as abnormal and the tag selection flag is set to 0 (S45). On the other hand, if the second highest reception level is smaller than a predetermined threshold value (NO in S44), it is regarded as normal and the tag selection flag is set to 1 (S46). In this case, the tag selected is the tag with the maximum reception level. By doing so, a more appropriate tag can be selected according to the reception level. That is, when the computer included in the physical distribution management system reads the data stored in the plurality of second tags, the computer includes the data from the second tag whose radio wave reception intensity is larger than the predetermined intensity. Select and memorize.

Further, the distribution management method according to the present invention is attached to a first reading step of reading data stored in a first tag attached to a distribution container capable of accommodating an article, and an identification device capable of identifying the article. It includes a second reading step of reading the data stored in the second tag and a storage step of associating and storing the data stored in the first and second tags.

More specifically, the distribution management method includes a first reading step of reading the ID data of the distribution container by a reader from the first tag attached to the distribution container capable of accommodating the goods inside, and a bar code. The second reading step of reading the ID data of the bar code reader from the second tag attached to the reader by the reader, and the second reading step of reading the ID data of the article from the bar code attached to the article by the bar code reader. It includes three reading steps and a storage step of associating and storing the ID data of the distribution container, the ID data of the bar code reader, and the ID data of the goods read by the first, second, and third reading steps.

Further, the distribution management device according to the present invention has an identification device capable of identifying an article and having a second RFID tag, a first RFID tag attached to a distribution container capable of accommodating the article, and a second RFID tag. It includes a reading device that can read the data stored in the second RFID tag, and a storage unit that stores the data stored in the first and second RFID tags read by the reading device in association with each other.

Further, with respect to the identification device according to the present invention, the identification device is an identification device capable of identifying an article by reading the identification data attached to the article, and is read by being arranged at a position readable by the reading device. The tag is attached.

Logistics data can be efficiently managed also for such a physical distribution management method, a physical distribution management device, and an identification device.

In the above embodiment, the two-dimensional bar code is used, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a one-dimensional bar code may be used as the bar code.

Further, in the above embodiment, the event data has a data format having the above-mentioned five items, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, a data format not including human data and having four items. It may have a data format having 6 or more items including other data.

In the above embodiment, the connection between the computer and the BC reader and the reader may be wired or wireless.

Further, the antenna does not have to be fixed as long as it can detect within a predetermined detection range.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to those of the illustrated embodiments. Various modifications and modifications can be made to the illustrated embodiment within the same range as the present invention or within the same range.

The physical distribution management system, the physical distribution management method, the physical distribution management device, and the identification device according to the present invention are effectively used when it is necessary to efficiently perform physical distribution management.

<figref num="1">It is a conceptual diagram which shows event data.</figref><figref num="2">It is a system block diagram which shows the hardware structure of the physical distribution management system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="3">It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the work at the time of accommodating an article in a container in the physical distribution management system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="4">It is a figure which shows the BC reader and the detection state of a reader at the time of an event occurrence.</figref><figref num="5">It is a schematic diagram of the event data in each event.</figref><figref num="6">It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process at the time of associating an article with a container in the physical distribution management system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="7">It is a flowchart which shows the flow of processing at the time of determining whether or not a proper article is contained in a proper container.</figref><figref num="8">It is a flowchart which shows the flow of processing when a plurality of tags are detected.</figref>

Code description

11,41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, 41e Event data, 12a mono data, 12b person data, 12c time point data, 12d position data, 12e status data, 21 logistics management system, 22 goods, 23 containers, 24 BC reader, 25 Reader, 26 computers, 27 antennas, 28 barcodes, 29a, 29b tags, 30 workbench, 31 detectors, 32 connection lines, 36a, 36b, 36c, 36d, 36e lines, 37a, 37b, 37c area.