A material indicator, material indicator control system and method

Abstract

The application discloses a material indicator, a material indication control system and a method. The material indicator comprises a shell, a first hole and a second hole are formed in the shell, an induction module is arranged in the first hole and is used for sending an induction signal when an operator takes materials from a material box, a first single-chip microcomputer is arranged in the shell and is connected with the induction module, and the first single-chip microcomputer is used for obtaining a first to-be-displayed material number according to the induction signal sent by the induction module, and a display module is arranged at the second hole and is connected with the first single-chip microcomputer, and the display module is used for displaying the material number according to the message sent by the first single-chip microcomputer. The material picking efficiency is high, the picking error rate is low, and the product processing efficiency can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of material handling indication technology in production lines, and in particular to a material indicator, a material indication control system and method. Background Technology

[0002] In large-scale production, assembling processed products on the production line is a very common production method. As product complexity increases and the number of product parts increases, the complexity of product assembly also gradually increases; therefore, how to improve the efficiency of product assembly, reduce product assembly errors, and improve product qualification rate in production line production has become an important aspect of enterprise production technology.

[0003] To guide or instruct operators during assembly, different materials are typically placed in material boxes on the production line, arranged in a logical manner, and labeled with predetermined information about the materials. This guides operators in retrieving the appropriate materials during production, reducing errors during material handling and improving assembly efficiency. However, this method has two drawbacks: it cannot completely eliminate operator errors, and it is difficult to improve product processing efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main objective of this invention is to overcome the aforementioned deficiencies in the prior art and to propose a material indicator and material indication system with high material picking efficiency and low picking error rate, which can improve product processing efficiency.

[0005] The present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] On the one hand, a material indicator includes:

[0007] A housing having a first hole and a second hole formed thereon;

[0008] A sensing module, located inside the first hole, is used to send a sensing signal when the operator takes materials from the material box.

[0009] A first microcontroller is disposed inside the housing and connected to the sensing module, and is used to obtain the first number of materials to be displayed based on the sensing information sent by the sensing module;

[0010] The display module is located at the second hole and connected to the first microcontroller. It is used to display the quantity of materials according to the messages sent by the first microcontroller.

[0011] Preferably, the housing is formed by a first housing and a second housing connected in a detachable manner.

[0012] Preferably, the material indicator further includes: a push-button switch; the push-button switch is disposed on the housing; the push-button switch is connected to the first microcontroller and is used to control the display module to display the material quantity.

[0013] Preferably, the sensing module includes a microwave sensing sensor or an infrared sensing sensor.

[0014] Preferably, the display module includes two seven-segment LED displays.

[0015] Preferably, the material indicator further includes:

[0016] Base plate;

[0017] The upper cover is used to place the material box;

[0018] A weighing sensor is disposed above the base plate and below the upper cover plate, and is used to transmit the detected weight;

[0019] A second microcontroller is disposed above the base plate; it is connected to the weighing sensor and used to obtain the number of materials taken based on the weight sent by the weighing sensor; it is also connected to the first microcontroller and used to send the number of materials taken; the first microcontroller obtains a second number of materials to be displayed based on the number of materials taken sent by the second microcontroller.

[0020] Preferably, the second microcontroller obtains the number of materials taken based on the weight sent by the weighing sensor, specifically including:

[0021] The weighing sensor sends the total weight G1 of the material box and the materials inside to the second microcontroller, which then stores the data.

[0022] After the operator picks up some materials, the weighing sensor sends the picked-up weight G2 to the second microcontroller. The second microcontroller calculates the number of materials picked up, N, where N = (G1 - G2) / weight of a single material.

[0023] Secondly, a material indication control system includes:

[0024] Multiple material boxes;

[0025] Multiple material indicators, one of which is used to indicate the quantity of material obtained from one of the material boxes;

[0026] A controller, connected to the material indicator, is used to acquire the work steps in the process document, retrieve the address of the material indicator based on the material information in the work steps, and send a message including the material requirement to the retrieved material indicator based on the address.

[0027] Thirdly, a material indication control method, based on the aforementioned material indicator, includes:

[0028] The controller acquires the work steps within the process document and retrieves the address of the material indicator based on the material information within the work steps; the material information includes the material number and the corresponding material quantity.

[0029] Based on the address, the controller sends a message including the material requirement number to the retrieved material indicator. The first microcontroller of the material indicator controls the display module to light up and display the corresponding material number according to the received message.

[0030] Once the material has been correctly picked up, the first microcontroller of the material indicator controls the display module to turn off the display and sends a message that the material has been correctly picked up to the controller.

[0031] As can be seen from the above description of the present invention, compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0032] (1) The material indicator of the present invention has a simple structure and small size. It can be matched with material boxes one by one. It is easy to install and disassemble. It can be replaced at any time when the material indicator malfunctions.

[0033] (2) The material indicator of the present invention senses the human body’s action of picking up materials from the material box through the sensing module, and displays the number of materials that still need to be picked up or the number of materials that have been picked up through the first microcontroller control display module. This solves the problem that operators need to rely on memory to pick up materials, improves efficiency and reduces the error rate.

[0034] (3) The material indicator of the present invention can be corrected by a button switch when the sensing module occasionally fails to detect accurately, so as to ensure that the operator picks up the correct number of materials.

[0035] (4) The material indicator of the present invention also includes a weighing sensor. The operator can choose to count the material pick-up through the sensing module or the weighing sensor so that the other can be activated quickly when one fails, ensuring that efficiency is not affected.

[0036] (5) The material indication control system / method of the present invention, wherein the controller obtains the address of the material indicator and the corresponding material demand number according to the process requirements and sends them to the material indicator, the material indicator controls the display module to light up and display the material demand number, thereby facilitating the operator to quickly find the corresponding material box and pick up the corresponding material. The material indicator controls the display module to display the corresponding information according to the operator's picking action, such as displaying the number of materials to be picked up or displaying the number of materials already picked up. It can also turn off the brightness of the display module when the picking is completed, and provide sound and light prompts when picking errors occur. Attached Figure Description

[0037] Figure 1 This is an overall structural diagram of the material indicator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the first housing of the material indicator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the second housing of the material indicator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the weighing part of the material indicator according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 5 This is a structural block diagram of the material indication control system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the material indication control method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The present invention will be further described below through specific embodiments.

[0044] Example 1

[0045] See Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the present invention provides a material indicator 10, comprising: a first microcontroller, a sensing module, a display module, a first housing 101, and a second housing 102; the first housing 101 and the second housing 102 are detachably connected to form a housing; the first microcontroller is disposed inside the housing; a first hole 103 and a second hole 104 are formed on the housing; the sensing module is disposed in the first hole 103; the display module is disposed at the second hole 104; the sensing module is connected to the first microcontroller to send a sensing signal to the first microcontroller when an operator takes material from a material box 30; the first microcontroller is connected to the display module to control the display module to display the quantity of material according to the sensing signal.

[0046] In this embodiment, the display module is soldered to the first microcontroller on the first circuit board. The first circuit board is fixed inside the housing by the positioning clip 1011 of the first housing 101 and the support block 1021 of the second housing 102. The first housing 101 and the second housing 102 need to be combined to fix the first circuit board.

[0047] The material indicator 10 of this invention has a simple structure, a single unit length of approximately 105mm, and a small size. It can be individually matched with the material box 30 and can accommodate more parts boxes. Specifically, the material indicator 10 can be installed directly in front of the material box 30 to conform to the operator's picking habits. Correspondingly, the first hole 103 for installing the sensing module is located on the top of the housing to accurately detect the operator's picking action, and the second hole 104 for installing the display module is located facing the operator for easy observation.

[0048] It should be noted that the number of materials picked up in each picking action by the operator needs to be agreed upon so that the first microcontroller can perform statistical calculations.

[0049] The first microcontroller is connected to the display module to control the display module to display the number of materials according to the sensing signal. Specifically, the display module can be set to display the number of materials that the operator has picked up or the number of materials that the operator still needs to pick up, as needed.

[0050] In this embodiment, the material indicator 10 further includes a push-button switch 105; the push-button switch 105 is disposed on the housing; the push-button switch 105 is connected to the first microcontroller to control the display module to display the material quantity.

[0051] When the sensing module of the material indicator 10 malfunctions, the counting can be corrected via the push-button switch 105 to ensure that the operator picks up the correct number of materials. The sensing module malfunction may be due to a fault in the module itself, a failure to detect a particular picking action by the operator, or the operator not picking up the preset quantity in a single operation.

[0052] In this embodiment, the sensing module includes a microwave sensor or an infrared sensor. Each time an operator reaches into the material box 30 to pick up material, the sensing module generates a sensing signal and sends it to the first microcontroller. The first microcontroller counts according to a preset value and controls the display module to display the information.

[0053] In this embodiment, the display module includes two seven-segment LED displays. If the quantity is "1", the two seven-segment LED displays will show "01", and so on. The two seven-segment LED displays can display a maximum of "99", representing 99 items.

[0054] Example 2

[0055] See Figures 1 to 4 As shown, a material indicator 10 includes a first microcontroller, a sensing module, a display module, a first housing 101, and a second housing 102. The first housing 101 and the second housing 102 are detachably connected to form a housing. The first microcontroller is disposed inside the housing. A first hole 103 and a second hole 104 are formed on the housing. The sensing module is disposed in the first hole 103. The display module is disposed at the second hole 104. The sensing module is connected to the first microcontroller to send a sensing signal to the first microcontroller when an operator takes material from a material box 30. The first microcontroller obtains a first number of materials to be displayed based on the sensing information sent by the sensing module.

[0056] It also includes a second microcontroller 106, a weighing sensor 107, an upper cover plate 108, and a base plate 109; the second microcontroller 106 and the weighing sensor 107 are disposed above the base plate 109; the upper cover plate is disposed above the weighing sensor 107; a material box 30 is placed inside the upper cover plate; the weighing sensor 107 is connected to the second microcontroller 106 to send the detected weight, and the second microcontroller 106 obtains the number of materials taken based on the weight; the second microcontroller 106 is connected to the first microcontroller to send the number of materials taken; the first microcontroller obtains a second number of materials to be displayed based on the number of materials taken sent by the second microcontroller 106;

[0057] The first microcontroller is connected to the display module to control the display module to display the number of materials according to the first number of materials to be displayed or the second number of materials to be displayed.

[0058] The difference between this embodiment and embodiment one is that it also includes a second microcontroller 106, a weighing sensor 107, an upper cover plate 108, and a base plate 109. The structure and implementation principle of other parts are the same as in embodiment one, and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0059] In this embodiment, the second microcontroller 106 is soldered onto the second circuit board, which is mounted on the base plate 109 and is only connected to the base plate 109.

[0060] In this embodiment, the upper cover plate 108 and the bottom plate 109 are bolted together by the weighing sensor 107.

[0061] In practice, before picking up materials, the weighing sensor 107 sends the total weight G1 of the material box 30 and its contents to the second microcontroller 106, which stores the data. After the operator picks up some materials, the weighing sensor 107 sends the picked-up weight G2 to the second microcontroller 106. The second microcontroller 106 calculates the number of materials picked up, N, using the formula N = (G1 - G2) / weight of individual materials. It then sends the calculated number of materials picked up to the first microcontroller. The first and second microcontrollers communicate via wired or wireless means. The first microcontroller determines whether to use the count sent by the second microcontroller 106 or the count obtained from the sensing signal sent by the sensing module, and controls the display module to display the corresponding information.

[0062] Using the material indicator 10, which includes both a sensing module and a weighing sensor 107, the operator can choose to count material picks via either the sensing module or the weighing sensor 107, so that the other can be quickly activated if one fails, ensuring that efficiency is not affected.

[0063] Example 3

[0064] See Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the present invention provides a material indication control system, including a controller 20, a plurality of material boxes 30 and a plurality of material indicators 10; one of the material indicators 10 is used to indicate the quantity of material obtained from one of the material boxes 30.

[0065] Corresponding to the aforementioned material indication control system, the present invention provides a material indication control method, comprising:

[0066] S601, the controller acquires and reads the work steps in the process document, and retrieves the address of the material indicator based on the material information in the work steps; the material information includes the material number and the corresponding material quantity;

[0067] S602, according to the address, the controller sends a message including the material requirement number to the retrieved material indicator, and the first microcontroller of the material indicator controls the display module to light up and display the corresponding material requirement number according to the received message;

[0068] S603, after the material is picked up correctly, the first microcontroller of the material indicator controls the display module to not display and sends a message that the material has been picked up correctly to the controller.

[0069] The message interaction method between the controller and the material indicator also includes: if the material is picked up incorrectly, the corresponding material indicator will issue an alarm.

[0070] It should be noted that the controller reads the work steps in the process document, and the addresses of the material indicators retrieved based on the material information in the work steps may include multiple ones; the controller will send the corresponding material quantity to the designated material indicator; the material indicator will then display the corresponding information.

[0071] Furthermore, after the controller receives the material correct pickup message sent by all material indicators in the current working step, it determines whether all working steps in the process document have been completed. If yes, the operation ends; if no, S601 to S603 are repeated.

[0072] The first microcontroller of the material indicator controls the display module to not display, which may include the first microcontroller of the material indicator controlling the display module to not display and turn it off, specifically by flashing several times and then turning it off; or the first microcontroller of the material indicator controlling the display module not to display the material requirement quantity but still keeping it lit.

[0073] Specifically, the controller and the material indicator communicate via TTL level.

[0074] The material indicator 10 can be the material indicator described in Embodiment 1 or the material indicator described in Embodiment 2. For specific implementation, please refer to Embodiment 1 or 2. This embodiment will not be described in detail.

[0075] In this embodiment, the material box 30 can be placed on a material rack, and the mounting rail for installing the material indicator 10 can be easily installed on the material rack. Each material box 30 corresponds to one material indicator 10, that is, the material indicator 10 can be set on the mounting rail. Preferably, it can be configured to be rotatable, easy to disassemble and connect.

[0076] Specifically, in the material indication control system of the present invention, the controller 20 obtains the address of the material indicator 10 and the corresponding material demand number according to the process requirements, and sends it to the material indicator 10. The material indicator 10 controls the display module to light up and display the material demand number, thereby facilitating the operator to quickly find the corresponding material box 30 and perform the corresponding material picking. The material indicator 10 controls the display module to display the corresponding information according to the operator's picking action, such as displaying the number of materials to be picked or the number already picked. It can also turn off the brightness of the display module when picking is completed, and provide audible and visual prompts when picking is incorrect.

[0077] The above are merely specific embodiments of the present invention, but the design concept of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any non-substantial modifications made to the present invention using this concept shall be considered as infringing upon the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A material indication control system, characterized by, The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof. The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof. The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof. The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof. The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof. The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof. The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof. The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof. The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof. The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof. The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof. The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof. The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof. The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof.

2. The material instruction control system of claim 1, wherein, The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof.

3. The material instruction control system of claim 1, wherein, The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof. The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof.

4. The material instruction control system of claim 1, wherein, The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof.

5. The material instruction control system of claim 1, wherein, The application relates to a material indicator control system and a control method thereof.

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The application relates to a material indicator control A second single-chip microcomputer is arranged above the bottom plate, connected with the weighing sensor, used to obtain the number of taken materials according to the weight sent by the weighing sensor, and connected with the first single-chip microcomputer, used to send the number of taken materials; the first single-chip microcomputer obtains the second number of materials to be displayed according to the number of taken materials sent by the second single-chip microcomputer.

7. The material instruction control system of claim 6, wherein, The second single-chip microcomputer obtains the number of taken materials according to the weight sent by the weighing sensor, and specifically includes: The weighing sensor sends the total weight G1 of the material box and the materials in the material box to the second single-chip microcomputer, and the second single-chip microcomputer stores the total weight G1. When the operator picks up part of the materials, the weighing sensor sends the weight G2 of the picked-up materials to the second single-chip microcomputer, and the second single-chip microcomputer obtains the number N of picked-up materials through calculation; wherein N=(G1-G2) / material monomer weight.

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