Gas cylinder storage

Abstract

The present application provides a gas cylinder storage library which can easily manage various stored gas cylinders. The gas cylinder storage library (1) of the present application can accommodate a plurality of gas cylinders (3) and can use a radio frequency identification system to perform storage management, characterized by comprising: a housing (5) which is divided into a plurality of sub-zones and accommodates gas cylinders (3) with radio frequency identification tags (10); a radio frequency antenna (7) provided in the housing (5) for each sub-zone; a shielding plate (11) which is partitioned in such a way that the electric wave does not pass between each sub-zone; and a reflection plate (13) provided on the upper part of at least one of the sub-zones and reflecting the electric wave.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a gas cylinder storage facility for storing multiple gas cylinders sealed with high-pressure gases such as argon. Background Technology

[0002] As a gas cylinder storage facility for storing gas cylinders containing high-pressure gases such as argon, such as those disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is generally a gas cylinder storage facility that stores multiple gas cylinders inside a shell.

[0003] The current situation of the gas cylinder storage facility is as follows: Although multiple gas cylinders containing different types of gases are sometimes stored in the storage facility, the storage status of these gas cylinders is confirmed by human visual inspection and managed through storage ledgers and other means.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-105665 Summary of the Invention

[0005] Regarding gas cylinders, there are the following problems: from the perspective of preventing tipping, multiple gas cylinders are usually connected together using chains or similar means, making visual confirmation difficult, especially when there are different types of gas cylinders, which complicates inventory management.

[0006] In addition, when storing multiple gas cylinders, the lack of management over their storage locations within the storage facility makes it difficult to locate the correct cylinder when retrieving it, which complicates the process.

[0007] Therefore, the inventors focused on radio frequency identification (RFID) systems, which involve attaching RFID tags to managed objects (items) and reading the ID information of the RFID tags by radio waves emitted from an antenna, thereby managing the items on the screen of a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC").

[0008] However, the following problem exists: gas cylinder storage facilities must manage multiple gas cylinders in a closed space such as inside the casing, and the use of general radio frequency identification systems is not sufficient.

[0009] The present invention is proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a gas cylinder storage warehouse that can easily manage various types of gas cylinders.

[0010] (1) The gas cylinder storage facility of the present invention can accommodate multiple gas cylinders and can be stored and managed using a radio frequency identification system. It is characterized by comprising: a housing internally divided into multiple partitions and accommodating gas cylinders with radio frequency identification tags; a radio frequency antenna disposed in the housing for each of the partitions; a shielding plate that isolates the radio waves emitted from the radio frequency antennas from passing between the partitions; and a reflector disposed on the upper part of at least one of the partitions and reflecting the radio waves.

[0011] (2) In addition, the gas cylinder storage facility described in (1) above is characterized in that the housing is provided with a common exhaust port for each partition, and the shielding plate that separates the partitions that share the exhaust port is provided with a gap at the lower part of the shielding plate that allows the partitions to communicate, and a grid portion that allows gas to pass through is formed at the upper part of the shielding plate.

[0012] The gas cylinder storage facility of the present invention includes: a housing internally divided into multiple partitions and housing gas cylinders bearing radio frequency identification (RFID) tags; a radio frequency antenna disposed within the housing for each of the partitions; a shielding plate that isolates radio waves emitted from the radio frequency antennas from passing between the partitions; and a reflector disposed on the upper part of at least one of the partitions and reflecting the radio waves. Thus, efficient storage and management can be performed on a PC screen using an RFID system. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the internal structure of the gas cylinder storage facility according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a top view showing the RFID tag holder, (b) is a diagram showing the internal structure of the RFID tag holder, and (c) is a front view showing the internal structure of the gas cylinder storage facility.

[0014] Figure 2 It means Figure 1 A side view showing the internal structure of the gas cylinder storage facility.

[0015] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a top view of the gas cylinder storage facility.

[0016] Figure 4 Is Figure 1 The diagram shows the gas cylinder storage areas set up in each section of the gas cylinder storage facility.

[0017] Figure 5 Is Figure 1 The diagram shown illustrates the shielding panels installed inside the gas cylinder storage facility.

[0018] Figure 6This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the general outline of the radio frequency identification system applied to embodiments of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The gas cylinder storage vault 1 of this embodiment can accommodate multiple gas cylinders 3 and can be managed using a radio frequency identification system, such as... Figures 1-3 As shown, it includes: a housing 5 internally divided into multiple partitions (partitions A, B, C) and housing a gas cylinder 3 with an RFID tag 10; an RFID antenna 7 disposed in the housing 5 for each partition; a shielding plate 11 that isolates radio waves from passing between partitions; and a reflector plate 13 disposed on the upper part of at least one partition within each partition and reflecting radio waves.

[0020] The following is a detailed explanation of each structure.

[0021] The main feature of this invention lies in the structure of the gas cylinder storage vault 1, which is capable of using a radio frequency identification system. However, before describing the structure of the gas cylinder storage vault 1, let's first consider... Figure 6 A brief explanation of the radio frequency identification system.

[0022] The gas cylinder 3 stored in the gas cylinder storage room 1 is equipped with an RFID tag 10 (see reference). Figure 1 (a) RFID tag holder 9 (refer to) Figure 1 In (a) and (b)), the ID information of the RFID tag 10 is received by the RFID antenna 7 as a reflected wave through the radio waves emitted from the RFID antenna 7, and the received ID information is sent to the PC 17 through the RFID read / write unit 15.

[0023] PC17 includes at least a storage unit 19, a control unit 21, and a display unit 23. Furthermore, the storage unit 19 stores information about the gas cylinder storage 1 that is the object of management and information about the gas cylinders 3 that are the objects of storage in each gas cylinder storage 1.

[0024] The information for the gas cylinder storage facility 1 includes: partition information such as what kind of partitions the storage facility is divided into, the number of gas cylinders 3 stored in each partition, and the type of gas in the gas cylinders 3 that should be stored in each partition.

[0025] In addition, the information of the gas cylinder 3 includes the gas type, filling date, manufacturing date, etc., which are associated with the ID information of the radio frequency identification tag 10 attached to the gas cylinder 3, which is the object of storage.

[0026] The control unit 21 compares the information in the storage unit 19 with the ID information sent from the radio frequency identification read / write unit 15, and displays the comparison result on the display unit 23 of the PC screen or the like.

[0027] based on Figures 1-5 The structure of the gas cylinder storage vault 1, which is capable of using the radio frequency identification system described above, will be explained.

[0028] <Shell>

[0029] The outer shell 5 is rectangular in shape, and its internal space is divided into three sections, with gas cylinder storage compartments 25 set in each section A, B, and C.

[0030] The gas cylinders 3 stored in the gas cylinder storage room 25, which is located in a separate area, are all of the same type.

[0031] At approximately the center of the top surface of housing 5 (see reference) Figure 3 An exhaust port 27 equipped with a gas detector is provided. A pipe (not shown) is connected to the exhaust port 27, and the gas discharged from the exhaust port 27 is transported through the pipe to a gas processing device (not shown) for processing.

[0032] This is to address the possibility that the gas cylinder 3 being stored may sometimes contain toxic gases, leading to gas leaks.

[0033] In addition, a movable plate device 29 for opening and closing the entry side and exit side of the housing 5 is provided on the top surface of the housing 5.

[0034] like Figure 4 As shown, the gas cylinder storage silo 25 includes: a frame 31 for storing the gas cylinders 3; a conveying roller 33 forming a conveying path at the bottom of the frame 31; a gas cylinder holding piece 35 for holding the stored gas cylinders 3; and a stop member 37 for preventing the conveyed gas cylinders 3 from detaching from the conveying path at the innermost part of the conveying path.

[0035] Driven by a motor, the conveying roller 33 moves the gas cylinder 3 from the inside to the front, initially bringing it to the position of the stop member 37. The gas cylinder retaining plate 35 allows the gas cylinder 3 to move in the conveying direction but restricts its movement in the opposite direction, thus holding the gas cylinder 3 in place.

[0036] It should be noted that in this invention, it is not necessary to set up a gas cylinder storage compartment 25 inside the housing 5, as long as each compartment can store the gas cylinder 3 and is easy to access.

[0037] <RF antenna>

[0038] Each zone is equipped with a radio frequency antenna 7. In this example, each of the three zones has one radio frequency antenna, for a total of three radio frequency antennas. By setting up a radio frequency antenna 7 in each zone, location information such as which zone the gas storage cylinder 3 is located can be obtained for management purposes.

[0039] Assuming that there is only one radio frequency antenna 7 inside the housing 5, there is no location information such as which partition each gas cylinder 3 is configured in, so searching must be performed when picking up or putting down the gas cylinder, which complicates management.

[0040] <Radio Frequency Identification Tag>

[0041] The radio frequency identification tag 10 is installed on the stored gas cylinder 3, for example, as... Figure 1 As shown, the RFID tag 10 is placed in the RFID tag holder 9 and hung around the neck of each gas cylinder 3. It should be noted that... Figure 1 (a) is a top view of the RFID tag holder 9. Figure 1 (b) indicates the internal structure of the RFID tag holder 9.

[0042] To accurately read the radio waves, it is best to illuminate the RFID tag 10 with the radio frequency antenna 7 perpendicularly. For this purpose, as follows: Figure 1 As shown in (a), the radio frequency identification tag 10 is disposed on the top surface of the radio frequency tag holder 9.

[0043] ID information is written in the RFID tag 10. The control unit 21 compares the ID information sent from the RFID tag 10 with the information of the gas cylinder 3 stored in the storage unit 19 and associated with the ID information, thereby determining the gas cylinder 3 with the corresponding RFID tag 10.

[0044] <Shielding plate>

[0045] The shielding plate 11 is constructed of metal plates to isolate radio waves emitted from the radio frequency antenna from passing between the partitions.

[0046] Regarding the lower end of the shielding plate 11, as follows: Figure 5 As shown, a predetermined gap S is provided between adjacent partitions, and a mesh portion 39 is formed on the upper part of the shielding plate 11 to allow gas to pass through. The reason for providing such a gap S and forming the mesh portion 39 is as follows.

[0047] As described above, an exhaust port 27 is provided on the top surface of the housing 5, so that gas can flow into the exhaust port 27 regardless of which compartment of the gas cylinder 3 is stored in the housing 5.

[0048] However, if the shielding plate 11 completely blocks the passage of gas, then an exhaust port 27 must be provided for each zone, which would increase the cost.

[0049] Therefore, in this embodiment, a gap S is formed below the shielding plate 11, and a mesh portion 39 is provided at the top, thereby enabling the shielding of radio waves while allowing the passage of gas.

[0050] Therefore, it is possible to manage the gas storage cylinders 3 in each zone while setting up an exhaust port 27.

[0051] <Reflector>

[0052] A reflector 13 is disposed on the upper part of at least one of the partitions and reflects radio waves, which is used to enable the radio waves to reach the radio frequency identification tags 10 of all gas cylinders 3 stored in each partition.

[0053] In this embodiment, since the radio frequency antenna 7 is positioned above the center of each partition, the reflector 13 is positioned at both ends of each partition (entry side and exit side, see reference). Figure 2 Above ))

[0054] like Figure 2 As shown, the reflector 13 is tilted at a 45-degree angle with the reflective surface facing the gas storage bottle 3.

[0055] It should be noted that the reflector 13 does not necessarily have to be provided in all partitions. For example, in the case of the partition in the middle of the three-row partitions in this embodiment, where there are flat shielding plates 11 on both sides, sometimes the shielding plate 11 has the function of the reflector 13, and in this case, there is no need to provide an additional reflector 13.

[0056] The method of using the gas cylinder storage facility 1 constructed as described above will be explained.

[0057] When the gas cylinder 3 is put into storage, the radio frequency tag holder 9 is hung and the gas cylinder 3 is placed on the conveying roller 33 on the entry side of the gas cylinder storage 25.

[0058] Next, press the drive switch to drive the drive roller and move the gas cylinder 3 inward.

[0059] After repeating the same operation, the four gas cylinders 3 are stored in the gas cylinder storage room 25 in the following condition: Figure 4 The state shown.

[0060] In this way, the same type of gas cylinders 3 are stored in one partition. Regarding the stored gas cylinders 3, radio waves are transmitted from the radio frequency antenna 7 to the radio frequency identification tag 10, and the ID information written on the radio frequency identification tag 10 is transmitted as an echo through the radio frequency antenna 7 and the radio frequency identification read / write unit 15 to the PC 17.

[0061] Based on the ID information of the radio frequency antenna 7 in which vault and partition it belongs, the control unit 21 compares the ID information with the gas cylinder information of the corresponding partition. If the gas cylinder information matches the ID information, the display unit 23 displays an indication that the gas cylinder 3 exists in that partition. If the comparison result indicates that the gas cylinder 3 should not exist in that partition, an indication of incorrect insertion is displayed. Furthermore, if the partition can accommodate four gas cylinders 3, but the radio frequency tag information only corresponds to two gas cylinders, an indication that the two positions in that partition are empty is displayed.

[0062] It should be noted that because only one radio frequency antenna 7 is set in a partition, it is impossible to detect the exact location of the gas cylinder 3 within that partition. However, if a rule is set such that the gas cylinders 3 in each partition are arranged sequentially from the inside, then, for example, if there are two gas cylinders 3 in that partition, it will be sufficient to display that the gas cylinders 3 are present at the two positions from the inside.

[0063] exist Figure 6 The image shows the storage status of gas cylinders in three gas cylinder storage compartments 1, which is an example of the display screen of the display unit 23 of PC17.

[0064] In the diagram, the rectangle represents the internal space of the shell 5 of the gas cylinder storage compartment 1, and the circular markings within the rectangle indicate the storage locations of the gas cylinders 3. A white circle indicates that a gas cylinder 3 is not present at the corresponding location. Additionally, a circular marking with a diagonal line indicates the presence of a gas cylinder 3 in the corresponding compartment. Furthermore, a white circle with an "X" indicates incorrect insertion, meaning that a gas cylinder 3 that should not be present is present in that compartment. For example, in... Figure 6 The first position in the first row of the central storage area should be for gas type 4 cylinders, but it is used to store cylinders for other gas types, so it is marked with an "X".

[0065] As explained above, the gas cylinder storage vault 1 according to this embodiment can be efficiently managed on a PC screen using a radio frequency identification system. Furthermore, since the shielding plate 11 used to separate adjacent sections is configured to allow gas to pass through while shielding radio waves, management of each section can be performed even with only one exhaust port 27.

[0066] Furthermore, since reflectors 13 are installed in each zone, the ID information of the radio frequency identification tags 10 attached to the gas cylinders 3 in each zone can be reliably read.

[0067] As described above, in order to read the radio waves correctly, it is best to illuminate the radio frequency identification tag 10 with radio frequency antenna 7 perpendicularly.

[0068] On the other hand, since the gas cylinder 3 is made of metal, the gas cylinders 3 located at both ends of each section are prone to diffuse reflection of radio waves, making it difficult to read the radio waves correctly.

[0069] In this respect, in this embodiment, a reflector 13 is provided and an RFID tag holder 9 with an RFID tag 10 disposed on its top surface is used, thereby enabling radio waves to enter the RFID tag 10 in a vertical direction, thereby enabling the information to be read correctly.

[0070] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0071] 1. Gas Cylinder Storage Warehouse

[0072] 3 Gas cylinders

[0073] 5. Housing

[0074] 7. Radio Frequency Antenna

[0075] 9. RFID tag holder

[0076] 10 Radio Frequency Identification Tags

[0077] 11 Shielding plate

[0078] 13 Reflector

[0079] 15. Radio Frequency Identification Reader / Writer Unit

[0080] 17 PC

[0081] 19 Storage Department

[0082] 21 Control Department

[0083] 23 Display Department

[0084] 25 Gas Cylinder Storage Warehouse

[0085] 27 Exhaust port

[0086] 29 Movable plate device

[0087] 31 Framework

[0088] 33 Conveying roller

[0089] 35 Gas cylinder retainer

[0090] 37 Stopping components

[0091] 39 Grid Department

[0092] Partitions A, B, and C

[0093] S gap

Claims

1. A gas cylinder storage facility capable of accommodating multiple gas cylinders and using a radio frequency identification (RFID) system for storage and management, characterized in that... include: The interior is divided into multiple sections and houses the gas cylinders with RFID tags; Radio frequency antennas are arranged within the housing according to each of the aforementioned partitions; A shielding plate that isolates radio waves emitted from the radio frequency antenna from passing between the respective partitions; as well as A reflector disposed on the upper part of at least one of the partitions and reflecting the radio waves. The radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is mounted on the top surface of the RFID tag holder, which is then hung around the neck of each gas cylinder. The reflector is positioned above both ends of the partition and is tilted at a 45-degree angle so that the reflective surface of the reflector is opposite to the gas storage cylinder. The gas cylinder is made of metal.

2. The gas cylinder storage facility according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing is provided with a common exhaust port for each partition. Regarding the shielding plate that separates the partitions that share the exhaust port, a gap is provided at the lower part of the shielding plate to allow the partitions to communicate, and a mesh portion is formed at the upper part of the shielding plate to allow gas to pass through.

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