MATERIAL CART AND METHOD FOR SUPPLYING WORK MATERIAL TO A MACHINE

Abstract

Material trolley (1) for supplying work material (9) to a machine processing the work material (9), comprising a housing (2) to which a plurality of wheels (4) enabling the movement of the material trolley (1) are assigned, comprising at least one material carrier (8) arranged in the housing (2) for receiving the work material (9) and comprising a trolley front (5) enabling access to the material carrier (8), which can be operated manually or automatically and which can be locked by a locking device (10), characterized in that the locking device (10) can be adjusted by an electronic authentication device (11) between a closed position preventing access to the material carrier (8) and an open position in which access to the material carrier (8) is enabled.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a material cart for supplying working materials to a machine that processes the working materials. The invention also relates to a corresponding method.

[0002] These types of carts are typically used to supply work materials to a user of a machine that processes those materials. As part of work preparation, the carts are first loaded in a material storage area with the work materials required for the user's shift – i.e., the required shift quantity – and then moved to the immediate vicinity of the machine, allowing the machine user to remove the work materials from the cart and feed them into the machine.

[0003] A material trolley according to the preamble of claim 1 is known, for example, from DE 20 2010 011 399 U1. The workshop trolley shown therein has a series of drawers which can be secured by means of a locking device in order to prevent unauthorized access to the contents of the drawers.

[0004] Furthermore, DE 10 2014 207 572 A1 discloses a material carrier for a workshop or a production facility, within which one or more shelves or drawers are arranged in which the work materials to be supplied are stored.

[0005] The problem with carts known from the prior art, however, is that monitoring access to the materials stored in the cart is, at best, limited. For example, with the device known from DE 20 2010 011 399 U1, ultimately anyone in possession of the correct key can unlock the locking mechanism and gain access to the materials, regardless of whether they are authorized to do so or not. This therefore represents a significant security risk, as it is essential to ensure that unauthorized access to safety-relevant and / or valuable materials is prevented, particularly when delivering them to a machine that processes them.

[0006] US 2010 / 0039513 A1 describes a tool trolley with a control system, equipped internally with one or more cameras to detect the tools in the drawers, checking only whether a tool is present or absent. US 2016 / 0307150 A1 also describes a tool trolley with a control system, but in this case, an RFID tag is used to detect the mere presence or absence of tools. Finally, WO 2016 / 023081 A1 describes a control system for detecting the presence or absence of tools in a case or trolley using light sensors.

[0007] The invention is therefore based on the objective of providing a material trolley and a method of the type mentioned at the outset, in which a working material to be supplied to a machine cannot be removed from the material trolley without authorization.

[0008] The problem relating to the material trolley is solved with a material trolley according to the features of claim 1.

[0009] The material cart comprises a housing to which a plurality of wheels are assigned, enabling the cart to move. Furthermore, the housing incorporates at least one material carrier for holding the work material. The cart also features a front panel, which allows access to the material carrier and can be operated manually or automatically. This front panel is lockable by a locking device. According to the invention, the locking device is adjustable by an electronic authentication device between a closed position that prevents access to the material carrier and an open position that allows access.

[0010] The authentication device makes it possible to identify the user who activates it. If the identified user has the appropriate authorization, the locking mechanism is moved from the closed position to the open position. The user can then at least partially open the front of the cart and remove the work material from or onto the material carrier and feed it into the machine.

[0011] In this context, it has proven particularly advantageous to select an authentication device from a group that includes card readers, biometric data capture devices, and PIN entry fields. This makes it easy to clearly identify the user who wants to take work materials from the cart and to verify whether they have the necessary authorization to do so. Furthermore, the use of a biometric data capture device, such as a fingerprint scanner or iris scanner, further reduces the risk of unauthorized access to the work materials.

[0012] To further deter unauthorized removal of materials during transport from the material storage area to the processing machine, it has proven advantageous to assign a communication module to the authentication device. This module detects a machine signal emitted by the machine that activates the locking mechanism. This ensures that the user can only remove materials from the material cart once the cart receives the machine signal emitted by the machine, i.e., once it is coupled with the machine. Furthermore, the locking mechanism can be configured to activate only when a specific machine's signal is detected. This coupling can be achieved, for example, via a short-range wireless connection such as Bluetooth or NFC.This ensures that coupling, and ultimately access to the work material, is only possible when the material cart is directly adjacent to the machine. If, however, the material cart is outside the machine's "aura," i.e., outside the range of the machine signal, the material cart is not coupled to the machine, and the locking device is therefore deactivated. The user can then activate the authentication device, but this does not cause the locking device to move from the closed to the open position. An exception to this is provided within the scope of the invention if the user has the appropriate authorization. In this case, the locking device is activated even if the communication module does not detect a machine signal.

[0013] To monitor and track material withdrawals, it has proven particularly advantageous for the authentication device to include a storage unit for recording and storing the user who activated it. This makes it possible to trace who activated the authentication device and when. Alternatively or additionally, it is also possible for the information about the user activating the authentication device to be transmitted directly, for example wirelessly, to a central storage device.

[0014] It has also proven advantageous to include a level monitoring system to detect the amount of material contained on the at least one material carrier. This allows for monitoring of the material dispensed. Simultaneously, it also enables the monitoring of the remaining quantity of material in the material cart. If the material level falls below a predefined target value, a notification can be generated, indicating the need to replenish the material stock. The level monitoring can be implemented, for example, using a weighing device or an optical detection system. If multiple material carriers are arranged in the material cart, or if these are further subdivided, each carrier or individual compartment can have its own level monitoring system.

[0015] It has also proven particularly advantageous to provide a display device for the fill level, which is linked to the fill level monitoring system via a communication link. This allows the remaining quantity of material on the material carriers to be displayed at all times on the display device, which is preferably a screen. Furthermore, it is also beneficial to provide a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the data recorded by the fill level monitoring system to a central processing unit.

[0016] Especially when using the material trolley in printing plants that produce identification documents, such as passports or identity cards, it has proven particularly advantageous if the material carriers are designed to accommodate sheets of material and / or rolls of material.

[0017] It has also proven effective for the cart front to include a front selected from a group containing drawer fronts, doors, and flaps. When doors and flaps are used as the cart front or as parts thereof, the individual material carriers within the housing are formed, for example, by insert trays. If, on the other hand, the cart front includes drawer fronts, the corresponding drawer bottoms form the material carriers. In this context, it has proven particularly advantageous for the cart front to include at least one drawer front from a drawer adjustable by an automatic drawer drive. This drawer drive ensures that the drawer containing the material required for the next work step is always opened automatically, thus effectively reducing the risk of operator error.It has proven particularly advantageous to have a control unit that can be coupled to the machine and controls the opening and closing of the drawer drive. This allows the control unit to receive corresponding signals from the machine, ensuring that the drawer containing the material required for the next work step is always opened automatically and closed again after the material has been removed.

[0018] It has also proven beneficial to have stops on the material carriers to prevent the materials in the drawers from slipping. Furthermore, the use of notches in the material carriers facilitates the removal of materials. In the case of drawers, these notches can also be located in one or both side walls of the drawer.

[0019] For the handling of the material cart according to the invention, it has also proven advantageous to provide a drive unit for propelling the cart. The drive unit can drive one or more of the wheels. Alternatively, the invention also provides for the drive unit to have an additional drive wheel with which the material cart can be propelled. It is also provided for the material cart to be self-propelled. In the latter case, the material cart can receive its driving commands (semi-)automatically from the higher-level central processing unit.

[0020] The problem relating to the method is solved by a method according to claim 10. This method comprises, in particular, the following steps: - Recording the fill level of the work material on a material carrier of the material trolley; - if necessary, refilling of the material carrier by an authorized user if the fill level of the working material falls below a target value; - Moving the material trolley to a machine that processes the work material; - Identifying a user at an authentication device on the material cart; - Adjusting a locking device that closes a trolley front enabling access to the material carrier from a closed position to an open position; - Removing the work material required for the respective work step from the material carrier; and - Feeding the work material to the machine.

[0021] The method according to the invention ensures that, in particular, the removal of the work material from the material trolley, as well as its filling, can only be carried out by an authorized user, thereby making unauthorized removal or theft of work material from the material trolley more difficult.

[0022] It has also proven advantageous to send a notification, preferably to the central processing unit, when the fill level of the work material falls below a target value. Refilling is then initiated. This ensures that the required quantity of work material is always available. The material cart then functions as an automated Kanban system.

[0023] To prevent work materials from being stolen from the material trolley on the way to the machine, it has proven effective to activate the locking device only when the material trolley detects a machine signal emitted by the machine.

[0024] The invention will now be explained in more detail using an embodiment shown in the drawing; the drawing shows: Fig. 1 a perspective view of a material trolley according to the invention and Fig. 2. An exemplary flowchart of the delivery of work material to a machine using a material trolley.

[0025] Fig. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a material cart 1 with a housing 2. A plurality of rollers 3 with wheels 4 are arranged on the underside of the housing to enable the material cart 1 to be moved. The housing 2 consists of a frame 2.1 formed from aluminum profiles, to which panels 2.2 are attached. A plurality of drawer fronts 6, forming part of drawers 7, are visible on a manually or automatically operated front 5 of the housing 2. The drawer bottoms of the drawers 7 form material carriers 8 on which the work material 9 to be dispensed is held. The drawer fronts 6 and the drawers 7 are each secured by a locking device 10, which can be adjusted by an electronic authentication device 11 between an open position allowing access to the material carrier 8 and a closed position preventing access to the material carrier 8.In the closed position, the drawers 7 cannot be opened, and therefore the user cannot remove any work material 9 from the material carrier 8. Only when the user, who has the appropriate authorization, has identified themselves at the authentication device 11, is the locking device 10 moved from the closed position to the open position, which in the illustrated embodiment is done electronically. The user can then open the drawer 7 and remove the work material 9 from the material carrier 8. The authentication device 11 is implemented here as a fingerprint scanner 12, which is integrated into a display device 13 that is arranged on the top surface 14 of the material cart 1.To identify himself, the user simply needs to place his finger on the fingerprint scanner 12 integrated into the display device 13, which verifies whether the user has the appropriate authorization to remove the work material 9 located in the material cart 1.

[0026] In the illustrated embodiment, the authentication device 11 is associated with a communication module 15, which can detect a machine signal emitted by the machine in order to activate the locking devices 10. Thus, when the material cart 1 approaches the machine sufficiently for the communication module 15 to detect the machine signal, the locking devices 10 are activated. Only when the material cart 1 is in the immediate vicinity of the machine is it therefore possible – after successful identification at the authentication device 11 – to open the drawers 7 and remove the work material 9 from the material carriers 8, since only then does successful identification lead to the locking devices 10 being moved from the closed position to the open position.A storage unit 16 is also provided for recording and storing the user who operates the authentication device 11, which records not only the identity of the user but also the exact time at which he operates the authentication device 11.

[0027] In the Fig. The material trolley 1 shown in Figure 1 is also equipped with level monitoring devices 17, which are integrated into the drawers 7 and continuously monitor the quantity of the work material 9 contained on the respective material carriers 8. The level monitoring devices 17 are connected to the display device 13 via a communication link to show the respective fill level. A transmitter 19 is also arranged on the top 14 of the housing 2, which wirelessly transmits the data recorded by the level monitoring devices 17, as well as the data recorded by the authentication device 11 and stored in the memory unit 16, to a central processing unit. The fill level can also be checked visually, since in the illustrated embodiment the trolley fronts 5 and / or the material carriers 8 are at least partially transparent.An embodiment not shown in detail provides transparent carriage fronts 5 and / or transparent material carriers 8.

[0028] The adjustment of the drawers 7, which simultaneously comprise the drawer fronts 6 as part of the carriage front 5 and the material carriers 8, is each effected by an automatic drawer drive 20 that opens and closes the drawers 7. A control unit 21, coupled to the machine, is provided to control the closing device 10 and the automatic drawer drives 20. This unit controls the respective closing device 10 and the automatic drawer drives 20 of the drawers 7. Thus, the drawer 7 containing the material 9 required for the next work step is always automatically opened, allowing the user to remove the material 9 and feed it into the machine. Preferably, the closing device 10 blocks those drawers 7 or compartments in which material 9 is stored that is not required for the next work step of the machine.

[0029] While the drawers 7 are designed to hold sheets of material, on one side wall 22 of the housing 2, essentially horizontally arranged receiving tubes 23 and a balcony 24 are arranged for holding additional rolled material. As the Fig. As can also be seen from Figure 1, recesses 25 are formed on the drawer fronts 6 instead of handles, thus facilitating the removal of the work material 9 from the rear of the drawers 7. Also not shown in the drawing is a power source for supplying electrical energy, which is, for example, a battery and, in addition to supplying power to the display device 13 and the authentication device 11, also supplies a drive that powers the wheels 4. Handles 26 are also attached to the side walls 22, which facilitate moving or maneuvering the material cart 1.

[0030] The inventive method will now be described in detail again with reference to Fig.2. The starting point is a material cart 1 located in a material storage area where work materials 9 are centrally stored. First, the individual fill levels of the work materials 9 on material carriers 8 of the material cart 1 are recorded by fill level monitoring devices 17 (step: fill level query 201). If the fill level of one of the work materials 9 falls below a predefined target value (target value undershot 202), which corresponds to the quantity of material required within a work shift, the respective material carrier 8 is refilled by a user, for example, a picker (optional step: material refill 203). This ensures that the work material 9 in the material cart 1 is sufficient for the duration of a work shift. Otherwise, the fill level query 201 should indicate that the target value has been reached or exceeded (target value fulfillment 204).To gain access to the respective material carriers 8 during material filling 203, the user must first identify themselves at an authentication device 11 (optional step: (re-)filling authorization check 205). If the user has the appropriate authorization, locking devices 10, which secure and lock drawers 7 and in particular their drawer fronts 6, are moved from the closed position to the open position, so that the user can now open the drawers 7 and fill the material carriers 8 with the working material 9 until the fill level of the working material 9 reaches or exceeds the specified target value. Afterwards, the locking devices 10 are moved back from the open position to the closed position and the material cart 1 is moved – preferably with motor assistance – to a machine that processes the working material 9 (step: cart movement 206).At this point, the locking devices 10 are deactivated, so that even if the authentication device 11 is activated, the respective locking device 10 cannot be moved from the closed position to the open position. At this point, it is ultimately not possible to remove the work material 9 from the material carriers 8 without special authorization. As soon as the material cart 1 approaches the machine, a communication module 15 assigned to the authentication device 11 can receive a machine signal emitted by the machine. If the specified machine signal matches the material cart 1, the locking device 10 of the material cart 1 is activated (error-free signal 208). If an incorrect or faulty signal 209 is received by the communication module 15, the locking device 10 is kept inactive (step: deactivating or keeping the locking device 214 inactive).Upon receiving a successful signal 208, the machine is coupled to the material cart 1, and the user can identify themselves at the authentication device 11 (step: removal authorization check 210). After successful identification (successful identification 211), the activated locking device 10 is moved from the closed position to the open position (step: material release 213) to allow access to the drawers 7 or the drawer fronts 6. If identification is unsuccessful (incorrect identification 212), the locking device 10 is deactivated, preventing material from being removed.

[0031] According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the work material 9 required for each upcoming work step is automatically provided to the user from the corresponding drawer 7. For this purpose, automatic drawer drives 20 are provided, which are automatically adjusted by a control device 21 coupled to the machine. The user therefore only needs to remove the required work material from the open drawer 7 and feed it into the machine (step: material removal 215).

[0032] Another embodiment of a material cart 1 provides that the respective locking device 10 is designed as a time lock, so that the user removing the material only has a predetermined time available to remove work material 9 from the designated drawer 7 or from the designated material carrier 8. This not only allows for a limitation of the removal quantity, but can also specify a cycle time for the delivery process to the machine.

[0033] If the fill level of the material 9 falls below a predefined target value, an automatic notification is triggered and the material 9 is refilled accordingly. To ensure seamless monitoring of the material 9 in use, the user's information is recorded when the material carrier 8 is filled and / or when the material 9 is removed from the material carrier 8. This allows the complete tracking of the material 9's journey. Reference symbol list 1 material trolley 2 cases 2.1 Frame 2.2 aperture 3 rolls 4-wheeler 5 Car front 6 drawer front 7 drawers 8 material carriers 9 Working materials 10 Locking device 11 Authentication device 12 fingerprint scanners 13 Display device 14 Top 15 Communication module 16 storage units 17 Level monitoring 19 Transmitting device 20 drawer drives 21 Control unit 22 side wall 23 Intake tube 24 balconies 25 recess 26 Handle 201 Level Inquiry 202 Target value underrun 203 Material filling 204 Target value fulfillment 205 Filling authorization check 206 Car (propulsion) 207 Machine signal reception 208 Error-free signal received 209 Faulty signal received 210 Withdrawal authorization check 211 Error-free testing / identification 212 Faulty testing / identification 213 Material release 214 Inactive positions / holding of the locking device 215 Material withdrawal

Claims

[1] Material trolley (1) for supplying work material (9) to a machine processing the work material (9), comprising a housing (2) to which a plurality of wheels (4) enabling the movement of the material trolley (1) are assigned, comprising at least one material carrier (8) arranged in the housing (2) for receiving the work material (9) and comprising a trolley front (5) that enables access to the material carrier (8) and which can be operated manually or automatically and which can be locked by a locking device (10), characterized by , that the locking device (10) can be adjusted by an electronic authentication device (11) between a closed position which prevents access to the material carrier (8) and an open position in which access to the material carrier (8) is enabled. [2] Material trolley (1) according to claim 1 characterized by, that the authentication device (11) is selected from a group that includes card readers, biometric data capture devices and PIN entry fields. [3] Material trolley (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , that the authentication device (11) is associated with a communication module (15) for detecting a machine signal emitted by the machine that activates the locking device (10). [4] Material trolley (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by , that the authentication device (11) includes a storage unit (16) for recording and storing a user operating the authentication device (11). [5] Material trolley (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by , that a level monitoring system (17) is provided to detect the working material (9) contained on the at least one material carrier (8). [6] Material trolley (1) according to claim 5, characterized by, that a display device (13) is provided for the output of the fill level, which is coupled to the fill level monitoring system (17) via a communication link. [7] Material trolley (1) according to claim 5 or 6, characterized by , that a transmitting device (19) is provided for wireless transmission of the data recorded by the level monitoring (17) to a central computing unit. [8] Material trolley (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by , that the at least one material carrier (8) is designed to receive material sheets (22) and / or material rolls (23). [9] Material trolley (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by , that the carriage front (5) comprises at least one drawer front (6) of a drawer (7) which is preferably adjustable by an automatic drawer drive (20). [10] Method for supplying working material (9) stored in a material trolley (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9 to a machine processing the working material (9), comprising the steps: - Determining the fill level of the work material (9) on a material carrier (8) of the material trolley (1); - if necessary, filling the material carrier (8) by an authorized user if the fill level of the working material (9) falls below a target value; - Moving the material trolley (1) to a machine processing the work material (9); - Identifying a user at an authentication device (11) of the material cart (1); - Adjusting a locking device (10) that secures a carriage front (5) enabling access to the material carrier (8) from a closed position to an open position; - Removing the work material (9) required for the respective work step from the material carrier (8); and - Feeding the work material (9) to the machine.

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