Collecting and shipping method and system

Abstract

To accurately estimate standards of agricultural products from unsorted inventory, as well as traceability.SOLUTION: A collecting and shipping system includes: a portable terminal which inputs producer information and weight information, for each unsorted package identification information read from an identification code of an unsorted package, to be transmitted to a cloud server; and means for reading sorted package identification information from an identification code attached to a container for each crop standard and transmitting the sorted package identification information together with weight information of the container to the cloud server. The cloud server includes: means for storing producer information and wight information of unsorted packages in association with unsorted package identification information; means for storing standard information and weight information of sorted packages in association with sorted package identification information; means for calculating, for each producer information, a ratio of the weight of crops for each standard, to generate a standard ratio list; and means for calculating the weight of crops for each standard of inventory of unsorted packages based on the standard ratio list.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a centralized shipping method and system for sorting agricultural products brought in by producers (farmers) according to standards such as grades and classes, and then packing them in bags or boxes for shipment. In particular, the present invention relates to a centralized shipping method and system that can link information of producers and the like to individual packages packed in bags or boxes, and grasp the inventory quantity of each potential standard included in the unsorted inventory.

Background Art

[0002] Among agricultural products such as fruits and vegetables, for example, root vegetables and fruit vegetables, sorting according to standards (weight, size, quality) is required for shipment. Since manual sorting requires a lot of labor, sorting by machines is generally performed. However, sorting machines are costly and difficult for small-scale operators to introduce. Therefore, the products are brought into a sorting facility operated by an agricultural cooperative (hereinafter referred to as "JA") without being sorted, and sorting is performed jointly. Such sorting is called co-sorting.

[0003] In co-sorting, it can be divided into a receiving process of receiving goods from farmers and a sorting process of sorting and packaging the goods. Since sorting takes time, the receiving process and the sorting process are temporally separated. In the case of machine sorting, the received fruits and vegetables do not flow as they are, but are repackaged by sorting. Therefore, it is difficult to manage the received goods and the sorted goods in a linked manner, which has become a problem. In addition, it has also become a problem that it is impossible to grasp how many of each standard are included in the unsorted inventory. For example, in the case of sweet potatoes, they are divided into standards such as S, M, L, and 2L. Since transactions are carried out by specifying the standards, even if an order for standard M is received, there may not be enough sweet potatoes of standard M in the unsorted inventory.

[0004] Conventionally, a system has been proposed that reads the producer's identification information from the goods received from farmers, measures the weight of the goods, and then attaches producer information and weight information to the repackaged goods for shipping processing.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] For example, in Patent Document 1, identification information unique to a producer is read, predetermined items of agricultural products conveyed by a sorting conveyor are measured by an item measuring device, and are respectively attached to the recording medium and the agricultural products themselves that record the producer's unique identification information. The above-mentioned identification information and weight information are stored in an information management device in correspondence, and a predetermined amount of the sorted agricultural products are stored in a box by item. Correspondingly to the determination by the information management device, a recording medium unique to the producer is attached to the box itself for shipping processing. A system is described.

[0007] However, in the technology of Patent Document 1, the goods to be shipped are merely linked to the producer information and the weight information, and the inventory quantity for each standard in the unsorted inventory cannot be estimated.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of such conventional circumstances, and by making it possible to manage the received goods and the sorted goods in a linked manner, not only can the production history be traced even after shipment, but also the present invention aims to provide a collective shipping method and system capable of accurately estimating the specifications of agricultural products from unsorted inventory.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, in the collective shipping method of the present invention, For unselected goods containing agricultural products, a step of attaching an identification code including unselected goods identification information; A step of registering by associating producer or production area information and weight information of the unselected goods with the unselected goods identification information; A step of preparing containers for each standard of agricultural products and attaching an identification code including unique selected goods identification information to each of the containers; A step of reading the selected goods identification information from the identification code attached to each of the containers by an identification code reading device and registering by associating the selected goods identification information with the unselected goods identification information; A step of storing the agricultural products of the unselected goods in containers of the corresponding standard by a sorting machine; A step of calculating the weight for each standard of agricultural products from the change in weight of each of the containers before and after sorting and registering the weight by associating it with the selected goods identification information; A step of calculating the ratio of the weight of agricultural products for each standard for each producer or production area information associated with the unselected goods information and generating a standard ratio list; A step of calculating the weight of agricultural products for each standard of the inventory of unselected goods based on the standard ratio list; characterized by including the above.

[0010] In addition, the collection and shipping system according to the present invention is A portable terminal comprising means for reading unselected goods identification information from an identification code attached to unselected goods, and means for inputting producer or production area and weight information of the unselected goods for each of the unselected goods identification information and transmitting the information to the cloud server; An identification code reading device for reading selected goods identification information from an identification code attached to a container for each standard; Sorting information transmitting means for transmitting the weight information of the container and the selected goods identification information read by the identification code reading device to the cloud server; A collection and shipping system comprising the portable terminal and a cloud server connected via a communication network to the transmitting means, wherein the cloud server Means for storing producer or production area information and the weight information of the unselected goods in association with the unselected goods identification information; Means for storing standard information and the weight information of the selected goods in association with the selected goods identification information; Standard ratio calculation means for calculating the ratio of the weight of agricultural products for each standard for each producer or production area and generating a standard ratio list; Inventory quantity estimation means for each standard for estimating the weight of agricultural products for each standard of the unselected goods inventory based on the standard ratio list.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] As described above, in the present invention, not only can the production history be traced even after shipment, but it is also possible to accurately estimate the standard of agricultural products from the unselected inventory.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of a collection and shipping method and system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a collection and shipping system according to this embodiment. In this figure, the collection and shipping system 1 includes a cloud server 10 that executes arithmetic processing during the collection and shipping of agricultural products, a mobile terminal 60 that reads unselected luggage identification information from an identification code attached to unselected luggage, inputs producer or production area and weight information for each piece of luggage, and transmits it to the cloud server 10, a sorting machine 51 that performs sorting processing on agricultural products stored in unselected luggage, a container 52 that stores the sorted agricultural products according to specifications, an identification code reader 53 that reads an identification code attached to the container, a load cell 54 that measures the weight of the container, and a sorting information transmission means 56 that transmits the weight of agricultural products according to specifications to the cloud server.

[0015] The co-selection load receiving (unselected load receiving) procedure during collection and shipping according to this embodiment is performed in the order of pre-shipment preparation process, shipping operation process, load receiving operation process, washing process, and sorting process, as shown in FIG. 2. Here, the shipping operation process, washing process, and sorting process are carried out at the collection yard.

[0016] Next, each process will be described with reference to FIG. 2. (1) Pre-shipment preparation (S1) First, in each work process, information to be stored in association with the luggage is defined. For work processes and registration items, addition and deletion are possible for each item. In this embodiment, as an example of registration information in the producer shipping process, the producer name, variety (item), field name, etc. can be registered. In addition, information such as the operator name (affiliation), location information (latitude and longitude), date and time, etc. is preferably automatically recorded during work. These information are input through the mobile terminal 60 and registered as unselected luggage information 31 in the cloud server 10 connected via the communication network. FIG. 3 is an example of a setting screen on the mobile terminal. Based on the above registration information, a label containing the unselected luggage number, producer information (producer name, farm, etc.), and item / variety information is created in advance by the label printer 61.

[0017] (2) Shipping operation (S2) The producer attaches a shipping tag to the collection container and brings it to the collection site with the label printed in the pre - shipping preparation process attached.

[0018] (3) Receiving operation (S3) The operator reads the label 81 on the shipping tag of the container with the mobile terminal 60, displays the information related to the luggage on the screen of the mobile terminal 60, and then inputs the registration items previously set in association with the "receiving operation". In the example of process S3 in Figure 2, weight information can be registered. It is preferable that the working date and time and location information are automatically registered using the functions of the mobile terminal.

[0019] (4) Cleaning (S4) The operator starts cleaning after reading the label 81 on the shipping tag of the collection container 80 with the mobile terminal 60. In the mobile terminal 60, the cleaning date and time are automatically recorded and the status of the luggage is updated.

[0020] That is, at the stage before the sorting process, as the unselected luggage information 31, the unselected luggage number, producer, farm, receiving date, working status (drying, cleaning, etc. and their dates and times), etc. are stored in the cloud server 10.

[0021] (5) Sorting (S5) Sorting is started after reading the label 81 on the shipping tag of the collection container 80 with the mobile terminal 60. The sorting results are recorded by an automatic linking mechanism that automatically links the read information with the container (sorting container) 52 for each standard described later. Next, based on Figure 1, the automatic information addition function for the luggage in the sorting machine lane used in the sorting process will be described. The sorting machine sorts the collected agricultural products according to standards and distributes them to the corresponding containers (sorting containers) 52 (52a, 52b, 52c).

[0022] In this embodiment, the weight of the sorting container provided for each standard is measured by load cells 54 (54a, 54b, 54c) (see FIG. 4). An identification code 55 (55a, 55b, 55c) including information such as the sorted parcel number, item, and standard is attached to each sorting container 52. This identification code is read by an identification code reader 53 (53a, 53b, 53c). As the identification code, for example, a QR code (registered trademark) can be used.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the standard determination process for the agricultural products contained in the unsorted parcels. First, an identification code including a unique ID (unsorted parcel number) is pre-attached to the sorting container.

[0024] Next, the barcode (unsorted parcel number) of the unsorted parcel on the label attached to the shipping label of the shipping container is scanned (S101). This unsorted parcel number is sent to the cloud server 10, and it is registered that the parcel with this unsorted parcel number is currently being sorted.

[0025] Then, weight information is obtained from the load cells 54 for each standard (S102), and it is determined whether the weight is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio (for example, 80%) of the self-weight of the sorting container 52 (S103). If it is equal to or greater than the predetermined ratio, a camera (identification code reader) 53 for photographing the identification code 55 is activated (S104). At this time, in order to accurately read the identification code, a light emitting means for illuminating the area of the identification code of the attached sorting container may also be activated simultaneously.

[0026] Then, it is determined whether or not an identification code has been detected (S105). If an identification code has been detected, it is then determined whether the identification code information is the sorted package number (sorting container code). As a result of the determination, if it is the sorted package number, this sorted package number is associated with the unsorted package number read in step S101 (S106). Also, this sorted package number is associated with the standard information corresponding to the container code and the weight information measured by the load cell and transmitted to the cloud server 10 (S107). The cloud server 10 associates these pieces of information with the unsorted package number registered in step S102 and registers them as sorted package information 32. Through the above processing procedure, the unsorted package information 31 and the sorted package information 32 are associated via the unsorted package number.

[0027] Then, the agricultural products of the unsorted packages are classified into each standard (for example, S, M, L) via the sorter, and their respective weights are associated with the unsorted package numbers and stored. That is, the ratio (weight ratio) of the standard of the agricultural products of the package can be known for each unsorted package number.

[0028] Next, the processing procedure of the standard ratio calculation means 21 will be described based on FIG. 6. When the standard ratio calculation means 21 is activated each time after the sorting process, it accesses the sorted package information (S201). Then, the following processing is repeated for the sorted package numbers included in the sorted package information (S202a, S202b).

[0029] First, the standard information is extracted (S203), and the producer information is extracted based on the unsorted package number (S204). In the present embodiment, the description is made on the premise that the ratio of the weight of each standard is calculated for each producer information. However, instead of the producer information, the ratio of the weight of each standard may be obtained for each production area such as a field.

[0030] Then, the weight is added for each producer information and for each standard information of the same item and variety (S205). After repeating the above process for all sorted package numbers, the standard ratio is calculated for each producer information, and a standard ratio list is created (S206).

[0031] Figure 7 is an example of the standard ratio list created according to the above procedure. For each producer and for each item and variety, the weight ratio of the standard (e.g., S, M, L) is recorded. Note that this producer may be a preset producer group or, as described above, a production area (field).

[0032] Next, the processing procedure of the inventory quantity estimation means 22 for each standard will be described with reference to FIG. 8. When the inventory quantity estimation means is activated by an instruction from a mobile terminal or the like when inventory quantity investigation is necessary, the following process is repeated for all unsorted packages managed as inventory at that time (S301a, S301b).

[0033] First, access the unsorted package information and extract the producer information of the unsorted package (S302, S303). Then, access the standard ratio list of the producer and extract the ratio of each standard (S304). Next, multiply the weight of the unsorted package by the ratio of each standard to calculate the weight of each standard (S305). The above process is repeated for all unsorted packages to be processed. Then, the calculated weight for each standard is output as an inventory estimated value (e.g., transmitted to a mobile terminal) (S306).

[0034] As described above, according to the present embodiment, an unsorted package number (identification information) is assigned to each unsorted package in advance, and information such as the producer, production area (e.g., field), and weight is set in association with this unsorted package number. At the sorting stage, a sorted package number is assigned to a container for each standard, and the unsorted package number is associated with this number. As a result, it becomes possible to trace producer information, production history, etc. even after shipment.

[0035] In addition, a standard ratio list can be created for each producer (including producer groups) or for each production region, and using this list, the inventory quantity of each standard can be estimated from the inventory quantity of unsorted goods. Therefore, it is possible to flexibly respond to the demand for each standard of agricultural products. By updating this standard ratio list for each sorting process, more accurate estimation becomes possible.

Explanation of symbols

[0036] 1 Consolidated shipping system 10 Cloud server 21 Standard ratio calculation means 22 Inventory quantity estimation means for each standard 31 Unsorted goods information 32 Sorted goods information 51 Sorting machine 52 Sorting container 53 Identification code reader 54 Load cell 56 Sorting information transmission means 60 Mobile terminal 61 Label printer 80 Consolidation container

Claims

1. For unpacked goods storing agricultural products, a step of attaching an identification code including unpacked goods identification information; A step of registering by associating producer or production area information and weight information of the unpacked goods with the unpacked goods identification information; A step of preparing containers for each standard of agricultural products and attaching an identification code including unique sorted goods identification information to each of the containers; A step of reading the sorted goods identification information from the identification code attached to each of the containers by an identification code reader, and registering by associating the sorted goods identification information with the unpacked goods identification information; A step of storing the agricultural products of the unpacked goods in the corresponding standard containers by a sorter; A step of calculating the weight for each standard of agricultural products from the change in weight of each of the containers before and after sorting, and registering the weight by associating it with the sorted goods identification information; A step of calculating the ratio of the weight of agricultural products for each standard for each producer or production area information associated with the unpacked goods information, and generating a standard ratio list; A step of calculating the weight of agricultural products for each standard of the inventory of unpacked goods based on the standard ratio list; A shipping and receiving method characterized by including the above.

2. A mobile terminal comprising means for reading unpacked goods identification information from an identification code attached to unpacked goods, and means for inputting producer or production area and weight information of the unpacked goods for each of the unpacked goods identification information and transmitting it to a cloud server; An identification code reader for reading sorted goods identification information from an identification code attached to a container for each standard; Sorting information transmission means for transmitting the weight information of the container and the sorted goods identification information read by the identification code reader to the cloud server; A shipping and receiving system comprising the mobile terminal and a cloud server connected via a communication network to the transmission means, wherein The cloud server Has means for storing producer or production area information and weight information of unpacked goods in association with the unpacked goods identification information; Has means for storing standard information and weight information of sorted goods in association with the sorted goods identification information; Has standard ratio calculation means for calculating the ratio of the weight of agricultural products for each standard for each producer or production area information and generating a standard ratio list; Has inventory quantity estimation means for each standard for calculating the weight of agricultural products for each standard of the inventory of unpacked goods based on the standard ratio list; A shipping and receiving system characterized by comprising the above.

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