Method for managing the location of items

Abstract

The method for managing the location of an article according to the present invention is a method for managing the location of an article when an article is transported to a predetermined area using a transport device and stored, and includes: a recognition step of detecting the location information of the transport device when the transport device reaches the storage location; a calculation step of calculating the area occupied by the article within the predetermined area using the location information of the transport device detected in the recognition step and the dimensional information of the article read from a product label attached to the article; and a recording step of recording the information regarding the area occupied by the article calculated in the calculation step in a recording device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for managing the storage position of an article when the article is transferred and stored in a predetermined area using a transfer device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a method for managing steel sections by attaching an ID tag to the web surface of a steel section and transmitting and receiving information with the ID tag. Patent Document 2 describes an article management method for accurately managing articles when storing articles in a warehouse or factory. When transporting an article, the weight measurement result of the article by a weighing machine is compared with the weight information of the article recorded in an RFID attached to the article. Patent Document 3 describes a collation system in which a computer determines whether the identification information of a steel material stored in a storage means matches the identification information of the steel material recognized from an image of an identification mark written on the surface of the steel material in order to efficiently perform the collation operation of the steel material.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The technologies described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 concern methods for verifying and matching the consistency of items to be managed, but they cannot manage which storage facility an item is placed in, or where and within what area an item is placed within that storage facility. In other words, according to the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, it is not possible to accurately manage the location of items when transporting and storing items such as products within a predetermined area in a warehouse or factory.

[0005] The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a method for managing the location of articles when articles are transported to a predetermined area using a transport device and stored, and the location of the articles can be accurately managed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The method for managing the location of an article according to the present invention is a method for managing the location of an article when an article is transported to a predetermined area using a transport device and stored, and includes: a recognition step of detecting the location information of the transport device when the transport device reaches the storage location; a calculation step of calculating the area occupied by the article within the predetermined area using the location information of the transport device detected in the recognition step and the dimensional information of the article read from a product label attached to the article; and a recording step of recording the information regarding the area occupied by the article calculated in the calculation step in a recording device.

[0007] The article is a long material, and the calculation step may involve calculating the occupied area of ​​the article by taking into account the relative distance of the end of the article in the longitudinal direction with respect to the reference position of the transfer device.

[0008] The calculation step may involve calculating the distance between a predetermined position of the transfer device and the end of the article in the longitudinal direction, and then adding a predetermined distance between the reference position of the transfer device and the predetermined position to the calculated value to calculate the relative distance of the end of the article in the longitudinal direction to the reference position of the transfer device.

[0009] The transfer device is a device that lifts the article and transfers the article, and the recognition step may recognize that the transfer device has reached the storage location based on a change in the lifting load of the transfer device.

[0010] The recognition step may involve detecting the location information of the transport device using a location information transmitting unit attached to the transport device and location information receiving units installed at three or more locations within the predetermined area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the method for managing the location of articles according to the present invention, the location of articles when they are transported to a predetermined area using a transport device and stored can be accurately managed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an H-shaped steel beam with a product label attached. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a transfer device, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of image data for an H-shaped steel beam. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a storage facility. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a storage facility, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of a method for managing the location of items, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The following describes a method for managing the location of an article, which is one embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the drawings. This embodiment applies the present invention to the task of managing the location of an H-shaped steel beam within a storage area when an H-shaped steel beam manufactured at a steel mill is transported from a temporary storage area to a storage area using a transport device. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and can be applied to all tasks of transporting articles using a transport device and managing the location of those articles when they are stored. Furthermore, the articles to be transported are not limited to H-shaped steel beams, but can be applied to all other long materials. Here, "long material" refers to a member that has a shape that extends in the longitudinal direction. Examples of long materials other than H-shaped steel beams include L-shaped steel beams, steel sheet piles, rails and other shaped steel, as well as pipes, round bars, or rectangular metal plates.

[0014] [Product label structure] Figures 1(a) to 1(c) are schematic diagrams showing H-beams with product labels attached. As shown in Figure 1, in a method for managing the location of items, which is one embodiment of the present invention, in order to manage the location of the H-beams HS, a product label LB of a predetermined size (approximately 100 mm x 100 mm) with a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on it is first attached to the outer surface of the H-beam HS. Specifically, in this embodiment, the product label LB is attached to the outer surface of the upper flange at one end in the longitudinal direction of the H-beam HS, which is placed in a temporary storage area in an I-position with the flanges positioned vertically.

[0015] The QR code (registered trademark) printed on the product label LB stores information regarding the product number, material, dimensions, shape, etc. of the H-shaped steel HS to which the product label LB is attached, and these information can be obtained by reading the QR code (registered trademark). Examples of the information regarding the dimensions of the H-shaped steel HS include the web height H, flange width B, web thickness t1, flange thickness t2, length L, etc. shown in FIGS. 1(a) to 1(c). Generally, the web height H is about 200 to 1000 mm, the flange width B is about 100 to 500 mm, and the length L is about 6 to 30 m. Also, when the H-shaped steels HS are stacked, the height of the stack of H-shaped steels HS is at most about 3 m. The medium for storing the above information is not limited to the QR code (registered trademark), and it may be alphanumeric characters, symbols, barcodes, or a chameleon code using color information.

[0016] 〔Configuration of Transfer Device〕 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, a transfer device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a device of a type that lifts and transfers the H-shaped steel HS, and includes a crane body 11, a wire 12, a suspension beam 13, a chain 14, and a lifting magnet (electromagnet) 15.

[0017] When lifting the H-shaped steel HS placed in the temporary storage area, the transfer device 1 causes the lifting magnet 15 connected to the suspension beam 13 via the chain 14 to adsorb to the H-shaped steel HS. Then, the transfer device 1 winds up the wire 12 connected to the suspension beam 13 to lift the suspension beam 13 upward, lifting and transferring the H-shaped steel HS. On the other hand, when placing the H-shaped steel HS in the storage area, the transfer device 1 extends the wire 12 to place the H-shaped steel HS in the storage area and then removes the lifting magnet 15 from the H-shaped steel HS. The number of H-shaped steels HS transferred using the lifting magnet 15 is not limited to one, and the number of transferred H-shaped steels HS may be two or more as long as it is within the number that can be suspended by the lifting magnet 15.

[0018] In addition, in this embodiment, the transfer device 1 includes a position information transmitting unit 16 and an imaging device 17. The position information transmitting unit 16 is installed at the center position in the length direction of the suspension beam 13 and transmits an electrical signal such as radio waves. The imaging device 17 is composed of a known imaging device and is installed on the crane body 11 at a position about 10 m above the ground. The imaging device 17 captures an image of the H-shaped steel HS adsorbed by the lifting magnet 15 from above and transmits the image data of the H-shaped steel HS captured via the electrical communication line to the arithmetic unit 3.

[0019] The arithmetic unit 3 is composed of an information processing device such as a computer that manages the storage position of the H-shaped steel, and is connected to the transfer device 1 (the imaging device 17 and a control device not shown, etc.) via an electrical communication line such as a LAN or the Internet. The arithmetic unit 3 uses the image data of the H-shaped steel HS captured by the imaging device 17 to calculate the relative distance of the end of the H-shaped steel HS to which the product label LB is attached with respect to the reference position of the transfer device 1 (in this embodiment, the center position in the length direction of the suspension beam 13), and records the information on the calculated relative distance in the recording system 4. The information recorded in the recording system 4 can be viewed by displaying it on the product database display system 5.

[0020] As a method for specifying the position information of the transfer device 1, a method of detecting the speed of the transfer device 1 using a laser Doppler velocimeter, converting the speed to a moving distance by its integral value (speed × time) to specify the position information of the transfer device 1, counting the number of rotations of the wheels of the crane body 11, and converting the number of rotations to a moving distance by the wheel diameter and slip ratio to specify the position information of the transfer device 1, positioning by UWB (ultra-wideband radio), using a satellite positioning system such as GPS, etc. can be exemplified. The laser Doppler velocimeter may be installed on the crane body 11, for example, and the speed of the transfer device 1 may be detected by irradiating laser light on the rail or wall on which the crane body 11 travels. Thereby, the position information of the transfer device 1 can be accurately specified non-contact.

[0021] Methods to improve the accuracy of the position information of the transport device 1 (methods to correct deviations in the position information of the transport device 1) include installing sensors (photoelectric sensors, RFID tags, etc.) or LS (limit switches) on pillars or reference positions and sending a signal to preset the position when the crane body 11 passes that position; sending a signal to preset the position using the timing of light blocking or light reception as a trigger; installing a laser light source and reflector and preset the position when the reflected signal of the laser light is detected; and installing markers or two-dimensional codes on pillars or reference positions and preset the position when these are recognized by a camera.

[0022] By combining these methods, the positional information of the transfer device 1 can be accurately determined.

[0023] [Method for calculating relative distance] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of image data of an H-shaped steel beam HS captured by the imaging device 17. As shown in Figure 3, in this example, the image data IM of the H-shaped steel beam HS includes images of a part of the outer surface of the flange of the H-shaped steel beam HS to which the product label LB is attached, the product label LB, the suspension beam 13, and the lifting magnet 15. When calculating the relative distance described above, the calculation device 3 first recognizes the contour shapes of the end of the H-shaped steel beam HS and the lifting magnet 15 from the image data IM, and calculates the distance between the end of the H-shaped steel beam HS and the lifting magnet 15 (calculated value shown in Figure 3) from the number of pixels between the end of the H-shaped steel beam HS and the lifting magnet 15. The position of the lifting magnet 15 corresponds to a predetermined position according to the present invention.

[0024] In Figure 3, the length of one pixel in the left-right direction can be calculated from the height information from the imaging device 17 to the surface on which the product label LB is attached. The height information can be obtained from the winding length of the wire 12 or from the measured distance from the imaging device 17 to the outer surface of the flange of the H-beam HS (using a laser distance meter or ultrasonic distance meter). If the product width of the H-beam HS (flange width in this example) is known, the number of pixels corresponding to the product width can be determined, and the calculated value can be calculated by multiplying the number of pixels corresponding to that width by a factor of 1.

[0025] The calculation unit 3 then calculates a relative distance by adding the distance between the end of the H-shaped steel beam HS and the lifting magnet 15 to the distance between the lifting magnet 15 and the reference position of the transfer device 1, which is a pre-set fixed value. The method described above is for cases where the H-shaped steel beam HS is not necessarily lifted at its longitudinal center position, but when the H-shaped steel beam HS is lifted at its longitudinal position, the relative distance can be set to half the length of the H-shaped steel beam HS.

[0026] [Storage facility configuration] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a storage area. As shown in Figure 4, in this example there are three storage areas: storage area A, storage area B, and storage area C. The state shown in Figure 4 is a top view of storage area A, showing the state in which an H-shaped steel beam HS is about to be stored in the upper left. In the example shown in Figure 4, the product label LB is attached to the left end of the H-shaped steel beam HS. The H-shaped steel beams HS placed in the temporary storage area are transferred to these storage areas, and various finishing processes are performed on each H-shaped steel beam HS. Examples of finishing processes include scaling by shot blasting, press straightening to correct the shape of the H-shaped steel beam HS, and length cutting to change the length of the H-shaped steel beam HS. The H-shaped steel beams HS are transferred to the corresponding storage area and stored according to the finishing process to be performed. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a storage area according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 5, multiple (three or more) location information receiving units 2 are installed on the building wall of the storage area according to one embodiment of the present invention. Multiple location information receiving units 2 receive electrical signals transmitted from the location information transmitting unit 16 and transmit information regarding the strength and direction of the received electrical signals to the computing unit 3 via the telecommunication line.

[0027] [Method for managing storage locations] When managing the storage location of the H-shaped steel beams HS within the above-mentioned storage area, the computing unit 3 first identifies the three-dimensional location information of the location information transmitting unit 16 based on the information received by the multiple location information receiving units 2 when the H-shaped steel beams HS are placed in the storage area. The timing when the H-shaped steel beams HS are placed in the storage area can be detected by the computing unit 3 communicating information with the control device of the transport device 1 via a telecommunications line, thereby detecting changes in the lifting load, such as changes in the excitation current of the lifting magnet 15 of the transport device 1 or changes in the load on the wire 12. In this embodiment, the three-dimensional location information of the location information transmitting unit 16 is identified using a three-point positioning method with the location information receiving unit 2 and the location information transmitting unit 16, but the three-dimensional location information of the location information transmitting unit 16 may also be identified using a location information acquisition device such as GPS.

[0028] Next, the calculation unit 3 determines the reference position of the transfer device 1 based on the three-dimensional position information of the position information transmitting unit 16 and the positional relationship between the preset installation position of the position information transmitting unit 16 and the reference position of the transfer device 1. In this embodiment, the installation position of the position information transmitting unit 16 and the reference position (center position in the longitudinal direction) of the transfer device 1 are the same. The calculation unit 3 may also measure the distance from the suspension beam 13 to the walls and floor of the storage building in two directions using a distance meter and calculate the reference position of the transfer device 1 based on the measured distance.

[0029] Next, the calculation unit 3 calculates the occupied area of ​​the H-beam HS within the storage area (occupied area on a plane and height position information, etc.) based on the dimensional information of the H-beam HS stored in the QR code (registered trademark) of the product label LB attached to the H-beam HS, the reference position of the transport device 1, and the pre-calculated relative distance information of the ends of the H-beam HS. Then, the calculation unit 3 records the calculated occupied area information in the recording system 4 as information that the H-beam HS is placed in that storage area. Examples of recorded information include the storage area number of the H-beam HS, the occupied area on a plane in the storage area, and height position information. The information recorded in the recording system 4 can be viewed by displaying it on the product database display system 5.

[0030] The flowchart shown in Figure 6 summarizes the above process. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, when managing the location of the H-shaped steel beams HS within the storage area, the computing device 3 uses the imaging device 17 to read the product label LB attached to the longitudinal end of the H-shaped steel beam HS (step S1), and obtains the dimensional information of the H-shaped steel beam HS stored in the QR code (registered trademark) printed on the product label LB (step S2). In the above explanation, steps S1 and S2 were performed when the H-shaped steel beams HS were in the temporary storage area, but they may also be performed when the H-shaped steel beams HS are placed in the storage area.

[0031] Next, the calculation unit 3 identifies the reference position of the transfer device 1 based on the position information of the position information transmission unit 16 (step S3). Next, the calculation unit 3 uses the dimensional information of the H-shaped steel HS obtained in step S2, the reference position of the transfer device 1 identified in step S3, and the relative distance information of the ends of the H-shaped steel HS to which the pre-calculated product label LB is attached to calculate the occupied position of the H-shaped steel HS within the storage area (step S4). Then, the calculation unit 3 records the calculated occupied position information in the recording system 4 as information that the H-shaped steel HS is placed in its storage area (step S5). The occupied position corresponds to the occupied range according to the present invention.

[0032] In this way, according to the method for managing the storage location of articles, which is one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to understand which area of ​​the storage area is occupied by the H-shaped steel beams HS, thereby accurately determining the storage location of the H-shaped steel beams HS, as well as the availability of space in the storage area. For example, in storage area C shown in Figure 4, there is available space (gap) in the area SP enclosed by the dashed line, and it can be seen that any H-shaped steel beams HS that meet the length requirements can be stored in this available space. Also, in storage area B, it can be seen that there are three H-shaped steel beams HS placed in a vertical line (the length direction of the H-shaped steel beams is aligned with the horizontal direction of storage area B), and it can be determined that H-shaped steel beams up to the upper limit of the horizontal length of storage area B can be stacked on top of these. In this way, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately manage the storage location of articles when transporting and storing articles such as products in a predetermined area within a warehouse or factory, and to make the most effective use of the storage space.

[0033] Although embodiments applying the invention made by the present inventors have been described above, the present invention is not limited by the descriptions and drawings that constitute part of the disclosure of the present invention in this embodiment. For example, although the above embodiment relates to the management of storage locations for articles indoors, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and can be implemented outdoors as long as it is possible to recognize the location information of the transfer device and grasp the information of the articles. Thus, all other embodiments, examples, and operational techniques made by those skilled in the art based on this embodiment are included in the scope of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0034] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for managing the location of articles when articles are transported to a predetermined area using a transport device and stored, and the location of the articles can be accurately managed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1 Transfer device 2. Location information receiving unit 3 Computing device 4. Recording System 5. System for displaying product databases 11 Crane body 12 wires 13 Suspension beams 14 chain 15. Lifting Magnet (Electromagnet) 16 Location Information Transmission Unit 17 Imaging device HS H-shaped steel LB Product Label

Claims

1. A method for managing the location of items when transporting and storing items within a predetermined area using a transfer device, A recognition step in which the transfer device detects the location information of the transfer device when it reaches the storage location, A calculation step which uses the position information of the transport device detected in the recognition step and the dimensional information of the article read from the product label attached to the article to calculate the area occupied by the article within the predetermined area, A recording step in which information regarding the occupied area of ​​the article calculated in the calculation step is recorded in a recording device, A method for managing the location of items, including the storage location of items.

2. The aforementioned article is a long piece of material, The method for managing the location of an article's storage place according to claim 1, wherein the calculation step involves calculating the occupied area of ​​the article by taking into account the relative distance of the longitudinal end of the article with respect to a reference position of the transfer device.

3. The method for managing the storage location of an article according to claim 2, wherein the calculation step involves calculating the distance between a predetermined position of the transfer device and the end of the article in the longitudinal direction, and adding a predetermined distance between a reference position of the transfer device and the predetermined position to the calculated value to calculate the relative distance of the end of the article in the longitudinal direction to the reference position of the transfer device.

4. The transfer device is a device of the type that lifts the article and transfers the article, The recognition step recognizes that the transfer device has reached the storage location based on a change in the lifting load of the transfer device. A method for managing the location of an article as described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The method for managing the location of an article's storage place according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the recognition step involves detecting the location information of the transport device using a location information transmitting unit attached to the transport device and location information receiving units installed at three or more locations within the predetermined area.

6. The method for managing the location of an article's storage place according to Claim 4, wherein the recognition step involves detecting the location information of the transfer device using a location information transmitting unit attached to the transfer device and location information receiving units installed at three or more locations within the predetermined area.

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