Location management system

Abstract

To manage the position of each article arranged in a facility at a low cost.SOLUTION: A marker 30 marking a unique identification code corresponding to an arrangement area 40 is installed at a predetermined position of each arrangement area 40 where articles 50 are arranged, and when an article 50 carried by a conveying vehicle 100 is arranged, an information acquisition device 10 mounted on the conveying vehicle 100 acquires tag information transmitted by a radio tag 60 mounted on the article 50 and image information including the marker 30 installed in the arrangement area 40 where the article 50 is arranged, and specifies the arrangement area 40 of the article 50 by using the tag information and the image information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a position management technology for managing the position of articles arranged in a warehouse.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a technology for managing the position of articles arranged in a warehouse, an article radio tag is attached to an article, and a fixed radio tag is arranged at a reference position in the warehouse. A technology has been proposed in which, when tag signals from the article radio tag and the fixed radio tag received by a receiving unit that moves inside the warehouse are received almost simultaneously, it is determined that the article is located near the reference position (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the case of the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the position of an article is detected based on the reception timing of tag signals, although the rough position of the article can be detected, it is necessary to increase the number of fixed radio tags to detect a more accurate position, which leads to a problem that the cost required for installation and maintenance of fixed radio tags increases.

[0005] The present invention is made to solve such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide an article position management technology capable of managing the position of each article arranged in a warehouse at low cost.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] To achieve this objective, the location management system according to the present invention is a location management system for managing the locations of a plurality of articles located in a predetermined location area of ​​a warehouse, comprising: a plurality of markers installed at a predetermined location in each location area where the articles are located and displaying a unique identification code corresponding to the location area; an information acquisition device that acquires information for identifying the location area where the articles are located by acquiring tag information contained in a beacon signal transmitted from a wireless tag attached to the article and image information including an image of the marker; and a location management device that identifies the article and the location area where the article is located based on the tag information and image information acquired by the information acquisition device, wherein the information acquisition device includes the reception rate information of the beacon signal The system is configured to transmit received radio wave strength information, tag information, and image information acquired when the article is placed in a specific placement area of ​​the predetermined placement area to the location management device. The location management device includes an article identification unit that identifies tag information transmitted from a wireless tag attached to the article placed in the specific placement area based on the beacon signal reception rate information and received radio wave strength information, and identifies the article corresponding to the identified tag information, a marker identification unit that identifies the marker in the image information corresponding to the article identified by the article identification unit, and an article location identification unit that identifies the placement area of ​​the article placed in the warehouse based on the article identified by the article identification unit and the placement area corresponding to the marker identified by the marker identification unit.

[0007] Furthermore, in one configuration example of the location management system according to the present invention, the information acquisition device is configured to transmit an instruction signal to the wireless tag to change the transmission rate of the beacon signal, and the wireless tag is configured to change the transmission rate of the beacon signal according to the instruction signal.

[0008] Furthermore, in one example of the configuration of the above-mentioned location management system according to the present invention, the information acquisition device is The system is mounted on a forklift that transports the goods within the warehouse, and after the forklift places the goods in the specific placement area, it acquires image information including an image of the marker installed in the specific placement area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an item location management technology that can manage the location of items installed in a warehouse at a low cost. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example configuration of a location management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of a warehouse configuration to which the location management system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the configuration of a marker in a position management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of an information acquisition device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a position management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is an example of the configuration of marker information according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is an example of the tag information configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is an example of the configuration of location management information according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart showing the operation of an information acquisition device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This shows the operation of the position management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention can be implemented in various embodiments, and is not limited to the embodiments described below.

[0012] <Configuration of Position Management System> A position management system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the position management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] The position management system 1 is a system that manages, for each article 50 arranged in a warehouse, the placement area 40 where the article 50 is arranged. The position management system 1 includes an information acquisition device 10, a position management device 20, markers 30 installed for each predetermined placement area 40 in the warehouse, and a wireless tag 60 attached to the article 50.

[0014] In the present embodiment, the case where the wireless tag 60 is attached to the article 50 that is the object of position management is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the case where the wireless tag 60 is attached to the article 50. For example, when the wireless tag 60 is attached to a pallet, a cage cart or the like used for conveying or storing articles, it is possible to manage the arrangement positions of various articles placed on the pallet, the cage cart or the like in the warehouse.

[0015] The information acquisition device 10 is mounted on a conveyance device guided or driven by a person, such as a forklift that conveys the article 50 in a warehouse, and has a function of acquiring information for specifying the placement area 40 where the article 50 is arranged.

[0016] Specifically, the information acquisition device 10 is configured to receive a beacon signal transmitted from a wireless tag 60 attached to an article 50, and transmit to the position management device 20 tag ID information included in the beacon signal, reception rate information (such as reception interval) and received radio wave intensity information of the beacon signal, and image information including an image of the marker 30 acquired when the article 50 is placed in a specific placement area 40. In the following description, the tag ID information, reception rate information, and received radio wave intensity information may be collectively referred to as tag information.

[0017] The position management device 20 is constituted by an information processing device such as a server device or a personal computer, and is connected to the information acquisition device 10 via a communication network NW such as a wireless LAN. The position management device 20 is configured to identify the article 50 and the placement area 40 where the article 50 is placed based on the tag information acquired by the information acquisition device 10 and the image information including the image of the marker 30, and manage the placement area of the article in the warehouse.

[0018] Figure 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a warehouse to which the position management system according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied. Figure 2 is a configuration example in a case where articles 50 are placed on a plurality of placement areas #A, #B, and #C where markers 30 are installed. In Figure 2, an article 50 is placed into a predetermined placement area from the right side in Figure 2, and the article 50 is taken out from the left side in Figure 2, and then conveyed for a post-process such as an assembly process.

[0019] In the configuration example of Figure 2, a forklift 100 conveys the article 50 to place the article 50 in the placement area #A, and the information acquisition device 10 mounted on the forklift 100 receives the beacon signal transmitted by the wireless tag 60 while conveying the article 50. In the placement area #B, the forklift 100 places the article 50, acquires image information including the image of the marker 30, and transmits the image information and the tag information to the position management device 20. In the placement area #C, using the position information of the article 50 managed by the position management device 20, the forklift 100 takes out the article 50 from the placement area #C and conveys the article 50 for a post-process such as an assembly process.

[0020] <Example of marker configuration> Marker 30 is a location identification marker installed at a predetermined location in the storage area 40 where the goods 50 are placed, such as on the ceiling or wall of the warehouse, and has the function of displaying a unique identification code corresponding to the storage area 40. By identifying the marker 30, it is possible to identify the storage area 40 in the warehouse.

[0021] Figure 3 shows an example of the configuration of a marker in a location management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The marker 30 is composed of multiple color markers 30A, each displaying a unique color that constitutes an identification code. By identifying these color markers, the placement area 40 where the marker 30 is installed is identified. For example, if three markers are composed of six colors, 216 placement areas 40 can be identified.

[0022] In the example configuration shown in Figure 3(a), the color marker 30A is shown as being spherical in shape. In the color marker 30A in Figure 3(a), the outer surfaces of three spherical marker bodies are colored with a unique color that constitutes the identification code.

[0023] In the example configuration shown in Figure 3(b), the color marker 30A is shown in a tape-like form. In the color marker 30A in Figure 3(b), the areas of the three tape-shaped marker bodies are colored with a unique color that constitutes the identification code.

[0024] <Configuration of the information acquisition device> The configuration of the information acquisition device 10 will be described in detail with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information acquisition device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] The information acquisition device 10 includes, as its main functional units, a camera 11, a tag I / F unit 12, a wireless I / F unit 13, a storage unit 14, an operation input unit 15, a screen display unit 16, and a control unit 17.

[0026] The camera 11 has the function of taking an image of the placement area 40 where the goods 50 in the warehouse are placed, including the marker 30 installed in the placement area 40, in response to instructions from the control unit 17.

[0027] The tag I / F unit 12 has the function of receiving a beacon signal transmitted from a wireless tag 60 attached to an item 50, and the function of acquiring tag ID information, reception rate information, and received radio wave strength information included in the received beacon signal to identify the wireless tag 60.

[0028] The wireless interface unit 13 has the function of wirelessly communicating with the location management device 20 via a communication network NW such as wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0029] The memory unit 14 consists of a storage device such as a semiconductor memory or a hard disk, and has the function of storing various data and programs, such as image information captured by the camera 11 and tag information acquired by the tag I / F unit 12.

[0030] The operation input unit 15 consists of operation input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, and touch panel, and has the function of detecting operator operations and outputting them to the control unit 17. For example, it is used when a forklift operator gives instructions to the camera 11 to acquire images.

[0031] The screen display unit 24 consists of a screen display device such as an LCD and has the function of displaying various data such as item location information on the screen. For example, it is used when a forklift operator displays item location information in order to confirm the placement area 40 of the item 50.

[0032] The control unit 17 consists of a control circuit such as a CPU and has the function of instructing the camera 11 to acquire image information including the marker 30, the function of storing the captured image information and tag information acquired by the tag I / F unit 12 in the storage unit 14, and the function of transmitting the image information and tag information stored in the storage unit 14 to the location management device 20 via the communication network NW from the wireless I / F unit 13.

[0033] <Configuration of the location management device> The configuration of the position management device 20 will be described in detail with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a position management device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] The location management device 20 includes, as its main functional units, a wireless I / F unit 21, a communication I / F unit 22, an operation input unit 23, a screen display unit 24, a storage unit 25, an item management DB 26, and a control unit 27.

[0035] The wireless I / F unit 21 has the function of wirelessly communicating with the information acquisition device 10 via the communication network NW.

[0036] The communication interface unit 22 has the function of performing wired communication with an external terminal (not shown) that handles the location of items via a communication line such as a LAN.

[0037] The operation input unit 23 consists of operation input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, and touch panel, and has the function of detecting operator operations and outputting them to the control unit 27.

[0038] The screen display unit 24 consists of a screen display device such as an LCD and has the function of displaying various data such as item location information on the screen. For example, it is used to display information about the placement area 40 where the item 50 is placed.

[0039] The memory unit 25 consists of a storage device such as a semiconductor memory or a hard disk, and has the function of storing various information used for position management processing in the control unit 27. The main information stored in the memory unit 25 includes marker information 25A and tag information 25B.

[0040] The item management DB26 consists of storage devices such as semiconductor memory and hard disks, and is a database that stores item management information for each item 50, including the placement area 40 of the item 50 obtained by the position management processing in the control unit 27.

[0041] <Marker Information> Marker information 25A is data that shows the correspondence between the identification code (marker ID) of the marker 30 and the marker installation area. Figure 6 shows an example of the marker information structure. In Figure 6, for each marker ID used to identify the marker 30, an identification code consisting of a combination of colors of the color mark 30A of the marker 30 and the installation area 40 where the marker 30 is installed are registered.

[0042] In the configuration example shown in Figure 6, marker 30 with marker ID "M1" has an identification code consisting of color markers 30A arranged in the order of "red," "blue," and "green" from top to bottom, and is installed in placement area "#A" among the placement areas 40 pre-configured for the warehouse.

[0043] <Tag Information> Tag information 25B is data that shows the correspondence between the identification code (tag ID) of the wireless tag and the item to which it is attached. Figure 7 shows an example of the structure of tag information. In Figure 7, for each tag ID used to identify the wireless tag 60, the item ID and item name of the item 50 to which the wireless tag 60 is attached are registered.

[0044] <Goods management information> Figure 8 shows an example of the configuration of location management information according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the configuration example in Figure 8, various item management information such as item name, placement area, and image information is registered for each item ID used to identify item 50.

[0045] The control unit 27 has the function of realizing various processing units used for position management processing by executing a program on the CPU. The main processing units realized by the control unit 27 are the item identification unit 27A, the marker identification unit 27B, and the item position identification unit 27C.

[0046] The item identification unit 27A uses the tag information acquired by the information acquisition device 10 to identify the item 50 placed in a specific placement area 40. Since the tag information 25B in the storage unit 25 has the item 50 corresponding to the tag information registered, it is possible to identify the item corresponding to the identified tag information.

[0047] In this warehouse, numerous items 50 with wireless tags 60 attached are placed or transported, so it is assumed that the information acquired by the information acquisition device 10 will include multiple tag information, including tag information other than that of the items 50 being transported by the forklift equipped with the information acquisition device 10. Therefore, when the information acquired by the information acquisition device 10 includes multiple tag information, it is necessary to identify the tag information transmitted from the wireless tag 60 attached to the transported item 50.

[0048] In this embodiment, the tag information transmitted from the wireless tag 60 attached to the item 50 being transported is identified based on the beacon signal reception rate (reception interval) information and received radio wave strength information acquired by the information acquisition device 10.

[0049] Specifically, when transporting goods 50 with a forklift or the like, by making the transmission rate of the beacon signal transmitted by the wireless tag 60 attached to the transported goods 50 higher (shorter transmission interval) than the transmission rate of the beacon signal transmitted by the wireless tag 60 attached to other goods 50, and by measuring the reception rate (reception interval) of the beacon signal, it becomes possible to distinguish the tag information of the wireless tag 60 attached to the transported goods 50 from the tag information transmitted by other wireless tags 60.

[0050] Here, the reception rate of the beacon signal can be easily determined by measuring the time the beacon signal is received. Changing the transmission rate of the beacon signal can be achieved by sending an instruction signal (command) from the information acquisition device 10 to change the transmission rate of the beacon signal, and receiving that instruction signal with a wireless tag 60 attached to the item 50 being transported. This change in the transmission rate of the beacon signal can also be performed by a transmitting device other than the information acquisition device 10.

[0051] In this case, the instruction signal (command) transmitted by the information acquisition device 10 may be received by a wireless tag 60 other than the one attached to the item 50 being transported. In that case, simply changing the transmission rate of the beacon signal may not be enough to identify the wireless tag 60 attached to the item 50 being transported.

[0052] When transporting goods 50 with a forklift or the like, the distance between the information acquisition device 10 and the wireless tag 60 is relatively short, so the radio wave reception strength of the beacon signal transmitted by the wireless tag 60 attached to the transported goods 50 is greater than the radio wave reception strength of the beacon signal transmitted by the wireless tag 60 attached to other goods 50.

[0053] Using this, in this embodiment, the tag information of the wireless tag 60 attached to the item 50 placed in a specific placement area 40 is identified by identifying the tag information with a high received signal strength of the beacon signal from among the tag information identified using the transmission rate information of the beacon signal.

[0054] Furthermore, since the temporal fluctuation in the received radio wave intensity of a beacon signal transmitted by a wireless tag 60 attached to an item 50 being transported is expected to be smaller than the temporal fluctuation in the received radio wave intensity of a beacon signal transmitted by a wireless tag 60 attached to another item 50, tag information may be identified by measuring the temporal fluctuation in the received radio wave intensity of the beacon signal.

[0055] As described above, in this embodiment, the item identification unit 27A identifies tag information that has a high reception rate (short reception interval) and high received radio wave strength of the beacon signal acquired by the information acquisition device 10 as tag information transmitted from a wireless tag 60 attached to the item 50 being transported.

[0056] The marker identification unit 27B extracts the color information of the color indicator 30A of the marker 30 from the image information corresponding to the item 50 identified by the item identification unit 27A, identifies the marker 30 using the extracted color information, and identifies the installation area 40 corresponding to the identified marker 30 using the marker information 25A in the storage unit 25.

[0057] Here, by comparing the tag information of the item identified by the item identification unit 27A with the acquisition time or reception time of the acquired image information, the image information corresponding to item 50 can be identified. The image information acquired or received at a time corresponding to, or close to, the acquisition time or reception time of the tag information of the item identified by the item identification unit 27A is the image information corresponding to that tag information.

[0058] The item location identification unit 27C identifies the location area 40 of the item 50 located in the warehouse based on the item identified by the item identification unit 27A and the location area 40 corresponding to the marker 30 identified by the marker identification unit 27B. The information of the identified location area 40 is registered in the location management information of the item management DB 26, and the registered location management information is used when retrieving the item 50 for a subsequent process.

[0059] [Product information acquisition operation] Referring to Figure 9, the information acquisition operation by the information acquisition device 10 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information acquisition device according to this embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] When a forklift or the like starts transporting the goods 50, the control unit 17 sends an instruction signal (command) to the wireless tag 60 to increase the transmission rate of the beacon signal, and the wireless tag 60 sets the transmission rate of the beacon signal according to the instruction (step 101).

[0061] The information acquisition device 10 receives a beacon signal transmitted from the wireless tag 60, acquires the tag ID information contained in the beacon signal, and stores it in the storage unit 14 (steps 102 and 103).

[0062] The information acquisition device 10 receives the beacon signal transmitted from the wireless tag 60, acquires the beacon signal reception rate information and the received radio wave strength information, and stores them in the storage unit 14 (steps 104 and 105).

[0063] When the forklift arrives at the placement area 40 for the item 50, the information acquisition device 10 places the item 50 in the placement area 40, then acquires image information including the marker 30 placed in the placement area 40, and stores it in the storage unit 14 (step 106).

[0064] After acquiring image information, the information acquisition device 10 transmits the image information and tag information (tag ID information, received radio wave strength information, received beacon rate information) stored in the storage unit 14 to the location management device 20, thereby ending the series of information acquisition processes (step 107).

[0065] <Goods location information management operation> Referring to Figure 10, the location information management operation by the location management device 20 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the location management device according to this embodiment of the present invention.

[0066] When the information acquisition device 10 receives the image information and tag information (step 201), the item identification unit 27A of the location management device 20 identifies the tag information (tag ID) transmitted from the wireless tag 60 attached to the item 50 placed in a specific placement area 40, based on the beacon signal reception rate information and received radio wave strength information acquired by the information acquisition device 10 (step 202).

[0067] The item identification unit 27A of the location management device 20 refers to the tag information registered in the storage unit 25 to identify the item ID corresponding to the identified tag ID (step 203).

[0068] The marker identification unit 27B of the position management device 20 extracts the color information of the color marker 30A of the marker 30 from the image information corresponding to the item 50 identified by the item identification unit 27A, identifies the marker 30 using the extracted color information, and identifies the installation area 40 corresponding to the identified marker 30 using the marker information 25A of the storage unit 25 (step 204).

[0069] The item location identification unit 27C identifies the location area 40 of the item 50 located in the warehouse based on the item ID identified by the item identification unit 27A and the location area 40 corresponding to the marker 30 identified by the marker identification unit 27B (step 205).

[0070] Information on the location area 40 associated with the identified item 50 is registered in the location management information of the item management DB 26, and the registered location management information is used when retrieving the item 50 for a subsequent process (step 206).

[0071] <Effects of the Embodiment> As described above, this embodiment provides a marker 30 that displays a unique identification code corresponding to each placement area 40 where the articles 50 are placed. When the articles 50 are placed after being transported by a forklift or the like, the information acquisition device 10 mounted on the forklift or the like is configured to acquire tag information transmitted by a wireless tag 60 mounted on the article 50 and image information including the marker 30 installed in the placement area 40 where the articles 50 are placed.

[0072] Furthermore, the location management device 20 is configured to identify tag information transmitted from wireless tags attached to articles 50 placed in a specific placement area 40, based on the reception rate information and received radio wave strength information of beacon signals acquired by the information acquisition device 10, identify the articles corresponding to the identified tag information, identify markers in the image information corresponding to the identified articles, and identify the placement area 40 of the articles 50 placed in the warehouse based on the identified articles and the placement area 40 corresponding to the markers 30.

[0073] With this configuration, when placing an item 50 in a designated area of ​​the warehouse, tag information related to the placed item 50 and image information corresponding to the installation area are acquired. Based on the acquired tag information and image information, the placement area of ​​the item 50 is identified, making it possible to provide a location management technology that can manage the location of items placed in the warehouse at a low cost.

[0074] [Expansion of the embodiment] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications to the configuration and details of the present invention can be made within the scope of the present invention as can be understood by those skilled in the art. Furthermore, each embodiment can be arbitrarily combined and implemented without contradiction. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0075] 1...Location management system, 10...Information acquisition device, 20...Location management device, 30...Marker, 40...Installation area, 50...Item, 60...Wireless tag, 100...Forklift (transport vehicle), NW...Communication network.

Claims

1. A location management system for managing the location of items placed in a designated area of ​​a warehouse, A marker is installed at a predetermined position in each placement area where the aforementioned articles are to be placed, and displays a unique identification code corresponding to the placement area. An information acquisition device is mounted on a transport device that transports the articles within the warehouse, and acquires information for identifying the placement area where the articles are located by acquiring tag information contained in a beacon signal transmitted from a wireless tag attached to the articles and image information including an image of the marker, A location management device that identifies the item and the area where the item is located based on the tag information and image information acquired by the information acquisition device. Equipped with, The aforementioned information acquisition device is The system is configured to transmit the reception rate information of the beacon signal, the received radio wave strength information, the tag information, and the image information acquired when the item is placed in a specific location area within the predetermined location area to the location management device. The aforementioned position management device is An article identification unit identifies tag information transmitted from a wireless tag attached to an article placed in a specific location area, based on the reception rate information of the beacon signal and the temporal fluctuation of the received radio wave intensity information, and identifies the article corresponding to the identified tag information. A marker identification unit identifies the marker in the image information corresponding to the article identified by the article identification unit, An item location identification unit identifies the location area of ​​the item located in the warehouse based on the item identified by the item identification unit and the location area corresponding to the marker identified by the marker identification unit. A location management system having

2. The information acquisition device is configured to transmit an instruction signal to the wireless tag to change the transmission rate of the beacon signal. The wireless tag is configured to change the transmission rate of the beacon signal in accordance with the instruction signal. The location management system according to claim 1.

3. The conveying device is a forklift, The information acquisition device acquires image information, including an image of the marker installed in the specific placement area, after the forklift has placed the item in the specific placement area. The location management system according to claim 1.

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