JP2000191117A - Luggage management system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] In a luggage management system that manages the distribution of parcels by transmitting and receiving radio waves from an electronic tag attached to the parcels, the sorted parcels are stored in a basket made of a conductive material. When stored, radio waves did not pass due to the effect of the shield, making it impossible to manage small packages. SOLUTION: A data storage device having a display function is attached to an intake of the basket, and the data storage device comprises:
When the parcel is stored in the basket, the tag information of the parcel is automatically read, stored and managed. Thereby, even if the parcel is stored in a sorting basket or the like made of a conductive material, the parcel can be easily managed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used in a transportation / logistics business such as courier service, parcel transportation, etc., and has a function of issuing information such as a slip number and a delivery address of the package, and having a function of checking tickets. The present invention relates to a tag management system for managing distribution of small packages using a tag.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a luggage management system, various systems have been devised for improving the efficiency of a series of operations such as collection, inspection, and delivery of luggage, simplifying manual operations of workers, and improving the accuracy of luggage management.

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-44914 is reported as a system for improving the accuracy and efficiency of baggage tracking work. As explained in this,
In the conventional luggage management system, when performing a courier service that collects small packages and delivers them to the destination, the collector carries the portable terminal device to the sender's eaves and collects various data related to the package undertaken by the carrier. It was entered and managed on the spot. The portable terminal device used in this way is composed of a keyboard unit, a data display unit, a control unit, a memory unit, a power supply unit, a printing unit, and the like. The size, weight, number, slip number, destination address, Such information is manually input and the barcode printed on the slip is read by a barcode reader, so that the information on the baggage to be picked up is stored in the portable terminal device. Then, a destination code or the like is printed on the label paper by a printing unit as necessary, and the label paper is stuck to the baggage to be received. With the adoption of this type of portable terminal device, it has become possible for an operator to read the barcode of the label attached to the baggage by rubbing the barcode reader. This enabled mechanization, but the size and shape of the package were different, and the information on the barcode label could not be used to determine the status of the package. Sorting did not improve efficiency and accuracy.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-44914 was an invention devised for the purpose of solving the problem.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a luggage management system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-44914. The electronic tag shown here is a known technology and is easy to create.
When it is used, it can be used repeatedly by rewriting its memory contents.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a portable terminal device,
It is for inputting / outputting and managing various data relating to the package of the electronic tag 3 attached to the small package 2. The barcode / mark reader unit 4 reads the barcode label 5 on the slip on the electronic tag 2 with a barcode / mark pen 6. The keyboard unit 7 inputs the size, weight, or address, name, telephone number, etc. of the consignee to be written on the slip. The device control unit 8 controls the device, calculates a destination code and a fare, and stores the results and input data in the storage unit 9. The storage unit 9 also stores basic data for calculating the fare. The ticket inspection section 10 transmits a request signal by wireless communication via the transmission section 32 and the antenna 11 to perform an electronic ticket inspection. The display unit 30 notifies the user of input data and output data. The electronic tag issuing unit 13 is connected to the mobile terminal device-side optical / signal connecting unit 14, the electronic tag-side optical / signal connecting unit 15, or by using wireless communication, the mobile terminal device-side antenna 11, and the electronic tag-side loop antenna. Various data is input to the electronic tag via the interface 19 and a tag is issued. Reference numeral 20 denotes a transmission unit between the portable terminal device 1 and the center device 21. The transmission unit 20 transmits the stored data of the portable terminal device 1 to the center device 21, which is a host computer, or receives the stored data. Reference numeral 22 denotes a control section of the electronic tag, which instructs the display section 23 to display the data of the parcel in response to a request signal from the portable terminal device 1, and instructs reception and transmission from the loop antenna 19. Reference numeral 24 denotes a power supply unit that supplies power to the electronic tag, and uses a rechargeable battery. 25
Checks the password input from the keyboard unit 7,
It is a security department that guarantees security.

[0007] In a series of operations from collection to transportation, there is a ticket inspection operation when refilling luggage at each relay station.
In this method, based on data such as "destination" held on an electronic tag, individual packages are flown on a belt conveyor, and sorted and managed accurately to perform a package tracking operation. When a light signal or light energy is applied to the electronic tag 3 attached to the parcel 2 flowing on the belt conveyor, the photocell constituting the power supply unit 24 of the electronic tag is automatically activated, and the electronic tag control unit 22 and the small The power is supplied to the display unit 23 that displays the data of the package and the transmission unit that receives or transmits information via the loop antenna 19. As a result, the respective functions automatically start operating, and the display of the “destination code”, the “delivery route”, the “slip number”, etc. is notified. When the detection of light reception is general visible light, a series of systems can be constructed by controlling the supply of the power supply voltage by blocking light in a dark room or the like. Other activations of the electronic tag include a method of generating an electric power by an electromagnetic wave and transmitting the tag information by a radio wave. In this case, the power supply unit 24 includes a loop-shaped coil and a capacitor. When a magnetic force is applied to the coil, electric power is temporarily generated to activate each function of the electronic tag. As described above, there are various ways to activate the tag such as light and electromagnetic force,
All are activated instantaneously and can transmit information in a short time.

Radio waves are used for transmitting electronic tag information, but since radio waves do not have directivity, information can be transmitted without directivity even if packages are dispersed in arbitrary directions.

[0009] As described above, when repacking small parcels at each relay station or the like, the ticket inspection work is performed by flowing individual parcels on a belt conveyor and, at this time, the "destination" attached to the electronic tag attached to the parcels. ], And sorts and manages small packages accurately based on various data, such as package tracking.

As described above, by using the light receiving detection system provided with the electronic tag, it is possible to expect the accuracy and the efficiency of the tag tracking work of the small package flowing on the belt conveyor.

[0011]

However, at present, in the logistics industry, sorting and transporting to trucks is often carried out in steel cases or baskets with casters.
For this reason, in the conventional electronic tag, since the tag information is transmitted by radio waves, after being stored in a case or a basket made of a conductive material such as steel, the radio waves are cut off and the radio waves are not transmitted to the outside. . Therefore, in order to re-track a package that has been sorted once, in the above-mentioned method,
All the luggage was taken out of all cases and baskets, washed down on a belt conveyor, and the same work had to be performed, resulting in extremely low work efficiency.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a luggage management system according to the first aspect of the present invention, in which after a small package is sorted, a steel transport unit, which is a transport unit in a truck, is used. The above-mentioned case, which can automatically read, store and manage the information stored in the electronic tag attached to each package when loading it into a case or basket, and display it when necessary. And a data storage device installed in the basket.

Thus, even if the case or the basket is made of a conductive material, the luggage cannot be taken out of the case or the basket again,
It is possible to check the status of the packages present in the basket, and it is easy to re-track the packages once sorted.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the luggage management system according to the first aspect, wherein the data storage device has an electromotive force dielectric unit for generating power for the electronic tag. It is characterized by doing.

Thus, the power supply of the electronic tag from the data storage device can be generated only when necessary.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the luggage management system according to the first or second aspect, wherein the data storage device relates to the parcel stored in the data storage device. Information can be transmitted and received between the portable terminal device and the center device.

[0017] Thus, the information of the electronic tag on the stored parcel can be confirmed and managed by the portable terminal device and the center device.

[0018]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a luggage management system according to the present invention.

[0019] This is a truck transporting device equipped with a function of reading, storing, and displaying, as necessary, information on a package from an electronic tag attached to the package when loading the package into a trucking basket. 3 is a functional block diagram of a data storage device attached to a car and an electronic tag attached to a parcel.

The data storage device installed at the baggage loading port of the basket 100 is transmitted from a power supply unit 102 which is turned on / off by a switch 101, an electromotive force induction unit 103 which guides electric power to an electronic tag described later, and transmitted from the electronic tag. A loop antenna 104 for receiving the transmitted radio wave, a transmission unit 105 for inputting a radio signal received by the loop antenna 104, a signal received from the transmission unit 105, demodulated and stored in a storage unit 107, and a display unit 108 as necessary. Control unit 1 for controlling display
06.

Further, the loop antenna 104 and the transmission unit 1
05, the control unit 107 is also used for transmission and reception with the portable terminal device and the center device.

On the other hand, the electronic tag 201 to be attached to the parcel 200 is input from a data input section 202 for inputting information specific to the parcel such as a "destination", a "delivery route", and a "slip number" in advance. A storage unit 203 for storing the various types of information obtained, a transmission unit 204 and a loop antenna 205 for modulating the data stored in the storage unit 203 when necessary and transmitting radio waves, and for storing the input information and transmitting the stored data. An electronic tag control unit 206 that performs control such as
The power supply unit 207 includes a power supply unit 207 having a start-up function for automatically supplying power when necessary.

The data storage device and the electronic tag shown here can be easily created by a known technique, and these devices can be repeatedly used by rewriting the contents of the memory.

Since the portable terminal device and the center device are the same as those in the prior art, the description is omitted here.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. As described above, the baggage inspection service is an electronic tag 20.
1 is used to indicate sorting, management, and tracking of parcels.

The baggage checker first induces an electromotive force to the power supply unit 207 of the electronic tag of the small package 200 flowing on a belt conveyor or the like. The configuration of the power supply unit 207 and the method of inducing the electromotive force have been described in the related art.

When the electromotive force is induced, from the electronic tag 201, parcel information such as "destination", "delivery route", and "slip number" stored in the storage unit 203 in advance through the data input unit 202 will be described later. It is reported as a radio wave in the operation procedure. The electronic tag control unit 206 reads information such as “destination”, “delivery route”, and “slip number” from the storage unit 203, modulates the information, and sends it to the transmission unit 204. The modulated and transmitted data is radiated through the loop antenna 205 as radio waves. On the basis of the radiated parcel information such as the “transport route”, the pieces are sorted for each basket, which is a transport unit, to be loaded on a truck while flowing on a belt conveyor. Here, the power supply unit 207 of the electronic tag is temporarily stopped.

Next, when the further sorted parcels are stored in the basket 100 by flowing through the belt conveyor, the power supply unit is turned on by the switch 101 of the data storage apparatus, and each of the data storage apparatuses provided in the basket is turned on. Make the function work. For example, the switch 101 may be turned on by detecting that a parcel has flowed on the belt conveyor by a sensor provided separately, or may be turned on by a request signal from the outside.

When the data storage device is activated, the electromotive force inducing section 103 operates and acts on the power supply section 207 of the electronic tag to induce electric power. As a result, each function of the electronic tag is activated, and the package information such as “destination”, “delivery route”, and “slip number” is radiated again from the electronic tag 201 attached to the package 200. The information radio wave radiated from the electronic tag 201 is taken into the control unit 106 via the loop antenna 104 and the transmission unit 105 of the data storage device attached to the car 100. The control unit 106 demodulates this information, stores it as parcel information in the storage unit 107, and manages it.

Thus, for example, when 10 pieces of parcels are stored in a basket, information of each piece of parcel is stored and managed in the storage section 107, and displayed on the provided display section as needed. The baggage checker or the carrier can check what kind of baggage and how many bags are present in the basket without opening the basket and taking out the small baggage.

The electronic tag 201 attached to the parcel is activated and emits radio waves because of guidance from the data storage device, and is limited only when the parcel is loaded into the basket. Therefore, if the parcels are stored in the basket one by one, a plurality of electronic tags do not radiate radio waves at the same time. It should be noted that the phrase “one piece of parcel” here does not have a physical meaning, and it suffices that there is a time lag for the electronic tag attached to the parcel to transmit information.

Since the transmission speed of this information is much shorter than the speed of the parcels flowing on the belt conveyor, the center frequency of the radio wave radiated from the electronic tag 201 is generally 1
Any type can be operated satisfactorily. However, if information of different frequencies can be recognized by the control unit 106 of the data storage device, radio waves of a plurality of center frequencies may exist.

As described above, the parcel once stored in the basket is changed to an electronic tag and information is managed by the data storage device as long as the parcel is stored.

Information on the parcels stored in the basket is transmitted to and received from a data storage device and a portable terminal device or a center device (not shown), so that the baggage inspector or carrier can obtain the information at hand. Thus, the above data can be confirmed, and management at the center is of course possible.

[0035]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, even if a commonly used conductive steel case or basket is used, what kind of luggage is currently in the basket By checking the display section of the data storage device installed in the car to see if there is a car, the contents of the car can be easily checked.

Further, the present invention has a configuration in which an electronic tag attached to a parcel is activated by being guided from a data storage device and radiated radio waves when stored in a basket. If a large number of electronic tags 201 individually radiate radio waves at the same time, interference will not be avoided if the frequencies used for these are the same or similar. In order to avoid this interference, it is necessary to prepare several types of different center frequencies in consideration of the band, or to provide an advanced communication system for transmitting and receiving high-density information. In order to handle a large amount of parcels while the use band is limited by the Radio Law etc., by radiating the radio wave by case or basket unit as in the present invention, the selection of the radio wave to be used becomes easy, and , An inexpensive parcel management system can be constructed.

On the other hand, since the electronic tag is guided by the data storage device and activated only when necessary even from the viewpoint of the electronic tag, the load on the power supply unit can be reduced and the electronic tag can be constructed with a simple configuration. Can be made thin and compact, and can be produced at low cost.

Further, after storing the parcel in the case or the basket, the data relating to the parcel can be transmitted or received between the data storage device and the portable terminal device or the center device. People and carriers can check the above data at hand, and management at the center becomes easy. In addition, since transmission and reception are performed in units of cases or baskets, radio waves can be easily selected as described above.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a luggage management system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a conventional package management system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 basket 101 switch 102 power supply unit 103 electromotive force induction unit 104 loop antenna 105 transmission unit 106 control unit 107 storage unit 108 display unit 200 parcel 201 electronic tag 202 data input unit 203 storage unit 204 transmission unit 205 loop antenna 206 electronic Tag control unit 207 Power supply unit

Claims (3)

[Claims] At least a portable terminal device, a center device, and an electronic tag attached to a parcel,
In a luggage management system that performs logistics management of collection, inspection, sorting, and delivery of the parcels based on the electronic tag information prewritten, the sorted parcels are formed of a conductive material as a transport unit. When stored in a case or basket, the package information written on the electronic tag is automatically read, stored and managed, and the data attached to the case or basket can be displayed when necessary. A luggage management system further comprising a storage device. 2. The luggage management system according to claim 1, wherein the data storage device has an electromotive force dielectric unit for generating power for the electronic tag. 3. The data storage device according to claim 1, wherein the data storage device can transmit and receive the stored information on the parcels to and from the portable terminal device and the center device. The described luggage management system.