JPH09315527A - Electronic labeling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make an electronic labeling device usable for various different goods by providing a display having a plurality of digits each of which can display a figure, alphabet and a symbol included in a data row that includes figures indicating the quantity of an object. SOLUTION: A front plate of this device is provided with one four-digit LCD display 5 that can display figures, alphabet or special symbols, and several functional keys including a confirmation key 6, an up key 71 and a down key 72. Alphabet can be displayed in case of the quantity of objects being small, so that one device can be flexibly used in common between objects of different types. In order to display sufficient information for goods take-out and stock control, in case an information row is longer than four digits, first four digits are displayed, and after two seconds, remaining digits are displayed in the same way. Digits more than four can be thus displayed by displaying each part of data continuously and repeatedly at two-second intervals.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a kind of electronic labeling device, and more particularly to management of shipping and inventory.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, many distribution centers have begun to use electronic labeling devices instead of documents for taking out products and managing inventory. The use of electronic labeling equipment saves one-third to one-half of the cost of taking out goods. According to statistics, mistakes that occur during product removal can be reduced from 0.2% to 0.002%. Thus, in addition to enabling effective and accurate product removal, the electronic labeling device can provide excellent inventory management capability by being online and controlling inventory by the computer. . Electronic labeling devices are widely used in various industries or businesses that require product retrieval or inventory management. However, the use of such devices is still used only at distribution centers. This is because most of the electronic labeling devices in existence today are very primitive and have no applicability.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a conventional electronic labeling device, which comprises a 4-digit display 1, a confirmation key 2, a digit key 3 and a quantity key 4. The confirmation key 2 is for confirming the quantity of the product. The digit key 3 selects which digit of the display 1 to change, and the quantity key 4 adjusts the quantity shown on the display 1. Such a conventional electronic labeling device has some drawbacks as follows. 1. The display could only show a number indicating the quantity of things to be removed. That is, it is impossible to display other information, for example, the classification of the product or where the product is stored. Therefore, it is necessary to install the electronic labeling device for each type of product. 2. Only four digits can be displayed. Retrieval of merchandise usually requires more information. Typically, the four types of information are the location, quantity, cart or destination of the item, and abandonment location. For example, if one item is sent from 30 unit warehouse A to the fourth slot of cart B, the entire relevant information can be fully displayed on a conventional electronic labeling device. And additional documentation was required to provide the appropriate information. 3. To change the quantity shown on the display,
You must press digit key 3 and quantity key 4. One of the four displayed digits must be selected with the digit key 3, and then the quantity key 4 must be duplicated to give the correct digit. Then, in order to complete the change of the display, it is necessary to repeat the procedure for each digit requiring adjustment. The procedure was cumbersome and inconvenient.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional electronic labeling device. The main object of the present invention is to provide an electronic labeling device capable of displaying numbers, alphabets and symbols. The alphabet is for confirming the classification of products,
The number is then used to indicate the quantity. Therefore, the electronic labeling device can be used for various different products.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a kind of electronic labeling device capable of displaying four or more digits and displaying a data group relating to a specific product. If four or more data are connected, the first four digits and the remaining digits can be selectively displayed. Then, by displaying the two parts in duplicate, the information can display up to eight digits including numbers, alphabets, and symbols. Similarly, more digits could be displayed by several consecutive displays.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an effective method for changing the quantity of articles displayed on a display. That is, by using the up key (↑) and the down key (↓), numbers can be effectively changed without switching between the digit key and the quantity key as in the conventional case.

Further, the present invention provides that the electronic labeling devices can be connected in line using an RS-232 serial link. The serial link shall be connected to the main computer via the interface controller. The information stored on the main computer is
It shall be sent to the electronic labeling device via the interface controller and the RS-232 serial interface. The adjusted numbers on the electronic labeling device are also sent to the main computer to update the information in the database.

[0008]

According to the invention of claim 1, there is provided an electronic labeling device for displaying a data string for taking out goods or managing inventory, which is a single display.
A display having a plurality of digits, each digit being capable of displaying a number, an alphabet, and a symbol included in the data string, the data string including a number representing the quantity of the object; A CPU that controls the display and displays the data string on the display. If the data string is not longer than a plurality of digits in the display, the data string is directly displayed. CPU, and three control keys to display, otherwise divide into multiple segments that are no longer than the length of multiple digits of the above display and each segment is continuously and repeatedly displayed on the display for sufficient time Including the up key, down key, and confirmation key, which are monitored and controlled by the CPU. The key and down key are used for adjustment if the quantity of the above object is incorrect, and the adjustment key is three control keys used for confirming the above number and one RS-232 serial interface. An RS-232 serial interface connected to the main computer to receive the data sequence from the main computer and send back the data sequence including a confirmed number to the main computer.

A second aspect of the present invention is the electronic labeling device according to the first aspect, in which the digit displayed on the display is designated by the digit of the designated digit after the digit requiring adjustment of the digit. The digit to be adjusted is selected by pressing the up key and down key at the same time, and then the digit of the selected digit is adjusted by pressing the up key or down key. It is characterized by an electronic labeling device.

The invention according to claim 3 is the electronic labeling device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic labeling device can be connected in series to another electronic labeling device according to claim 1 via an RS-232 serial interface. Characterized by,
It is used as an electronic labeling device.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the RS-23 is connected to the main computer through a plurality of digits capable of displaying numbers, alphabets and symbols, an up key, a down key, a confirmation key, and an interface controller.
An electronic labeling method in an electronic labeling device having a display having two serial ports, comprising: a. Receive product information including a data string including a number representative of the section and quantity of the object sent from the main computer via the interface controller b. Decode the above information and determine the length of the data string c. If the length of the data string is not more than the number of digits in the display, then perform step d below, otherwise perform step f below. D. Display the above data string and monitor up key, down key and confirmation key. E. If the above confirmation key is pressed, execute the following step h, if the up key or down key is pressed, adjust the number on the display, otherwise, step d. Perform f. The data string is divided into a plurality of segments, each segment is continuously displayed for a sufficient time, and the up key, down key, and confirmation key are monitored. G. If the above confirmation key is pressed, execute step h, and if the up key or down key is pressed, adjust the number of the displayed data string,
Otherwise perform step f above h. Send the data sequence displayed on the main computer via the RS-232 serial port and interface controller i. The electronic labeling method has an operation system including the above steps, waiting for information on the next product and returning to step a.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the electronic labeling method according to the fourth aspect, in which the number displayed on the display is designated after the digit requiring adjustment,
The designated digit is supposed to be adjusted, and the digit to be adjusted is selected by pressing the up key and down key at the same time, and then the digit of the digit selected by pressing the up key or down key. Is adjusted, and the electronic labeling method is used.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The electronic labeling device of the present invention comprises:
An LCD display having a plurality of display digits, an up key, a down key, and a confirmation key, a CPU, and an RS-232 serial interface connected to a main computer through an interface controller,
The main computer sends the product data including the section number of the product, the number representing the quantity, and the special symbol in the database to the electronic labeling device, and the CPU
Controls the received data and outputs it to the LCD display. Numbers, alphabets, and symbols can be displayed in the display digits, and if the data is longer than the number of digits in the display, it is divided into displayable segments and continuously and repeatedly displayed for a short time. The up and down keys provide a convenient way to adjust the displayed number, and the confirmation key is used to confirm the displayed data.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The front plate of the electronic labeling device of the present invention is shown in FIG. The front plate is provided with one 4-digit LCD display 5 and several function keys including a confirmation key 6, an up key 71 and a down key 72. Above "4
In "digit LCD display", each digit of the display can display numbers, alphabets or special symbols. If four digits are not sufficient to represent the product data, the electronic labeling device of the present invention can repeatedly display several consecutive displays. As shown in FIG. 2, the confirmation key 6 is at the right end of the display. Two control keys, an up key 71 and a down key 72, are provided on the left side of the display and are used to adjust the numbers on the display.

When the quantity of the target object is small, it is inconvenient and impossible to install the electronic labeling device for each classification of the target object. Since the alphabet can be displayed, the electronic labeling device of the present invention can be shared among several categories of products. For example, if the pharmacy is equipped with cabinets containing four to six different types of products, and the cabinet space is such that only one electronic labeling device can be installed, the installation of the electronic labeling device of the present invention is It is convenient. For example,
In the display on the electronic labeling device with A30, "Medical A is 3
0 units "can be indicated. By enabling the alphabet display, one electronic labeling device can be flexibly shared between different types of objects.

In order to display sufficient information for taking out goods and managing inventory, the electronic labeling device is designed to display four or more digits, and can display all the data related to taking out goods. Has been done. If the number of information strings is not more than 4, a single display is made. If the length of the information strings is more than 4, two or more consecutive displays are made. That is, the first four digits are displayed first, and two seconds after the first four digits are displayed, the remaining digits are similarly displayed. Thus, by displaying each part of the data continuously and repeatedly for 2 seconds, the electronic labeling device can display four or more digits, so that one electronic labeling device can display general objects. It is said to be able to deal with the very complicated situation of being used for. For example, a worker on several carts
It is assumed that a plurality of different objects sharing one electronic labeling device are taken out. Each dolly has several slots. In order to properly provide the information "take 200 units of the target A and put it in the 10th slot of the trolley B", the data "A200" and ">B10" are displayed on the electronic labeling device.

Among the control keys of the present invention, the up key represented by the up arrow and the down key represented by the down arrow provide an effective and convenient way to adjust or adjust the numbers on the display. When checking inventory, the difference between the actual quantity and the displayed quantity is usually a small number. In practice, usually only one or two digits need to be adjusted. The numbers are quickly adjusted to the correct quantity using the up and down keys. On rare occasions when you need to adjust three or four digits, you can press the Up and Down keys simultaneously to select the digit you want to adjust. Then, after selecting the digit, the number can be adjusted by pressing the up key or the down key. Other digits can be adjusted by the same procedure.

In FIG. 3, the sections are arranged in different sections,
And a practical application of a row of concatenated electronic labeling devices is shown. As shown in the figure, the electronic labeling devices A1, A2, A3, A4 are installed in different sections. Each device is connected in line using an RS-232 serial link. The interface controller B connects the serial link to the main computer C.

The main computer C includes programs for taking out goods and managing inventory. A database for product retrieval and inventory management is also stored in the main computer C. In the process of taking out goods, the main computer sends relevant information, such as where the object is located and the total number of units taken out, to the electronic labeling device via the interface controller B. For example, if 10 units of products in the section where the electronic labeling device A3 is installed are to be taken out, both "3" representing the section and "10" representing the quantity are the interface controller B. Sent to. Electronic labeling device A
3 displays '10' to inform the worker who takes out the product. When the product is taken out, the worker presses the confirmation key to notify the main computer of the fact. If there are other items to retrieve, the relevant information is sent to the electronic labeling device until there are no more items to retrieve.

When the worker confirms the inventory, the main computer also sends the inventory information stored in the database to the electronic labeling device. The worker then checks the products and confirms the quantity. If the displayed number does not match the actual quantity, the operator may use two control keys, an up key 71 and a down key 72, as described above.
Use to adjust the displayed number. The corrected information is then sent back to the main computer database.

As shown in FIG. 4, the electronic labeling apparatus of the present invention includes a CPU 80, a ROM 81 for storing programs and character fonts (typefaces), a watchdog timer circuit 82, and a RAM 83. The CPU of the electronic labeling device has a first input / output port 84 connected to a row driving circuit 85 and a column driving circuit 88 for decoding and scanning circuit 8.
7 (decoding and scanning c
second input / output port 8 connected via
6 and peripheral connections including the RS-232 drive circuit 89. An LCD display including four 5 × 7 dot matrix displays 90 is the row driving circuit 8 described above.
5 and the column drive circuit 88. The RS-2
The 32 drive circuit 89 is connected to two horn jacket connectors, which are connected by a serial link.

The ROM 81 includes a program executed by the CPU 80 to control the electronic labeling device. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the program. The operation of the electronic labeling device shown in each block of the flowchart is as follows. 101 ... Operation start 102 ... Data in RAM is cleared and a stack pointer for program execution is set up. 103 ... The input and output of the electronic labeling device are initialized. 104 ... Information on the section and quantity of the displayed product is received from the RS-232 control interface. 105 ... The received information is decoded, and the length of the displayed total data string is checked. 107 if the length is not longer than 4
To execute. In other cases, 109 is executed. 107 ... If the column length is greater than 4 digits, it is displayed directly on the 4 digit display. 108 ... Detects the function key, and if the up key or the down key is pressed, 106 is executed. Otherwise, return to 107. 106 ... Adjust the displayed quantity according to the status of the up key and the down key. 109 ... Divides the data string into two or three segments. 110 and 112 ... Each of the divided segments is continuously displayed. The flowchart shows the case where the data string has eight digits or less. 113 ... Detects a function key, and if the up key or the down key is pressed, 111 is executed. If the confirmation key has been pressed, 114
To execute. Otherwise, return to 110. 111 ... Adjust the display quantity according to the status of the up key and the down key. 114 ... Transmitting section and final quantity to main computer via RS-232 serial link and interface controller. Initialize program state, return to 102, and wait for next set of information.

As mentioned above, the electronic labeling device of the present invention can be connected in line using an RS-232 serial link. The RS-232 drive circuit and R are shown in FIG.
The S-232 serial link concatenation is shown. As shown in FIG. 6, the signal sent by the previous electronic labeling device is received in RD1 of the first RS-232 horn jacket connector J1. The received signal reaches the RXD RS-232 input of the CPU of the current electronic labeling device via the driver R1. On the other hand, it is also transmitted to the next-stage electronic labeling device via the driver T1. The signal transmitted from the next stage is received by RD2 of the second horn jacket connector J2. After passing through the driver R2 and the diode, the signal goes through the driver T2 to the TX1 output of J1. Then, the signal sent from the next stage is transmitted to the previous stage again via TX1. As can be seen from FIG. 6, the TXD RS-232 output of the CPU at the present stage also sends the RS-232 output signal of the electronic labeling device to the TX1 output of J1 via the driver T2. In the connection structure shown in FIG. 6, each RS-232 driver circuit corresponds to only a single receiver. Therefore, the device can be connected in series using an RS-232 serial link.

[0024]

The electronic labeling device of the present invention can display numbers, alphabets and symbols, the alphabets are used for confirming the classification of goods, and the numbers are used for displaying the quantity thereof. Therefore, the electronic labeling device of the present invention is used. The device can be used for a variety of different products.

The electronic labeling device of the present invention can further display four or more digits, and can display a data group relating to a specific product.

Furthermore, the electronic labeling device of the present invention comprises:
They can be concatenated in series using an RS-232 serial link.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an illustration showing a display and function keys of a conventional electronic labeling device.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the display and function keys of the electronic labeling device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a plurality of electronic labeling devices of the present invention connected in line to a main computer via an interface controller. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block circuit diagram of the electronic labeling device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a program according to the present invention in which a CPU (central processing unit) controls the device, passes data through RS-232, and displays information.

FIG. 6 is an RS-232 of the electronic labeling device of the present invention.
It is intended to show the situation in which they are connected in a row by.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... 4-digit display 2 ... Confirmation key 3 ...
・ Digit key 4 ・ ・ ・ Quantity key 5 ・ ・ ・ 4 digit LCD display 6 ・ ・ ・ Confirmation key
71 ... Up key 72 ... Down key A1, A2, A3, A4 ... Electronic labeling device B ... Interface controller C ... Main computer 80 ... CPU 81 ... ROM 82 ...・ Watchdog timer circuit 83 ・ ・ ・ RAM 84 ・ ・ ・ First input / output port 85
・ ・ ・ Row drive circuit 86 ・ ・ ・ Second input / output port 87 ・ ・ ・ Decoding and scanning circuit 88 ・ ・ ・ Column drive circuit 89 ・ ・ ・ RS-232 drive circuit 90 ・ ・ ・ 5 × 7 dot matrix display 91 ... Horn jacket connectors

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An electronic labeling device for displaying a data string for product retrieval or inventory management, comprising a single display, comprising a plurality of digits, each digit including a numeral, alphabet, and A symbol can be displayed, and the data string is assumed to include a number indicating the quantity of the object. A display and one CPU are provided to control the display and display the data string on the display. If the length of the data string is not longer than the length of the digits of the display, the data string is directly displayed, and if not, a plurality of digits of the digits of the display are displayed. Divide into non-long segments and display each segment continuously and repeatedly for a sufficient time on the display. Key, including an up key, a down key, and a confirmation key, which are monitored and controlled by the CPU. The up key and the down key are used for adjustment when the quantity of the object is incorrect, The adjustment keys are three control keys used to confirm the above-mentioned numbers, and one RS-232 serial interface, and receive the above-mentioned data sequence from the main computer and send the data sequence including the confirmed number to the main computer. RS-2 connected to the main computer for sending back
An electronic labeling device including a 32 serial interface. 2. The electronic labeling device according to claim 1, wherein, with respect to a numeral displayed on a display, a numeral of a designated digit is adjusted after a digit requiring adjustment of the numeral is designated. The electronic digit is characterized in that the digit to be adjusted is selected by simultaneously pressing the up key and the down key, and then the digit of the selected digit is adjusted by pressing the up key or the down key. Labeling device. 3. The electronic labeling device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic labeling device is connectable in series with another electronic labeling device according to claim 1 through an RS-232 serial interface. Electronic labeling device. 4. A display having a plurality of digits capable of displaying numbers, alphabets, and symbols, and an RS-232 serial port connected to a main computer via an up key, a down key, a confirmation key, and an interface controller. An electronic labeling method in an electronic labeling device having: a. Receive product information including a data string including a number representative of the section and quantity of the object sent from the main computer via the interface controller b. Decode the above information and determine the length of the data string c. If the length of the data string is not more than the number of digits in the display, then perform step d below, otherwise perform step f below. D. Display the above data string and monitor up key, down key and confirmation key. E. If the above confirmation key is pressed, execute the following step h, if the up key or down key is pressed, adjust the number on the display, otherwise, step d. Perform f. The data string is divided into a plurality of segments, each segment is continuously displayed for a sufficient time, and the up key, down key, and confirmation key are monitored. G. If the above confirmation key is pressed, execute step h, and if the up key or down key is pressed, adjust the number of the displayed data string,
Otherwise perform step f above h. Send the data sequence displayed on the main computer via the RS-232 serial port and interface controller i. An electronic labeling method having an operation method including the above steps, waiting for information on the next product and returning to step a. 5. The electronic labeling method according to claim 4,
Among them, regarding the number displayed on the display, after the digit requiring adjustment of the number is designated, the number of the designated digit is adjusted, and the above-mentioned up key and down key are simultaneously pressed. A digit to be adjusted is selected by, and then the digit of the selected digit is adjusted by pressing the up key or the down key.