Method, Device, Computer System and Computer Program Product for Controlling a Material Flow

• US 20080125901A1
• Filed: 01/26/2005
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oce Printing Systems GmbH (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Oce Printing Systems GmbH (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Wimmer, Markus, Fleischer, Helmut, Czempik, Uve, Reckzeh, Christian, Keil, Wolfram
• Granted Patent: US 7,860,598 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/04 Manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/30 Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing

Abstract

In a method for controlling material flow in production, or a consumable or replacement part maintenance, of a product comprised of a plurality of individual parts, the individual parts are delivered to a goods receipt of a logistic system, a transponder being associated with the individual parts. In the transponder are stored production and delivery data regarding the individual part. The data of the transponder are read at the goods receipt and used for controlling further material flow such that the individual parts are transported in a controlled manner to subsequent process stations.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A method for controlling material flow in production, or consumable or replacement part maintenance, of a product comprised of a plurality of individual parts, comprising the steps of:

respectively delivering the individual parts to a goods receipt of a logistic system, a transponder being associated with each individual part, and in the transponder are stored production and delivery data regarding the individual part, said production and delivery data comprising quality data;

reading data of the transponder at the goods receipt and using the data for controlling further material flow such that the individual parts are transported in a controlled manner to predetermined, subsequent process stations; and

reading out a plurality of transponders that are commonly housed in a transport unit substantially simultaneously at the goods receipt with a detection device.

23. A method for controlling material flow according to claim 22 wherein for monitoring of quality of the product further quality data are stored in the transponder at quality check stations for at least one of the individual parts, for aggregates, or for aggregate parts that are comprised of a plurality of individual parts.

24. A method according to claim 22 wherein at least one group of the individual parts is a mass production article that is delivered at the goods receipt in a quantity of more than five in a container, and wherein the container comprises the transponder in which is stored a common quality score regarding the group of mass production articles of the container.

25. A method according to claim 24 wherein information about a quantity of the plurality of the articles located in the container is additionally stored in the transponder.

26. A method according to claim 22 wherein at least one of reading or writing of data at the transponder occurs with a mobile computer that comprises a first interface for wireless communication with the transponder and a second interface for communication with a computer network.

27. A method according to claim 26 wherein a wireless communication occurs via the computer network interface.

28. A method according to claim 22 where at least one individual part is housed in a package and the transponder is attached on the package.

29. A method according to claim 22 wherein an aggregate-related transponder is added to an aggregate, and data about the aggregate are stored in the transponder.

30. A method according to claim 22 wherein the input is recorded at the goods receipt by means of the transponder data.

31. A method according to claim 22 wherein a plurality of transponders that are commonly housed in a transport unit are read out substantially simultaneously at the goods receipt with a detection device.

33. A method according to claim 22 wherein additional data regarding at least one of the recycling or the disposal are stored in a transponder associated with an individual part, an aggregate part, or an aggregate.

34. A method according to claim 22 wherein the data are at least one of recorded, stored or generated in a computer program and at least one of the material flow or production process are controlled by a computer.

32. A method according to clai 22 wherein the data belonging to an individual part and stored on its associated transponder, are stored on a transponder located on a finished, assembled product.

35. A method for controlling material flow in production, or consumable or replacement part maintenance, of a product comprised of a plurality of individual parts, comprising the steps of:

respectively delivering the individual parts to a goods receipt of a logistic system, a transponder being associated with each individual part, and in the transponder are stored production and delivery data regarding the individual part, said production and delivery data comprise quality data,

reading the data of the transponder at the goods receipt and using the data for controlling further material flow such that the individual parts are transported in a controlled manner to predetermined, subsequent process stations;

taking in the individual parts by a production site operator and storing them in a production site storage until they are required for production; and

detecting a removal of an individual part from the production site storage or its assembly in an aggregate of the product with a transponder reader, and only triggering a payment obligation for the production site operator upon removal of the individual part from the production site storage, or upon installation of the individual part in the aggregate.

36. A method for handling of a good, comprising the steps of:

associating with the good a transponder and wherein data about at least one of the good or a handling of the good are at least one of read or stored in the transponder.

37. A method according to claim 36 wherein the data about the handling comprise delivery data.

38. A method for controlling material flow in production, or consumable or replacement part maintenance, of a product comprised of a plurality of individual parts, comprising the steps of:

delivering the individual parts to a goods receipt of a logistic system, a transponder being associated with each individual part, and then the transponder are stored production and delivery data regarding the individual part;

reading data of the transponder at the goods receipt and using the data for controlling further material flow such that the individual parts are transported in a controlled manner to predetermined, subsequent process stations; and

reading the transponders at the goods receipt with a detection device.

39. A method according to claim 38 wherein the delivery data in the transponder are transmitted from a computer of a supplier production site to a computer of the logistic system via a remote data connection.

40. A system for controlling material flow in production, or consumable or replacement part maintenance, of a product comprised of a plurality of individual parts, comprising:

the individual parts having at least one transponder associated therewith and in the transponder are stored production and delivery data regarding the individual part, said production and delivery data comprising quality data;

a read device which retrieves data of the transponder at the goods receipt and uses the data for controlling further material flow such that individual parts are transported in a controlled manner to predetermined, subsequent process stations; and

the read device reading a plurality of transponders commonly housed in a transport unit substantially simultaneously at the goods receipt.

41. A computer product for controlling material flow, production, or consumable or replacement part maintenance, of a product comprised of a plurality of individual parts wherein the individual parts are delivered to a goods receipt of a logistic system and wherein a transponder is associated with the individual parts, said computer program product performing the steps of:

storing in the transponder production and delivery data regarding the individual part, said production and delivery data comprising quality data;

reading the data of the transponder at the goods receipt and using the data for controlling further material flow such that the individual parts are transported in a controlled manner to predetermined, subsequent process stations; and

reading out a plurality of transponders that are commonly housed in a transport unit substantially simultaneously at the goods receipt with a detection device.