JP3341243B2 - Automatic management system for goods - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic management system for articles, and more particularly to an apparatus for easily storing and managing various documents such as medical charts for each person.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as an automatic hangar or an automatic storage system (hereinafter, simply referred to as an automatic storage system),
A large number of articles are stored in a predetermined shelf of the hangar, and the articles are automatically taken out of the hangar and automatically returned by inputting the position code of the predetermined article from a keyboard or other signal input means. A variety of devices or systems have been developed, and some of them have been put into practical use as an automatic management system for charts and the like in hospitals (for example, JP-A-52-149, JP-A-56-108601). No., JP-A-62-7480
No. 8, etc.).

In such a conventional automatic management system,
For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho 56-108601, when a large number of articles are taken in and out at one time, a loading / unloading section through which a truck can enter / exit is provided on one side of the file storage shelf, and the articles sandwiched by the carrier are moved forward. The system is configured such that articles are taken in and out by reciprocating between the entry / exit section and a predetermined position on the storage shelf, while a single exit section is provided for each storage shelf, and one storage shelf is temporarily taken out of the apparatus. ing.

[0004]

However, in the conventional automatic management system, even if an active article, such as a personal chart of an outpatient in a hospital, that is, an article that is frequently taken in and out, the patient is also inpatient in the hospital. Even inactive articles such as medical charts, that is, articles that are rarely taken in and out, are stored in the same storage shelf, and a desired article is selected and taken out each time it is necessary. Active items that need to be taken in and out frequently and need to be taken out in a short time,
That is, it was difficult to quickly put in and out the outpatient's personal chart and the like.

Similarly, for a thin article such as a medical chart held in a thin file holder,
Even large articles such as charts and X-ray films, such as medical charts held in thick file holders, are stored in the same storage shelf, and selected as necessary to select the desired article. Since the items are taken out, the storage space for articles has to be increased accordingly, and the individual storage spaces have many empty parts, which is uneconomical. In addition, the entire system becomes large, and it is difficult to secure an installation place in a hospital. In many cases, the system cannot be used because an installation space cannot be secured.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and to provide an automatic management system for articles which can be quickly taken in and out of required articles and which is small and easy to install.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in an article automatic management system according to the present invention, a plurality of articles with code codes are stored at predetermined positions, respectively, and are taken out and returned. The first one in which a desired article is pinched one by one and automatically taken out or returned according to
A hangar, and a second hangar that automatically removes or returns a desired container in accordance with a given container address and a take-out / return instruction that stores a plurality of containers housing a plurality of articles, A first storage device that stores a code of an article stored in the first storage and a destination code of each article; a container address of each container in the second storage; A second storage device for storing a code of each article and a destination code of each article, an input means for inputting a code of a desired article, a take-out or return command, and a current state of each article. Refer to the file being updated and the current state of the article recorded in the file,
According to the code of the desired article input from the input means, the article is taken out and returned from the first storage or the container containing the article is taken out and returned from the second storage. Control the whole system,
And have a control means for updating the recording of the file,
The first hangar stores articles that are frequently taken out and returned.
Was paid, said the second of the container in the hangar is taken out,
An article with a low return frequency is stored .

[0008]

Further, the article automatic management system according to the present invention further comprises a third storage for storing a plurality of articles, wherein the articles which are stored in the second storage and have a low take-out / return frequency. An article with a lower take-out / return frequency is stored in the third storage.

[0010]

In the automatic article management system according to the present invention, desired articles are pinched one by one in the first hangar and are automatically taken out or returned, and in the second hangar, the desired articles are stored for each container. Because it is taken out or returned, the first
By separately configuring the hangar and the second hangar, the whole system is small and easy to install.

In the article automatic management system according to the present invention, articles having a high frequency of taking out and returning are stored in the first hangar, and articles having a low frequency of taking out and returning are stored in the container in the second hangar. Is stored, it is possible to quickly put in and take out necessary articles as the whole system.

Further, in the article automatic management system according to the present invention, the removal / return frequency is lower than that of articles with a low removal / return frequency stored in the second hangar, such as articles purged in the third hangar. Are stored, the number of articles stored in the first hangar and the second hangar can be reduced, and the efficiency of picking up and returning the articles as a whole system increases. Further, by configuring the third hangar separately from the first hangar and the second hangar, it is easy to secure an installation space.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment in which an automatic article management system according to the present invention is applied to a management system for charts and the like in hospitals will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, the automatic article management system according to the present embodiment has a first storage (SSP, hereinafter referred to as SSP) provided with an automatic removal mechanism using individual folders.
, N, and a second hangar (SAT, hereinafter referred to as SAT) equipped with a container-type automatic unloading mechanism.
, M, and these are connected to each other through each of the interfaces 10, 20, and the SSP and S
It has a management computer 30 that comprehensively manages entry and exit at the AT. Each of the SATs 11, 12, ...,
m, a barcode scanner, a display, and a journal printer are connected to each other (in the figure, the barcode scanner 1 connected to the SAT 11 is shown).
1a, display 11b, and journal printer 11c only). Also, each of the SSPs 1, 2, 3,.
For example, active articles such as thin articles such as charts held in a file holder having a thickness of 30 mm or less and personal charts of outpatients are stored and stored. on the other hand,
Each of the SATs 11, 12, ..., m has, for example, a thickness of 3
Such as medical charts held in a file holder of 0 mm or more,
Inactive articles such as thick articles and charts of inpatients, and large articles such as X-ray films are stored and stored. Incidentally, for the SSPs 1, 2, 3,..., N provided with the automatic removal mechanism using individual folders, for example, an automatic warehouse described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-74808 may be used. In addition, SAT equipped with a container type automatic unloading mechanism
11, 12,..., M include, for example, JP-A-52-14
The automatic warehouse described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 9 may be used.

The management computer 30 includes a disk device 32 as a peripheral device, an input terminal 34, a serial printer 36, and a barcode printer 38.
The input terminal 34 is provided with a barcode scanner 34a in addition to the input means including a normal keyboard. The management computer 30 is connected to the host computer 40.

Here, the control operation of the system in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
It will be described in detail while making the flow of entry / exit from and the control flow by the computer correspond.

First, as shown in FIG. 2, when an outpatient fills out a required form on a prescribed form and submits it to a reception in a hospital, the receptionist sends predetermined data such as the name and date of birth of the patient to the host. The data is input to the computer 40 and transferred from the host computer 40 to the management computer 30. Alternatively, the input is made using the keyboard of the input terminal 34 of the management computer 30. The input data is transferred from the management computer 30 to the host computer 40, and it is checked whether or not the ID number of the patient is registered. If the ID number is registered, the ID number is searched and the patient is searched. Detects the state of the personal medical record. This search is performed by searching for a master file as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the status of each of the SSP and the SAT such as the chart with the ID number is recorded in the master file. In the item (3), the destination, the date and the location of the X-ray film, etc., of the patient taken in the past, which are sent to the destination, are recorded and stored. Therefore, by searching this master file, it is possible to know what state the related file of the patient is currently in, and for example, it is possible to know whether or not the patient's chart is in the SSP1. If the patient's chart is not stored in the SSP1, it is checked whether the destination of the chart is registered, the type of removal of the chart, that is, the purpose of removing the chart, and the like.

Based on the above check results, it is determined whether or not the patient's chart or X-ray film can be taken out. If it is determined that the patient's chart or X-ray film can be taken out, the master file is updated. In other words, if the goods are being stored in the SSP or SAT, the status of the chart or X-ray film with the ID number is changed to “Unloading” and the destination is set to “XX”.
X "and the date are changed to" XXXXXXXXX ". Subsequent to the update of the master file, registration in the extraction file is performed. The extraction file is SSP "X
Each SSP, such as the "X" unit or the SAT "XX" unit
Alternatively, the chart is provided for each SAT, and in the take-out file of the SSP “XX” unit, the take-out type, destination, location, outlet, and flag of the chart are registered. In addition, the extraction file of the SAT “XX”
The type, destination, location,
A flag is registered. In these cases, for example, registration such as “unprocessed” is made.
Upon completion of such registration in the extraction file, a message to that effect is output, the message is displayed on a display device such as a display, and a signal for starting the operation of the automatic warehouse is output. SSP
The “XX” unit or the SAT “XX” unit is driven.

On the other hand, if it is determined that it cannot be taken out,
A message to that effect is output, and the message is displayed on a display device such as a display.

Subsequently, the management computer 30 is configured as shown in FIG.
As shown in the table, based on the extraction type and priority, each automatic warehouse, that is, the corresponding SSP “XX” unit or SAT
The data is transmitted to the “XX” unit. For example, the SSP "X
For the "X" unit, the location and outlet are SAT "X".
The location, ID number, destination, extraction type, remaining number, and the like are transmitted to the "X" number machine.

Each of the automatic warehouses receiving these data,
For example, the corresponding SSP “XX” unit is driven to retrieve the patient's chart, or the SAT “XX” unit is driven to retrieve the container containing the X-ray film, or displayed on the command display. .

Next, the operation after the completion of taking out will be described.

First, in the case of the SSP, as shown in FIG. 3, when the management computer 30 receives a signal indicating that the chart has been taken out, it updates the master file, updates the taken out file, and updates the location file. Do. That is, for example, the item of “Status” in the master file is changed to “Lending”, the item of “Flag” in the extraction file is changed to “Processed”, and the corresponding part of “In the frontage” of the location file is changed to “On”. To "empty" state.

When these updating operations are completed, the management computer 30 sends print data to the SSP. At this time, the journal printer on the front of the SSP
Outgoing information such as an ID number, an outgoing time, a destination, and a takeout type may be output.

On the other hand, in the case of the SAT, as shown in FIG. 4, when the management computer 30 receives the signal indicating that the container has been removed, the command display displays the ID number, the destination, the remaining number, the removal type, and the like. Display lamp.

The transport of the X-ray film and the medical chart from the container is performed manually.

Subsequently, when the operator causes the bar code scanner to read the ID number of the medical chart or the like carried out in this manner, the management computer 30 performs a verifying operation. That is, the “medical record” read by the barcode scanner is compared with the extracted file. If it is determined that they match, as a result of the comparison, the above-described SSP
The update of the master file, the update of the extracted file, and the update of the location file are performed in the same manner as in the case of (1).
When updating the location file, update the date,
The number of books is updated, and the ID number is blank.

Thereafter, usually, the management computer 30
Sends a container return signal to the SAT, and upon receiving this signal, the corresponding SAT “XX” unit is driven to return the container to a predetermined position on the storage shelf.

When the above operation is completed, the management computer 30 starts the operation of extracting the second-priority chart, and starts the operation shown in FIG. That is, in order to retrieve the second-priority chart, the data is transmitted to each automated warehouse, that is, the corresponding SSP “XX” unit or SAT “XX” unit. The same operation as described above is performed.

When the second-priority “chart” is stored in the same container, the SAT does not operate, and the operator takes out the second-priority “chart” from the container.

The retrieval operation is as described above. Next, the retrieval operation will be described.

The storage operation of the SSP is as described below.

First, as shown in FIG. 5, when the operator presses the entry button of the SSP, the SSP is driven and “I
D. No. Is transmitted to the management computer 30. When receiving the “ID.No.”, the management computer 30 searches for a location file. That is, a search is made to see if there is an “empty” state for the frontage in the location file. Next, update the master file, change the "Status" item to "Returning", update the date, record the location searched as described above in the location, and send the above data to the SSP Send.

Upon receipt of this data, the SSP is driven and the warehousing operation is performed. When the warehousing operation is completed,
The management computer 30 that has transmitted the storage completion signal and received the storage completion signal updates the master file and the location file. That is, for example, the item of “status” of the master file is changed to “SSP”,
Also, set the flag in the frontage of the location file to “On”
State.

Next, the storage operation of the SAT will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 6, the operator enters the chart ID. No. Is read into the barcode scanner 11a, and the ID. No. Is sent.
This ID. No. When the management computer 30 receives the signal regarding the master file, the management computer 30 updates the master file and registers the master file in the return (extraction) file. For example, in the update of the master file, the item of “Status” is set to “Returning”
And update the date. In addition, in the registration in the return (extraction) file, “return” is registered in the item of the extraction type.

Next, when the container label to be stored is read by the barcode scanner 11a, a signal for displaying the container label is transmitted from the barcode scanner 11a to the SAT. Upon receiving the signal indicating the container label, the automated warehouse sends container information indicating the storage status of the container to the management computer 30,
Data is transmitted from the management computer 30 to the SAT. By receiving this data, the SAT is driven to execute the warehousing operation.

The chart ID. No. May be transmitted, followed by updating the master file and registering it in the return (extracted) file after processing the container information.

First, as shown in FIG. 7, when the management computer 30 transmits data to the SAT on the basis of the priority order, the management computer 30 receives the ID. No. , The remaining number, etc. are displayed on the command display. Here, the operator has the chart ID.
No. Is read into the barcode scanner 11a, the same verification (confirmation) work as described above is performed, and the ID.ID is transmitted from the barcode scanner 11a to the management computer 30. No. Is sent. This ID. N
o. Receiving the signal regarding the management computer 3
0 performs collation with the return (extraction) file. As a result of this collation, the ID. No. If the status of the medical record specified by the above and the status of the returned (extracted) file match, the master file is updated, the returned (extracted) file is updated, and the location file is updated. That is, for example,
The item of “state” in the master file is changed to “SAT”, and the item of “location” is changed to a new location position. In addition, the item of “flag” in the return (extract) file is changed to “processed”. Further, the date of the SAT location file is updated, the number of books is incremented by 1, and a blank column is searched for ID. No. Write. On the other hand, if the result of the above-mentioned collation does not match, the operator determines the ID. No. Is read by the barcode scanner 11a in the same manner as described above, and the same operation is performed thereafter.

When the above-described update operation is completed, the management computer 30 sends a container return signal to the SAT. Upon receiving the return signal, the SAT is driven and the container is returned.

Thereafter, the management computer 30 transmits data to the SAT based on the priority order, and the same operation as described above is performed for other charts. However, the other charts are stored in the same container. In some cases, it goes without saying that the SAT does not operate and the other medical record is stored.

As described above, according to the automatic article management system according to the present embodiment, a desired medical record is pinched one by one and automatically taken out or returned by the SSP,
In, the desired medical charts, X-ray films, etc. are taken out or returned for each container, so by configuring the SSP and SAT separately, the SSP can be particularly reduced in size, and the system as a whole can be installed in a small size. It is easy to do. That is, even on the same floor, SSP and SAT
By placing them apart from each other, it is possible to effectively utilize the floor area. Also, for example, the SSP is installed on the first or second floor where the outpatient clinic is located, and the SAT is installed.
May be installed on the basement where few people come and go.

Further, in the automatic article management system according to the present embodiment, the SSP stores a medical chart with a high frequency of taking out and returning, and a container in the SAT, a medical chart with a low frequency of taking out and returning, an X-ray film, etc. Is stored, so
The charts and the like required for the entire system can be quickly taken in and out.

In the above-described embodiment, the medical records frequently taken out and returned are stored in the SSP (first storage), and the SAT is stored.
In the container in the (second hangar), medical records and the like that are not frequently taken out and returned are stored.
A third hangar for storing a plurality of articles is provided separately from the P and the SAT. The frequency of taking out and returning the third hangar is higher than the charts and the X-ray films parsed in the third hangar and the charts stored in the SAT. May be stored. In this case, it is sufficient to use a well-known automatic truck-type automatic hangar for the third hangar.

[0045] In this way, the charts and the like that are purged and stored in the SAT, such as those that are stored and stored in the SAT and that are less frequently taken out and returned, and the likelihood of being taken out again. Since no medical records or the like are stored, the number of items stored in the SSP and the SAT can be reduced, and the efficiency of taking out and returning the medical records and the like as a whole system increases. Further, by configuring the third hangar separately from the SSP and the SAT, it is easy to secure an installation space. That is, since the third hangar for storing the parsed charts or the like will have to be usually larger than the SSP or the SAT, only the third hangar is installed on the basement, or 3
May be installed together with the above-mentioned SAT on the basement floor.

Therefore, a case where batches of medical charts and the like parsed by the SAT are collectively delivered will be described below.

First, as shown in FIG. 8, on the side of the automatic warehouse, the operator causes the bar code scanner to read the container label and transmits the container information. The management computer 30 that has received this container information transmits a container removal command to the automatic warehouse. When this container removal command is received by the SAT, the container comes forward. Then, when the operator reads the purging label with a barcode scanner, this data is transmitted to the management computer 30. When this data is received by the management computer 30, purging is performed.
Subsequently, the master file and the location file are updated. That is, for example, the item of “status” in the master file is changed to “purge”, and the date is updated. In addition, "date" of the SAT location file,
“Number of books” and “ID.No.” are blank.

When these updates are completed, the management computer 30 sends a container return command to the automatic warehouse. When this container return command is received, the SAT is driven and the container returns to the predetermined position on the storage shelf.

The purging charts and the like that have been batch-collected by the SAT in this way are manually carried to the third storage, and are automatically stored in a predetermined storage position by being placed on the transport table.

In the example described above, the relationship between the generation change such as the chart and the type of the hangar is as follows.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9, an active chart such as a personal chart of an outpatient, that is, a chart that is frequently taken in and out, is stored and stored in the SSP as a first-generation chart. On the other hand, if the patient does not visit for several months, the SSP is relocated to the SAT as an inactive chart. Also, when the patient's outpatient clinic is extended for a long period of time and the thickness of the chart increases, the SSP is relocated from the SSP to the SAT as a thick active chart, that is, a chart that frequently goes in and out but exceeds a predetermined thickness. In addition, X-ray films and charts of discharged patients are also stored and stored in the SAT as such second-generation charts.
When there is no longer any possibility of using the charts and the like stored in the SAT, as described above, the charts are collectively delivered from the SAT and purged, and stored in the third storage as a third-generation chart such as a purging chart. You. This third
Will be discarded after being stored for a certain period of time.

As described above, according to the automatic article management system of the present embodiment, the type of the hangar can be changed in three stages according to the generation change of the medical chart or the like, so that the efficiency according to the life cycle of the medical chart or the like can be changed. Management was realized.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment, it goes without saying that various design changes are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the other embodiments described above, a normal auto-track type automatic storage is used as the third storage, but this may be a container type similar to the SAT, for example. In addition, in consideration of the life cycle of articles to be stored and managed, for example, when it is possible to change four or more generations, the types of hangars can be set to four or more in accordance with this.

Although both of the embodiments described above relate to a management system for charts and the like in hospitals, the present invention can be applied to, for example, an automatic management system for documents and the like in the financial and securities business.

[0055]

According to the present invention, desired articles are pinched one by one in the first hangar and are automatically taken out or returned, and in the second hangar, the desired articles are taken out or returned in each container. Therefore, by configuring the first hangar and the second hangar separately, the whole system becomes small and easy to install.

In the automatic article management system according to the present invention, articles having a high frequency of taking out and returning are stored in the first hangar, and articles having a low frequency of taking out and returning are stored in the container in the second hangar. Since the items are stored, necessary items as a whole system can be quickly taken in and out.

Further, in the automatic article management system according to the present invention, the frequency of taking out and returning is lower than that of articles having a low frequency of taking out and returning stored in the second hangar, such as articles parsed in the third hangar. Since low articles are stored, the number of articles stored in the first hangar and the second hangar can be reduced, and the efficiency of picking up and returning articles as a whole system increases. Further, by configuring the third hangar separately from the first hangar and the second hangar, it is easy to secure an installation space.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a small and easy-to-install automatic management system for articles that can be quickly taken in and out of required articles.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an automatic article management system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow of control of exit from an automatic warehouse by a management computer in the automatic article management system shown in FIG. 1 together with the status of each file such as a master file.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flow of a retrieval operation from an automatic warehouse together with a state of each file in the automatic article management system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of a retrieval operation from the automatic storage system, particularly from a SAT, together with a state of each file in the retrieval operation from the automatic warehouse shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow of an entry operation to an automatic warehouse, particularly an SSP, together with a state of each file in the automatic article management system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flow of an entry operation to an automatic warehouse, particularly an SAT, in the automatic article management system shown in FIG. 1, together with a state of each file.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing details of a processing procedure in a flow of a storage operation to the SAT shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a flow of an operation of batch release from the SAT together with a state of each file.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a correspondence relationship between each article and each hangar storing the article in the automatic article management system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 , N First hangar (SSP) 11, 12, ..., m Second hangar (SAT) 30 Management computer 32 Disk device 34 Input terminal 34a Barcode scanner 40 Host computer

Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-62-74808 (JP, A) JP-A-52-149 (JP, A) JP-A-4-260503 (JP, A) JP-A-5-294408 (JP) , A) Japanese Utility Model Showa 52-35323 (JP, U)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A first apparatus wherein a plurality of articles provided with code codes are stored at predetermined positions, respectively, and a desired article is automatically picked up or returned in response to a take-out / return instruction. A hangar, and a second hangar that automatically removes or returns a desired container in accordance with a given container address and a take-out / return instruction that stores a plurality of containers housing a plurality of articles, A first storage device that stores a code of an article stored in the first storage and a destination code of each article; a container address of each container in the second storage; A second storage device for storing a code of each article and a destination code of each article, input means for inputting a code of a desired article, a take-out or return command, The file in which the current state is updated is recorded, and the current state of the article recorded in the file is referred to, and the article is stored in the first storage in accordance with the code of the desired article input from the input means. fetch and return a done or the article from said second hangar controls the entire system to perform the extraction and return of the container housed, and have a control means for updating the recording of the file, the Frequent removal / return frequency in the first hangar
There storing an article, the container of the second in hangar
Is an article automatic management system characterized by storing articles with a low frequency of taking out and returning . 2. The automatic article management system according to claim 1 , further comprising a third storage for storing a plurality of articles, wherein said third storage for storing a plurality of articles is less than the article which is stored and / or returned less frequently. An article automatic management system, wherein articles with a lower frequency of taking out and returning are stored in the third storage.