US20050076816A1 - Pallet for transporting goods - Google Patents
Pallet for transporting goods Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20050076816A1 US20050076816A1 US10/962,574 US96257404A US2005076816A1 US 20050076816 A1 US20050076816 A1 US 20050076816A1 US 96257404 A US96257404 A US 96257404A US 2005076816 A1 US2005076816 A1 US 2005076816A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- pallet
- hole
- sides
- tag
- information
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F17/00—Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
- B66F—HOISTING, LIFTING, HAULING OR PUSHING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. DEVICES WHICH APPLY A LIFTING OR PUSHING FORCE DIRECTLY TO THE SURFACE OF A LOAD
- B66F9/00—Devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes
- B66F9/06—Devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes movable, with their loads, on wheels or the like, e.g. fork-lift trucks
- B66F9/075—Constructional features or details
- B66F9/0755—Position control; Position detectors
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D19/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
- B65D19/0004—Rigid pallets without side walls
- B65D19/0006—Rigid pallets without side walls the load supporting surface being made of a single element
- B65D19/0008—Rigid pallets without side walls the load supporting surface being made of a single element forming a continuous plane contact surface
- B65D19/001—Rigid pallets without side walls the load supporting surface being made of a single element forming a continuous plane contact surface the base surface being made of a single element
- B65D19/0012—Rigid pallets without side walls the load supporting surface being made of a single element forming a continuous plane contact surface the base surface being made of a single element forming a continuous plane contact surface
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D19/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
- B65D19/38—Details or accessories
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
- G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
- G06K19/067—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
- G06K19/07—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips
- G06K19/077—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
- G06K19/07749—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
- G06K19/07758—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
- G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
- G06K19/067—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
- G06K19/07—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips
- G06K19/077—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
- G06K19/07749—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
- G06K19/07796—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card arrangements on the record carrier to allow stacking of a plurality of similar record carriers, e.g. to avoid interference between the non-contact communication of the plurality of record carriers
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2203/00—Decoration means, markings, information elements, contents indicators
- B65D2203/10—Transponders
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
- B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
- B65D2519/00009—Materials
- B65D2519/00014—Materials for the load supporting surface
- B65D2519/00034—Plastic
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
- B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
- B65D2519/00009—Materials
- B65D2519/00049—Materials for the base surface
- B65D2519/00069—Plastic
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
- B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
- B65D2519/00258—Overall construction
- B65D2519/00263—Overall construction of the pallet
- B65D2519/00268—Overall construction of the pallet made of one piece
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
- B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
- B65D2519/00258—Overall construction
- B65D2519/00263—Overall construction of the pallet
- B65D2519/00278—Overall construction of the pallet the load supporting surface and the base surface being identical
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
- B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
- B65D2519/00258—Overall construction
- B65D2519/00283—Overall construction of the load supporting surface
- B65D2519/00288—Overall construction of the load supporting surface made of one piece
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
- B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
- B65D2519/00258—Overall construction
- B65D2519/00313—Overall construction of the base surface
- B65D2519/00318—Overall construction of the base surface made of one piece
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2519/00—Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered
- B65D2519/00004—Details relating to pallets
- B65D2519/00258—Overall construction
- B65D2519/00313—Overall construction of the base surface
- B65D2519/00328—Overall construction of the base surface shape of the contact surface of the base
- B65D2519/00343—Overall construction of the base surface shape of the contact surface of the base contact surface being substantially in the form of a panel
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- G—PHYSICS
- G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
- G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
- G05B2219/00—Program-control systems
- G05B2219/30—Nc systems
- G05B2219/49—Nc machine tool, till multiple
- G05B2219/49302—Part, workpiece, code, tool identification
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a pallet for transporting goods and a pallet management system for managing the pallet.
- Pallets used for goods transportation and the like generally have the shape of a quadrangle (planar rectangle), and are provided with fork entries on sides thereof into which the fork of a forklift is inserted for transportation.
- Examples of the above-described rectangular pallets include, for example, a two-way entry pallet which has two fork entries, into which two forks of a forklift can be inserted, on two sides (two opposite sides of a rectangle) of the sides (four sides) of the pallet, where the forks can be inserted into the pallet from two directions; and a four-way entry pallet which has fork entries on all the sides (four sides) of the pallet, where the forks can be inserted into the pallet from four directions.
- Pallets used for goods transportation and the like may be carried in or out along with goods or products to be distributed, in order to facilitate transportation by a forklift. In this case, it is necessary to manage pallets which are transported into or out of a storage.
- Patent Publication 1 a management system has been proposed in, for example, JP 2003-11973A (hereinafter referred to as Patent Publication 1).
- a PHS terminal or a positional information transmitting/receiving terminal is mounted on a pallet for transporting goods.
- identifying a base station which is receiving an electric wave from the PHS terminal or the positional information transmitting/receiving terminal, and calculating a distance from the base station, the current location of the pallet can be confirmed.
- Patent Publication 2 Another system has been proposed in, for example, JP 2003-36405A (hereinafter referred to as Patent Publication 2).
- information such as the date and hour of collecting pallets (rental pallets), the number of collected pallets, or the like, is transmitted to a manager's terminal via a network, such as the Internet, bidirectional TV communication or the like, and a database of pallet information is constructed in a manager's server.
- Patent Publication 1 is problematic in that it is difficult to secure a power source for the PHS terminal or the positional information transmitting/receiving terminal mounted on a pallet. For example, if the power of the terminal is 0, communication cannot be performed. Further, time and effort are required for charging the terminal. Furthermore, even when the location of a pallet is identified, it cannot be determined whether the pallet is effectively used or is missing.
- the system described in Patent Publication 2 also is problematic in that the requirement of entering information, such as the date and hour of collecting pallets, the number of collected pallets, or the like, is likely to lead to a situation in which the number of recorded pallets is inconsistent with the number of pallets which are actually transported into or out of a storage.
- the antenna of an interrogator and the ID tag need to face each other in order to read/rewrite information from/to the ID tag attached to the pallet.
- information can be read from either of the ID tags.
- the ID tags need to be synchronized with one another (the ID tags need to have identical information). It is very difficult to realize this.
- Patent Publication 3 A technology for solving the above-described problem has been disclosed in, for example, JP 2002-240955A (hereinafter referred to as Patent Publication 3).
- one ID tag RF tag
- the ID tag can be detachably attached to a pallet side and the ID tag can be selectively provided on either one of two sides of the pallet.
- Another technology has been disclosed in, for example, JP H10-250730A (hereinafter referred to as Patent Publication 4).
- an ID tag having an antenna is disposed along one diagonal line of a planar rectangular pallet, the antenna being erected.
- the ID tag needs to be attached to a pallet side that faces the antenna of an interrogator provided on a forklift, after confirming the location of the antenna. Therefore, the confirmation of the location of an antenna and the attachment of an ID tag are additionally required.
- the gain of the directional characteristics of the antenna is decreased, so that information may not be correctly read/rewritten.
- the present invention provides a pallet for transporting goods, which has a non-contact IC tag capable of directly tracking a moving pathway or the like of a pallet, and in which information can be easily and reliably read/written from/to the non-contact IC tag by accessing it from either of the pallet sides (two sides for the two-way entry type; and four sides for the four-way entry type) on which fork entries are provided.
- the goods transportation pallet of the present invention is in the shape of a planar rectangle and is provided with fork entries to admit two forks of a forklift.
- the fork entries are provided on two opposite sides of the pallet.
- the pallet is also provided with a through hole penetrating through the pallet from one to the other of the two sides having the fork entries (hereinafter also simply referred to as a through hole penetrating through the two sides).
- the through hole is located between the fork entries.
- a non-contact IC tag is provided inside the through hole and in the vicinity of the middle in the length direction of the through hole.
- the pallet is provided with a through hole and a non-contact IC tag is placed inside the through hole. Therefore, the through hole is a kind of transmission pathway to the non-contact IC tag.
- a read signal or a rewrite signal transmitted by the antenna of an interrogator mounted on a forklift is propagated and transferred through the inside of the through hole to the non-contact IC tag.
- a non-contact IC tag may be provided in a vicinity of a middle portion in a length direction of the through hole.
- information stored in the non-contact IC tag attached inside the through hole can be read unbiasedly and reliably from either of the two sides (or four sides) of the pallet. Also, information can be reliably rewritten.
- an inner surface of the through hole is covered with a conductive material.
- the length of either side of the rectangular through hole should be equal to or larger than ⁇ /2 where ⁇ represents the wavelength of a frequency used between the non-contact IC tag and the interrogator.
- the radius of the rectangular through hole should be equal to or larger than ⁇ /3.4 where ⁇ represents the wavelength of a frequency used between the non-contact IC tag and the interrogator.
- the length of a side or the radius of the through hole can be smaller than when the through hole has a rectangular or circular cross-section, where comparison is performed using the same frequency.
- a cross-section area of the through hole is increased from an inner portion of the pallet toward the sides of the pallet.
- a through hole may be provided in a vicinity of a middle portion of the pallet, and the through hole may intersect with the through hole penetrating through the sides and extend vertically with respect to the pallet.
- the non-contact tag attached to the pallet of the present invention is an RFID tag used in an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system.
- the non-contact IC tag (hereinafter referred to as an RFID tag) may store information about products/goods being transported, information about a truck which transports products/goods, identification information about a pallet itself, or the like.
- the pallet of the present invention is provided with a through hole penetrating through sides of the pallet and a non-contact IC tag (e.g., an RFID tag, etc.) attached inside the through hole. Therefore, the through hole is a kind of transmission pathway to the non-contact IC tag.
- a read signal or a rewrite signal transmitted from the antenna of an interrogator mounted on a forklift is propagated and transferred through the inside of the through hole to the non-contact IC tag. Therefore, information can be simply and reliably read/written from/to the non-contact IC tag from either of the two sides (or four sides) of the planar rectangular pallet.
- FIG. 1A is a front view showing a pallet according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 1B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof
- FIG. 1C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIG. 2A is a front view showing a pallet according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIG. 2C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIG. 3A is a front view showing a pallet according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 3B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIG. 3C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIG. 4A is a front view showing a pallet according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 4B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIG. 4C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIG. 5A is a front view showing a pallet according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 5B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIG. 5C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIG. 6A is a front view showing a pallet according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 6B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIG. 6C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the pallet of the embodiment of FIGS. 6A to 6 C.
- FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a stack of the pallets of the embodiment of FIGS. 6A to 6 C.
- FIG. 9A is a front view of a forklift.
- FIG. 9B is a side view thereof.
- FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a basic structure of an RFID system.
- FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing an exemplary pallet management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an exemplary pallet management system using the pallet of the present invention.
- FIG. 1A is a front view showing a pallet according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 1B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof
- FIG. 1C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof
- a pallet 1 shown in these figures is a resin molded product in the shape of a planar rectangle.
- the pallet 1 is provided with fork entries 2 , 2 , to admit two forks 101 , 101 of a forklift 100 (see FIGS. 9A, 9B ).
- the fork entries 2 , 2 are provided on two sides (two opposite sides of the rectangle) 1 a, 1 b of the pallet 1 .
- the forks can be inserted into the pallet 1 in two directions (two-way entry type).
- the fork entries 2 , 2 are located bilaterally symmetrically with respect to a center (a center in a width direction) of the pallet 1 .
- the pallet 1 is provided with a through hole 3 which extends along the center of the pallet 1 and is located between the fork entries 2 , 2 .
- the through hole 3 penetrates through the two sides 1 a , 1 b on which the fork entries 2 , 2 are provided.
- the through hole 3 has a rectangular cross section. A cross-section area of the through hole 3 is gradually increased toward the sides 1 a , 1 b at both ends of the through hole 3 .
- An inner surface of the through hole 3 is covered with a conductive material, such as a metal or the like.
- An RFID tag 4 is attached inside the through hole 3 .
- the RFID tag 4 is provided in a vicinity of a middle portion in a length direction of the through hole 3 . It should be noted that information about products/goods to be transported on the pallet 1 , identification information (e.g., a pallet size, a type number, a pallet ID, etc.), and the like are recorded into the RFID tag 4 .
- the through hole 3 provided between the fork entries 2 , 2 is a kind of transmission pathway to the RFID tag 4 .
- a read signal or a rewrite signal which is transmitted by an antenna 50 of an RFID interrogator 5 (see FIGS. 9A, 9B ) attached to a forklift, is propagated and transferred through the through hole 3 to the RFID tag 4 .
- the RFID tag 4 is provided in the vicinity of the middle portion in the length direction of the through hole 3 . Therefore, no matter whether the fork 101 of the forklift 100 is inserted into the pallet 1 from the side 1 a or the side 1 b , information stored in the RFID tag 4 attached inside the through hole 3 can be read unbiasedly and reliably. Also, information can be reliably rewritten.
- the RFID tag 4 may be attached to either of the lateral surfaces and the top and bottom surfaces inside the through hole 3 .
- the RFID tag 4 may be placed at any position in the length direction of the through hole 3 .
- the RFID tag 4 is attached in the vicinity of the middle portion in the length direction of the through hole 3 .
- the antenna 50 of the RFID interrogator 5 is attached in a vicinity of a root of the fork 101 of the forklift 100 .
- information can be read/rewritten from/to the RFID tag 4 on the pallet 1 .
- the antenna 50 of the RFID interrogator 5 may be attached to an upper portion of a support bearing the fork 101 of the forklift 100 .
- information can be read/rewritten from/to the RFID tag 4 of each pallet 1 by lifting the pallets 1 , . . . , 1 together with the fork 101 of the forklift 100 .
- information stored in the RFID tag 4 may be read using the antenna of an RFID interrogator provided in the pallet storage site.
- identification information can be read from the empty pallet 1 , so that the availability of the pallet 1 can be managed.
- the cross-section of the through hole 3 is a rectangle. Therefore, either of the sides of the rectangle needs to have a length of ⁇ /2 or more ( ⁇ : the wavelength of a frequency used by an RFID interrogator). The reason will be described below.
- Rectangular waveguides (with a rectangular cross-section) have the transmission characteristics of a HPF (high pass filter which passes frequencies higher than a predetermined frequency (fo)).
- HPF high pass filter which passes frequencies higher than a predetermined frequency (fo)
- rectangular waveguides have a property of not transmitting frequencies lower than fo.
- the through hole 3 of the pallet 1 corresponds to a rectangular waveguide.
- a dimension (lateral width) of the through hole 3 needs to be broader than about 61.2 mm in order to transmit the frequency through the through hole 3 and read the tag information of the RFID tag 4 attached inside the through hole 3 .
- any one of the sides of the through hole 3 needs to be equal to or larger than about 62 mm in order to transmit a read signal or a rewrite signal of RFID through the inside of the through hole 3 of the pallet 1 .
- FIG. 2A is a front view of a pallet according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIG. 2C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIGS. 2A to 2 C show a pallet 11 , which is a resin molded product in the shape of a planar rectangle.
- the pallet 11 is provided with fork entries 12 , 12 to admit the two forks 101 , 101 of the forklift 100 (see FIGS. 9A, 9B ) on each of four sides 11 a , 11 b , 11 c , 11 d thereof.
- the forks can be inserted into the pallet 11 in four directions (four-way entry type).
- the fork entries 12 , 12 which are provided on the sides 11 a , 11 b of the pallet 11 , are located symmetrically with respect to a center (a center in a width direction) of the pallet 11 .
- the fork entries 12 , 12 which are provided on the sides 11 c , 11 d of the pallet 11 , are located symmetrically with respect to a center (a center in a length direction) of the pallet 11 .
- the pallet 11 is provided with two through holes 13 , 13 , each of which extends along the center of the pallet 11 . These two through holes 13 , 13 intersect orthogonally and are each disposed between the fork entries 12 , 12 .
- the through holes 13 penetrate through the two sides 11 a , 11 b and the two sides 11 c , 11 d , respectively, on each of which the fork entries 12 are provided.
- Each through hole 13 has a rectangular cross-section. A cross-section area of each through hole 13 is gradually increased toward the sides 11 a , 11 b or 11 c , 11 d at both ends of the through hole 13 .
- An inner surface of each through hole 13 , 13 is covered with a conductive material, such as a metal or the like.
- An RFID tag 4 is attached inside the through holes 13 , 13 . The RFID tag 4 is provided in a vicinity of a middle portion in a length direction of each through holes 13 , 13 .
- each of the two through holes 13 , 13 is a kind of transmission pathway to the RFID tag 4 .
- a read signal or a rewrite signal which is transmitted by the antenna 50 of the RFID interrogator 5 (see FIGS. 9A, 9B ) attached to a forklift, is propagated and transferred through any one of the two through holes 13 , 13 to the RFID tag 4 .
- the RFID tag 4 is provided in the vicinity of the middle portion in the length direction of each through holes 13 , 13 . Therefore, no matter whether the fork 101 of the forklift 100 is inserted into the pallet 11 from the side 11 a , 11 b , 11 c or 11 d , information stored in the RFID tag 4 attached inside the through holes 13 , 13 can be read unbiasedly and reliably. Also, information can be reliably rewritten.
- the RFID tag 4 may be attached to either of the lateral surfaces and the top and bottom surfaces inside the through holes 13 , 13 .
- the RFID tag 4 may be placed at any position in the length direction of the through holes 13 , 13 .
- the RFID tag 4 is attached in the vicinity of the middle portion in the length direction of the through holes 13 , 13 .
- the through hole 13 has a rectangular cross-section.
- either of the sides of the through hole 13 needs to have a length of ⁇ /2 or more ( ⁇ : the wavelength of a frequency used by an RFID interrogator).
- ⁇ the wavelength of a frequency used by an RFID interrogator.
- the length of either of the sides of the through hole 13 needs to be equal to or larger than about 62 mm in order to transmit a read signal or a rewrite signal of the RFID through the inside of the through hole 13 of the pallet 11 .
- FIG. 3A is a front view of a pallet according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 3B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIG. 3C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof.
- a pallet 21 shown in FIGS. 3A to 3 C is characterized in that a through hole 23 having a circular cross-section is provided between fork entries 2 , 2 .
- the other structure is basically the same as the embodiment of FIGS. 1A to 1 C.
- the pallet 21 is provided with a through hole 23 which extends along a center of the pallet 21 and penetrates through two sides 1 a , 1 b of the pallet 21 .
- a cross-section area of the through hole 23 is gradually increased toward the sides 1 a , 1 b at both ends of the through hole 23 .
- An inner surface of the through hole 23 is covered with a conductive material, such as a metal or the like.
- the through hole 23 has a circular cross-section.
- the radius of the through hole 23 needs to be equal to or larger than ⁇ /3.4 ( ⁇ : the wavelength of a frequency used by an RFID interrogator). The reason will be described below.
- circular waveguides Similar to rectangular waveguides, circular waveguides (with circular cross-section) have the transmission characteristics of a HPF (high pass filter which passes frequencies higher than a predetermined frequency (fo)).
- HPF high pass filter which passes frequencies higher than a predetermined frequency (fo)
- a Bessel function is involved in calculation of the frequency fo, and therefore, the calculation is complex.
- the through hole 23 of the pallet 21 corresponds to a circular waveguide.
- the radius r of the through hole 23 needs to be larger than about 36.0 mm in order to transmit the frequency through the through hole 23 and read tag information of an RFID tag 4 attached inside the through hole 23 .
- FIG. 4A is a front view of a pallet according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 4B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIG. 4C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof.
- a pallet 71 shown in FIGS. 4A to 4 C is characterized in that a through hole 73 having a cross-section in the shape of a ridge is provided between fork entries 2 , 2 .
- the other structure is basically the same as the embodiment of FIGS. 1A to 1 C.
- the pallet 71 is provided with the through hole 73 which extends along a center of the pallet 71 and penetrates through two sides 1 a , 1 b of the pallet 71 .
- An inner surface of the through hole 73 is covered with a conductive material, such as a metal or the like.
- a cross-section area of the through hole 73 is gradually increased toward the sides 1 a , 1 b at both ends of the through hole 73 .
- the length of either side of the through hole 3 needs to be equal to or larger than about 62 mm in order to transmit a read signal or a rewrite signal of RFID through the inside of the through hole 3 .
- the length of either side of the through hole 73 can be equal to or smaller than about 62 mm since the through hole 73 has a ridge-shaped cross-section. The reason will be described below.
- Ridge waveguides such as the through hole 73 having a ridge-shaped cross-section of FIGS. 4A to 4 C, can have a considerably low cutoff frequency than rectangular waveguides having the same length and width dimensions. In other words, when the same frequency is used, a ridge waveguide can have smaller length and width dimensions than those of a rectangular waveguide. Therefore, if a through hole 73 having a ridge-shaped cross-section of FIGS.
- the length of either side of the through hole 73 can be equal to or smaller than about 62 mm so that a read signal or a rewrite signal of the RFID can be transmitted through the inside of the through hole 73 and tag information of an RFID tag 4 attached inside the through hole 73 can be read.
- the ridge-shaped cross-section of the through hole is not only a “concave” shape as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4 C (vertical cross-section, the through hole 73 ), but also can be, for example, an “H” shape as shown in FIGS. 6A to 5 C (vertical cross-section, a through hole 83 ).
- FIG. 6A is a front view of a pallet according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 6B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIG. 6C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof.
- FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the pallet of FIGS. 6A to 6 C.
- the pallet 31 of FIGS. 6A to 6 C and FIG. 7 is provided with a through hole 3 , which penetrates through two sides 1 a , 1 b of the pallet 31 , and a vertical through hole 33 , which extends between the top and bottom decks of the pallet 31 .
- the vertical through hole 33 is provided in a vicinity of a middle portion of the planar rectangular pallet 31 .
- the pallet 31 is characterized in that an RFID tag 4 is attached in a vicinity of a middle portion of both the vertical through hole 33 and the through hole 3 between fork entries 2 , 2 .
- the other structure is basically the same as in the embodiment of FIGS. 1A to 1 C.
- the middle portions of the vertical through holes 33 , . . . , 33 are sequentially aligned as shown in FIG. 8 .
- a through hole which vertically penetrates the middle portions of the pallets 31 is formed.
- This through hole plays a role as a kind of transmission pathway, as with the through hole 3 provided between the fork entries 2 , 2 .
- the antenna 50 of the RFID interrogator 5 provided on the forklift 100 can be used to read/write information from/to the RFID tag 4 of each of the stacked empty pallet 31 , . . . , 31 .
- pallets can be managed in real time when the pallets are lent or returned to/from a hirer.
- the inventory of empty pallets can be managed centrally, leading to an improvement in the utilization rate of pallets.
- empty pallets can be easily managed, thereby also preventing loss and outflow of pallets.
- the vertical through hole 33 is provided at the middle portion thereof. Therefore, when the RFID tag 4 attached to the pallet 31 needs to be exchanged due to a defect, malfunction or the like, the RFID tag 4 can be exchanged by utilizing the vertical through hole 33 .
- the radius of the vertical through hole 33 should be equal to or larger than ⁇ /3.4 ( ⁇ : the wavelength of a frequency used by an RFID interrogator). For example, when the frequency used by the RFID is 2.45 GHz, the radius r of the vertical through hole 33 is larger than about 36.0 mm.
- the length of either side of the through hole having the rectangular cross-section should be equal to or larger than ⁇ /2 ( ⁇ : the wavelength of a frequency used by an RFID interrogator).
- ⁇ the wavelength of a frequency used by an RFID interrogator.
- the length of either side of the vertical through hole should be equal to or larger than about 62 mm.
- the pallets according to the embodiments of the present invention may be made of either wood or synthetic resin. Pallets made of synthetic resin are preferable since synthetic resin is easy to shape.
- the pallets according to the embodiments of the present invention may be either of the two-way entry type, in which the pallet is provided with fork entries to admit two forks of a forklift on two sides thereof and the forks can be inserted into the pallet in two directions, or of the four-way entry type, in which the pallet is provided with fork entries on all sides (four sides) thereof and the forks can be inserted into the pallet in four directions.
- the pallet 31 of FIGS. 6A to 6 C and FIG. 7 is used. It is assumed that identification information, such as a pallet size, a type number, a pallet ID and the like, are stored in the RFID tag 4 attached to the pallet 31 . It is also assumed that the forklift 100 is equipped with the RFID interrogator 5 and its antenna 50 as shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B and a transceiver 6 . It should be noted that the antenna 50 of the RFID interrogator 5 is attached in the vicinity of the root of the fork 101 of the forklift 100 .
- a basic structure of an RFID system used for management of pallets will be described with reference to FIG. 10 .
- the RFID system of FIG. 10 comprises the above-described RFID interrogator 5 and its antenna 50 mounted on the forklift 100 , the above-described RFID tag 4 and its antenna 40 attached to the pallet 31 , and the like.
- the RFID interrogator 5 comprises a transmission section 51 for interrogation, a reception section 52 for reading, a transmission section 53 for writing, a control section 54 , and the like.
- the RFID tag 4 comprises a modulation/demodulation section 41 , a modulated signal generating section 42 , a demodulation section 43 , an information memory section 44 , and the like.
- the RFID interrogator 5 and the RFID tag 4 communicate with each other via the respective antennas 50 and 40 .
- This RFID system is operated as follows.
- the fork 101 of the forklift 100 is inserted into the fork entry 2 of the pallet 31 .
- the antenna 40 of the RFID tag 4 is caused to substantially face the antenna 50 of the RFID interrogator 5 .
- the RFID interrogator 5 transmits a control signal and a non-modulated carrier from the antenna 50 toward the RFID tag 4 .
- the RFID tag 4 receives the radio signal from the RFID interrogator 5 via the antenna 40 , and decodes the received control signal to know a data read operation. Data such as an ID number, a pallet number, a hirer and the like are retrieved from the information memory section 44 stored in the RFID tag 4 and the data retrieved from the information memory section 44 is modulated with the received non-modulated carrier.
- the resultant signal is transmitted (reflected) toward the RFID interrogator 5 .
- the reception section 52 (for reading) of the RFID interrogator 5 receives and demodulates the signal transmitted (reflected) from the RFID tag 4 to obtain desired data.
- the RFID interrogator 5 also transmits information to be written from the transmission section 53 (for writing) toward the RFID tag 4 . This transmitted information is demodulated by the demodulation section 43 of the RFID tag 4 and is then accumulated (written) into the information memory section 44 .
- RFID systems usually use frequency bands of 125 KHz, 13.56 MHz, 2.45 GHz and the like. Unless a radio set (transceiver) uses the same frequency band as that of the RFID system, the RFID system and the radio set can be operated independently with respect to time. When the frequency of 2.45 GHz is used for both the RFID system and the radio set, it is generally preferable that the RFID system and the radio set are controlled not to perform simultaneous transmission to avoid radio interference.
- the host terminal 201 possesses a database of lending information (e.g., information about a hirer of rental pallets, information about an entity which returns pallets, a rental period, the number of rental pallets, etc.) and pallet-specific information possessed by a rental pallet company (e.g., a pallet size, a type number, a pallet ID, etc.).
- lending information e.g., information about a hirer of rental pallets, information about an entity which returns pallets, a rental period, the number of rental pallets, etc.
- pallet-specific information possessed by a rental pallet company e.g., a pallet size, a type number, a pallet ID, etc.
- Rental information is, for example, handled as follows. Customers who want to hire pallets contact a rental pallet company by telephone or the like. The contents of the customer's rental order are input by the rental pallet company. Alternatively, customers access a website run by a rental pallet company via the Internet or the like and input the contents of their rental order on a display screen by themselves. The contents of the orders are accumulated.
- the pallet specific information is the whole or a part of information possessed by a rental pallet company. It is assumed that a unique number or symbol is assigned as a pallet ID to each pallet. For example, pallet IDs are assigned to newly purchased or produced pallets and are registered into a master database.
- a radio set base station 202 is connected to the host terminal 201 and has a control section (not shown) for transmitting and receiving various information.
- the radio set base station 202 transmits information stored in the host terminal 201 to a transceiver 6 described elsewhere herein, and receives various information about a pallet which is transmitted from the transceiver 6 .
- a forklift 100 comprises two forks (fork portions) 101 , 101 for lifting a pallet 31 as shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B .
- a control section (not shown) of the transceiver 6 is provided in a driver's seat of the forklift 100 so that a driver can manipulate the control section.
- an RFID interrogator 5 and an antenna 50 thereof are provided in a vicinity of the middle of a root portion of the fork 101 of the forklift 100 (in a vicinity of the middle between the two forks 101 , 101 ). Therefore, when the fork 101 of the forklift 100 is inserted into the fork entry 2 of the pallet 31 , information can be read/written from/to the RFID tag 4 attached to the pallet 31 .
- the transceiver 6 transmits various information about a pallet to the radio set base station 202 .
- information such as the current date, the location (depot) of the forklift 100 , and the like can be written into the RFID tag 4 of the pallet 31 via the antenna 50 of the RFID interrogator 5 . Also, information about a pallet hirer or information about an entity which returns pallets can be read from the RFID tag 4 of the pallet 31 .
- Step S1 the contents of a customer's rental order for a pallet(s) are stored as lending information into the host terminal 201 .
- the contents of a rental order include, for example, hirer: company A, type number: T 11 pallet, desired number of pallets: 10, desired date: June, 1, 12 o'clock, desired period: 10 days, and the like.
- Step S2 when the pallet 31 to be lent is transported (e.g., the fork 101 of the forklift 100 is inserted into the fork entry 2 of the pallet 31 ), the RFID interrogator 5 of the forklift 100 reads an ID number and the like stored in the RFID tag 4 of the pallet 31 .
- the RFID interrogator 5 of the forklift 100 can also write lending information and the date of lending into the RFID tag 4 of the pallet 31 .
- Step S3 the transceiver 6 connected to the RFID interrogator 5 of the forklift 100 transmits the pallet ID, which has been read using the RFID interrogator 5 , to the radio set base station 202 .
- Step S4 the pallet ID transmitted to the radio set base station 202 is stored into the host terminal 201 .
- Step S5 when the pallet 31 is returned (e.g., the fork 101 of a forklift 100 is inserted into the fork entry 2 of the returned pallet 31 ) at a location (depot), an RFID interrogator 5 of the forklift 100 reads the pallet ID stored in the RFID tag 4 of the pallet 31 .
- Step S6 a transceiver 6 connected to the RFID interrogator 5 of the forklift 100 transmits the pallet ID, which has been read by the RFID interrogator 5 , to the radio set base station 202 .
- Step S7 the pallet ID transmitted by the radio set base station 202 is stored into the host terminal 201 .
- Step S8 the host terminal 201 compares the lending information of each pallet ID in its own database with the collected pallet ID.
- Step S9 the host terminal 201 calculates a pallet rental fee based on a pallet size, a type number, the number of pallets, the date of lending and the date of collection.
- the rental pallet company can read the pallet ID number of each pallet when a forklift moves (transports) the pallet (e.g., the fork of the forklift is inserted into the pallet).
- the rental pallet company can also write location information about a collection location (depot) and information about the date of collection when the fork of a forklift is inserted into the collected pallet.
- location information about a collection location (depot) and information about the date of collection when the fork of a forklift is inserted into the collected pallet.
- steps S1 to S8 of this example are the same as those in the above-described example in which a rental fee is paid later and will not be explained. Only a portion of this example which is different from the above-described example will be described below.
- step S8 the process goes to subsequent step S10 or S11.
- Step S10 when the result of comparison in the host terminal 201 in step S8 shows that a rental pallet is returned to a location (depot) before completion of the rental period of the pallet, the balance of the rental fee to be refunded to the customer is calculated.
- the refund may be prorated per diem for the rental fee originally paid. Alternatively, the refund may be calculated based on a rate defined for a predetermined period (e.g., on a weekly basis).
- Step S11 when a rental pallet is returned to a location (depot) after completion of the rental period of the pallet, the balance of the rental fee to be additionally collected from the customer is calculated.
- the pallets according to the above-described embodiments of the present invention can be effectively used in, for example, a pallet management system which manages the inventory, distribution status, collection status and the like of rental pallets.
- a non-contact IC tag e.g., an RFID tag, etc.
- the moving pathway of the pallet can be directly tracked, thereby making it possible to reduce the effort to input data into a hand-written slip or a computer.
- the distribution of pallets can be correctly tracked, thereby making it possible to clear the reason for loss or unauthorized use of a pallet.
- a person in charge of a distribution stage can be identified, it is possible to, for example, demand an unpaid fee or claim damage due to loss or unauthorized use of pallets.
Abstract
A planar rectangular pallet 1 comprises fork entries 2 to admit two forks of a forklift on two sides 1 a, 1 b (or four sides) thereof and a through hole 3 penetrating the sides 1 a , 1 b having the fork entries 2. The through hole is located between the fork entries 2. A non-contact IC tag (RFID tag 3) is provided inside the through hole 3 and in a vicinity of a middle portion in a length direction of the through hole.
Description
- This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No. 2003-324860 filed in Japan on Sep. 17, 2003, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a pallet for transporting goods and a pallet management system for managing the pallet.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- Pallets used for goods transportation and the like generally have the shape of a quadrangle (planar rectangle), and are provided with fork entries on sides thereof into which the fork of a forklift is inserted for transportation.
- Examples of the above-described rectangular pallets include, for example, a two-way entry pallet which has two fork entries, into which two forks of a forklift can be inserted, on two sides (two opposite sides of a rectangle) of the sides (four sides) of the pallet, where the forks can be inserted into the pallet from two directions; and a four-way entry pallet which has fork entries on all the sides (four sides) of the pallet, where the forks can be inserted into the pallet from four directions.
- Pallets used for goods transportation and the like may be carried in or out along with goods or products to be distributed, in order to facilitate transportation by a forklift. In this case, it is necessary to manage pallets which are transported into or out of a storage.
- Conventionally, pallets which are transported into or out of a storage are managed by using slips. However, slips are likely to be lost during transportation in complex distribution pathways, and it is difficult to be aware of unauthorized use of pallets.
- To avoid this, a management system has been proposed in, for example, JP 2003-11973A (hereinafter referred to as Patent Publication 1). In this management system, a PHS terminal or a positional information transmitting/receiving terminal is mounted on a pallet for transporting goods. By identifying a base station, which is receiving an electric wave from the PHS terminal or the positional information transmitting/receiving terminal, and calculating a distance from the base station, the current location of the pallet can be confirmed.
- Another system has been proposed in, for example, JP 2003-36405A (hereinafter referred to as Patent Publication 2). In this system, information, such as the date and hour of collecting pallets (rental pallets), the number of collected pallets, or the like, is transmitted to a manager's terminal via a network, such as the Internet, bidirectional TV communication or the like, and a database of pallet information is constructed in a manager's server.
- However, the system described in
Patent Publication 1 is problematic in that it is difficult to secure a power source for the PHS terminal or the positional information transmitting/receiving terminal mounted on a pallet. For example, if the power of the terminal is 0, communication cannot be performed. Further, time and effort are required for charging the terminal. Furthermore, even when the location of a pallet is identified, it cannot be determined whether the pallet is effectively used or is missing. The system described inPatent Publication 2 also is problematic in that the requirement of entering information, such as the date and hour of collecting pallets, the number of collected pallets, or the like, is likely to lead to a situation in which the number of recorded pallets is inconsistent with the number of pallets which are actually transported into or out of a storage. - There is another management system, in which an ID tag is attached to a pallet and information is read/rewritten from/to the ID tag.
- However, the antenna of an interrogator and the ID tag (transponder) need to face each other in order to read/rewrite information from/to the ID tag attached to the pallet. When a plurality of ID tags are attached to a pallet, information can be read from either of the ID tags. However, in order to write information into the ID tags, the ID tags need to be synchronized with one another (the ID tags need to have identical information). It is very difficult to realize this.
- When only one ID tag is attached to a pallet on a side of the pallet, synchronization with other ID tags is no longer required. In this case, however, when trying to read the ID tag attached to the pallet from a side of the pallet opposite to the side on which the ID tag is attached, the pallet itself is an obstacle, so that information cannot be read/rewritten from/to the ID tag.
- A technology for solving the above-described problem has been disclosed in, for example, JP 2002-240955A (hereinafter referred to as Patent Publication 3). In this technology, one ID tag (RF tag) can be detachably attached to a pallet side and the ID tag can be selectively provided on either one of two sides of the pallet. Another technology has been disclosed in, for example, JP H10-250730A (hereinafter referred to as Patent Publication 4). In this technology, an ID tag having an antenna is disposed along one diagonal line of a planar rectangular pallet, the antenna being erected.
- However, in the above-described technology of
Patent Publication 3, the ID tag needs to be attached to a pallet side that faces the antenna of an interrogator provided on a forklift, after confirming the location of the antenna. Therefore, the confirmation of the location of an antenna and the attachment of an ID tag are additionally required. In the technology ofPatent Publication 4, the gain of the directional characteristics of the antenna is decreased, so that information may not be correctly read/rewritten. - In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a pallet for transporting goods, which has a non-contact IC tag capable of directly tracking a moving pathway or the like of a pallet, and in which information can be easily and reliably read/written from/to the non-contact IC tag by accessing it from either of the pallet sides (two sides for the two-way entry type; and four sides for the four-way entry type) on which fork entries are provided.
- The goods transportation pallet of the present invention is in the shape of a planar rectangle and is provided with fork entries to admit two forks of a forklift. The fork entries are provided on two opposite sides of the pallet. The pallet is also provided with a through hole penetrating through the pallet from one to the other of the two sides having the fork entries (hereinafter also simply referred to as a through hole penetrating through the two sides). The through hole is located between the fork entries. A non-contact IC tag is provided inside the through hole and in the vicinity of the middle in the length direction of the through hole.
- As described above, the pallet is provided with a through hole and a non-contact IC tag is placed inside the through hole. Therefore, the through hole is a kind of transmission pathway to the non-contact IC tag. A read signal or a rewrite signal transmitted by the antenna of an interrogator mounted on a forklift is propagated and transferred through the inside of the through hole to the non-contact IC tag. Thereby, it is possible to read/rewrite information from/to the non-contact IC tag from either of the two sides (or four sides) of the planar rectangular pallet.
- In addition, a non-contact IC tag may be provided in a vicinity of a middle portion in a length direction of the through hole. In this case, information stored in the non-contact IC tag attached inside the through hole can be read unbiasedly and reliably from either of the two sides (or four sides) of the pallet. Also, information can be reliably rewritten.
- In the pallet of the present invention, it is preferable that an inner surface of the through hole is covered with a conductive material.
- In the pallet of the present invention, when a cross-section of the through hole is in the shape of a rectangle, the length of either side of the rectangular through hole should be equal to or larger than λ/2 where λ represents the wavelength of a frequency used between the non-contact IC tag and the interrogator.
- Alternatively, when a cross-section of the through hole is in the shape of a circle, the radius of the rectangular through hole should be equal to or larger than λ/3.4 where λ represents the wavelength of a frequency used between the non-contact IC tag and the interrogator.
- Further, when the through hole has a ridge-shaped cross-section, the length of a side or the radius of the through hole can be smaller than when the through hole has a rectangular or circular cross-section, where comparison is performed using the same frequency.
- It is also preferable that a cross-section area of the through hole is increased from an inner portion of the pallet toward the sides of the pallet.
- In the pallets of the present invention, a through hole may be provided in a vicinity of a middle portion of the pallet, and the through hole may intersect with the through hole penetrating through the sides and extend vertically with respect to the pallet.
- An example of the non-contact tag attached to the pallet of the present invention is an RFID tag used in an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system. The non-contact IC tag (hereinafter referred to as an RFID tag) may store information about products/goods being transported, information about a truck which transports products/goods, identification information about a pallet itself, or the like.
- The pallet of the present invention is provided with a through hole penetrating through sides of the pallet and a non-contact IC tag (e.g., an RFID tag, etc.) attached inside the through hole. Therefore, the through hole is a kind of transmission pathway to the non-contact IC tag. A read signal or a rewrite signal transmitted from the antenna of an interrogator mounted on a forklift is propagated and transferred through the inside of the through hole to the non-contact IC tag. Therefore, information can be simply and reliably read/written from/to the non-contact IC tag from either of the two sides (or four sides) of the planar rectangular pallet.
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FIG. 1A is a front view showing a pallet according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 1B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereofFIG. 1C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof. -
FIG. 2A is a front view showing a pallet according to another embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 2B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.FIG. 2C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof. -
FIG. 3A is a front view showing a pallet according to still another embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 3B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.FIG. 3C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof. -
FIG. 4A is a front view showing a pallet according to still another embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 4B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.FIG. 4C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof. -
FIG. 5A is a front view showing a pallet according to still another embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 5B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.FIG. 5C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof. -
FIG. 6A is a front view showing a pallet according to still another embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 6B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.FIG. 6C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof. -
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the pallet of the embodiment ofFIGS. 6A to 6C. -
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a stack of the pallets of the embodiment ofFIGS. 6A to 6C. -
FIG. 9A is a front view of a forklift.FIG. 9B is a side view thereof. -
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a basic structure of an RFID system. -
FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing an exemplary pallet management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an exemplary pallet management system using the pallet of the present invention. - Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to accompanying drawings.
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FIG. 1A is a front view showing a pallet according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 1B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereofFIG. 1C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof - A
pallet 1 shown in these figures is a resin molded product in the shape of a planar rectangle. Thepallet 1 is provided withfork entries forks FIGS. 9A, 9B ). Thefork entries pallet 1. The forks can be inserted into thepallet 1 in two directions (two-way entry type). Thefork entries pallet 1. - The
pallet 1 is provided with a throughhole 3 which extends along the center of thepallet 1 and is located between thefork entries hole 3 penetrates through the twosides fork entries - The through
hole 3 has a rectangular cross section. A cross-section area of the throughhole 3 is gradually increased toward thesides hole 3. An inner surface of the throughhole 3 is covered with a conductive material, such as a metal or the like. AnRFID tag 4 is attached inside the throughhole 3. TheRFID tag 4 is provided in a vicinity of a middle portion in a length direction of the throughhole 3. It should be noted that information about products/goods to be transported on thepallet 1, identification information (e.g., a pallet size, a type number, a pallet ID, etc.), and the like are recorded into theRFID tag 4. - In the
pallet 1 of this embodiment, the throughhole 3 provided between thefork entries RFID tag 4. A read signal or a rewrite signal, which is transmitted by anantenna 50 of an RFID interrogator 5 (seeFIGS. 9A, 9B ) attached to a forklift, is propagated and transferred through the throughhole 3 to theRFID tag 4. - As described above, the
RFID tag 4 is provided in the vicinity of the middle portion in the length direction of the throughhole 3. Therefore, no matter whether thefork 101 of theforklift 100 is inserted into thepallet 1 from theside 1 a or theside 1 b, information stored in theRFID tag 4 attached inside the throughhole 3 can be read unbiasedly and reliably. Also, information can be reliably rewritten. - It should be noted that the
RFID tag 4 may be attached to either of the lateral surfaces and the top and bottom surfaces inside the throughhole 3. TheRFID tag 4 may be placed at any position in the length direction of the throughhole 3. However, considering the above-described purpose that information stored in theRFID tag 4 can be read unbiasedly and reliably from either of the twosides RFID tag 4 is attached in the vicinity of the middle portion in the length direction of the throughhole 3. - Now, an exemplary method for reading/writing information from/to the
RFID tag 4 attached to thepallet 1 will be briefly described. For example, as shown inFIGS. 9A and 9B , theantenna 50 of theRFID interrogator 5 is attached in a vicinity of a root of thefork 101 of theforklift 100. In this case, when thefork 101 of theforklift 100 is inserted into thefork entry 2 of thepallet 1, information can be read/rewritten from/to theRFID tag 4 on thepallet 1. - The
antenna 50 of theRFID interrogator 5 may be attached to an upper portion of a support bearing thefork 101 of theforklift 100. In the case where a plurality ofpallets 1, . . . , 1 are stacked when not in use, information can be read/rewritten from/to theRFID tag 4 of eachpallet 1 by lifting thepallets 1, . . . , 1 together with thefork 101 of theforklift 100. - When an
empty pallet 1 is placed in a pallet storage site, information stored in theRFID tag 4 may be read using the antenna of an RFID interrogator provided in the pallet storage site. As a result, identification information can be read from theempty pallet 1, so that the availability of thepallet 1 can be managed. - Next, examples of specific numerical values of the through
hole 3 will be described. - In the case of the
pallet 1 ofFIGS. 1A to 1C, the cross-section of the throughhole 3 is a rectangle. Therefore, either of the sides of the rectangle needs to have a length of λ/2 or more (λ: the wavelength of a frequency used by an RFID interrogator). The reason will be described below. - Rectangular waveguides (with a rectangular cross-section) have the transmission characteristics of a HPF (high pass filter which passes frequencies higher than a predetermined frequency (fo)). In other words, rectangular waveguides have a property of not transmitting frequencies lower than fo. In the case of rectangular waveguides, the frequency fo is determined by the length L of a side of the rectangular waveguide as follows.
fo*λ=C(C: speed of light) L=λ/2 - In the embodiment of
FIGS. 1A to 1C, the throughhole 3 of thepallet 1 corresponds to a rectangular waveguide. When a frequency used by RFID is 2.45 GHz, a dimension (lateral width) of the throughhole 3 needs to be broader than about 61.2 mm in order to transmit the frequency through the throughhole 3 and read the tag information of theRFID tag 4 attached inside the throughhole 3. - Therefore, for example, when a frequency of 2.45 GHz is used, any one of the sides of the through
hole 3 needs to be equal to or larger than about 62 mm in order to transmit a read signal or a rewrite signal of RFID through the inside of the throughhole 3 of thepallet 1. -
FIG. 2A is a front view of a pallet according to another embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 2B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.FIG. 2C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof. -
FIGS. 2A to 2C show apallet 11, which is a resin molded product in the shape of a planar rectangle. Thepallet 11 is provided withfork entries forks FIGS. 9A, 9B ) on each of foursides pallet 11 in four directions (four-way entry type). - The
fork entries sides pallet 11, are located symmetrically with respect to a center (a center in a width direction) of thepallet 11. Thefork entries sides pallet 11, are located symmetrically with respect to a center (a center in a length direction) of thepallet 11. - The
pallet 11 is provided with two throughholes pallet 11. These two throughholes fork entries sides sides fork entries 12 are provided. - Each through
hole 13 has a rectangular cross-section. A cross-section area of each throughhole 13 is gradually increased toward thesides hole 13. An inner surface of each throughhole RFID tag 4 is attached inside the throughholes RFID tag 4 is provided in a vicinity of a middle portion in a length direction of each through holes 13, 13. - In the
pallet 11 of this embodiment, each of the two throughholes RFID tag 4. A read signal or a rewrite signal, which is transmitted by theantenna 50 of the RFID interrogator 5 (seeFIGS. 9A, 9B ) attached to a forklift, is propagated and transferred through any one of the two throughholes RFID tag 4. - As described above, the
RFID tag 4 is provided in the vicinity of the middle portion in the length direction of each through holes 13, 13. Therefore, no matter whether thefork 101 of theforklift 100 is inserted into thepallet 11 from theside RFID tag 4 attached inside the throughholes - It should be noted that the
RFID tag 4 may be attached to either of the lateral surfaces and the top and bottom surfaces inside the throughholes RFID tag 4 may be placed at any position in the length direction of the throughholes RFID tag 4 can be read and rewritten unbiasedly and reliably from any of the foursides pallet 11, it is preferable that theRFID tag 4 is attached in the vicinity of the middle portion in the length direction of the throughholes - Also in
Embodiment 2, the throughhole 13 has a rectangular cross-section. For the same reason as described inEmbodiment 1, either of the sides of the throughhole 13 needs to have a length of λ/2 or more (λ: the wavelength of a frequency used by an RFID interrogator). For example, when a frequency of 2.45 GHz is used, the length of either of the sides of the throughhole 13 needs to be equal to or larger than about 62 mm in order to transmit a read signal or a rewrite signal of the RFID through the inside of the throughhole 13 of thepallet 11. -
FIG. 3A is a front view of a pallet according to still another embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 3B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.FIG. 3C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof. - A
pallet 21 shown inFIGS. 3A to 3C is characterized in that a throughhole 23 having a circular cross-section is provided betweenfork entries FIGS. 1A to 1C. - The
pallet 21 is provided with a throughhole 23 which extends along a center of thepallet 21 and penetrates through twosides pallet 21. A cross-section area of the throughhole 23 is gradually increased toward thesides hole 23. An inner surface of the throughhole 23 is covered with a conductive material, such as a metal or the like. - In the
pallet 21 ofFIGS. 3A to 3C, the throughhole 23 has a circular cross-section. The radius of the throughhole 23 needs to be equal to or larger than λ/3.4 (λ: the wavelength of a frequency used by an RFID interrogator). The reason will be described below. - Similar to rectangular waveguides, circular waveguides (with circular cross-section) have the transmission characteristics of a HPF (high pass filter which passes frequencies higher than a predetermined frequency (fo)). In the case of circular waveguides, a Bessel function is involved in calculation of the frequency fo, and therefore, the calculation is complex. However, the frequency fo is determined based on the radius r of a circular waveguide, and the relationship between them is expressed as follows.
fo*λ=C (C: speed of light) r=λ/3.4 - In the embodiment of
FIGS. 3A to 3C, the throughhole 23 of thepallet 21 corresponds to a circular waveguide. When a frequency used by RFID is 2.45 GHz, the radius r of the throughhole 23 needs to be larger than about 36.0 mm in order to transmit the frequency through the throughhole 23 and read tag information of anRFID tag 4 attached inside the throughhole 23. -
FIG. 4A is a front view of a pallet according to still another embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 4B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.FIG. 4C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof. - A
pallet 71 shown inFIGS. 4A to 4C is characterized in that a throughhole 73 having a cross-section in the shape of a ridge is provided betweenfork entries FIGS. 1A to 1C. - The
pallet 71 is provided with the throughhole 73 which extends along a center of thepallet 71 and penetrates through twosides pallet 71. An inner surface of the throughhole 73 is covered with a conductive material, such as a metal or the like. As with the throughhole 3 ofFIGS. 1A to 1C, a cross-section area of the throughhole 73 is gradually increased toward thesides hole 73. - As described above, in the
pallet 1 ofEmbodiment 1, when a frequency of, for example, 2.45 GHz is used, the length of either side of the throughhole 3 needs to be equal to or larger than about 62 mm in order to transmit a read signal or a rewrite signal of RFID through the inside of the throughhole 3. In the case of thepallet 71 ofFIGS. 4A to 4C, the length of either side of the throughhole 73 can be equal to or smaller than about 62 mm since the throughhole 73 has a ridge-shaped cross-section. The reason will be described below. - Ridge waveguides, such as the through
hole 73 having a ridge-shaped cross-section ofFIGS. 4A to 4C, can have a considerably low cutoff frequency than rectangular waveguides having the same length and width dimensions. In other words, when the same frequency is used, a ridge waveguide can have smaller length and width dimensions than those of a rectangular waveguide. Therefore, if a throughhole 73 having a ridge-shaped cross-section ofFIGS. 4A to 4C is used, when a frequency used by RFID is 2.45 GHz, the length of either side of the throughhole 73 can be equal to or smaller than about 62 mm so that a read signal or a rewrite signal of the RFID can be transmitted through the inside of the throughhole 73 and tag information of anRFID tag 4 attached inside the throughhole 73 can be read. The ridge-shaped cross-section of the through hole is not only a “concave” shape as shown inFIGS. 4A to 4C (vertical cross-section, the through hole 73), but also can be, for example, an “H” shape as shown inFIGS. 6A to 5C (vertical cross-section, a through hole 83). -
FIG. 6A is a front view of a pallet according to still another embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 6B is a center vertical cross-sectional view thereof.FIG. 6C is a horizontal cross-sectional view thereof.FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the pallet ofFIGS. 6A to 6C. - The
pallet 31 ofFIGS. 6A to 6C andFIG. 7 is provided with a throughhole 3, which penetrates through twosides pallet 31, and a vertical throughhole 33, which extends between the top and bottom decks of thepallet 31. The vertical throughhole 33 is provided in a vicinity of a middle portion of the planarrectangular pallet 31. Thepallet 31 is characterized in that anRFID tag 4 is attached in a vicinity of a middle portion of both the vertical throughhole 33 and the throughhole 3 betweenfork entries FIGS. 1A to 1C. - In the case of the
pallet 31 of this embodiment, when theempty pallets 31 are stacked in a pallet storage site, the middle portions of the vertical throughholes 33, . . . , 33 are sequentially aligned as shown inFIG. 8 . As a result, a through hole which vertically penetrates the middle portions of thepallets 31 is formed. This through hole plays a role as a kind of transmission pathway, as with the throughhole 3 provided between thefork entries RFID tag 4 of each of the stacked pallets (empty pallets) 31, . . . , 31 simultaneously. Also, information can be rewritten simultaneously. - When a plurality of
empty pallets 31, . . . , 31 are transported together by theforklift 100, theantenna 50 of theRFID interrogator 5 provided on the forklift 100 (seeFIG. 9A, 9B ) can be used to read/write information from/to theRFID tag 4 of each of the stackedempty pallet 31, . . . , 31. For example, pallets can be managed in real time when the pallets are lent or returned to/from a hirer. - Further, by transferring the read information to, for example, a management center, the inventory of empty pallets can be managed centrally, leading to an improvement in the utilization rate of pallets.
- As described above, empty pallets can be easily managed, thereby also preventing loss and outflow of pallets.
- In the case of the
pallet 31 of this embodiment, the vertical throughhole 33 is provided at the middle portion thereof. Therefore, when theRFID tag 4 attached to thepallet 31 needs to be exchanged due to a defect, malfunction or the like, theRFID tag 4 can be exchanged by utilizing the vertical throughhole 33. - If the vertical through
hole 33 provided on the middle portion of thepallet 31 has a circular cross-section as shown inFIGS. 6A to 6C andFIG. 7 , the radius of the vertical throughhole 33 should be equal to or larger than λ/3.4 (λ: the wavelength of a frequency used by an RFID interrogator). For example, when the frequency used by the RFID is 2.45 GHz, the radius r of the vertical throughhole 33 is larger than about 36.0 mm. - If the vertical through hole has a rectangular cross-section, the length of either side of the through hole having the rectangular cross-section should be equal to or larger than λ/2 (λ: the wavelength of a frequency used by an RFID interrogator). For example, when the frequency used by the RFID is 2.45 GHz, the length of either side of the vertical through hole should be equal to or larger than about 62 mm.
- The pallets according to the embodiments of the present invention may be made of either wood or synthetic resin. Pallets made of synthetic resin are preferable since synthetic resin is easy to shape.
- The pallets according to the embodiments of the present invention may be either of the two-way entry type, in which the pallet is provided with fork entries to admit two forks of a forklift on two sides thereof and the forks can be inserted into the pallet in two directions, or of the four-way entry type, in which the pallet is provided with fork entries on all sides (four sides) thereof and the forks can be inserted into the pallet in four directions.
- Hereinafter, an exemplary pallet management system in which a pallet of the present invention is used as a rental pallet will be described below.
- In this example, the
pallet 31 ofFIGS. 6A to 6C andFIG. 7 is used. It is assumed that identification information, such as a pallet size, a type number, a pallet ID and the like, are stored in theRFID tag 4 attached to thepallet 31. It is also assumed that theforklift 100 is equipped with theRFID interrogator 5 and itsantenna 50 as shown inFIGS. 9A, 9B and atransceiver 6. It should be noted that theantenna 50 of theRFID interrogator 5 is attached in the vicinity of the root of thefork 101 of theforklift 100. - A basic structure of an RFID system used for management of pallets will be described with reference to
FIG. 10 . - The RFID system of
FIG. 10 comprises the above-describedRFID interrogator 5 and itsantenna 50 mounted on theforklift 100, the above-describedRFID tag 4 and itsantenna 40 attached to thepallet 31, and the like. - The
RFID interrogator 5 comprises atransmission section 51 for interrogation, areception section 52 for reading, atransmission section 53 for writing, acontrol section 54, and the like. TheRFID tag 4 comprises a modulation/demodulation section 41, a modulatedsignal generating section 42, ademodulation section 43, aninformation memory section 44, and the like. TheRFID interrogator 5 and theRFID tag 4 communicate with each other via therespective antennas - This RFID system is operated as follows. The
fork 101 of theforklift 100 is inserted into thefork entry 2 of thepallet 31. Theantenna 40 of theRFID tag 4 is caused to substantially face theantenna 50 of theRFID interrogator 5. TheRFID interrogator 5 transmits a control signal and a non-modulated carrier from theantenna 50 toward theRFID tag 4. TheRFID tag 4 receives the radio signal from theRFID interrogator 5 via theantenna 40, and decodes the received control signal to know a data read operation. Data such as an ID number, a pallet number, a hirer and the like are retrieved from theinformation memory section 44 stored in theRFID tag 4 and the data retrieved from theinformation memory section 44 is modulated with the received non-modulated carrier. The resultant signal is transmitted (reflected) toward theRFID interrogator 5. The reception section 52 (for reading) of theRFID interrogator 5 receives and demodulates the signal transmitted (reflected) from theRFID tag 4 to obtain desired data. TheRFID interrogator 5 also transmits information to be written from the transmission section 53 (for writing) toward theRFID tag 4. This transmitted information is demodulated by thedemodulation section 43 of theRFID tag 4 and is then accumulated (written) into theinformation memory section 44. - RFID systems usually use frequency bands of 125 KHz, 13.56 MHz, 2.45 GHz and the like. Unless a radio set (transceiver) uses the same frequency band as that of the RFID system, the RFID system and the radio set can be operated independently with respect to time. When the frequency of 2.45 GHz is used for both the RFID system and the radio set, it is generally preferable that the RFID system and the radio set are controlled not to perform simultaneous transmission to avoid radio interference.
- A specific exemplary system for managing rental pallets will be described with reference to
FIG. 11 . - In this management system, it is assumed that a
host terminal 201 is managed by a rental pallet company. - The
host terminal 201 possesses a database of lending information (e.g., information about a hirer of rental pallets, information about an entity which returns pallets, a rental period, the number of rental pallets, etc.) and pallet-specific information possessed by a rental pallet company (e.g., a pallet size, a type number, a pallet ID, etc.). - Rental information is, for example, handled as follows. Customers who want to hire pallets contact a rental pallet company by telephone or the like. The contents of the customer's rental order are input by the rental pallet company. Alternatively, customers access a website run by a rental pallet company via the Internet or the like and input the contents of their rental order on a display screen by themselves. The contents of the orders are accumulated.
- The pallet specific information is the whole or a part of information possessed by a rental pallet company. It is assumed that a unique number or symbol is assigned as a pallet ID to each pallet. For example, pallet IDs are assigned to newly purchased or produced pallets and are registered into a master database.
- A radio set base station 202 is connected to the
host terminal 201 and has a control section (not shown) for transmitting and receiving various information. The radio set base station 202 transmits information stored in thehost terminal 201 to atransceiver 6 described elsewhere herein, and receives various information about a pallet which is transmitted from thetransceiver 6. - A
forklift 100 comprises two forks (fork portions) 101, 101 for lifting apallet 31 as shown inFIGS. 9A, 9B . A control section (not shown) of thetransceiver 6 is provided in a driver's seat of theforklift 100 so that a driver can manipulate the control section. Also, anRFID interrogator 5 and anantenna 50 thereof are provided in a vicinity of the middle of a root portion of thefork 101 of the forklift 100 (in a vicinity of the middle between the twoforks 101, 101). Therefore, when thefork 101 of theforklift 100 is inserted into thefork entry 2 of thepallet 31, information can be read/written from/to theRFID tag 4 attached to thepallet 31. Thetransceiver 6 transmits various information about a pallet to the radio set base station 202. - When the
fork 101 is inserted into thefork entry 2 of thepallet 31 in order for theforklift 100 to transport thepallet 31, information such as the current date, the location (depot) of theforklift 100, and the like can be written into theRFID tag 4 of thepallet 31 via theantenna 50 of theRFID interrogator 5. Also, information about a pallet hirer or information about an entity which returns pallets can be read from theRFID tag 4 of thepallet 31. - Next, a method for managing the inventory, distribution status and collection status of rental pallets will be described with reference to
FIG. 12 . - Firstly, an exemplary rental system will be described, in which the same pallet that is lent is returned and a rental fee is paid later.
- Step S1: the contents of a customer's rental order for a pallet(s) are stored as lending information into the
host terminal 201. The contents of a rental order include, for example, hirer: company A, type number:T 11 pallet, desired number of pallets: 10, desired date: June, 1, 12 o'clock, desired period: 10 days, and the like. - Step S2: when the
pallet 31 to be lent is transported (e.g., thefork 101 of theforklift 100 is inserted into thefork entry 2 of the pallet 31), theRFID interrogator 5 of theforklift 100 reads an ID number and the like stored in theRFID tag 4 of thepallet 31. TheRFID interrogator 5 of theforklift 100 can also write lending information and the date of lending into theRFID tag 4 of thepallet 31. - Step S3: the
transceiver 6 connected to theRFID interrogator 5 of theforklift 100 transmits the pallet ID, which has been read using theRFID interrogator 5, to the radio set base station 202. - Step S4: the pallet ID transmitted to the radio set base station 202 is stored into the
host terminal 201. - Step S5: when the
pallet 31 is returned (e.g., thefork 101 of aforklift 100 is inserted into thefork entry 2 of the returned pallet 31) at a location (depot), anRFID interrogator 5 of theforklift 100 reads the pallet ID stored in theRFID tag 4 of thepallet 31. - Step S6: a
transceiver 6 connected to theRFID interrogator 5 of theforklift 100 transmits the pallet ID, which has been read by theRFID interrogator 5, to the radio set base station 202. - Step S7: the pallet ID transmitted by the radio set base station 202 is stored into the
host terminal 201. - Step S8: the
host terminal 201 compares the lending information of each pallet ID in its own database with the collected pallet ID. - Step S9: the
host terminal 201 calculates a pallet rental fee based on a pallet size, a type number, the number of pallets, the date of lending and the date of collection. - With the above-described steps, the rental pallet company can read the pallet ID number of each pallet when a forklift moves (transports) the pallet (e.g., the fork of the forklift is inserted into the pallet). The rental pallet company can also write location information about a collection location (depot) and information about the date of collection when the fork of a forklift is inserted into the collected pallet. As a result, it is possible to know the distribution pathway and collection pathway of each pallet, so that the inventory, distribution status and collection status of rental pallets can be managed in association with the actual movement (transportation) of the pallets.
- Further, for example, when a program for a pallet rental fee system is previously stored in the
host terminal 201, a temporally accurate and meticulous fee system can be constructed. - Next, an exemplary rental system will be described, in which the same pallet that is lent is returned and a rental fee is paid in advance.
- In this example, it is assumed that a customer paid to a rental pallet company in advance a rental fee, the amount of which depends on the contents of the customer's rental order. It should be note that steps S1 to S8 of this example are the same as those in the above-described example in which a rental fee is paid later and will not be explained. Only a portion of this example which is different from the above-described example will be described below.
- From the above-described step S8, the process goes to subsequent step S10 or S11.
- Step S10: when the result of comparison in the
host terminal 201 in step S8 shows that a rental pallet is returned to a location (depot) before completion of the rental period of the pallet, the balance of the rental fee to be refunded to the customer is calculated. The refund may be prorated per diem for the rental fee originally paid. Alternatively, the refund may be calculated based on a rate defined for a predetermined period (e.g., on a weekly basis). - Step S11: when a rental pallet is returned to a location (depot) after completion of the rental period of the pallet, the balance of the rental fee to be additionally collected from the customer is calculated.
- As described above, the pallets according to the above-described embodiments of the present invention can be effectively used in, for example, a pallet management system which manages the inventory, distribution status, collection status and the like of rental pallets. In such a pallet management system, a non-contact IC tag (e.g., an RFID tag, etc.) is attached to a pallet, and therefore, the moving pathway of the pallet can be directly tracked, thereby making it possible to reduce the effort to input data into a hand-written slip or a computer. Further, the distribution of pallets can be correctly tracked, thereby making it possible to clear the reason for loss or unauthorized use of a pallet. Furthermore, since a person in charge of a distribution stage can be identified, it is possible to, for example, demand an unpaid fee or claim damage due to loss or unauthorized use of pallets.
- The present invention can be embodied and practiced in other different forms without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics thereof Therefore, the above-described embodiments are considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All variations and modifications falling within the equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.
Claims (14)
1. A pallet for transporting goods, wherein the pallet is in the shape of a planar rectangle, the pallet comprising:
fork entries to admit two forks of a forklift, the fork entries being provided on two opposite sides of the panel; and
a through hole penetrating through the two sides on which the fork entries are provided, the through hole being located between the fork entries,
wherein a non-contact IC tag is provided inside the through hole and in a vicinity of a middle portion in a length direction of the through hole.
2. The pallet according to claim 1 , wherein an inner surface of the through hole is covered with a conductive material.
3. The pallet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a vertical cross-section of the through hole has a rectangular shape, and a length of either side of the rectangular through hole is equal to or larger than λ/2 where λ represents a wavelength of a frequency used between the non-contact IC tag and an interrogator.
4. The pallet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a vertical cross-section of the through hole has a circular shape, and a radius of the circular through hole is equal to or larger than λ/3.4 where λ represents a wavelength of a frequency used between the non-contact IC tag and an interrogator.
5. The pallet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a vertical cross-section of the through hole is in the shape of a ridge.
6. The pallet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a cross-section area of the through hole is increased from an inner portion of the pallet toward the sides of the pallet.
7. The pallet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a through hole is provided in a vicinity of a middle portion of the pallet, and the through hole intersects with the through hole penetrating through the sides and extends vertically with respect to the pallet.
8. The pallet according to claim 3 , wherein a cross-section area of the through hole is increased from an inner portion of the pallet toward the sides of the pallet.
9. The pallet according to claim 4 , wherein a cross-section area of the through hole is increased from an inner portion of the pallet toward the sides of the pallet.
10. The pallet according to claim 5 , wherein a cross-section area of the through hole is increased from an inner portion of the pallet toward the sides of the pallet.
11. The pallet according to claim 3 , wherein a through hole is provided in a vicinity of a middle portion of the pallet, and the through hole intersects with the through hole penetrating through the sides and extends vertically with respect to the pallet.
12. The pallet according to claim 4 , wherein a through hole is provided in a vicinity of a middle portion of the pallet, and the through hole intersects with the through hole penetrating through the sides and extends vertically with respect to the pallet.
13. The pallet according to claim 5 , wherein a through hole is provided in a vicinity of a middle portion of the pallet, and the through hole intersects with the through hole penetrating through the sides and extends vertically with respect to the pallet.
14. The pallet according to claim 6 , wherein a through hole is provided in a vicinity of a middle portion of the pallet, and the through hole intersects with the through hole penetrating through the sides and extends vertically with respect to the pallet.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
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JP2003-353754 | 2003-10-14 | ||
JP2003353754A JP4283084B2 (en) | 2003-10-14 | 2003-10-14 | palette |
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US10/962,574 Abandoned US20050076816A1 (en) | 2003-10-14 | 2004-10-13 | Pallet for transporting goods |
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JP (1) | JP4283084B2 (en) |
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DE (1) | DE102004050126A1 (en) |
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US11714975B2 (en) | 2014-10-28 | 2023-08-01 | Avery Dennison Retail Information Services Llc | High density read chambers for scanning and encoding RFID tagged items |
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JP7064385B2 (en) * | 2018-05-31 | 2022-05-10 | Ykk Ap株式会社 | Pallets for building materials |
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CN110581723A (en) * | 2019-09-09 | 2019-12-17 | 深圳市凯东源现代物流股份有限公司 | processing method and system for transportation with tray |
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US20090246461A1 (en) * | 2008-03-28 | 2009-10-01 | Oria Collapsibles, Llc | Article, assembly and process for producing a waterproof, degradation resistant and increased structural supported stiffener insert such as incorporated into a composite pallet construction |
US8146516B2 (en) | 2008-03-28 | 2012-04-03 | Oria Collapsibles, Llc | Structural supporting substrate incorporated into a composite and load supporting platform |
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US8420179B2 (en) | 2008-06-20 | 2013-04-16 | Orin Collapsibles, LLC | Spray applicating process and production assembly for manufacturing a pallet |
US8418632B2 (en) | 2008-06-20 | 2013-04-16 | Oria Collapsibles, Llc | Pallet assembly with locating support structure |
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US8522694B2 (en) | 2008-06-20 | 2013-09-03 | Oria Collapsibles, Llc | Structural supporting pallet construction with improved perimeter impact absorbing capabilities |
US8701569B2 (en) | 2008-06-20 | 2014-04-22 | Oria Collapsibles, Llc | Pallet design with structural reinforcement |
US20100320360A1 (en) * | 2009-06-18 | 2010-12-23 | Mesa Modular Systems, Inc. | Equipment support platform |
US20130160680A1 (en) * | 2010-07-13 | 2013-06-27 | Meppp B.V. | Plastic pallet |
US9038546B2 (en) * | 2010-07-13 | 2015-05-26 | Meppp B.V. | Plastic pallet |
US8692654B2 (en) * | 2012-06-26 | 2014-04-08 | Eastman Kodak Company | RFID system with multiple reader transmit frequencies |
US9135481B2 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2015-09-15 | Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. | Method and apparatus pertaining to installation of an RFID-tag reader system |
US9158950B2 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2015-10-13 | Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. | Method and apparatus pertaining to use of multiple sessions with RFID tags |
US9327868B1 (en) | 2014-03-20 | 2016-05-03 | Michael Marquis | Pallet system for cable-enabled loading |
US9840349B2 (en) | 2014-03-20 | 2017-12-12 | M2 Concepts And Design Llc | Pallet system for cable-enabled loading |
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US10339619B2 (en) * | 2015-08-25 | 2019-07-02 | Scott Arthur William Muirhead | Method and apparatus for presenting supply chain information to a consumer |
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US20190185205A1 (en) * | 2017-12-15 | 2019-06-20 | Shuert Technology, Llc | Molded plastic pallet having a snap in signal transmitter and method of making same |
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US10846648B2 (en) * | 2019-01-03 | 2020-11-24 | Creative Asset Tracking Solutions, LLC | Systems and methods for tracking a wood pallet using an embedded tracking device |
US11334841B2 (en) | 2019-01-03 | 2022-05-17 | Creative Asset Tracking Solutions, LLC | Systems and methods for tracking a wood pallet using an embedded tracking device |
US20230071977A1 (en) * | 2019-12-09 | 2023-03-09 | Engchoon Low | Assembling component having locking mechanism |
US11952165B2 (en) * | 2019-12-09 | 2024-04-09 | Engchoon Low | Assembling component having locking mechanism |
US11066210B1 (en) * | 2020-09-01 | 2021-07-20 | David Ankele | Nylon pallet |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN1301885C (en) | 2007-02-28 |
KR100582133B1 (en) | 2006-05-23 |
KR20050036734A (en) | 2005-04-20 |
CN1607165A (en) | 2005-04-20 |
DE102004050126A1 (en) | 2005-06-02 |
JP2005119670A (en) | 2005-05-12 |
JP4283084B2 (en) | 2009-06-24 |
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