Pursuing maximum profits and improving operational efficiency are the goals of every enterprise. The role of information systems in the office environment is well known. Now, the advantages of this information technology are expanding and extending into on-site operating environments such as production lines, warehouses and distribution centers.
The field job application system (and the various environments in which it operates) has unmatched competitiveness. If people want to integrate their office software with production and warehouse management systems, such factors as mobility, real-time transmission, and convenient interface design will play a key role in the successful implementation.
People engaged in production or warehousing are not willing to reduce work efficiency due to the so-called "system". Therefore, easy operation and convenient feedback are the goals pursued by various technologies now.
Combine bar code technology, wireless LAN technology and data collection technology to form an on-site operating system; extend the enterprise management system into the palms of operators or forklifts to make their work more convenient and the system more intelligent; equip wireless car terminals to forklifts , Guided by information, this is the concept of intelligent forklift. Smart Forklift Mobile Computing Technology: Car Terminal
1. Mobile Computing Technology of Intelligent Forklift: Comparison of Vehicle Terminal and Handheld Terminal
There has been a lot of talk about whether to use a handheld terminal or a vehicle-mounted terminal on a forklift. In fact, there is a general view that these two technologies are parallel and are complementary to IT solutions. The lightweight and compact handheld terminal can be used flexibly when handling items. A handheld terminal is usually limited to the size of the display screen, computing power, battery charging and replacement, etc. In addition, some other minor factors will also affect - do your workers wear work gloves? If so, then the handheld terminal It will be somewhat inconvenient. A convenient and easy-to-use interface is also a very important factor.
Car-mounted terminals can carry forward the advantages of handheld terminal technology and expand its utility. Installing the vehicle-mounted terminal on a lift truck, forklift, trailer, or other industrial vehicles allows operators to perform information operations while moving, call and display all data on the screen. With wireless network 802.
Driven by the successful implementation of the 1l standard, vehicle-mounted terminals can directly access the enterprise management system.
A virtual office environment is formed on the forklift, and enterprise data can be directly accessed no matter when and where. Are you looking for perishable items in a sub-zero cold storage environment? How do you know the specific output in a large production workshop? How do you direct a forklift truck to transfer large goods? These are just a few examples of how smart forklift trucks work. Second, the core of the intelligent forklift-the vehicle terminal When the intelligent forklift is running, the following points must be considered: volume, display quality, temperature range (and other environmental parameters), wireless access capabilities, power settings, and so on. Many traditional business information systems are not designed with too much harsh environmental factors in industrial operation in mind. Many companies have begun to realize this problem, and have begun to meet the needs of the market.
As we mentioned earlier, users hope to improve the quality of work through information systems. The in-vehicle terminal must have the friendly operation performance and quite high stability and reliability desired by the customer. Display size, brightness, contrast, and overall readability are all critical. Similarly, keyboard entry or touch screen methods must be fast, convenient, and versatile. In addition, operational assistance, real-time data storage, processor drivers, and wireless network support must also be considered.
(1) Performance and volume
A full-screen color display (VGA or better) running on a Pentium processor system can provide a global standard application and programming environment. The application situation, vehicle tools, application location and installation method of the vehicle-mounted system must also be considered. Many manufacturers will take into account the application range of the system, the size of the display and the diversity of loading methods to meet the needs of users and OSHA. Brightness and readability are very important parameters. The industry often needs a display with a reading rate of more than 300nit. Large display screens are very popular, so the overall system equipment needs to be expanded. In this way, the situation of any small cargo can be clearly understood on the large display screen. Those manufacturers according to different actual needs, in addition to providing a compact 8.4-inch VGA display for general environment or vehicle conditions, there are 10.4-inch VGA, 12.1-inch SVGA or 15-inch XGA.
(2) High sealing degree improves the reliability of the equipment
The vehicle-mounted terminal must be able to adapt to the harsh and changing working environment. Dust, grease or other contaminants can cause great damage to machinery and equipment. A highly sealed system can reduce this effect and ensure stable performance and operating life of the equipment. In working environments like refrigeration or immersion required by food processing or pharmaceutical factories, the sealing standard of machinery and equipment, NEMA-4, is a very important indicator. The NEMA-4 sealing standard "tight as airtight as an iron bucket" can ensure that the equipment is suitable for indoor and outdoor environments, waterproof, and resistant to the harsh environments of wind, sand, rain, ice and snow.
(3) Image display capability
In the actual application of production and warehousing, it is often necessary to frequently transmit small pieces of data-the scanned barcode, record the tray number or order number. Obviously this is not the main task of the CPU, the main task of the CPU is to control the user interface display. Those simple, character-based displays are also far from satisfying the needs. The graphical user interface (GUl) is not only easy to operate, but also greatly improves work efficiency. Time is money, so easy operation and reliable performance are the keys to improving the competitiveness of such 名媛直播. The high-pixel, brightly colored display screen can relieve the operator's eyestrain, quickly convert data, and reduce work intensity.
A high-precision graphical interface requires high computer configuration. At least INTEL's Pentium III series 500Mhz CPU and Windows 98/2000/NT/XP operating system are required. Those manufacturers of in-vehicle terminal systems also consider the issue of cost when developing 名媛直播.
These 名媛直播 are compatible with WindowsCE system, which can greatly reduce the system-related costs.
(4) System connection capability
Vehicle-mounted terminals can access system data in real time, and they can play a greater role. Therefore, the system access capability is also a link that cannot be ignored. The expansion of wireless networks has made the rapid application of mobile computing technology in the industrial field possible. The wireless technology complies with the 802.11b standard, runs on the 2.4G frequency, and has 11M data bandwidth. Connecting to a wireless network can query and confirm the location of wireless base stations on the network. These wireless base stations are connected to wired Ethernet to form a hybrid local area network. Once these wireless base stations are installed, you can continue to any other wireless terminal (vehicle terminal and handheld terminal) within a certain range (usually within a few hundred feet) and access system data while roaming.
(5) "Cannot interfere with normal work"
When using any new technology, I often hear the complaint "Don't interfere with my normal work." Any changes or updates to daily procedures or steps may interfere with the normal workflow. For a new technology to gain widespread acceptance and support, it must be considered "easy to operate"
this problem.
Data input in the industry system is a very tedious and labor-intensive problem. The bar code technology and touch screen technology currently used are very practical, but the traditional keyboard input method is also essential. Because the required data entry often contains a large number of numbers and letters, SKU numbers, etc. Touch screen technology with a well-designed graphical interface greatly simplifies operation and speeds up data entry. Mouse touch, popular on-screen keyboard and key menu options can all solve this problem to a great extent, reduce errors, and improve the scanning and reading rate of barcode labels.
(6) Storage equipment requirements
Once data storage requirements are considered, mobile devices will face unprecedented challenges. The handheld terminal must be fixed in order to reduce the vibration and shaking that would not be encountered in previous desktop systems. The resilience of the rotary drive is amazing, and many mobile device suppliers are aware of this problem. They use a double fixation method to ensure the reliability of data storage: 1) Use a bracket and a base to reduce physical vibration; 2) Use The Windows CE operating system uses Flash technology to save data and programs.
The more common storage method is Flash storage, such as PCMCIA FLASH disk or other smaller packaging forms such as COMPACT FLASH. Both packaging standards have been generally recognized, and can avoid many additional costs. PCMCIA's flash memory has now reached 2G storage capacity, providing enough space for local storage of mobile devices. For example, WINDOWS 2000 occupies 1.4G space, and those famous manufacturers can provide PCMCIA and COMPACT FLASH ports, so that the system structure can more flexibly meet customer needs.
(7) Peripheral equipment interface
The system without I/O can be said to be incomplete. In an industrial environment, most peripheral devices are barcode scanners and portable label printers. The choice of peripheral equipment depends on the specific application needs and power supply specifications. In this mobile application environment, fixed interfaces and I/O cables are often required. In the old systems in the past, the traditional parallel and serial ports are generally used, and the car system that meets the I/O standard prefers the USB port.
(8) Power requirements
I have already mentioned various aspects of in-vehicle mobile data technology, of course, there is another very important aspect that cannot be ignored: power supply. Perhaps there is nothing more challenging than keeping the power supply normal in a noisy, high EMI/RFI environment. Various sockets of equipment and other related facilities, electrical operation and current conversion all make the power supply environment very "dirty".
The power supply of electronic forklifts usually requires 24-48VDC (often up to 72V or 96V), while those propane driven vehicles use the traditional 12V ignition system (which also generates a lot of noise). Therefore, in actual operation, backup power or battery is very important. Real-time maintenance work and network access without restarting the computer have become factors to be considered.
It is very difficult to manage and maintain a set of power supplies that are clean, not easily affected by external influences, and can maintain normal operation at all times. Now large international manufacturers have begun to consider developing power supplies with a wide range of applications, as well as backup power supplies that do not need to receive external interference.
3. Logistics Mization-New Competitiveness
With the rapid development of the Internet, wide-area and local-area wireless networks, and mobile information equipment, mobile computing technology has become the direction of information technology development, and Mobilizing-"M" has become the core of enterprise competitiveness. The decentralized and mobile information technology of the logistics industry and mobile computing technology can be described as a perfect combination. The development of the world's leading logistics companies has allowed us to appreciate the powerful power of "logistics M". As one of the "logistics M" technologies, the functional forklift technology expands the enterprise information system to the forklift, which can make the actual operation of the enterprise obtain rich returns. This automatic operation will make many production, warehousing and logistics links benefit greatly. Realizing a paperless office is close at hand. Both the forklift driver and the manager can enjoy the work pleasure brought by the operation and production efficiency from the forklift.
