JP2006027768A - Storage position guide system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To help a user to easily find a storage part of a lending article. <P>SOLUTION: An informing unit 11 for informing the storage part 2a by emitting the light is provided in each of the storage parts 2a for storing the books 3 as lending articles in a shelf 2. The book as an obeject of storage position guide is appointed on the basis of operation of a search terminal 4 by a user, and storage position information of the book 3 is obtained from a server 1d and displayed in a display 21, and user number is read out of a non-contact IC card placed in a first antenna 13a by the user, and the read user number and the obtained storage position information are stored in association with each other. Thereafter, when the user brings the non-contact IC card close to a second antenna 13b provided in the shelf 2 and the user number is read out of the non-contact IC card by the second antenna 13b, the informing unit 11 corresponding to the storage part 2a specified on the basis of the storage position information corresponding to the user number is made to emit the light. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a storage position guide system used in a library or the like.

  In recent years, libraries have established a search system that can search for books that are loaned, and provide search services for books to users by installing search system search terminals in a state where users can It has become like this.

  The search system searches whether the library corresponding to the search item or book name entered at the search terminal is in the library, and if so, displays the storage location (storage location) of the book on the display of the search terminal. And provide it to users.

JP 2001-163417 A

  As a result of the search, if the desired book exists in the library, the user moves to the book storage location provided by the search terminal and obtains the book. However, in this case, the user can find the position of the shelf where the book is stored by referring to the guide in the library, but the storage unit (storage location) where the book is stored in the shelf is a number, for example. Since it is expressed by a combination of letters and characters, there is a problem that it is difficult to find the storage part.

  Patent Document 1 describes a technique for reducing labor of a worker in an inspection work of a document using RFID technology in a library. However, the above-described problem to be solved by the present invention is solved. It is not a thing.

  An object of the present invention is to enable a user to easily find a storage unit in which rental items are stored.

  The present invention provides an input / output device provided with a display, an input device for designating loan information for specifying a loan, a first antenna for performing wireless communication with a non-contact IC card, A plurality of shelves having storage units for storing rental items, a notification device for notifying the storage units for storing the rental items by light emission, and the non-contact IC card and the radio arranged at positions corresponding to the individual shelves A storage device provided with a plurality of second antennas for performing communication, the storage unit of the loan specified by the loan information in the loan information, and the shelf having the storage unit A storage unit that associates and stores storage location information to be identified, an acquisition unit that acquires the storage location information from the storage unit based on loan information specified by the input device, and the acquired storage location information Included Corresponding to the storage position information acquired by the acquisition means, display means for displaying shelf information for specifying the shelf on the display, and user information acquired from the non-contact IC card using the first antenna And a storage unit for storing the storage unit identified by the storage position information stored in association with the user information acquired from the non-contact IC card using the second antenna. And an informing means for informing.

  The present invention provides an input / output device provided with a display, an input device for designating loan information for specifying a loan, a first antenna for performing wireless communication with a non-contact IC card, A plurality of shelves each having a storage unit for storing a rental product, a notification device for notifying the storage unit for storing the rental product by light emission, and the non-contact IC card disposed at a position corresponding to each of the shelves; A storage device provided with a plurality of second antennas for performing wireless communication, the storage unit of the loan specified by the loan information in the loan information, and the shelf having the storage unit A storage unit that associates and stores storage location information that identifies the storage location, an acquisition unit that acquires the storage location information from the storage unit based on loan information specified by the input device, and the acquired storage location information Included in Display means for displaying shelf information for identifying the shelf to be displayed on the display, writing means for writing the storage position information acquired by the acquisition means to the non-contact IC card using the first antenna, and the first Informing means for informing the storage unit specified by the storage position information acquired from the non-contact IC card using two antennas by the notification device.

  According to the present invention, the user can easily find the storage unit in which the rental items are stored.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment shows an application example to a storage location guidance system used in a library. In the library according to the present embodiment, a non-contact IC card 101 (see FIG. 6) storing a user number that is user information for identifying a user is issued to the user.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a system configuration of a storage position guidance system 1 according to the present embodiment. The storage position guidance system 1 includes an input / output device 1a, a storage device 1b, an RF (Radio Frequency) reader / writer 1c, a server 1d, and the like. Although details will be described later, the RF reader / writer 1c includes a first antenna 13a constituting the input / output device 1a and a second antenna 13b constituting the storage device 1b, and a non-contact IC card 101 possessed by the user. The storage position guidance system 1 generally performs communication with the non-contact IC card 101 by using such RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology. The system guides the storage unit 2a which is the storage position of the book 3 desired by the user. Here, a first installation area A and a second installation area B are set in the library, the input / output device 1a is placed in the first installation area A, and the storage device 1b is placed in the second installation area A. It is arranged in the installation area B.

[Storage device 1b]
The storage device 1 b includes a plurality of shelves 2. These shelves 2 are provided with a plurality of storage units 2a for freely storing books 3 as rental items. Specifically, the shelf 2 is partitioned into a plurality of stages by a plurality of horizontal plates 2b, and a plurality of storage units 2a for storing books 3 are provided along the horizontal plates 2b for each stage. A storage unit 2a (storage position) in which each book 3 is stored in the shelf 2 is determined in advance. The storage unit 2a may be determined for each book 3 or may be determined in units of groups. Examples of groups include mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. When the storage unit 2a of the book 3 is set in units of groups, the book 3 may be stored anywhere within the storage unit 2a. Here, in the present embodiment, a hierarchical structure of shelf information (for example, engineering shelf) for specifying the shelf 2 and storage unit information (for example, number) for specifying the storage unit 2a provided on the shelf 2 is used. Storage location information is configured, and the storage location 2a in which books are stored can be specified by this storage location information.

  The shelf 2 is provided with a notification device 11 that emits light when energized so as to correspond to the storage unit 2 a for each storage unit 2 a of the book 3. These alarms 11 are provided in front of the horizontal plate 2b on which the book 3 is placed. That is, the alarm 11 is arranged below the storage unit 2a of the book 3. Examples of these alarms 11 include light bulbs and LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). Furthermore, a second antenna 13 b is provided on the side plate 2 c of each shelf 2. These second antennas 13b are antennas constituting the RF reader / writer 1c, and a reading area in wireless communication is outside the side plate 2c. That is, the second antenna 13b is installed at a position where the reading area does not enter the storage unit 2a of the shelf 2.

[I / O device 1a]
The input / output device 1a includes a search terminal 4 that is an input device, a first antenna 13a of the RF reader / writer 1c, and the like. The input / output device 1a is placed on a search desk 23 installed in the first installation area A.

  The search terminal 4 is provided with a display 21 having a touch panel 20 on the surface, a keyboard 22 and the like.

  The touch panel 20 and the display device 21 function as an input device similar to the keyboard by synchronizing the positional relationship between the key image displayed on the display device 21 and the coordinates of the touch panel 20, and the operator's Accept the operation.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical connection of each unit included in the search terminal 4. The search terminal 4 includes a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer) 30. The microcomputer 30 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 33 for storing fixed data such as a startup program in advance through a bus line 32 in a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31 that performs drive control of each unit and various calculations, A RAM (Random Access Memory) 34 that functions as a work area for storing data in a rewritable manner and a timer 35 that measures the date and time are connected. The search terminal 4 has a communication interface 36 for executing data communication with the server 1d via a cable, for example, and the communication interface 36 is connected to the microcomputer 30 via the bus line 32.

  In addition, the touch panel 20, the display device 21, and the keyboard 22 described above are connected to the microcomputer 10 via the bus line 32 and the I / O device control unit 38. Further, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 39 is connected to the microcomputer 10 via the bus line 32. The HDD 39 stores a search result file F1 in addition to a computer program for operating the microcomputer 30. The search result file F1 is a file used in storage location guidance processing to be described later, and has a file structure for storing the storage location information of the book 3 in association with the user number as shown in FIG.

  The computer program or the like stored in the HDD 39 is copied to the RAM 34 when the search terminal 4 is activated, thereby enabling the microcomputer 30 to drive each part and perform various calculations.

  The alarm 11 of the storage device 1b provided separately from the search terminal 4 is also connected to the microcomputer 30 via the bus line 32 and the I / O device control unit 38, and the microcomputer 30 turns on / off the light. Drive controlled.

[RF reader / writer 1c]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical connection of each part provided in the RF reader / writer 1c. The RF reader / writer 1c includes a microcomputer 50. The microcomputer 50 is configured by connecting a ROM 53 and a RAM 54 to a CPU 51 via a bus line 52. The RF reader / writer 1c is connected to the microcomputer 50 via the bus line 52. The communication interface 55 is connected to the search terminal 4 to execute data communication with the search terminal 4.

  The RF reader / writer 1c is provided with the above-described first antenna 13a and a plurality of second antennas 13b. The first and second antennas 13a and 13b are connected to the radio control unit 57 and the bus line 52, respectively. It is connected to the microcomputer 50 via The RF reader / writer 1c radiates electromagnetic waves from the first antenna 13a and the second antenna 13b to execute a wireless information read / write operation on the non-contact IC card 101.

[Server 1d]
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing electrical connection of each part provided in the server 1d. The server 1d is provided with a microcomputer 90. The microcomputer 90 is configured by connecting a ROM 93 and a RAM 94 to a CPU 91 via a bus line 92. The server 1d is provided with a communication interface 95 for executing data communication with the search terminal 4 via a cable, for example. This communication interface 95 is connected to the microcomputer 90 via the bus line 92. It is connected. The microcomputer 90 is connected to a keyboard 98, a display device 99, and an HDD 100 as a storage unit via a bus line 92 and an I / O device control unit 97.

  The HDD 100 stores a rental management file F2 in addition to a computer program for operating the microcomputer 90. The loan management file F2 stores, for each book 3, book information such as a book number, a book name, storage position information of the book, and a lending status as book identification information for identifying the book 3. The computer program or the like stored in the HDD 100 is copied to the RAM 94 when the server 1d is started, so that the microcomputer 90 can perform drive control of each unit and various calculations.

[Non-contact IC card 101]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically showing the non-contact IC card 101. The non-contact IC card 101 includes an IC chip 104 composed of a CPU 102 and a memory unit 103 and an antenna 105, and is configured to be able to perform data communication with the RF reader / writer 1c wirelessly. The memory unit 103 includes a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and stores a user number. As the user number, the ID number of the non-contact IC card 101 assigned to the non-contact IC card 101 may be used as it is. The non-contact IC card 101 is a non-power source type driven by electric power supplied from the RF reader / writer 1c by electromagnetic waves. As a communication method between the non-contact IC card 101 and the RF reader / writer 1c, various methods such as an electrostatic coupling method, an electromagnetic coupling method, an electromagnetic induction method, and a microwave method can be adopted.

[processing]
Next, storage position guidance processing executed by each of the CPUs 31, 51, 91 in accordance with a computer program will be described together with a method for using the storage position guidance system 1. Here, FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the storage position guidance process.

  First, the search terminal 4 displays an initial screen (not shown) prompting the user number to be input on the display 21 (step S1a). On this initial screen, for example, a message such as “Please place the non-contact IC card 101 on the first antenna 13a on the search desk 23” is displayed. A user who searches the storage unit 2a of the book 3 places the non-contact IC card 101 on the first antenna 13a according to the initial screen.

  If the RF reader / writer 1c reads the information (user number in the present embodiment) stored in the non-contact IC card 101 by placing the non-contact IC card 101 on the first antenna 13a. If this is the case (Y in step S2a), the antenna identification information for identifying the antenna (here, the first antenna 13a) and the read user number are transmitted to the search terminal 4 (step S2b).

  In the search terminal 4, when the user number and the antenna identification information are received from the RF reader / writer 1c (Y in Step S1b), it is determined whether or not the antenna identification information indicates the first antenna 13a (Step S1b). S1c). Since the description here is for the case where the antenna identification information is the first antenna 13a (Y in step S1c), the process proceeds to step S1d to execute the search process.

  The search process in step S1d is a process of searching for books together with the search process executed by the server 1d in step S3a along with this process. Since these processes are substantially the same as the well-known search process, they will be briefly described. First, in the search terminal 4, an input screen on which a user inputs a part or all of a search item such as a book name or an author name using the keyboard 22 or the touch panel 20 is displayed on the display 21. If a search item is input on the input screen, the server 1d is requested to search for a book using the input search item. In response to the request, the server 1d transmits to the search terminal 4 book information such as the book number, name, and author name of all the books 3 corresponding to the search item. The search terminal 4 that has received the search result displays the received search result on the display 21 in a list display. The book information displayed in a list is associated with a book number. If one book information is designated among the book information displayed in a list by the keyboard 22 or the touch panel 20 by the operation of the user, that is, if a book number is designated, the designated book number is designated. The book 3 specified by is identified as the book 3 to be stored location guidance, and the server 1d is inquired for detailed information such as storage location information and lending status of the book 3 specified by the book number. In response to the inquiry, the server 1d searches the loan management file F2 for the detailed status such as the storage location information of the book 3 specified by the book number and the lending status, and transmits it to the search terminal 4. To do. The search terminal 4 receives the detailed information such as the stored storage location information and the lending status and stores it in the RAM 34. Thereby, storage position information is acquired. Here, the function of the acquisition means is executed. Then, the search terminal 4 causes the display 21 to display detailed information such as storage position information and lending status of the book 3 (display means). At this time, at least shelf information (name) of the shelf 2 is displayed as the storage position information.

  Next, the storage position information of the book 3 to be stored position guidance acquired in step S1d is stored in the search result file F1 in association with the book number of the book 3 (step S1e). Here, the function of the storage means is executed.

  Next, the user moves to the shelf 2 of the book 3 displayed on the display 21 and brings the non-contact IC card 101 closer to the second antenna 13 b provided on the shelf 2.

  When the RF reader / writer 1c reads the user number stored in the non-contact IC card 101 by bringing the non-contact IC card 101 closer to the second antenna 13b (Y in step S2a), the RF reader / writer 1c Then, the antenna identification information for identifying the second antenna 13b) and the read user number are transmitted to the search terminal 4 (step S2b).

  If the search terminal 4 receives the user number and the antenna identification information from the RF reader / writer 1c (Y in step S1a), the description here is that the antenna identification information is not the first antenna 13a but the second antenna 13b. Since this is the case (N in step S1c), the process proceeds to step S1f to execute the notification process. In the notification process, in the search result file F1, the storage location information associated with the user number received in step S1b is searched and acquired. The second antenna 13b of the RF reader / writer 1c that has performed wireless communication in step S2a is the second antenna 13b provided on the shelf 2 specified by the shelf information included in the storage position information acquired in the step. In this case, the alarm device 11 corresponding to the storage unit 2a specified by the storage position information is caused to emit light. Thereby, the storage unit 2a is notified. The light emission time at this time is determined in advance, and when the light emission time reaches the specified time, the alarm 11 is turned off. On the other hand, if the second antenna 13b that has performed wireless communication in step S2a is not the second antenna 13b provided in the shelf 2 specified by the shelf information included in the storage position information acquired in the step, the alarm 11 does not emit light. Here, the function of the notification means is executed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the notification device 11 corresponding to the storage unit 2a of the book 3 designated by the user is lit to notify the user of the storage unit 2a of the book 3 and the storage unit 2a of the book 3 is stored. Since the guidance is provided, the user can easily find the storage unit 2a of the book 3.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the notification means is provided on the condition that wireless communication is performed using the second antenna 13b corresponding to the shelf 2 specified by the shelf information included in the acquired storage position information. Since the storage unit 2a is notified by the notification device 11 which is a notification device, for example, the non-contact IC card is connected to the second antenna 13b provided on the shelf 2 different from the shelf 2 where the user is guided by the display on the display device 21. If the alarm 11 is caused to emit light even when 101 is brought close, other users may be confused, but in this embodiment, such a situation can be prevented.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the notification means sets the specified time to an appropriate time by causing the alarm device 11 to emit light for a specified time, thereby completing the discovery of the storage unit 2a of the book 3 by the user. Since the alarm device 11 that does not need to emit light does not continue to emit light, the storage position guide process can be continuously performed.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the second antenna 13b is provided on the shelf 2 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The installation position of the second antenna 13b is only required to be installed corresponding to each shelf 2 in the second installation area B. For example, the second antenna 13b is provided independently of the shelf 2 around the shelf 2. May be.

  Further, in the present embodiment, an example is described in which the storage position information for specifying the storage unit 2a of the book 3 and the shelf 2 having the storage unit 2a is set in a hierarchical structure based on the shelf information and the storage unit information. However, it is not limited to this. The storage position information may be set by serial numbers assigned to the storage units 2a of all the shelves 2 and shelf information for specifying the shelves 2 having the storage units 2a specified by the serial numbers. . In this case, the serial number and the shelf information may be stored in the loan management file F2, or only the serial number is stored in the loan management file F2, and the association between the serial number and the shelf information is, for example, another file. You may memorize it.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, although the storage position guidance system 1 used in a library was demonstrated to the example, it does not restrict to this. For example, the storage location guidance system may be used in rental stores that handle CDs, DVDs, video tapes, etc. as rental items.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the same parts as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the storage position guidance process of the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, in contrast to the first embodiment, the search result file F1 is not used in the storage position guidance process, and the memory unit 103 of the non-contact IC card 101 provided in the book 3 is stored in the book 3 A difference is that storage location information is stored. Therefore, the information read by the RF reader / writer 1c in step S2a becomes the user number and the storage position information when the storage position information of the book 3 is stored together with the user number in the non-contact IC card 101. When the storage position information is read, the storage position information is also transmitted from the RF reader / writer 1c to the search terminal 4 (step S2b).

  Then, in the search terminal 4, after the processing from step S1a to S1d is executed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the storage location information of the book 3 of the storage location guidance object acquired in step S1d is stored in the first antenna 13a. A write command for writing to the mounted non-contact IC card 101 is transmitted to the RF reader / writer 1c (step S11e).

  When the RF reader / writer 1c receives a write command from the search terminal 4 (Y in step S12c), the storage position information of the book 3 to be stored position guidance is placed on the first antenna 13a in response to the write command. Is written to the contactless IC card 101 (step S12d). Here, the function of the writing means is executed.

  Next, the RF reader / writer 1c reads the user number stored in the non-contact IC card 101 and the storage position information of the book 3 by bringing the non-contact IC card 101 close to the second antenna 13b ( In step S2a, Y), the antenna identification information for identifying the antenna (here, the second antenna 13b) and the read storage location information are transmitted to the search terminal 4 (step S2b).

  If the search terminal 4 receives the storage position information and the antenna identification information from the RF reader / writer 1c (Y in step S1b), the explanation here is that the antenna identification information is not the first antenna 13a but the second antenna 13b. Since this is the case (N in step S1c), the process proceeds to step S11f to execute the notification process. In the notification process, the notification device 11 corresponding to the storage unit 2a specified by the storage position information received from the RF reader / writer 1c is caused to emit light under the same conditions as in the first embodiment. Here, the function of the notification means is executed.

  As described above, in this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the alarm 11 corresponding to the storage unit 2a of the book 3 designated by the user emits light, and the storage unit 2a of the book 3 is sent to the user. Since the notification is made and the storage unit 2a of the book 3 is guided, the user can easily find the storage unit 2a of the book 3.

  In the present embodiment, since the storage unit 2a of the books 3 is stored in the non-contact IC card 101 provided in each book 3, it is necessary to provide the search result file F1 as in the first embodiment. Absent.

It is the schematic which shows the system configuration | structure of the storage position guidance system of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical connection of each part with which a search terminal is provided. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the file structure of a search result file. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical connection of each part with which an RF reader / writer is provided. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical connection of each part with which a server is provided. It is a block diagram which shows a non-contact IC card roughly. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a storage position guidance process. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the storage position guidance process of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Storage position guidance system, 1a ... Input / output device, 1b ... Storage device, 2 ... Shelf, 2a ... Storage part, 3 ... Book (rental article), 4 ... Search terminal (input device), 11 ... Alarm (notification) 13a ... first antenna, 13b ... second antenna, 21 ... display, 100 ... HDD (storage unit), 101 ... non-contact IC card

Claims (4)

An input / output device provided with a display, an input device for designating loan information specifying a loan, and a first antenna for wireless communication with a non-contact IC card;
A plurality of shelves having storage units for storing the rental items, a notification device for notifying the storage units for storing the rental items by light emission, and the non-contact IC cards arranged at positions corresponding to the individual shelves And a storage device provided with a plurality of second antennas for performing wireless communication,
A storage unit for storing the loan information in association with storage position information for specifying the storage unit of the loan specified by the loan information and the shelf having the storage unit;
Obtaining means for obtaining the storage position information from the storage unit based on loan information specified by the input device;
Display means for displaying shelf information for identifying the shelf included in the acquired storage position information on the display;
Storage means for storing user information acquired from the non-contact IC card using the first antenna in association with the storage position information acquired by the acquisition means;
Informing means for informing the storage unit specified by the storage position information stored in association with the user information acquired from the non-contact IC card using the second antenna by the notification device;
A storage location guidance system. An input / output device provided with a display, an input device for designating loan information specifying a loan, and a first antenna for wireless communication with a non-contact IC card;
A plurality of shelves having storage units for storing the rental items, a notification device for notifying the storage units for storing the rental items by light emission, and the non-contact IC cards arranged at positions corresponding to the individual shelves And a storage device provided with a plurality of second antennas for performing wireless communication,
A storage unit for storing the loan information in association with storage position information for specifying the storage unit of the loan specified by the loan information and the shelf having the storage unit;
Obtaining means for obtaining the storage position information from the storage unit based on loan information specified by the input device;
Display means for displaying shelf information for identifying the shelf included in the acquired storage position information on the display;
Writing means for writing the storage position information acquired by the acquisition means to the contactless IC card using the first antenna;
Informing means for informing the storage unit specified by the storage position information acquired from the non-contact IC card using the second antenna by the notification device;
A storage location guidance system.   The informing means sets the storage unit to the informing device on the condition that wireless communication is performed using the second antenna corresponding to the shelf specified by the shelf information included in the acquired storage position information. The storage position guidance system according to claim 1 or 2, which performs notification. The storage position guidance system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the notification means performs notification by the notification device for a specified time.

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