JP2006347560A - Pallet - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pallet capable of performing the consistent communication equally in any of four directions of side faces at low introduction cost and low operational cost. <P>SOLUTION: One IC tag 100 is arranged in a center of a pallet 10 so that the longitudinal direction of its antenna forms an angle of substantially 45° with respect to any one of four side faces having a socket. According to this arrangement, communication can be performed under the substantially same condition for all four directions by the single IC tag 100. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pallet having a loading surface on which goods are loaded in a unit quantity for handling, transporting and storing goods.

An IC tag that performs non-contact communication is also referred to as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), holds information that can identify an individual, and can read or write the information in a non-contact manner by wireless or the like. .
Such an IC tag is useful for managing products and the like in each field such as transportation, factory process management, and distribution.
For example, a pallet for logistics is known in which an IC tag capable of reading and writing information wirelessly is attached, and products etc. packed in the pallet are managed by this IC tag (Patent Document 1). .

  However, in the pallet described in Patent Document 1, since the IC tag is attached to a specific side surface of the pallet, communication may be impossible depending on the position of the reader with respect to the pallet. For example, communication may be impossible from the side where the IC tag is not attached because the distance between the IC tag and the reader is greatly separated.

In order to avoid such an incommunicable state or that the operation method is limited to a specific method, in Patent Document 2, the pallet is divided into four equal parts and opposed to each other. Each IC tag is arranged at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the side of the pallet.
However, in the pallet described in Patent Document 2, two IC tags are required for one pallet, and there is a problem that the introduction cost is more than doubled and the cost is also doubled.
JP 2002-240913 A JP 2005-509575 Gazette

  An object of the present invention is to provide a pallet that can perform communication that is equally stable in any of the four directions on the side surface with reduced introduction cost and operation cost.

The present invention solves the above problems by the following means. In addition, in order to make an understanding easy, although the code | symbol corresponding to the Example of this invention is attached | subjected and demonstrated, it is not limited to this.
The invention of claim 1 has a stacking surface on which articles are collected in unit quantity and has insertion ports (12a, 13a, 14a, 15a, 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a, 32a, 33a, 34a, 35a). In a four-sided pallet having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape provided on all four side surfaces (12, 13, 14, 15, 22, 23, 24, 25, 32, 33, 34, 35), an antenna is provided. A substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped IC tag (100, 200, 300) that performs information communication by contact is provided, and one IC tag is disposed at substantially the center when viewed from the loading surface side. The pallet (10, 20, 30) is characterized by being arranged at an angle of approximately 45 degrees with respect to any of the four side surfaces provided with the insertion port. is there.
The invention of claim 2 has a stacking surface on which articles are collected in unit quantity and has insertion ports (12a, 13a, 14a, 15a, 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a, 32a, 33a, 34a, 35a). In a four-sided pallet having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape provided on all four side surfaces (12, 13, 14, 15, 22, 23, 24, 25, 32, 33, 34, 35), an antenna is provided. An IC tag (100, 200, 300) that performs information communication by contact is provided, and one IC tag is arranged at a substantially central position when viewed from the loading surface side, and the longitudinal direction of the antenna is the insertion The pallet (10, 20, 30) is characterized by being arranged at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to any of the four side surfaces provided with the mouths.
The invention of claim 3 is the pallet (10, 20, 30) characterized in that, in the pallet of claim 1 or 2, the antenna is a single dipole antenna (102).
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the pallet according to any one of the first to third aspects, the IC tag (100, 200, 300) has the antenna (102) formed on a single plane. The pallet is characterized in that the plane on which the antenna is formed is arranged at an angle of approximately 45 degrees with respect to any of the four side surfaces provided with the insertion port. (10, 20, 30).
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the pallet according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the communicable distance of the IC tag (100, 200, 300) is from the IC tag to any side. It is a pallet (10, 20, 30) characterized by being longer than the distance.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The IC tag has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and one IC tag is arranged at the substantially center when viewed from the stacking surface side, and any one surface of the IC tag has four side surfaces provided with insertion ports. Therefore, the communication characteristics can be substantially equivalent to any of the four side surfaces. Further, such an effect can be realized by one IC tag, and the introduction cost and the operation cost can be reduced.
(2) One IC tag is disposed substantially in the center when viewed from the stacking surface side, and the longitudinal direction of the antenna is approximately 45 with respect to any of the four side surfaces provided with the insertion ports. Since they are arranged with an angle of degrees, substantially equivalent communication characteristics can be obtained in any direction of the four side surfaces. Further, such an effect can be realized by one IC tag, and the introduction cost and the operation cost can be reduced.
(3) Since the antenna is a single dipole antenna, it is hardly affected by the direction of the plane on which the antenna is formed, and stable communication characteristics can be obtained in any direction.
(4) The plane on which the antenna is formed is arranged at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to any of the four side surfaces provided with the insertion port. Even when antennas having different communication characteristics depending on the direction of the formed plane are used, substantially equivalent communication characteristics can be obtained for any of the four side surfaces.
(5) Since the communicable distance of the IC tag is longer than the distance from the IC tag to any side surface, communication can be reliably performed from the side surface direction.

  The present invention aims at enabling communication that is equally stable in any of the four directions on the side surface by devising the layout of the IC tag and covering it with a single IC tag. This is achieved by reducing costs.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing Example 1 of a pallet according to the present invention.
The pallet 10 according to the present embodiment is a pallet on which an article is placed on the loading surface 11 and handled as a unit quantity for handling, transporting, and storing the article. The pallet 10 is provided with two insertion ports 12a, 13a, 14a, and 15a on the side surfaces 12, 13, 14, and 15 respectively, and can be used by inserting a fork from four directions. It is a pallet.
The IC tag 100 is completely embedded in the pallet 10.

Here, the IC tag will be described.
IC tags can be roughly classified into the following four types depending on the frequency band used for non-contact communication.
(1) 125 kHz to 135 kHz band IC tags in this frequency band are mainly used in the FA (Factor Automation) field and the like, and are the oldest RFID systems.
Communication method: Electromagnetic induction Tag shape: Coil antenna wound in a mandrel shape, Number of coil turns: Several tens of turns Communication distance: Up to about 1 m (2) 13.56 MHz band IC tags in this frequency band are currently most widely used ing.
Communication method: electromagnetic induction Tag shape: antenna coil, number of coil turns: about 3 to 10 turns Communication distance: about 1 m at maximum (3) 860 MHz to 960 MHz band (UHF band)
IC tags in this frequency band have been adopted by major distribution companies in Europe and the United States, and are rapidly gaining attention.
Communication method: Microwave method Tag shape: Dipole antenna (Antenna length: about 16cm)
Deformed dipole (antenna length: about 5-10cm)
Patch antenna (antenna length: about 5-10cm)
Communication distance: Up to about 7 m (4) 2.45 GHz band IC tags in this frequency band are used for container management and the like because they have a relatively long communication distance.
Communication method: Microwave method Tag shape: Dipole (Antenna length: approx. 6cm)
The communication distance: about 2 m at the maximum In this embodiment, an IC tag using a frequency band of 860 MHz to 960 MHz (UHF band) and having a single dipole antenna will be described as an example. Or an IC tag using a communication frequency other than these.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the IC tag in the present embodiment. FIG. 2A is a plan view of the IC tag 100, and FIG. 2B is a diagram schematically showing a cross section of the IC tag 100.
The IC tag 100 includes a dipole antenna 102 formed by etching or the like on a base film 101, and an IC chip 103 to which an end of the dipole antenna 102 is connected. The base film 101 is a thin sheet-like member formed of polyethylene terephthalate or the like. The antenna coil 102 is made of aluminum or the like. A cover film 104 is further laminated on the base film 101 on which the antenna coil 102 is formed.

FIG. 3 is a view of the pallet 10 as seen from the normal direction of the loading surface 11. In FIG. 3, the IC tag 100 is shown in a transparent manner, and the IC tag is shown in a larger size for easy understanding.
The IC tag 100 is disposed at the center of the pallet 10 when viewed from the loading surface 11 side. The plane on which the antenna 102 of the IC tag 100 is formed forms an angle of 45 degrees with all four side surfaces, and the longitudinal direction of the IC tag 100 forms an angle of 45 degrees with all four side surfaces. ing. Therefore, the IC tag 100 is substantially equidistant from the two side surfaces 12 and the side surfaces 14 arranged opposite to each other, and is also substantially equidistant from the two side surfaces 13 and the side surfaces 15 arranged opposite to each other. ing. The communicable distance of the IC tag 100 is longer than the distance from the IC tag 100 to any side surface.

By arranging the IC tag 100 in this way, the distance at which the reader R can communicate with the IC tag 100 when the fork F of the forklift approaches the side surface 13 is such that the fork F from the direction of the side surface 15 facing the side surface 13. The distance is approximately the same when approaching.
Further, the pallet 10 in this embodiment is formed so that the four side surfaces 12, 13, 14, and 15 are square when viewed from the loading surface 11, and the IC tag 100 is disposed at the center thereof. For example, when the fork F approaches from the direction of the side surface 11, the communication distance is equal to the communication distance when the fork F approaches from the direction of the side surface 13.
Thus, according to the present embodiment, the IC tag 100 and the reader R always communicate under the same communication conditions even if the fork F approaches from any of the four side surfaces 12, 13, 14, and 15. Can be done.
Note that the direction in which the reader R approaches is not limited to the normal direction of each side surface.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing Example 2 of the pallet in the present invention.
The pallet 20 of the second embodiment is the same as the pallet 10 of the first embodiment, except that the IC tag 100 is changed in the direction in which the IC tag 100 is arranged in the pallet 10 of the first embodiment. Therefore, parts having the same functions as those of the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals at the end, and redundant description is appropriately omitted.
The pallet 20 is provided with two insertion ports 22a, 23a, 24a, and 25a on the side surfaces 22, 23, 24, and 25, respectively, and can be used by inserting a fork from four directions. It is a pallet.

FIG. 5 is a view of the pallet 20 as viewed from the normal direction of the loading surface 21. In FIG. 5, the IC tag 200 is shown in a transparent manner, and the IC tag is shown in a larger size for easy understanding.
The IC tag 200 is disposed at the center of the pallet 20 when viewed from the loading surface 21 side. The plane on which the antenna of the IC tag 200 is formed is arranged so as to be substantially parallel to the stacking surface 21, and the longitudinal direction of the IC tag 200 forms an angle of 45 degrees with all four side surfaces. Yes.
Therefore, the IC tag 200 is substantially equidistant from the two side surfaces 22 and 24 that are disposed to face each other, and is also substantially equidistant from the two side surfaces 23 and 25 that are disposed to face each other. ing.
In the second embodiment, the arrangement direction of the plane on which the antenna of the IC tag 200 is formed is different from that of the first embodiment. However, in the dipole antenna, the arrangement direction in the longitudinal direction affects the antenna sensitivity. The arrangement direction of the formed plane does not significantly affect the antenna sensitivity. Therefore, in the second embodiment, communication similar to that in the first embodiment can be performed.

  In the second embodiment, the arrangement direction of the plane on which the antenna of the IC tag 200 is formed is different from that of the first embodiment, and the plane on which the antenna of the IC tag 200 is formed is substantially parallel to the stacking surface 21. Is arranged. With this arrangement, for example, the IC tag 200 can be attached to the back surface or the like of the pallet 20, and a pallet with an IC tag can be realized more easily.

Note that various arrangements other than those shown in the first and second embodiments can be adopted as the arrangement form of the IC tag.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a modification of the arrangement direction of the IC tag.
In the first and second embodiments, an example in which the longitudinal direction of the IC tag is arranged so as to be substantially parallel to the stacking surface of the pallet is shown. However, as shown in FIG. You may arrange | position so that it may be substantially orthogonal to a surface.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a modification of how to attach the IC tag.
In the first and second embodiments, an example in which the IC tag is completely embedded in the pallet is shown in FIG. 7C, but as shown in FIGS. 7A to 7E. In addition, how to attach the IC tag may be changed.
The example shown in FIG. 7A is an example in which the IC tag T is pasted on the stacking surface of the pallet P.
The example shown in FIG. 7B is an example in which the IC tag T is embedded so as not to protrude from the loading surface of the pallet P.
The example shown in FIG. 7C is the same as that shown in the first and second embodiments in which the IC tag T is completely embedded in the pallet P.
The example shown in FIG. 7D is an example in which the IC tag T is embedded so as not to protrude from the bottom surface of the pallet P.
The example shown in FIG. 7E is an example in which the IC tag T is attached to the bottom surface of the pallet P.
In the present invention, it is possible to select various IC tag arrangements in this way.

FIG. 8 is a view of the pallet 30 of the pallet according to the third embodiment of the present invention viewed from the normal direction of the stacking surface 31. In FIG. 8, the IC tag 300 is shown in a transparent manner, and the IC tag is shown in a larger size for easy understanding. .
The pallet 30 of the third embodiment is the same as the pallet 20 of the second embodiment except that the outer shape thereof is different. Therefore, the same reference numerals are given to the portions that perform the same functions as those in the second embodiment described above, and repeated descriptions are omitted as appropriate.
The pallet 30 is configured such that the four side surfaces 32, 33, 34, and 35 form a rectangle when viewed from the loading surface 31 side. Specifically, the side surfaces 32 and 34 are longer (wider) than the side surfaces 33 and 35.

The IC tag 300 is located at a position that is approximately equidistant from the two side surfaces 32 and the side surface 34 that are disposed to face each other, and that is also approximately equidistant from the two side surfaces 33 and the side surface 35 that are disposed to face each other. Is arranged. Specifically, it is arranged at a position that is an intersection where diagonal lines from four corners intersect. However, the longitudinal direction of the IC tag 300 is not arranged parallel to a certain diagonal line, but is arranged so as to form an angle of 45 degrees with respect to all the four side surfaces 32, 33, 34, and 35.
The plane on which the antenna of the IC tag 300 is formed is arranged so as to be substantially parallel to the stacking surface 31. However, this direction may be the same as in the first embodiment.
The communicable distance of the IC tag 300 is longer than the distance from the IC tag 300 to any side surface.
By disposing the IC tag 300 in this way, the distance at which the reader R and the IC tag 300 can communicate is when the fork F approaches from any of the four side surfaces 32, 33, 34, and 35. But they are equal.
According to this embodiment, even in the case of a pallet whose outer shape viewed from the normal direction of the loading surface is a substantially rectangular shape, the communicable distance can be made equal regardless of which side direction is approached. The IC tag 300 and the reader R can communicate under the same communication conditions.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible, and these are also within the equivalent scope of the present invention.
In each of the embodiments, a simple pallet in which a portion on which an article is loaded is a plane has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a box-shaped box pallet may be used, a silo pallet, or a tank pallet. Other forms of pallets such as a post pallet may also be used.

It is a perspective view which shows Example 1 of the pallet in this invention. It is a figure explaining the outline | summary of the IC tag in a present Example. FIG. 3 is a view of the pallet 10 viewed from the normal direction of the loading surface 11. It is a perspective view which shows Example 2 of the pallet in this invention. FIG. 3 is a view of the pallet 20 as viewed from the normal direction of the loading surface 21. It is a figure which shows the modification of the arrangement | positioning direction of an IC tag. It is a figure which shows the modification of how to attach an IC tag. It is the figure which looked at the pallet 30 of Example 3 of the pallet in this invention from the normal line direction of the loading surface 31. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10, 20, 30 Pallet 12, 13, 14, 15, 22, 23, 24, 25, 32, 33, 34, 35 Side surface 12a, 13a, 14a, 15a, 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a, 32a, 33a, 34a, 35a Insert 100, 200, 300 IC tag 101 Base film 102 Dipole antenna 103 IC chip 104 Cover film F Fork R Reader

Claims (5)

In a four-sided pallet with a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, which has a stacking surface on which articles are put together in unit quantity, and an insertion port is provided on all four side surfaces,
A substantially rectangular parallelepiped IC tag having an antenna and performing information communication without contact,
One IC tag is arranged at substantially the center when viewed from the loading surface side,
Any surface of the IC tag is disposed with an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to any of the four side surfaces provided with the insertion port,
Pallet characterized by. In a four-sided pallet with a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, which has a stacking surface on which articles are put together in unit quantity, and an insertion port is provided on all four side surfaces,
It has an IC tag that has an antenna and performs information communication without contact,
One IC tag is arranged at substantially the center when viewed from the loading surface side,
The longitudinal direction of the antenna is arranged at an angle of approximately 45 degrees with respect to any of the four side surfaces provided with the insertion port,
Pallet characterized by. In the pallet according to claim 1 or claim 2,
The antenna is a single dipole antenna;
Pallet characterized by. In the pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The IC tag has the antenna formed on one plane,
The plane on which the antenna is formed is arranged with an angle of approximately 45 degrees with respect to any of the four side surfaces provided with the insertion port,
Pallet characterized by. In the pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The communicable distance of the IC tag is longer than the distance from the IC tag to any side surface,
Pallet characterized by.

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