JP2007018210A - Contactless tag, and article management system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small-sized contactless tag having high operation reliability and enabling easy operation, and an article management system using the above tag. <P>SOLUTION: A contactless tag 10 includes a receiver circuit 13 for receiving a predetermined radio calling signal, a comparator circuit 15 for comparing an ID code included in the above calling signal with an ID code retained in the own tag, a retention circuit 16 for retaining the matched comparison output of the above comparator circuit, an output circuit 17 for outputting a response signal using light or sound based on the output of the above retention circuit, and a power receiving circuit 18 for rectifying an induced voltage generated in a coil 19 through electromagnetic induction from an external power feeding means 41, so as to feed the current to the above each circuit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a non-contact type tag and an article management system using the tag, and more specifically, a non-contact type tag in which a unique non-contact type tag is set to each of a plurality of articles, and corresponding to a wireless call signal from a terminal. The present invention relates to a non-contact type tag that only responds, and an article management system using the tag.

  Today, wireless tags are used in a variety of fields. By using wireless ID tags (non-contact type tags) for the management of goods (products), the presence / absence of goods (stock) and the storage position can be lit. Can be easily confirmed by sound.

  Conventionally, a wireless tag incorporating a small battery drives an output circuit consisting of a buzzer and a lamp when receiving a wireless calling signal (ID number) addressed to itself, and holds the drive until the timer times out. An existing position detection system is known (Patent Document 1). In this system, the battery life is extended by driving a buzzer or lamp with high power consumption for a certain period of time by a timer.

Further, conventionally, a wireless ID tag that does not incorporate a battery is a non-contact type wireless device with a light emitting element that turns on the light emitting element by a received current from the antenna only while receiving a wireless calling signal (ID number) addressed to itself. An ID tag is known (Patent Document 2).
JP2003-23385 (Abstract, Figure) JP 2000-306062 (summary, figure)

  However, in the technique of the above-mentioned patent document 1, since the driving time of the output circuit is determined by a timer, once the output circuit is driven, even if the user can find the target tag at an early stage, it is always constant. The battery will run out for hours. If the target cannot be found within a certain time, the terminal needs to be re-operated, and the battery for a certain time is consumed. For this reason, early deterioration of the battery is inevitable, and periodic battery replacement is necessary.

  Further, in order to reduce battery consumption, the timer must be reset to an optimum value for each use environment of the wireless tag, and the work is complicated. Therefore, this type of wireless tag is unsuitable for managing a warehouse for long-term storage or library collection.

  Moreover, in the technique of the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, since the LED is turned on with the wireless transmission power from the terminal, in actual operation, it is often necessary to transmit for a long time until the target is found. It was exhausted quickly. In addition, since the wireless transmission power is limited in reachable distance and power, the tag cannot operate normally unless the terminal is moved to the vicinity of the wireless tag, resulting in a problem in operation reliability.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art. The object of the present invention is a non-contact tag that is small in size, has high operational reliability, and is easy to operate, and article management using the tag. To provide a system.

  The above problem is solved by the configuration of FIG. That is, the contactless tag 10 of the present invention (1) includes a receiving circuit 13 that receives a predetermined radio calling signal and a comparison circuit 15 that compares an ID code included in the calling signal with an ID code held by itself. Generated in the coil 19 by electromagnetic induction from the external power supply means 41, a holding circuit 16 that holds the comparison coincidence output of the comparison circuit, an output circuit 17 that outputs a response signal by light or sound by the output of the holding circuit And a power receiving circuit 18 that rectifies the induced voltage and supplies power to each circuit.

  The non-contact type tag 10 of the present invention (1) starts to supply power to the internal circuit simply by being placed in the vicinity of the external power supply means (power supply line) 41 and enters an operation (waiting for calling) state. In this state, when a radio paging signal addressed to itself is received from the external terminal 30, the ID code included in the signal matches the ID code held by itself, and the drive circuit 16 is driven with the coincidence output. The drive circuit 16 drives the output circuit 17 with a coincidence output, outputs a response signal by light or sound, and holds the coincidence output. Therefore, the response signal is continuously output until it is discovered by the user. When the user who has found the non-contact type tag 10 takes out the tag 10 or the article 60, the electromagnetic induction power feeding to the power receiving circuit 18 is interrupted, and the response signal stops.

  According to the present invention (1), since the non-contact type tag 10 is remote power feeding from the outside, it is not necessary to replace the built-in battery or the battery, so that the tag can be downsized and the operation is simple. In addition, since remote power supply with sufficient power can be obtained, the communication distance is large (about 10 m) and an advanced function can be installed. In addition, since an output element with high power can be driven, highly reliable operation can be performed.

  According to the present invention (2), in the above-mentioned present invention (1), a switch means is provided that can intermittently switch the output of the power receiving circuit by an external manual operation. Therefore, the tag can be initialized only by the switch operation without picking up the article (tag) one by one.

  In the present invention (3), in the above-mentioned present invention (1), the power receiving circuit is separated from the tag main body portion, and a power supply circuit is coupled between these by a flexible coupling member. Therefore, for example, the tag main body portion can be arranged at an easy-to-see position, and the power receiving circuit can be arranged at a position where the power can be received efficiently, and can flexibly cope with various installation environments.

  In the article management system of the present invention (4), an article management system in which a non-contact type tag having a unique ID is set to each of a plurality of articles, and only the corresponding non-contact type tag responds by a radio call signal from a terminal. In the system, there are a non-contact type tag 10 that operates with an electromotive force generated in the power receiving coil 19 due to electromagnetic induction from the outside, and a power supply sheet 42 that remotely supplies power to the power receiving coil from the outside. The electric wire 41 is covered with a sheet-like coating.

  According to the present invention (4), for example, the ID tag system of the present invention can be used only by pulling a power supply sheet on an existing shelf, and the introduction cost of the article management system is greatly reduced.

  In this invention (5), in the said invention (4), the switch means which can be intermittently operated by manual operation in each electric power feeding path | route to a several electric power feeding sheet | seat is provided. Therefore, for example, in an application in which only the presence of inventory is confirmed, a plurality of confirmed ID tags belonging to the same power supply path can be reset all at once, which is convenient.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to introduce a simple, low-cost and highly reliable article management system, which greatly contributes to the spread of this kind of article management system.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts throughout the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an article management system according to an embodiment, and shows a basic case where a terminal 30 includes an article management database. In the figure, 51 is preferably an existing article storage shelf, 42 is a power supply sheet laid on the shelf 51, 41 is a power supply line embedded in the power supply sheet 42, and 40 is a power supply that supplies an alternating current i to the power supply line 41. And 60 are articles to be managed placed on the shelf 51, 10 is set in the vicinity of the power supply sheet 42 in the article 60 (attached with double-sided tape, adsorbed with a magnet, stored in a pocket of an article case, etc.) It is a non-contact type tag (hereinafter also simply referred to as an ID tag).

  In the ID tag 10, 11 is a radio paging signal receiving antenna, 12 is a bandpass filter (BPF) of a specific frequency, 13 is a receiving unit that demodulates received data, and 14 holds an ID code unique to this ID tag. A non-volatile memory (ID), 15 is a comparison unit that compares the ID code included in the received data with the ID code of the memory 14, and 16a and 16b hold the comparison coincidence signal of the comparison unit 15 and output circuit 17a according to the signal , 17b, 17a is a light emitting LED, 17b is a buzzer (BZ) that generates a sound signal, and 18 is an induction generated in the power receiving coil 19 by electromagnetic induction from an alternating current i flowing through the feeder line 41. This is a power receiving unit that filters and rectifies the voltage to generate a DC voltage + V and supplies power to each circuit unit.

  Further, 30 is a terminal device that transmits a radio paging signal to the ID tag 10, 31 is a radio wave transmission antenna, 32 is a paging signal transmission unit, 33 is a control unit that performs main control / processing of the terminal 30, and 35 is a main unit. Database (DB) holding ID codes corresponding to each tag included in the system, 34 is a console unit (CSL) operated by a user, 34a is a display unit using liquid crystal, etc. 34b is an operation unit including a keyboard It is. Although not shown, many other items 60 are housed, and ID tags 10 each having a unique ID code are set therein.

  In this state, the alternating magnetic field H generated from the power supply line 41 is linked to the power receiving coil 19 of the ID tag 10, so that a voltage proportional to the differentiation of the flux linkage is generated in the power receiving coil 19. This is received by the LC circuit and rectified by the power receiving unit 18 to generate a DC voltage + V. The voltage + V is supplied to all circuit units in the ID tag 10, and each circuit is in an operable state. However, since the drive unit 16 and the output unit 17 that normally consume large power are not conductive, the power consumption of the ID tag 10 is sufficiently small. That is, it does not become a load of the power feeding unit 40.

  When the user wants to search for a specific article, the user operates the terminal 30 and inputs information (name, ID code, etc.) for specifying the target. The control unit 33 searches the DB 35 based on the input information, extracts the corresponding ID code, and transmits it via the transmission unit 32.

  FIG. 2A shows an example transmission frame. The transmission frame includes an ID code for indicating a specific ID tag, an output selection code for selecting a light and / or sound output element, and a frame check sequence FCS for checking a frame transmission error.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the ID tag 10 receives radio waves by the antenna 11, passes only radio waves of a specific frequency by the filter 12, demodulates the reception signal by the reception unit 13, and generates reception data. The comparison unit 15 compares the ID code in the received data with the ID code in the memory 14, and if they match, outputs the comparison match pulse signal Pa and / or Pb to the corresponding terminal according to the output selection code in the received data.

FIG. 2B shows an example output selection code. The code “10” is an output of only the LED, the code “01” is an output of only the buzzer BZ, and a code “11” is an output of the LED and BZ.

  Returning to FIG. 1, when the pulse signal Pa is output, the transistor Q of the driving unit 16a is turned on and the contact S1 of the relay RL1 is turned on, thereby energizing the relay RL2, and the contacts S2 and S3a are turned on. Then, the LED 17a is turned on. At the same time, the relay RL2 is maintained in the energized state along the route of the contact S2. When the pulse signal Pb is output, the buzzer 17b is sounded by the drive unit 16b and the operation is maintained.

  The user searches for the article 60 based on light and / or sound, and picks up the article 60 or the ID tag 10 from the shelf 51. Thereby, the electromagnetic coupling between the feeder 41 and the power receiving coil 19 is eliminated, and the DC voltage becomes 0V. As a result, the relay RL2 is de-energized, and the LED 17a (also BZ17b) is de-energized. Thereafter, even if the user returns the article 60 or the ID tag 10 to the original state, the LED and BZ remain deactivated (reset).

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a contactless tag according to another embodiment, and shows a case where the ID tag 10 includes a manual switch for deactivating the operation of the LED and BZ. Here, a manual switch SW is provided in series with the power supply path of the relay RL2 (self-holding circuit), and when the output unit (LED or BZ) 17 is energized, there is no need to bother lifting the article 60 or the ID tag 10. The output unit (LED or BZ) 17 can be deactivated (reset) simply by pressing the manual switch SW of the ID tag 10. Therefore, it is convenient when managing large articles and heavy articles.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an article management system according to another embodiment, and shows a case where the terminal 30 can be connected to a remote article management server 102 via a network (mobile network, Internet, etc.) 100. The terminal 30 includes a transmission unit 32 ′ that can be connected to the ID tag 10 and the network 100 (that is, the base station BS 101), and a reception unit 37 that can be connected to the base station BS 101. Thereby, collective centralized management of warehouses scattered in a plurality of regions becomes possible.

  That is, when a user of a certain warehouse inputs information (name, model number, etc.) of a specific product in order to check the stock in the own warehouse, the information is stored in the base station 101, the network 100 by a known mobile communication system. To the remote server 102, and the server 102 returns the ID code of the product. Receiving this, the terminal 30 calls the ID tags in the warehouse all at once with the ID code, and searches for articles by the same method as in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently manage a large number of articles using a simple portable terminal in which an article search function according to the present invention is added to an existing portable device or PHS.

  Alternatively, a remote article management center (not shown) searches for an ID code of an article to be searched for via the server 102 and sends it to the terminals 30 of a plurality of warehouses from the server 102. The received terminals 30 relay and transmit the ID code of the exploration article all at once, and the corresponding ID tag 10 responds with light or sound. Based on this, the user who finds the target object returns a discovery response from his / her terminal 30 to the article management center. In this way, the management center can easily check the stock status of the article on a national scale (or a global scale).

  5 to 7 are views (1) to (3) for explaining the article management shelf according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 (A) shows a case where the power supply sheet 41 is provided in the longitudinal direction of the shelf 51. The ID tag 10 is formed of a rectangular plate member, and a receiving antenna 11 is provided on the front or back side thereof, and a power receiving coil 19 is provided on the front or back side thereof.

FIG. 2C illustrates an example of an antenna and a receiving coil. In FIG. 2A, the receiving antenna 11 and the power receiving coil 19 are provided on the front surface or the back surface of the ID tag 10. ID in (b) of the figure
The tag 10 is divided into a main body portion 10a and a power receiving portion 10b, and these are connected by a rigid or flexible connecting member 10c so as to be energized. The main body 10a is provided with a receiving antenna 11, and the power receiving unit 10b is provided with a power receiving coil 19. Since this type of ID tag 10 can set the main body 10a and the power receiving unit 10b separately at convenient locations, the ID tag 10 has high flexibility in the storage environment of the articles.

  In FIG. 5 (A), an ID tag 10 of the type shown in FIGS. 2 (C)-(a) is used. The power supply sheet 42 is provided in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the shelf 51, and the power supply unit 40 is connected between the terminals P and Q. Thereby, an alternating magnetic field H having a frequency sufficiently lower than the radio frequency is generated so as to surround the plurality of power supply lines 41 arranged in parallel. The ID tag 10 is arranged such that the power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 19 is orthogonal (most efficiently linked) to the magnetic field H, and thus can receive power efficiently. A plurality of feeder lines 41 are provided in parallel to obtain a uniform magnetic field with a required strength. Further, at least a portion of the shelf 51 that is linked to the alternating magnetic field H is preferably made of a non-metallic material (wood plywood or the like) that does not easily cause an induced current (eddy current) due to the alternating magnetic field H to flow.

  In FIG. 5B, an ID tag 10 of the type shown in FIGS. 2C-B is used. The power supply sheet 42 in this example is provided in the depth direction of the shelf 51, and the power supply unit 40 is connected between the terminals P and Q. Thereby, an alternating magnetic field H is generated so as to surround the plurality of power supply lines 41. The power receiving unit 10B is provided on the side surface of the article 60 so as to be orthogonal to the magnetic field H, while the main body 10a is provided on the front side of the article 60 so that monitoring from the front of the shelf is easy. The main body 10a of this example is provided with an LED 17 and a manual switch SW, which facilitates access from the front.

  FIG. 6 shows a case where the rack 50 that accommodates a plurality of shelves 51 can slide back and forth (in the direction of the arrow y) on the rails 80a and 80b. Although not shown, a plurality of racks 50 are provided before and after the rack 50, and the rack 50 can be slid so as to create a space for a person to enter on the front side of the rack 50 on which an article to be accessed is mounted. Yes. Thereby, many racks 50 can be accommodated in a small space. Therefore, the user in this case cannot directly see the ID tag for each article from the passage. For this reason, ID tags 10P to 10R are separately provided on the side surface (passage side) of the rack 50.

  In the ID tag 10P, the comparison unit 15 does not compare the lower-order digits (for example, one digit) of the ID code, compares only the upper digits, and turns on the LED and / or the buzzer when the upper digits match. Energize. On the other hand, the articles 60A and 60B on the shelf 51A corresponding to the ID tag 10P are set with ID tags 10A and 10B having the same upper digit (that is, belonging to the same group) and different only in the lower digits. ing. Therefore, even if the user (administrator) walking along the passage cannot directly monitor each item, the position of the shelf is first confirmed via the ID tags 10P to 10R, and then the item is confirmed by sliding the rack 50. I can do it. Therefore, many articles can be efficiently managed even in a place where sufficient storage space cannot be obtained.

  By the way, depending on the purpose of the article management, the user may not necessarily take out individual articles as long as the user can confirm only the existence of the article. In this case, after confirming the lighting of the lamps continuously for a plurality of articles, it is desired to reset these lamp displays all at once without taking out the articles. An example of solving this will be described below.

  FIG. 7 shows a case where the power supplied to the power supply sheet 42 for each shelf 51 can be individually turned on / off. In the figure, power supply buses 43 and 44 extend from the power supply unit 40 to each shelf, and for the power supply bus 44, switches 52A to 52C are provided for each shelf 51, thereby enabling the power supply current to be turned ON / OFF. It has become.

  In the shelf 51A, the power supply sheet 42 of this example is provided on the back side of the rack 50, and an alternating magnetic field H is generated so as to surround the periphery thereof. The portion of the rack 50 that is linked to at least the alternating magnetic field H is preferably made of a non-metallic material (wood plywood or the like) so that an induced current (eddy current) due to the alternating magnetic field H does not easily flow. Since the article is not placed directly on the power supply sheet 42, there is an advantage that the reinforcement of the power supply sheet can be simplified.

  The ID tag 10 of this example is composed of a main body portion 10a on the front side of the shelf, a power receiving portion 10b on the bottom surface on the back side of the shelf, and a connecting member 10c that couples the power receiving portion 10b therebetween. Therefore, the article management from the shelf front is easy. On the other hand, a user who has confirmed the presence of an article can turn off the lamps of each ID tag all at once by turning OFF the switch 52 corresponding to the shelf without pressing the reset switch SW of each ID tag. . The same applies to the buzzer.

  In addition, although the case where the flexible electric power feeding sheet | seat 42 was used was described in the said embodiment, it is not restricted to this. For example, instead of the power supply sheet 42, a solid power supply plate in which a plurality of power supply lines are covered with a thin acrylic material or the like may be used. In this way, even if the back surface side of the rack 50 in FIG. 7 is hollow, the power feeding plate can be erected here.

  Moreover, although the case where the comparison coincidence state by the comparison unit 15 is self-held by the relay RL2 of the drive unit 16 has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, for example, the RS type flip-flop FF may be forcibly set by the comparison coincidence output of the comparison unit 15. As a result, even if the relay circuit does not self-hold, the comparison match state can be held by the FF.

  Note that the FF in this case is forcibly reset by a power-on reset signal (not shown) when the remote power is reapplied to the ID tag 10. Therefore, it is possible to prevent malfunction when using the tag. Alternatively, instead of providing the FF, for example, when the comparison unit 15 detects a comparison match, the operation may be locked so that the comparison unit 15 does not perform any further comparison operation with the comparison match output. Also in this case, the comparison coincidence output can be held by itself.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the electric power supply to the drive part 16 was interrupted | blocked by manual switch SW, it is not restricted to this. It is obvious that the output of the power receiving unit 18 may be cut off. In this case, not only the drive unit 16 but also the entire circuit of the ID tag 10 is shut off and initialized when it is turned on again.

  Moreover, although several embodiment suitable for the said invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that the structure of each part, control, a process, and these combination can be variously changed within the range which does not deviate from this invention. .

1 is a block diagram of an article management system according to an embodiment. It is a figure explaining the article management system by an embodiment. It is a block diagram of the non-contact type tag by other embodiment. It is a block diagram of the article | item management system by other embodiment. It is a figure (1) explaining the article | item management shelf by embodiment. It is FIG. (2) explaining the article | item management shelf by embodiment. It is FIG. (3) explaining the article | item management shelf by embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

10 Non-contact type tag (ID tag)
11 Receiving antenna 12 Band pass filter (BPF)
14 Nonvolatile memory (ID)
17a LED
17b Buzzer (BZ)
30 Terminal device 31 Transmitting antenna 34 Console unit (CSL)
35 Database (DB)
40 Power Supply Unit 41 Power Supply Line 42 Power Supply Sheet 51 Shelf 60 Goods

Claims (5)

A receiving circuit for receiving a predetermined radio calling signal;
A comparison circuit that compares an ID code included in the calling signal with an ID code held by the call signal;
A holding circuit for holding a comparison coincidence output of the comparison circuit;
An output circuit that outputs a response signal by light or sound by the output of the holding circuit;
A non-contact type tag comprising: a power receiving circuit that rectifies an induced voltage generated in a coil by electromagnetic induction from an external power feeding means and feeds power to each circuit. 2. The non-contact type tag according to claim 1, further comprising switch means capable of intermittently connecting the output of the power receiving circuit by an external manual operation. 2. The non-contact type tag according to claim 1, wherein the power receiving circuit is separated from the tag main body, and the power receiving circuit is coupled with a flexible coupling member so as to be able to supply power. In an article management system in which a non-contact type tag having a unique ID is set to each of a plurality of articles, and only a corresponding non-contact type tag responds by a wireless call signal from a terminal.
A non-contact type tag that operates with an electromotive force generated in the receiving coil by electromagnetic induction from outside,
An article management system comprising: a power supply sheet for remotely supplying power to the power receiving coil from the outside, wherein a plurality of parallel power supply lines are covered with a sheet-like coating. 5. The article management system according to claim 4, further comprising switch means that can be intermittently connected to each power supply path to the plurality of power supply sheets by a manual operation.

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