JP2007200035A - Wireless tag reading system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect a movement of an article, a mislocation of an article, or the like while specifying not only whether there is an article to which a wireless tag is attached, but also the position where the article is placed. <P>SOLUTION: The rack 101 having a plurality of comprises a wireless tag 102 for identifying a tier or a position, a wireless tag reading device 103, a moving device 104 which is a reading and moving means, and a moving device controller 106 for controlling the moving device 104. The moving device controller 106 and the wireless tag reading device 103 are controlled on-line or wirelessly from a PC 105, and can receive the information on the position where the article is placed, for which the PC 105 has only to send the identification information stored in the wireless tag attached to a specified article. The PC 105 is connected to a database 107, and stores, for example, article arrangement information showing the arrangement of the articles and the rack. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless tag reading system and method, and more particularly, to a wireless tag reading system and method having a function of reading a wireless tag attached to a product or the like displayed on a shelf.

  Conventionally, many systems using wireless tags (or electronic tags or IC tags) are known. For example, a plurality of display-side processing devices provided in a display space that divides a sales floor into a plurality of products and displays the products are attached to the products displayed in the display space and have individual identification information for each product. Displaying the identification information of the contact IC tag based on a plurality of identification information read at different timings at predetermined timings, determining whether or not the product is in the display space, and adding display space identification information for identifying the display space A movement information creation device that creates product movement information for each space has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, in order to detect a load made of a plurality of articles having IC tags in which article information is written and stored in a plurality of stages of storage shelves arranged on the top and bottom, A mast is provided so as to be movable over the entire width direction, and a plurality of wireless tag readers that can read the article information in a non-contact manner are provided on the mast corresponding to each storage shelf, and the article information of each load W is read in a non-contact manner There has been proposed a shelf detection device capable of performing (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  Further, a first wireless transmitter provided in a plurality of search objects and capable of transmitting identification information of the search object, a movable first wireless receiver, and a moving position of the first wireless receiver are detected. Position detection means, and when the first wireless receiver is moved and searched, and the distance to the search object falls within a predetermined communication area, the presence of the search object is identified as identification information. A system has been proposed in which the signal is received by one wireless receiver and transmitted to position detecting means, and the position where the search object is located is obtained from the received position of the first wireless receiver (for example, Patent Document 3). reference).

JP 2005-328985 A JP 2004-250148 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-140637

  However, in the conventional RFID tag reading system, one or a small number of RFID tag readers (or readers) having a long communicable distance or no directivity are used. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, since only one RFID tag reading device 1001 that has no directivity with respect to the shelf 101 and has a long communication distance is used, even if it is known that a product exists on the shelf, the shelf There was a problem that it was not possible to recognize where it was placed.

  Further, as in the apparatus of Patent Document 2, by providing a RFID tag reader for each stage, or by providing a large number of antennas 1102 to 1107 as shown in FIG. Can be recognized. However, since the wireless tag reader is expensive, it has a problem that providing a plurality of wireless tag readers on one shelf is very expensive in the entire system.

  The present invention solves such problems, and by using a movable RFID tag reader, not only whether or not there is an article to which a RFID tag is attached, but also the position where it is placed can be specified. Another object of the present invention is to provide a wireless tag reading system and method capable of detecting the movement or misplacement of articles.

  In order to achieve such an object, the invention according to claim 1 is a wireless tag reading system, wherein wireless tag identification information is obtained by communicating wirelessly with a wireless tag existing in a predetermined range. One RFID tag reading means for reading the information and one RFID tag reading means are moved on the arrangement surface of the shelf having a plurality of stages in which articles having the RFID tag are arranged, and the range of the arrangement surface of the shelf is covered by a predetermined range In this way, the reading and moving means for reading the identification information of the wireless tag, and the position identifying wireless tag that is fixedly installed at any position on the shelf having a plurality of stages and transmits information for identifying the installed position, It is provided with.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the wireless tag reading system according to the first aspect, the wireless tag is attached to an article placed on a shelf having a plurality of stages by moving the wireless tag reading means by the reading moving means. Control means for causing the wireless tag reading means to read the identification information included in the information and the information identifying the installed position included in the position identification wireless tag installed at any position in the horizontal direction of the placed article. It is characterized by having.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the wireless tag reading system according to the second aspect, the control means includes identification information included in the wireless tag attached to the read article and information for identifying the installed position. To determine in which position the article is placed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the wireless tag reading system according to the third aspect of the present invention, storage means for storing identification information of an article placed on a shelf having a plurality of stages in association with information on a position where the article is placed. Is further provided.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the wireless tag reading system according to the fourth aspect, the control means updates the identification information of the article stored in the storage means with the information of the position where the determined article is arranged. It is characterized by doing.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the wireless tag reading system according to the third, fourth, or fifth aspect, the horizontal position identification is fixedly installed to detect the horizontal position of the position of the wireless tag reading means. A wireless tag for reading, and the reading and moving means detects the horizontal position of the wireless tag reading means by reading the identification information of the horizontal position identifying wireless tag, and determines the position where the article is arranged. And

  The invention according to claim 7 is a wireless tag reading method, comprising: one wireless tag reading means for reading identification information of a wireless tag by communicating wirelessly with a wireless tag existing in a predetermined range; A reading and moving step of moving the arrangement surface of the shelf having a plurality of stages in which articles having wireless tags are arranged and reading the identification information of the wireless tag so as to cover the range of the arrangement surface of the shelf by a predetermined range; and a plurality of stages The identification information included in the wireless tag attached to the article placed on the shelf having, and the installed position included in the position identification wireless tag installed at any position in the horizontal direction of the placed article And a control step for causing the wireless tag reading means to read identification information.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the wireless tag reading method according to the seventh aspect, the control step includes identification information included in the wireless tag attached to the read article and information for identifying the installed position. To determine in which position the article is placed.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the wireless tag reading method according to the eighth aspect of the invention, the identification information of the article placed on the shelf having a plurality of stages is obtained from the information on the position where the judged article is placed. The method further comprises an update step of updating the contents of the storage means stored in association with the information on the position where the is placed.

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article having a wireless tag as one wireless tag reading means for reading identification information of the wireless tag by wirelessly communicating with a wireless tag existing in a predetermined range. It is arranged on a shelf having a plurality of stages, a reading movement step for moving the arrangement surface of the arranged shelf having a plurality of stages and reading the identification information of the wireless tag so as to cover the range of the shelf arrangement surface by a predetermined range. Identification information included in the wireless tag attached to the selected article, and information identifying the installed position included in the position identification wireless tag installed at any position in the horizontal direction of the placed article And a control step for causing the reading unit to read the program.

  According to the present invention, one wireless tag reading unit moves a shelf placement surface having a plurality of stages on which articles having wireless tags are placed, and wirelessly covers a range of shelf placement surfaces by a predetermined range. Read moving means for reading tag identification information, and a position identification wireless tag that is fixedly installed at any position on a shelf having a plurality of stages and transmits information for identifying the installed position Therefore, not only whether or not there is an article to which the wireless tag is attached, but also the position where the article is placed can be specified, so that it is possible to detect the movement or misplacement of the article.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
A wireless tag reading system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of the system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a wireless tag reading system according to the present embodiment. The shelf 101 having a plurality of stages includes a stage or position identifying wireless tag 102, a wireless tag reader 103, a moving device 104 that is a reading and moving means, and a moving device controller 106 that controls the moving device 104.

  In this embodiment, the mobile device controller 106 and the wireless tag reader 103 are controlled separately from the personal computer 105 via online or wireless, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the mobile device controller 106 has a read control function. In addition, the personal computer 105 can receive the position information where the article is placed only by transmitting the identification information stored in the wireless tag attached to the designated article. The personal computer 105 is connected to the database 107 and can store, for example, product arrangement information indicating the arrangement of articles and shelves.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example in which products are arranged on the shelf according to the present embodiment. In this embodiment, the shelf 101 has three levels, and for example, a product 203 with a wireless tag 202 attached is placed near the center of the second level. Since the above-mentioned wireless tag reading system is provided on the back side of the shelf shown in FIG. 2, the identification information stored in the wireless tag 202 or the like is read by the wireless tag reader, and the identification information and the product From the information, it can be confirmed that the product is surely placed in the center of the second stage of the shelf 101.

(About reading wireless tags)
In general, electronic tags are roughly classified into passive tags and active tags. A passive tag converts a radio wave applied from an antenna of a wireless tag reader into a power source without incorporating a power source, and is driven by the converted power source. On the other hand, the active tag has a built-in power supply and can communicate over a relatively long distance, so it can be used in a wide range. However, when a battery is used as the power source, it cannot be used after the battery has run out. In the present invention, a passive tag is assumed, because the active tag has a high manufacturing cost, and since it has a built-in power supply, its size increases and it is not suitable for attaching to a product.

  The wireless tag reader to be used next will be described. Although the detailed specifications such as the reading range are different for each manufacturer, the general characteristics shown in the following table are known depending on the frequency band used.

  In the present invention, as will be described later, since a communication distance is short and a certain degree of directivity is required, a wireless tag reader using a 135 kHz, 13.56 MHz, or 2.45 GHz band is used. In particular, in this embodiment, a 2.45 GHz band RFID reader and an antenna (wireless tag reader) having high directivity are used, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a range in which the antenna of the wireless tag reader used in this embodiment can transmit radio waves. The reading range 303 of the RFID tag reading apparatus 301 used in this embodiment is a cylindrical type because it is a planar antenna, but it goes without saying that various reading ranges can be formed by antennas of various shapes. Rather, it is also possible to select the optimum combination for the present invention using members and methods known in the art and perform the optimum processing. In the present embodiment, when the wireless tag reader 103 or the like is scanned on the back of the shelf 101 and the wireless tag 302 enters the reading range 303, communication is performed between the wireless tag reader and the wireless tag, The stored identification information is read. At this time, by moving the wireless tag reader 103, the reading range 303 can cover the entire shelf 101, and the wireless tag attached to the article placed on the shelf can be read.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a position detection method using a wireless tag according to the present embodiment. A T-shape is formed on the back side of the shelf 101 using two actuators to form a moving device for the RFID tag reader. In this embodiment, the electronic tag device moves up and down along with the vertical actuator. Furthermore, the vertical actuator can move left and right according to the horizontal actuator. The movement of the actuator can be controlled by the computer device through the moving device controller such as the personal computer 105 as described above, and the control is performed according to the height and width of the step. Since it is known in the technical field, the description is omitted here.

  Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the first row from the top is read from left to right and then moved to the second row and read from right to left, in FIG. Since it is not placed, nothing is read at the first stage, and the wireless tag 202 can be read at the leftmost position of the second stage. In the present embodiment, since the space between the steps is wider than the reading range of the antenna, the wireless tag of the article is not redundantly read in the upper and lower steps, so the product (wireless) is temporarily placed in the first and third steps. Even if there is a tag), when the wireless tag reader 103 is in the second stage, only the second stage wireless tag 202 can be read accurately.

  In this embodiment, in addition to the tag attached to the article, a wireless tag (position identification wireless tag) for specifying the position of the article is attached to a predetermined position on the shelf, and the identification ID obtained from those wireless tags in advance Which position on the shelf is indicated is registered in the personal computer 105 in association with each other. In the present embodiment, the wireless tag is pasted more or less. However, in order to achieve the present invention, the present invention is not limited to this, and more wireless tags are used or fewer wireless tags are used. be able to. An embodiment using fewer wireless tags will be described later.

  FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram in the personal computer 105 of this embodiment. The communication unit 601 communicates with the wireless tag reader 103 and the wireless tag reader movement controller 106 to transmit a control command and receive a reading result. The communication unit 601 is connected to the wireless tag reader movement control unit 602 and the wireless tag reading control unit 603. The product arrangement information update unit 604 manages the product arrangement information stored in the database 107.

  As a method for indicating the position where the wireless tag is attached, for example, “the left side of the second stage” or the like, a method of largely classifying the identification area for one wireless tag according to the reading range of the wireless tag reader, There is a method of dividing an identification area and assigning it to a wireless tag. In the latter method, it is expected that the wireless tag reader device reads a plurality of position specifying wireless tags. In this case, the computer device needs to cope with the duplication.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the identification tag of the position identification wireless tag is provided, and when the position identification wireless tag and the wireless tag attached to the article are read, the wireless tag reading control unit 603 reads the article. Specify that it is within the identification area. In FIG. 4, when the wireless tag reader reads the position identification wireless tag associated with the information that the second stage left side is information on the computer device and the wireless tag of the article displayed on the shelf, the article is on the left side of the second stage. The wireless tag reading control unit 603 is specified.

  If only the wireless tag of the article enters the reading range of the wireless tag reader and the position specifying wireless tag cannot be read, the position specifying wireless tag read immediately before and the position specifying wireless tag are read immediately after the time-related relationship. With the location specific wireless tag, it is specified which identification region is in the middle point between the time when the previous location specification tag could not be read and the time when the next location specification tag was read. The method known in this technical field can be used without being limited thereto.

  The read wireless tag information is held as cache information in the database 107. The cached information is updated every time the RFID tag reader and the antenna drive the shelf one round by the merchandise arrangement information update unit 604. The difference between the RFID tag and the cache information of the previous round is compared, and the RFID tag If there is an article that cannot be read, it means that the inventory of the article has decreased by one. When the wireless tag is read in a different identification area, it can be determined that the article may have been placed at the wrong position.

  When the antenna size is large, or when using an RFID tag reader antenna whose reading range extends radially, reading the RFID tags at the upper and lower stages may not be able to correctly identify the position of the article using the location-specific RFID tag. is there. Even in such a case, the cached information and the antenna driving position can be adjusted. For example, in the case of a three-level shelf, the wireless tag of the article read in the upper level may be read even in the middle level. In such a case, in order to determine that the article is in either the upper stage or the middle stage, the wireless tag reader movement control unit 602 controls the antenna to move, and the antenna is shifted again downward to move the wireless tag. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  In addition, when many articles are placed, the tags may overlap and cannot be partially read by simply reading from the back. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the tag attached to the article overlaps when viewed from the rear antenna (left side in FIG. 5), only the tag behind can be read. If the wireless tag reader device is moved, the front tag can be read (right side in FIG. 5). By performing the processing as described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to read the tags of the arranged articles corresponding to various arrangements of the articles.

(First embodiment)
As described above, by using the system of the present embodiment, management of articles arranged on a shelf can be processed including the arrangement position thereof, but more specific examples will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing of this embodiment. In this embodiment, it is assumed that processing is basically performed by the above-described system configuration, and an article to be read is already registered in the system. In this embodiment, the position identification wireless tags indicating the positions on the shelf are basically attached one by one. However, as described above, more position identification wireless tags are attached. In addition, the position of the product can be specified with high accuracy.

  First, the information of the shelf and the stage on which the designated product is arranged and the identification information of the pasted wireless tag are acquired from the product arrangement information in the database 107 (S701). Next, the wireless tag for position identification 102 at the stage where the designated product is placed is searched, and the wireless tag reader 103 is moved to that position (S702). Next, the wireless tag reading device 103 is moved in the horizontal direction from the position where the reading can be performed, and the wireless tag reading device 103 is moved until the identification information of the wireless tag attached to the product designated at the stage is read. Move (S703).

  If the designated product is found as a result of reading in this way (S704), it can be determined that the designated product is arranged on any level of the shelf (S705). By comparing this position information with the position information stored in the database 107, it is possible to determine that the position has moved. On the other hand, when the identification information of the wireless tag attached to the designated product cannot be read, it is determined that the product is no longer arranged at the registered position (S706).

(Second embodiment)
As described in the first example, by using the system of the present embodiment, management of articles arranged on a shelf can be processed including the arrangement position, but a more specific example will be described. . FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing of this embodiment. In this embodiment, it is assumed that processing is basically performed by the above-described system configuration, and an article to be read is already registered in the system. In this embodiment, the position identification wireless tags indicating the positions on the shelf are basically attached one by one. However, as described above, more position identification wireless tags are attached. In addition, the position of the product can be specified with high accuracy.

  First, the information on the shelf on which the designated product is placed and the identification information of the pasted wireless tag are acquired from the product arrangement information in the database 107 (S801). Next, the wireless tag reader 103 on the designated shelf is moved to sequentially read the wireless tags, and a wireless tag having identification information of the designated product is searched (S802). This reading can be performed, for example, by moving left and right from the top to the bottom and moving to the bottom, but is not limited to this and can be performed by any method known in this technical field.

  If the specified product is found as a result of reading in this way (S803), the RFID tag reader 103 is moved in the horizontal direction from the position where the reading was completed, and the product is pasted on that stage. The position identification wireless tag 102 is read (S805). As a result, it is possible to specify in which shelf the designated product is arranged, but by comparing this position information with the position information stored in the database 107, the position has moved. Etc. can be determined. On the other hand, if the identification information of the wireless tag attached to the designated product cannot be read, it is determined that the product is no longer arranged on the shelf (S804).

(Third embodiment)
As described above, by using the system of the present embodiment, management of articles arranged on a shelf can be processed including the arrangement position, but more specific examples will be described. In a present Example, the process which lists up the goods arrange | positioned on a certain shelf is assumed. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing of this embodiment. In the present embodiment, processing is basically performed by the above-described system configuration, but it is assumed that what products are arranged on the shelf is not registered in the system in advance. Also in this embodiment, it is assumed that the position identification wireless tags indicating the positions on the shelf are basically attached to each stage one by one. However, as described above, more position identification wireless tags are attached. The position of the product can be specified with accuracy by pasting.

  First, the position identification wireless tag 102 is searched for, and the wireless tag reader 103 is moved to that position (S901). In this embodiment, the entire shelf is usually covered by starting from the top and sequentially moving to the bottom and reading to the bottom. However, the present invention is not limited to this and is known in the art. Either method can be used. Next, the wireless tag reader 103 is moved in the horizontal direction from the position where the reading can be performed, and the identification information of the wireless tag attached to the product arranged at that stage is sequentially read (S902).

  If one or more products are found as a result of reading in this way (S903), the product array in the database 107 is associated with which step the read identification information is read. Information is registered (S904), and the next stage is read (S902). When the above processing is repeated and reading of all the stages is completed, product arrangement information for the shelf is generated.

  As described above, some examples in the case where the present invention is applied to an actual system have been described. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art understand that various modifications are also included. can do.

It is a block diagram of the radio | wireless tag reading system concerning this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example by which goods are arrange | positioned on the shelf of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the range in which the antenna of the radio | wireless tag reader used in this embodiment can communicate. It is a figure which shows an example of the position detection method by the wireless tag of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the case where the tag affixed on the article | item concerning embodiment of this invention has overlapped seeing from the antenna behind. It is a functional block diagram in the personal computer of this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of a present Example. It is a flowchart which shows the process of a present Example. It is a flowchart which shows the process of a present Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the trouble of a prior art example. It is a figure for demonstrating the trouble of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Shelf 102 Position identification wireless tag 103 Wireless tag reader 104 Mobile device 105 Personal computer 106 Mobile device controller 107 Database 301 Antenna 601 Communication unit 602 Wireless tag reader movement control unit 603 Wireless tag reading control unit 604 Product arrangement information update unit 1001 Tag reading unit 1102 to 1107 Antenna

Claims (10)

One wireless tag reading means for reading identification information of the wireless tag by wirelessly communicating with the wireless tag existing in a predetermined range;
The wireless tag is identified by moving the shelf placement surface having a plurality of stages on which the wireless tag reading article is placed and covering the range of the shelf placement surface by the predetermined range. Reading movement means for reading information;
A wireless tag reading system, comprising: a position identification wireless tag that is fixedly installed at any position of the shelf having the plurality of stages and transmits information for identifying the installed position.   Any one of the identification information included in the wireless tag attached to the article placed on the shelf having the plurality of stages and the horizontal direction of the placed article by moving the wireless tag reading means by the reading moving means 2. The wireless device according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that causes the wireless tag reading unit to read information for identifying the installed position included in the wireless tag for position identification that is installed at the position. Tag reading system.   The control means determines, based on the identification information included in the wireless tag attached to the read article and the information for identifying the installed position, at which position the article is arranged. The wireless tag reading system according to claim 2, wherein:   4. The wireless tag reading system according to claim 3, further comprising storage means for storing identification information of an article placed on the shelf having the plurality of stages in association with information on a position where the article is placed. .   The wireless tag reading system according to claim 4, wherein the control unit updates the identification information of the article stored in the storage unit with information on a position where the determined article is arranged. A wireless tag for identifying a horizontal position that is fixedly installed to detect a horizontal position of the position of the wireless tag reader;
The reading and moving means detects the horizontal position of the wireless tag reading means by reading the identification information of the horizontal position identifying wireless tag, and determines the position where the article is placed. The wireless tag reading system according to 3, 4, or 5. An arrangement surface of a shelf having a plurality of stages in which one RFID tag reading means for reading identification information of the RFID tag by communicating with the RFID tag existing in a predetermined range is arranged on the radio tag. A reading and moving step of reading the identification information of the wireless tag so as to cover the range of the arrangement surface of the shelf by the predetermined range;
Identification information included in a wireless tag attached to an article placed on a shelf having a plurality of stages, and the installation included in a position identification wireless tag installed at any position in the horizontal direction of the placed article And a control step of causing the wireless tag reading means to read information for identifying the position that has been read.   The control step is to determine at which position the article is arranged based on the identification information included in the wireless tag attached to the read article and the information for identifying the installed position. The wireless tag reading method according to claim 7, wherein:   Based on the information on the position where the determined article is arranged, the contents of the storage means storing the identification information of the article arranged on the shelf having the plurality of stages in association with the information on the position where the article is arranged are updated. The wireless tag reading method according to claim 8, further comprising an updating step. On the computer,
An arrangement surface of a shelf having a plurality of stages in which one RFID tag reading means for reading identification information of the RFID tag by communicating with the RFID tag existing in a predetermined range is arranged on the radio tag. A reading and moving step of reading the identification information of the wireless tag so as to cover the range of the arrangement surface of the shelf by the predetermined range;
Identification information included in a wireless tag attached to an article placed on a shelf having a plurality of stages, and the installation included in a position identification wireless tag installed at any position in the horizontal direction of the placed article And a control step for causing the RFID tag reading means to read information for identifying the position that has been read.

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