JP5239203B2 - Article management method using IC tag - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to individual identification of an article using a wireless IC tag, and relates to a reading technique when acquiring ID data stored in an IC tag of each of a plurality of articles managed together.

  When trying to read (or include) the ID data (plurality) stored in the wireless IC tag of each of a plurality of articles with a reader (writer), an error occurs that cannot be read from some IC tags. there is a possibility. On the other hand, there is a technique in which a plurality of reader / writer devices are installed at different angles in the communication direction with respect to an article, and the ID acquisition performance in the same scene is complemented and improved by the plurality of reader / writer devices. However, it cannot sufficiently cope with the cause of reading errors that do not depend on the angle difference. Patent Document 1 discloses that accuracy is improved by complementing information of a plurality of scenes.

  In Patent Document 1, there is a technique of performing reading and writing in cooperation with other points even when writing fails at one point.

JP 2006-18699 A

  However, Patent Document 1 is based on the premise that the tag ID can be once determined, and there is a problem that the writing failure information itself cannot be held if the tag ID is not determined for some reason. In other words, in the case of reading (writing) information from a plurality of IC tags, there is a possibility that a reading error may occur for some IC tags. However, as an actual business, leaving an ID data reading error may hinder business operations, and in some cases may impair the trust of a company, and is not allowed.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the problem that, when it is necessary to grasp and manage ID data for individually identifying an article, there is a possibility that it cannot be acquired due to various factors due to wireless communication. In particular, this is likely to occur when a plurality of IDs are read at a predetermined scene (timing).

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, it is realized to finally grasp a necessary ID during a process necessary for business. For this reason, in the present invention, the number of articles in the management unit (or the number of article IDs) is stored in advance with respect to the articles managed as the management unit (for example, for each case to be stored). Alternatively, the number of different product IDs among the product IDs read at the timing is counted. By comparing the number of stored articles with the counted number, it is determined whether or not the reading is necessary. This comparison may be performed for each scene or may be performed for a plurality of scenes. For each of a plurality of scenes, the number of different article IDs is counted in the whole article IDs read in a plurality of scenes. Further, in this case, different article IDs may be specified for each scene, and the number of different article IDs among the specified article IDs may be counted when a certain number of scenes are obtained. Furthermore, for each scene, control may be performed so that a different article ID is identified each time based on an article ID that has been read up to the previous time and specified as a different article ID and an article ID that has been read in the scene.

Further, the present invention includes the following aspects.
Issue an alarm by automatically detecting the presence of an article with an acquisition error in the reader / writer by comparing the total number of articles identified in advance and the number of article IDs as the ID acquisition status in multiple ID acquisition situations It is possible to handle business. In particular, it is possible to grasp all article IDs without issuing an alarm as soon as possible by grasping ID data of articles with higher accuracy by collating ID reading statuses in a plurality of scenes, rather than discrimination at only one place. .

  Furthermore, the following aspects are also included in the present invention.

  A reader device that is a device that wirelessly reads ID data stored in an IC tag, a first IC tag that is attached to an article and stores an article ID that identifies the article, and a case that stores the article A second IC tag storing a case ID for identifying the case, a scene ID that is read by the reader device and identifies the scene that is read from the case ID and the article ID, the case ID, and the article In an article management method using an article management system including an ID acquisition situation storage database that stores IDs in association with each other, the reader device reads the case ID and the article ID, and the read case ID and the case ID The article ID is stored in the ID acquisition status storage DB, and read every time the ID is stored in the ID acquisition status storage DB. The case ID corresponding to the taken case ID is searched from the ID acquisition status storage DB, the number of different product IDs is counted for the product ID stored in association with the searched case ID, and stored in advance. An article management method for comparing the number of articles included in the case ID with the counted number of article IDs to determine whether the article ID is read or not.

  Further, in this article management method, the present invention also includes an article management method for storing the location ID in the ID acquisition status storage database every time the reader ID reads the case ID and the article ID. .

  Furthermore, in this article management method, the ID acquisition status storage database includes an ID acquisition scene definition table in which scene IDs corresponding to case IDs are registered, and the number of articles stored in the case ID registered in advance. On the other hand, when there is a shortage in the actual number of acquisition of the product ID, it is determined whether there is another ID acquisition scene, and if there is not, the product management outputs an alarm as insufficient product ID acquisition Methods are also included in the present invention.

  In this article management method, if the number of articles stored in advance matches the number of article IDs, the article ID is registered in a database for use in business processing, and the ID acquisition status storage database stores the article ID. An article management method for erasing data corresponding to the case ID is also included in the present invention.

  Further, in this article management method, the present invention includes an article management method for outputting an alarm as an article storage error when the number of article IDs is larger than the number of articles stored in advance.

  Further, in these article management methods, an article management method for storing a reader / writer ID for identifying the reader apparatus in the ID acquisition status storage database and outputting an alarm to the reader apparatus when excess or deficiency is detected is also provided. include.

  The present invention includes each device for realizing these article management methods, and combinations and sub-combinations of these devices, and a computer program for executing the method on these devices is also included in the present invention. include.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to recover even if a reading error occurs when reading a plurality of IC tags.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
There is a case (200) equipped with a wireless IC tag storing a case ID (201) for individually identifying each case, and an article is stored therein. A wireless IC tag (202) storing an article ID for individually identifying each article is attached to the article. There is a reader / writer (203), which is a device that simultaneously acquires and reads and writes ID data stored in an IC tag by radio, and the ID data acquired by the reader / writer is an information system via a network (105). (106) is registered and processed. Examples of the case (200) include a packing box, a return box, and the like.

  FIG. 2 is an example of an ID acquisition status storage DB (100) that automatically stores data every time the reader / writer (203) acquires ID data. Case ID data (1000) for identifying a case, scene ID data (1001) indicating which scene is acquired, and article ID data (1002) are stored. In addition, a reader / writer ID (1003) for distinguishing the reader / writer that has acquired the ID at that time is also stored.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the case article registration DB (102) in which the types and numbers of articles put in the case, and the total number of all articles are registered in advance. There may be different types of articles in the same case. Moreover, it is not restricted to two types.

  FIG. 4 shows an ID acquisition scene definition table (103) in which ID acquisition scenes are acquired in advance by the reader / writer (203), and ID acquisition scenes to be collated by the acquisition ID data collation determination unit (101) are registered. ).

  The ID acquisition scene is not limited to three scenes. It can also be implemented not only within a company but also in a supply chain between companies. For example, among companies, ID acquisition scenes include “case storage in the factory warehouse” “case storage in the factory warehouse picking” “case storage in the shipping yard temporarily” “case delivery to the logistics company (shipment)”. Among companies, “company A shipment scene”, “company B acceptance scene”, and the like are examples.

  FIG. 5 is an example of a business DB (104) that performs various business processes that record and use article ID data. .Alpha., .Beta., .Gamma., .Delta., Etc., which are the article ID data (1051), are data representing different characteristics for each article, such as serial numbers and expiration dates. These α, β, γ, and δ can also be used as identifiers, and can be used for business processing by associating them with business tables in which attribute data is separately stored.

  FIG. 6 is an example of a processing flow in which the case ID and the article ID are acquired in one scene (timing) and stored in the ID acquisition status storage DB (100). In (6000), the reader / writer (203) acquires the case ID (201) and the article ID (202) by wireless communication. At this time, it does not matter whether all IDs are actually acquired. In (6001), the scene ID (1001) of the ID acquisition scene where the reader / writer is located is set and stored in advance in the reader / writer, and is registered in the ID acquisition status storage DB (100) in (6002). The scene ID (1001) is registered together with the ID data of (6000).

  FIG. 7 is an example of a processing flow for determining whether the product ID is excessive or insufficient from the ID acquisition status stored in the ID acquisition status storage DB (100). In (7000), when registered in the ID acquisition status storage DB (100) in (6002), the subsequent processing is automatically started immediately. In (7001), the records of the same case ID (1000) are compared and collated from the data registered in the ID acquisition status storage DB (100), and a different scene ID (1001) and a different article ID (1002) for the same case ID. Determine the value and number of.

For example, in the example in FIG.
{Case ID, Scene ID, Item ID} = {A, S1, (α, β, γ)}
{Case ID, Scene ID, Item ID} = {A, S2, (α, β)}
When these are compared, the product IDs α and β appear both, and γ appears once. Therefore, it is determined that Case A has three product IDs (α, β, and γ). In addition, when there is one scene ID for the same case ID registered in the ID acquisition status storage DB (100), that is, the scene registered in the first ID acquisition scene with respect to the case ID, the number of article IDs and data are determined. As a result.

  In (7002), the number of article IDs for the case ID determined in (7001) is compared with the total number of articles (1020) registered in the case article registration DB (102) for the same case ID. When the number of article IDs for the case ID determined in (7001) is larger than the total number of articles (1020) registered in the case article registration DB (102), articles other than articles grasped systematically are included in the case. An alarm is issued at (7003). As an alarm, a method of displaying an alarm on the administrator's console screen, or referring to the reader / writer ID (1003) and notifying the reader / writer on the site (203) of the alarm, prompts an artificial confirmation work. . When the total number of articles (1020) registered in the case article registration DB (102) matches the number of article IDs for the case ID determined in (7001), necessary (for example, all) article ID data can be acquired. Thus, in (7004), data is registered in the item ID (1051) column in the business DB (105). When the number of article IDs for the case ID determined in (7001) is smaller than the total number of articles (1020) registered in the case article registration DB (102), there is an article ID that has not yet been acquired.

  Therefore, in (7005), the type of the place ID subjected to the comparison and collation in (7002) is compared with the scene ID defined in the ID acquisition scene definition table (103), and the acquired data in all ID acquisition scenes is already compared. Whether or not ID acquisition scenes still remain. If the acquired data in all the ID acquisition scenes have already been compared and collated, there will be no further opportunity to acquire the article ID data for the reader data, and an alarm is issued at (7007). As an alarm, a method of displaying an alarm on the administrator's console screen, or referring to the reader / writer ID (1003) and notifying the reader / writer on the site (203) of the alarm, prompts an artificial confirmation work. . If it is determined in (7005) that there are still other ID acquisition scenes, the remaining ID acquisition scenes are again waited for registration in the ID acquisition status storage DB (100) in (7007).

Overall schematic diagram of one embodiment of the present invention The figure which shows ID acquisition condition storage DB100 The figure which shows case article registration DB102 The figure which shows ID acquisition scene definition table 103 The figure which shows business DB104 Case ID and article ID acquisition flow Processing flow of acquired ID data collation determination unit

Explanation of symbols

  106 ... Information system 105 ... Network 203 ... Reader / writer 200 ... Case

Claims (6)

A reader device that is a device that wirelessly reads ID data stored in an IC tag, a first IC tag that is attached to an article and stores an article ID that identifies the article, and a case that stores the article The second IC tag storing the case ID for identifying the case is associated with the scene ID for identifying the scene in which the case ID and the article ID are read by the reader device, the case ID, and the article ID, respectively. In an article management method using an article management system provided with an ID acquisition status storage database for storing
The reader device reads the case ID and the article ID;
The read case ID and the article ID are stored in the ID acquisition status storage database ,
Each time the ID is stored in the ID acquisition status storage database , a case ID corresponding to the read case ID is searched from the ID acquisition status storage database, and the article ID stored in association with the searched case ID is different. Count the number of article IDs, compare the number of articles included in the case ID stored in advance with the number of article IDs counted, determine whether the article ID is read or not ,
The ID acquisition situation storage database includes an ID acquisition scene definition table in which scene IDs corresponding to case IDs are registered, and the actual article IDs for the number of articles stored in the case IDs registered in advance. If there is a shortage in the number of acquisitions, it is determined whether or not there is another ID acquisition scene, and if there is no such item, an alarm is output as insufficient item ID acquisition . The article management method according to claim 1,
Each time the case ID and the article ID are read by the reader device, the scene ID is stored together in an ID acquisition status storage database. The article management method according to claim 1,
An article management method characterized by acquiring an article ID in the other ID acquisition scene when the other ID acquisition scene exists . The article management method according to claim 1,
When the number of articles stored in advance matches the number of article IDs, the article ID is registered in a database for use in business processing, and data corresponding to the case ID in the ID acquisition status storage database is stored. An article management method characterized by erasing. The article management method according to claim 1,
An article management method comprising: outputting an alarm as an article storage error when the number of article IDs is greater than the number of articles stored in advance. In the article management method according to any one of claims 1, 3, and 5,
A reader / writer ID for identifying the reader device is stored in the ID acquisition status storage database,
An article management method, comprising: outputting an alarm to the reader device when excess or deficiency is detected.

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