JP2000099672A - Non-contact id tag - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely perform the communication of information between an ID tag and an external communication device when the communication of information is carried out with the external communication device by means of a non-contact ID tag by using a multiplexer circuit to which plural non-contact communication circuits are connected in parallel. SOLUTION: An ID tag 1A receives the power and information waves from one of plural non-contact communication circuits 1 to n. If the circuits 1 and 2, for example, receive the power and information waves from an external communication device, the power waves received from the circuits 1 and 2 are converted into the DC voltage by the circuits 1 and 2 and the electric power is supplied to a multiplexer circuit 20. The circuit 20 decides one of circuits 1 and 2 that should be connected to a control part 11 based on the electric energy received from both circuits 1 and 2. If the electric energy received from the circuit 1 is larger than that received from the circuit 2, the circuit 20 connects the circuit 1 to the part 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an ID tag,
In particular, a non-contact ID tag that is attached to a person or object, stores information about the attached person or article, and can transmit information to and from an external device in a non-contact state. Regarding ID tags.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 3, this type of ID tag is a modulator for ensuring communication without contact with the outside,
It has a non-contact communication circuit 1 including a demodulator, a power supply and the like (not shown), an antenna, and the like, a control unit 11 and a data storage unit 12, and FIG. An external communication device 100 that performs contact-type communication is also shown.

When the ID tag 10C is attached to a person or an article and approaches a certain distance from the external communication device 100 installed at a specific position, the external communication device 100 is transmitted through the non-contact communication circuit 1. Can communicate with the

The external communication device 100 sends an ID tag 1
The data (information radio wave) transmitted to 0C is received and decoded by the control unit 11 and stored in the data storage unit 12.

Further, the data recorded in the data storage unit 12 is transmitted from the ID tag 10C to the external communication device 100.

[0006] The ID tag 10C has a characteristic that it holds information peculiar to a person or an article attached to the ID tag 10C, and can change and read the information from outside.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a positional relationship when information communication is performed between an ID tag and an external communication device. Antenna 13 of non-contact communication circuit (not shown) of ID tag 10C
Is normally arranged on one side of the ID tag 10C, and the information communication is completed by bringing the surface having the built-in antenna 13 closer to the front with respect to the external communication device 100. That is, the information communication between the ID tag and the external communication device in the non-contact state is performed by electromagnetic coupling, and the ID tag 10C that receives the power radio wave and the information radio wave transmitted from the external communication device 100 from the antenna 13 is non-contact. The contact-type communication circuit (power supply device) rectifies the power radio wave and converts it into a DC voltage to supply power to each unit in the ID tag 10C, thereby achieving necessary processing based on the information radio wave. Since the ID tag 10C includes the above-described non-contact communication circuit, the ID tag 10C does not require a power supply, and can operate without a power supply.

[0008]

The conventional ID tag has only one non-contact communication circuit, that is, has only one antenna, and performs information communication with an external communication device. Has a problem that communication can be performed only with a certain positional relationship. The antenna of the non-contact communication circuit has directional characteristics. For example, when a user carrying an ID tag performs information communication with an external communication device, the ID tag is turned over instead of the positional relationship shown in FIG. If used, normal information communication will not be possible. That is, even when the ID tag approaches a distance at which information communication can be performed with the external communication device, information communication cannot be accurately performed depending on the angle of the antenna of the non-contact communication circuit in the ID tag with respect to the external communication device.

The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem. When information communication with an external communication device is performed using a non-contact ID tag, the ID tag and the external communication device are connected to each other. The purpose of the present invention is to perform the information communication more reliably.

[0010]

A polyhedron attached to a person or an article, storing information about the person or the article, and transmitting or storing the information with an external communication device in a non-contact state. In the ID tag of
The polyhedral ID tag includes a plurality of non-contact communication circuits each having an antenna, and one multiplexer circuit that connects the plurality of non-contact communication circuits in parallel.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a conceptual circuit configuration example of an ID tag according to the present invention. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in the conventional technology.

The configuration of the embodiment shown in FIG.
A, an external communication device 100, and an ID tag 10A.
Are non-contact communication circuits 1 to n that perform non-contact communication with the external communication device 100, and a control unit 11 that controls the entire operation.
And a data storage unit 12 for storing data, and a multiplexer circuit 20 for connecting the non-contact communication circuits 1 to n in parallel. The multiplexer circuit 20 is an element for selecting one of the signals sent from the plurality of non-contact communication circuits 1 to n. Each of the non-contact communication circuits 1 to n has the same configuration, and each of the non-contact communication circuits 1 to n is the same as the conventional non-contact communication circuit.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. I
By bringing the D tag 10A closer to the external communication device 100, the external communication device 100
After transmitting the power radio wave, the information radio wave is transmitted to the ID tag 10A. Here, the ID tag 10A of the present invention receives the power electric wave and the information electric wave from any of the plurality of non-contact communication circuits 1 to n. For example, when the non-contact communication circuit 1 and the non-contact communication circuit 2 receive the power radio wave and the information radio wave from the external communication device, respectively,
The power radio wave received from 1 is converted to a DC voltage by the non-contact communication circuit 1 and supplied to the multiplexer circuit 20. Similarly, the power radio wave received from the non-contact communication circuit 20 is converted into a DC voltage by the non-contact communication circuit 2 and supplied to the multiplexer circuit 20.

The multiplexer circuit 20 determines which of the contactless communication circuits and the control unit 11 are to be connected based on the amount of power from the contactless communication circuits 1 and 2. Here, for example, when the amount of power from the non-contact communication circuit 1 is large, the multiplexer circuit 20 connects the non-contact communication circuit 1 to the control unit 11.

After the multiplexer circuit 20 connects the non-contact type communication circuit 1 to the control unit 11, the control unit 11 is driven based on the power from the non-contact type communication circuit 1 and the external communication device 100 Performs processing based on the information radio wave from.

FIG. 2 shows the non-contact type communication circuits 1 to 1 in FIG.
5 is a perspective view showing an example of an ID tag provided with six n, and in which an antenna 13 of a non-contact communication circuit is arranged on each surface of an ID tag 10B formed of a hexahedron (the antenna on the bottom surface, the back surface, and the left side surface is Not shown).

By providing the antenna 13 of the six non-contact communication circuits on each side of the ID tag 10B, the six non-contact communication circuits are sufficient for use at all angles with respect to the external communication device. Information communication can be performed.

Here, in the above embodiment, the configuration in which six non-contact communication circuits are provided is shown. However, two non-contact communication circuits may be used. The present invention can be implemented by arranging antennas of a non-contact communication circuit on two surfaces of an ID tag. That is, any configuration may be used as long as a plurality of non-contact communication circuits each including an antenna are used.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of non-contact type communication circuits and a plurality of non-contact type communication circuits can be used as compared with a conventional ID tag capable of performing information communication only from one side of a polyhedral ID tag. By having one multiplexer circuit, a control unit, and a data storage unit, information communication with an external communication device can be performed on all aspects of the polyhedral ID tag, and more accurate information communication becomes possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of an ID tag according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an external view of an ID tag according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration diagram of a conventional ID tag.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a positional relationship when information communication between a conventional ID tag and an external communication device is performed.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 1st non-contact communication circuit 2 2nd non-contact communication circuit 3 3rd non-contact communication circuit n
· N-th non-contact communication circuit, 10A ... ID tag, 1
0B: ID tag, 10C: ID tag, 11
..Control unit, 12 ... data storage unit, 13 ...
Antenna, 20 ... multiplexer circuit, 100
..External communication devices

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A polyhedron ID tag which is attached to a person or an article, stores information on the person or the article, and can transmit or store the information to or from an external communication device in a non-contact state. Wherein the polyhedral ID tag includes a plurality of non-contact communication circuits each having an antenna, and one multiplexer circuit for connecting the plurality of non-contact communication circuits in parallel. ID tag.