JP2004302970A - Radio tag, reader/writer, and location information system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a location information system capable of acquiring the present position of a reader/writer over a wide range by use of a radio tag. <P>SOLUTION: This location information system comprises the radio tag 10, and the reader/writer 20 for reading information from the radio tag or writing information to the radio tag. The radio tag 10 includes a memory 17 storing the location information indicating the location of the radio tag, and the reader/writer 20 includes means (25, 22, 28 and 21) for transmitting a request signal for requesting the location information and receiving means (21, 28, 23 and 25) for receiving the location information read from the memory in response to the request signal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a wireless tag, a reader / writer, and a position information system, and more particularly, to a wireless tag, a reader / writer capable of detecting a current position of a reader / writer using position information stored in the wireless tag. It relates to a writer and a position information system.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, development of a large-scale distribution system using wireless tags has been promoted. The wireless tag is a chip having a built-in antenna, wireless communication IC, and memory, and can read data from the memory or write data to the memory in response to a request from a dedicated reader / writer. A wireless tag is attached to each product in the distribution process, and data is read out by a reader / writer provided in a conveyor of a distribution center, a product management terminal of a store, or the like, whereby detailed management of each product can be performed.
[0003]
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a conventional wireless tag. The wireless tag 10 includes a modulation circuit 12 and a demodulation circuit 13 connected to an antenna 11, a transmission circuit 14, and a control circuit 15 for transmitting and receiving a radio signal to and from a reader / writer. The nonvolatile memory 17 is connected to the control circuit 15 and can perform reading and writing via the control circuit 15. The wireless signal from the reader / writer is demodulated into received data by the demodulation circuit 13 and processed by the control circuit 15. Transmission data from the control circuit 15 is modulated by the modulation circuit 12 and transmitted to the reader / writer via the antenna 11.
[0004]
The rectifier circuit 16 connected to the antenna 11 rectifies the carrier wave and supplies power to the wireless tag 10. In the memory 17, ID information for identifying each product, distribution management information such as a manufacturing date and a shipping date, and product information such as a shelf life are written.
[0005]
A reader / writer installed in a warehouse, a distribution center, a delivery truck, a store, or the like of a product can read ID information or the like from a wireless tag to manage individual products in a distribution process, manage inventory in a store, and the like. . As a specific example, an apparatus for specifying the position of an article in a warehouse using such a wireless tag (for example, see Patent Document 1) and an apparatus for sorting articles (for example, see Patent Document 2) ) Are known.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-322718 A
[Patent Document 2]
JP 2001-3953 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the conventional method, when a product to which a wireless tag is attached passes through a specific place where a reader / writer is installed, the location of the product in the distribution process is determined. For example, a reader / writer is provided on a belt conveyor of a delivery center, and the position of the product is determined by communicating with a wireless tag of the product flowing on the belt conveyor. However, since the transmission and reception of wireless signals between the wireless tag and the reader / writer use weak radio waves, when a wireless tag is attached to a moving product and its position is determined from the reader / writer, the radio waves reach. There is a problem that the position can be obtained only within a limited range.
[0009]
Therefore, in order to specify the position of the object to which the wireless tag is attached over a wide range, a large number of readers / writers must be installed over a wide range. The wireless tag can be manufactured at very low cost, but a reader / writer that requires a power supply circuit and an external interface circuit is expensive, and there is also a problem that installing a large number of wireless tags in a wide range impairs the economics of the system.
[0010]
The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a position information system capable of acquiring a current position of a reader / writer over a wide range using a wireless tag. It is in.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a wireless tag that transmits information stored in a memory in response to a request from a reader / writer, Position information indicating a position is stored in the memory, and the reader / writer receives the position information by transmitting the position information to the reader / writer in response to a request signal from the reader / writer. The position can be specified by the position information.
[0012]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a reader / writer that reads information stored in a memory of a wireless tag or writes information in the memory requests position information indicating a position of the wireless tag stored in the memory. And a receiving means for receiving the position information read from the memory in response to the request signal.
[0013]
An invention according to claim 3 is a position information system including a wireless tag and a reader / writer that reads information from the wireless tag or writes information to the wireless tag, wherein the wireless tag includes the wireless tag. Wherein the position information indicating the position of the information includes a memory in which the position information is stored, wherein the reader / writer transmits a request signal requesting the position information, and wherein the reader / writer read out from the memory in response to the request signal. Receiving means for receiving position information.
[0014]
A fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the reader / writer according to the third aspect includes means for storing the received position information together with the time of reception.
[0015]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the reader / writer according to the third aspect stores in advance path information including position information of a target place and position information on a route, An instruction unit for comparing the position information with the position information included in the route information to indicate a correct route to be moved is provided.
[0016]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the reader / writer according to the third aspect compares the received location information with the destination location information beforehand storing the destination location information of a target location. And instructing means for instructing a correct direction to move.
[0017]
The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the reader / writer according to claim 5 or 6 includes display means for displaying the correct route or the correct direction instructed by the instructing means.
[0018]
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the reader / writer according to the third aspect compares the last received position information with the position information received immediately before to determine whether or not the reader / writer has moved. It is characterized by including a judging means, and an output means for outputting an alarm and the received position information via an external interface when the judging means judges that it has moved.
[0019]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 shows a reader / writer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The reader / writer 20 includes an RF circuit 28 connected to the antenna 21, a modulation circuit 22, a demodulation circuit 23, a transmission circuit 24, and a control circuit 25 in order to transmit and receive a radio signal to and from a wireless tag. Have. The control circuit 25 is connected with a nonvolatile memory 27 for storing programs, data, and the like, an external interface 29 for connecting to a general-purpose computer, a mobile phone, and the like, and a display circuit 30 including a liquid crystal display device. I have. Further, a power supply circuit 26 for supplying power to the reader / writer 20 is provided.
[0020]
Note that, instead of the display circuit 30, a lamp display using an LED or the like may be performed, or a sign sound, a sound, or the like may be output from a speaker. The external interface 29 may be not only a cable connection such as a USB, but also a wireless interface such as Blue Tooth.
[0021]
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the position information system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The position information system according to the first embodiment is used, for example, for flow line management in a manufacturing line of a factory, a kitchen of a restaurant, and the like. As shown in FIG. 3A, carpets or tiles in which the wireless tags 10a to 10d are embedded are arranged at regular intervals on the floor or at necessary places. The reader / writer 20 is attached to the employee's shoes.
[0022]
The memory 17 of the wireless tag 10 stores position information indicating the position of the wireless tag. The position information may be latitude and longitude information, or position information using coordinate information based on a specific reference point in the factory, a floor name, a room name, a name that can easily specify a location of a machine tool, a cooking machine, or the like. May be.
[0023]
FIG. 4 shows a method of using the position information system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. When the reader / writer 20 is activated, the control circuit 25 executes a program stored in the non-volatile memory 27, and periodically transmits a position information request signal to acquire position information (S41). The wireless tag 10 that has received the position information request signal from the reader / writer 20 transmits the position information stored in the memory 17 to the reader / writer 20. When signals are received from a plurality of wireless tags 10, the control circuit 25 selects, for example, the wireless tag 10 having the largest electric field strength of the received signal (S42). The acquired position information is stored in the memory 27 together with the acquired time, for example (S44).
[0024]
In this way, the periodically acquired position information is stored in the memory 27. Next, the stored position information is read out and analyzed by a general-purpose computer or the like via the external interface 29. For example, a reduced scale drawing of a production line of a factory, a kitchen of a restaurant, or the like is displayed on a general-purpose computer, and as shown in FIG. , Can be displayed in an overlapping manner.
[0025]
Even if they are at the same position, storing the acquired position information in the memory 27 consumes memory capacity. Therefore, only when the position information is different is stored in the memory 27 (S43 to S45).
[0026]
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a position information system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The position information system according to the second embodiment is used for customer guidance in a large tenant building, a general hospital, and the like, for example. As shown in FIG. 5, the carpet or tile or the like in which the wireless tag 10 is embedded is arranged at a certain interval or at a necessary place on a sidewalk, floor, stairs, an elevator, or the like around the building.
[0027]
The memory 17 of the wireless tag 10 stores position information indicating the position of the wireless tag. The position information may be latitude and longitude information, or position information using coordinate information based on a specific reference point in the tenant, a floor name, a room name, or the like. For example, the reader / writer 20 is lent to the visiting customer at the reception. The reader / writer 20 may be a small housing that can be attached to shoes, or one that is built in a walking stick, wheelchair, or the like.
[0028]
FIG. 6 shows a method of using the position information system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. A case where the user moves from the reception on the first floor shown in FIG. First, when the reader / writer 20 is activated at the reception on the first floor, the route information is input via the external interface 29. The route information is information in which position information of a target place, that is, position information of the second floor 201 section and position information in the middle of the route are arranged in order along the route. For example, such path information is stored in a general-purpose computer in advance, and written into the reader / writer 20 as necessary. The control circuit 25 stores the position information in the nonvolatile memory 27 as path information (S61).
[0029]
The control circuit 25 executes a program stored in the non-volatile memory 27, and periodically transmits a position information request signal to acquire position information (S62). The wireless tag 10 that has received the position information request signal from the reader / writer 20 transmits the position information stored in the memory 17 to the reader / writer 20. When signals are received from the plurality of wireless tags 10, the control circuit 25 selects, for example, the wireless tag 10 having the largest electric field strength of the received signal (S63).
[0030]
The control circuit 25 compares the acquired position information with the target position information and detects a difference (S64). If it is at the same position, the process returns to step S62 again, and if it has moved, a vector is calculated from the position information before and after the movement (S65). The control circuit 25 determines whether or not the vehicle is on the correct route to be moved based on the calculated moving direction and the route information (S66).
[0031]
If it is not on the correct route to be moved, the optimum route is displayed on the display circuit 30 (S67). The route shown in FIG. 5 is from the reception on the first floor to the elevator hall on the first floor, from the first floor to the second floor by elevator, from the elevator hall on the second floor to the wide passage, and from the wide passage to the 201 on the second floor. For example, when the customer leaves the reception on the first floor, the direction of the elevator hall on the first floor is displayed as the optimum route. In this way, the optimum route is displayed until the target position information is reached (S68).
[0032]
The display circuit 30 displays a layout diagram of the floor of the tenant, and indicates the current position and the direction in which the vehicle should proceed by arrows. Only an arrow indicating only the moving direction may be displayed, LEDs indicating front, rear, left and right directions may be turned on, or a direction may be instructed by voice.
[0033]
FIG. 7 shows a method of using the position information system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The position information system according to the third embodiment is used, for example, as a wide-area navigation system for a shopping district, a business district, or the like. As shown in FIG. 5, tiles or curbs in which the wireless tags 10 are embedded are arranged at regular intervals or at required places on sidewalks, stairs, entrances of buildings, and the like. The memory 17 of the wireless tag 10 stores position information indicating the position of the wireless tag. The location information may be latitude and longitude information, or location information using street names, buildings, intersection names, and the like.
[0034]
The user of the navigation system attaches the reader / writer 20 to the shoe. The navigation information such as map information may be stored in the reader / writer 20, and the navigation system may be constructed by the reader / writer 20 alone. The reader / writer 20 stores navigation information such as map information in a PDA, a mobile phone, or the like, only for acquiring position information. The navigation system may be constructed by connecting to a PDA and a mobile phone via the external interface 29 of the reader / writer 20 and combining them. In the following description, the case where the reader / writer 20 and the PDA are combined will be described.
[0035]
First, when the reader / writer 20 is activated, target position information is input from the PDA via the external interface 29 and stored in the nonvolatile memory 27 (S71). The control circuit 25 executes a program stored in the non-volatile memory 27, and periodically transmits a position information request signal to acquire position information (S72). The wireless tag 10 that has received the position information request signal from the reader / writer 20 transmits the position information stored in the memory 17 to the reader / writer 20. When signals are received from the plurality of wireless tags 10, the control circuit 25 selects, for example, the wireless tag 10 having the highest electric field strength of the received signal (S73).
[0036]
The control circuit 25 compares the acquired position information with the target position information to detect a difference (S74). If it is at the same position, the process returns to step S62 again. If it has moved, a vector is calculated from the position information before and after the movement (S75). The control circuit 25 indicates the correct direction to move from the calculated moving direction and the target position information (S76). The control circuit 25 transmits the current position and the direction instruction to the PDA via the external interface 29, and the PDA displays the correct direction to move along with the map information. Note that the correct direction to be moved may be displayed on the display circuit 30 of the reader / writer 20, as in the second embodiment.
[0037]
An example of the direction instruction in step S76 will be described. The program stored in the non-volatile memory 27 includes a rule for direction designation. For example, when the acquired position information and the target position information are separated, only the direction is indicated, and when the acquired position information and the target position information are close, the direction is indicated according to the name of the street, or the intersection is indicated. Instruct the direction with the target name and building. Further, when the target position information is stored for the first time, the position information in the middle of the route may also be stored along the route, and the direction may be instructed while comparing the acquired position information with the middle position information.
[0038]
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a position information system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The position information system according to the fourth embodiment is used for, for example, a theft prevention / tracking device for a car or the like. As shown in FIG. 5, tiles or curbs in which the wireless tags 10 are embedded are arranged at regular intervals or at necessary places on a road, a parking lot, or the like. The wireless tag 10 may be directly embedded in the pavement of the road. The memory 17 of the wireless tag 10 stores position information indicating the position of the wireless tag. The location information may be latitude and longitude information, or location information using street names, buildings, intersection names, and the like.
[0039]
On the other hand, the reader / writer 20 is attached to an automobile and connected to the anti-theft alarm device 40. The anti-theft alarm device 40 issues an alarm and notifies wirelessly of the moved position when the engine is started without using a proper key and moves from a stopped position.
[0040]
FIG. 9 shows a method of using the position information system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. First, the reader / writer 20 is activated, and the alarm issuance mode is set from the anti-theft alarm device 40 via the external interface 29 (S91). When the alarm issuing mode is set, the control circuit 25 executes a program stored in the non-volatile memory 27 and transmits a position information request signal to periodically acquire position information (S92). The wireless tag 10 that has received the position information request signal from the reader / writer 20 transmits the position information stored in the memory 17 to the reader / writer 20. When signals are received from a plurality of wireless tags 10, the control circuit 25 selects, for example, the wireless tag 10 having the largest electric field strength of the received signal (S93). Thus, the control circuit 25 stores the position information of the current position in the nonvolatile memory 27.
[0041]
The control circuit 25 periodically acquires the current position information and detects whether or not it has moved (S94), and if it is at the same position, returns to step S92 again. If the difference between the position information before the movement and the position information after the movement exceeds a predetermined range, the control circuit 25 considers that the movement has occurred, and notifies the anti-theft alarm device 40 (S95). The control circuit 25 again transmits a position information request signal to periodically acquire the position information (S96), and acquires the position information from the wireless tag 10 (S97). The anti-theft alarm device 40 issues an alarm and notifies wirelessly of the position information acquired from the reader / writer 20. The anti-theft alarm device 40 uses a mobile communication system to notify alarms and position information to terminals of a predetermined owner, security company, etc. one by one.
[0042]
According to the present embodiment, by storing position information in a very inexpensive wireless tag and installing it in a wide area, it is possible to give position information to a reader / writer that moves in the installed area. In this way, since the reader / writer can specify its own current position, various position information systems can be constructed without impairing economic efficiency.
[0043]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, by storing position information in wireless tags installed over a wide range, a reader / writer can identify its own current position, thereby impairing economic efficiency. Instead, various position information systems can be constructed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a conventional wireless tag.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a reader / writer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a position information system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of using the position information system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a position information system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of using a position information system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of using a position information system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a position information system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of using a position information system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Wireless tag 11, 21 Antenna 12, 22 Modulation circuit 13, 23 Demodulation circuit 14, 24 Oscillation circuit 15, 25 Control circuit 16 Rectification circuit 17, 27 Non-volatile memory 20 Reader / writer 26 Power supply circuit 28 RF circuit 29 External interface 30 display circuit 40 anti-theft alarm device

Claims (8)

In a wireless tag that transmits information stored in a memory in response to a request from a reader / writer,
Position information indicating the position of the wireless tag is stored in the memory,
By transmitting the position information to the reader / writer in response to a request signal from the reader / writer, the position of the reader / writer can be specified by the received position information. A wireless tag characterized by the above-mentioned. In a reader / writer that reads information stored in a memory of a wireless tag or writes information to the memory,
Means for transmitting a request signal requesting position information indicating the position of the wireless tag stored in the memory,
Receiving means for receiving the position information read from the memory in response to the request signal. A position information system including a wireless tag and a reader / writer that reads information from the wireless tag or writes information to the wireless tag,
The wireless tag includes a memory in which position information indicating the position of the wireless tag is stored.
The reader / writer,
Means for transmitting a request signal requesting the location information,
Receiving means for receiving the position information read from the memory in response to the request signal. The position information system according to claim 3, wherein the reader / writer includes a unit configured to store the received position information together with a reception time. The reader / writer,
Means for storing in advance path information including position information of a target place and position information in the middle of the route,
4. The position information system according to claim 3, further comprising: an instruction unit configured to compare the received position information with position information included in the route information and indicate a correct route to be moved. The reader / writer,
Means for storing target position information of a target place in advance,
The position information system according to claim 3, further comprising: an instruction unit configured to compare the received position information with the target position information and indicate a correct direction to move. 7. The position information system according to claim 5, wherein the reader / writer includes a display unit that displays the correct route or the correct direction instructed by the instructing unit. The reader / writer,
Determining means for comparing the last received position information with the position information received immediately before to determine whether or not the user has moved;
4. The position information system according to claim 3, further comprising: an output unit that outputs an alarm and received position information via an external interface when the determination unit determines that the object has moved.

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