JP2005094584A - Radio tag reader writer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radio tag reader writer which is capable of exchanging communications surely with only a target radio tag. <P>SOLUTION: When a radio tag 24 is arranged within a prescribed short range of communication, the frequency of carrier waves transmitted from the radio tag reader writer 12 is set up on the basis of the resonance frequency of the antenna unit 64 of the radio tag 24 that varies with its mutual coupling with the transmitting/receiving antenna 54 of the radio tag reader writer 12, so that the radio tag 24 as an object of communication located in the prescribed short range of communication is kept high in sensitivity. and radio tags 24 other than the above radio tag 24 get lower in sensitivity, and the radio tag reader writer 12 is capable of communicating with the radio tag 24 as an object of communication preventing the radio tags 24 other than the target radio tag 24 suitably from interfering with communication with the target radio tag. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless tag reader / writer that reads and writes information from and to a wireless tag that can write and read information wirelessly.

  An RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system is known in which information is read and written to a small wireless tag (responder) in which predetermined information is stored by a predetermined wireless tag reader / writer or a read-only interrogator. It has been. This RFID system can read information stored in the wireless tag by wireless communication even when the wireless tag is dirty or disposed at an invisible position. Practical use is expected in various fields such as inspection processes. For example, this is an inspection system using an RFID tag described in Patent Document 1.

JP 2002-308437 A

  In writing and reading information to and from the wireless tag, it is necessary to communicate information with the wireless tag. For example, such information is read and written by communication using a high frequency such as a UHF band. However, when a high frequency is used, since the communication distance is long, it is shielded to write information only to the target wireless tag. It was necessary to carry out communication under the same environment or to identify the wireless tag. In order to eliminate such an adverse effect, it is conceivable to reduce the output of the wireless tag reader / writer. However, depending on the mode of the wireless tag, it may interfere with communication from a wireless tag that is not the target, and normal communication may occur. There is a possibility that will not be done.

  By the way, when the distance between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer is brought close to each other while preventing them from coming into contact with each other, the antennas are mutually coupled and the resonance frequency of both antennas fluctuates. As a result of continuing intensive research focusing on this interaction, the present inventors have come up with a wireless tag reader / writer that can reliably communicate with only a target wireless tag.

  The present invention has been made against the background of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wireless tag reader / writer that reliably communicates only with a target wireless tag.

  In order to achieve such an object, the gist of the present invention is a wireless tag reader / writer that reads and writes information by communicating with a wireless tag, and the wireless tag has a predetermined proximity communication range. The frequency of the carrier wave transmitted by the wireless tag reader / writer is set based on the resonance frequency of the antenna of the wireless tag changed by mutual coupling between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer. It is characterized by this.

  In this way, the resonance frequency of the antenna of the wireless tag that has changed due to mutual coupling between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer when the wireless tag is disposed within a predetermined near field communication range is obtained. Since it is set as the frequency of the carrier wave transmitted by the wireless tag reader / writer, the wireless tag that is the communication target within the proximity range has high sensitivity, and the other wireless tags have low sensitivity. Therefore, it is possible to suitably prevent the communication with the wireless tag that becomes the interference with the wireless tag that is not the communication target. That is, it is possible to provide a wireless tag reader / writer that reliably communicates only with a target wireless tag.

  Here, preferably, the proximity communication range is such that the distance between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer is a single wireless tag, or the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer and the antenna of the wireless tag In the range corresponding to a resonance frequency (hereinafter referred to as a free space resonance frequency) when placed in a position where the mutual coupling with the wireless tag can be ignored, the antenna of the wireless tag and the wireless A carrier wave having a frequency higher than the resonance frequency of the antenna of the wireless tag at a position where the distance from the antenna of the tag reader / writer is 0.5 times the wavelength corresponding to the free space resonance frequency of the wireless tag is generated. In this case, the change in the resonance frequency of the antenna of the wireless tag due to the mutual coupling between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer is the distance between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer. Shows a maximum value at a position that is 0.5 times the wavelength corresponding to the free space resonance frequency of the wireless tag, and takes a value that exceeds the maximum value at a position that is 0.1 times or less. By performing communication using the frequency and communication range, it is possible to more reliably communicate with only the target wireless tag.

  Preferably, the wireless tag reader / writer reads and writes information by performing communication with a wireless tag having a half-wave dipole antenna as the antenna, and the proximity communication range includes the antenna of the wireless tag And the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer are in a range where the distance corresponding to the free space resonance frequency of the wireless tag is 0.05 times or less, and 1.03 times or more of the free space resonance frequency of the wireless tag A carrier wave having a frequency is generated. In this way, when a frequency of 1.03 times or more the free space resonance frequency of the wireless tag is generated, the distance between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer is the free space of the wireless tag. Since the sensitivity is high at a position that is 0.05 times or less of the wavelength corresponding to the resonance frequency, communication is performed using the frequency and communication range of that range, so that only the target wireless tag can be reliably connected. Can communicate with each other.

  Preferably, the proximity communication range is such that the distance between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer is 0.2 times or more and 0.4 times the wavelength corresponding to the free space resonance frequency of the wireless tag. In this range, a carrier wave having a resonance frequency of the antenna of the wireless tag at a position where the distance between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer is within the range is generated. In this case, the change in the resonance frequency of the antenna of the wireless tag due to the mutual coupling between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer is the distance between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer. Shows a minimum value in the range of 0.2 to 0.4 times the wavelength corresponding to the free space resonance frequency of the wireless tag, so that communication can be performed using the frequency and communication range of the range. In addition, it is possible to more reliably communicate with only the target wireless tag.

  Preferably, a mode switching unit that switches between a near field communication mode that communicates only with a radio tag within the near field communication range and a far field communication mode that communicates with a radio tag outside the near field communication range, The frequency of the carrier wave generated in the near field communication mode and the frequency of the carrier wave generated in the far field communication mode are set to different frequencies. In this way, since the frequency of the carrier wave transmitted by the wireless tag reader / writer can be set inside and outside the proximity communication range, it is possible to reliably communicate with only the wireless tag within the proximity communication range. At the same time, communication with a wireless tag outside the proximity communication range can be suitably performed.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an RFID system 10 to which the present invention is preferably applied. In the RFID system 10, a plurality of wireless tag readers / writers 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention are connected to a route server 16, a terminal 18, a general-purpose computer 20, and a plurality of information servers 22 via a wired or wireless communication line 14. It is connected.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the wireless tag reader / writer 12. The wireless tag reader / writer 12 is used to create the wireless tag 24 shown in FIG. 4, and prints a predetermined print character or the like as will be described later, and sends a desired write ID and article information to the IC circuit unit 80. The wireless tag 24 can be immediately created according to the user's request by writing it on the cover film 86, a cover film 86, and an ink ribbon, which will be described later, for generating the tag tape 26 as a base material of the wireless tag 24 98, a wireless tag circuit 24a comprising an antenna portion 64 and an IC circuit portion 80 drives a detachable cartridge 28 for storing a base tape 92 and the like arranged in a band at predetermined intervals, and a cartridge motor 30 In order to print on the tag tape 26 and the cartridge motor drive circuit 32 for controlling the delivery of the tag tape 26 from the cartridge 28. The print drive circuit 36 for controlling the drive of the thermal head 34, the feed roller 38 for feeding the tag tape 26 in the direction indicated by the arrow, and the drive of the feed roller 38 via the feed roller motor 40 are controlled. A feeding roller drive circuit 42, a conveyance guide 46 for guiding the tag tape 26 from the cartridge 28 to the carry-out port 44, and the tag tape 26 are cut to a predetermined length in accordance with the drive of the solenoid 48. A cutter 50 that is divided into wireless tags 24, a sensor 52 that detects the presence or absence of the tag tape 26 at the carry-out port 44, a transmission / reception antenna 54 for communicating with the wireless tag 24, and a transmission / reception antenna 54 A high-frequency circuit 56 for writing information to the wireless tag 24 via the radio signal, and a signal read from the wireless tag 24. The signal processing circuit 58 for reading out information and the above-mentioned wireless communication via the cartridge motor driving circuit 32, the printing driving circuit 36, the feeding roller driving circuit 42, the solenoid 48, the high frequency circuit 56, the signal processing circuit 58, etc. And a control circuit 60 for controlling the driving of the tag reader / writer 12. The control circuit 60 is connected to the communication line 14 by an input / output interface 62.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the wireless tag 24. As shown in FIG. 3, the wireless tag 24 transmits / receives a signal to / from the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 or an interrogator different from the wireless tag reader / writer 12. The antenna unit 64, the rectifying unit 66 that rectifies the carrier wave received by the antenna unit 64, the power source unit 68 for storing the energy of the carrier wave rectified by the rectifying unit 66, and the antenna unit 64. A clock extraction unit 70 that extracts a clock signal from the received carrier wave and supplies the clock signal to the control unit 76; a memory unit 72 that functions as an information storage unit that can store a predetermined information signal; and a modulation / demodulation unit connected to the antenna unit 64 74 and a control unit for controlling the operation of the wireless tag 24 through the rectifying unit 66, the clock extracting unit 70, the modem unit 74, and the like. And 6, and is configured to include. The control unit 76 performs control for storing the predetermined information in the memory unit 72 by communicating with the wireless tag reader / writer 12, and the modulation / demodulation unit 74 receives the carrier wave received by the antenna unit 64. After performing modulation based on the information signal stored in 72, basic control such as control of reflecting back from the antenna unit 64 as a reflected wave is executed. The antenna unit 64 is preferably a half-wave dipole antenna composed of a pair of linear elements.

  4A and 4B are views for explaining the external appearance of the wireless tag 24, where FIG. 4A is a plan view and FIG. 4B is a bottom view. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4A, on one surface (front surface) of the wireless tag 24, for example, a print 78 such as “RF-ID” indicating the type of the wireless tag 24 is printed. As shown in FIG. 5, the IC circuit unit 80 including the rectification unit 66, the power supply unit 68, the clock extraction unit 70, the memory unit 72, the modulation / demodulation unit 74, the control unit 76, and the like is made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or the like. The antenna portion 64 is formed on the surface of the base film 82 by printing or the like. A transparent cover film 86 is bonded to the front side of the base film 82 via an adhesive layer 84, and a release paper 90 is bonded to the back side of the base film 82 via an adhesive layer 88. The print 78 is printed on the back surface of the cover film 86, that is, the surface on the adhesive layer 84 side. Further, when the wireless tag 24 is attached to a predetermined product or the like, the release paper 90 is peeled off and adhered by the adhesive layer 88.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the cartridge 28 in detail. The cartridge 28 has a first roll 94 wound with a band-shaped base tape 92 in which the antenna portion 64 and the IC circuit portion 80 are continuously arranged, and a base thereof, as shown partially enlarged. A second roll 96 around which the cover film 86 having the same width as the material tape 92 is wound, an ink ribbon roll 100 around which the ink ribbon 98 is wound, and a winding roller for winding the ink ribbon 98 102 and a pressing roller 104 that feeds the tape in the direction indicated by the arrow while pressing and bonding the base tape 92 and the cover film 86 are provided so as to be able to rotate about their respective axis centers. . The ink ribbon roll 100 and the take-up roller 102 are disposed on the back side of the cover film 86, that is, the side to be bonded to the base tape 92, and the ink ribbon 98 is attached to the body of the wireless tag reader / writer 12. By being pressed by the provided thermal head 34, it is brought into contact with the back surface of the cover film 86.

  In forming the tag tape 26, the winding roller 102 and the pressure roller 104 are rotated in synchronization with each other in the directions indicated by the arrows by driving the cartridge motor 30. At this time, when a plurality of heating elements provided in the thermal head 34 are energized by the print drive circuit 36, a predetermined amount is applied to the back surface of the cover film 86, that is, the surface to be bonded to the base tape 92. Characters, symbols, bar codes, or the like are printed, and after the printing, the tag tape 26 is bonded to the base tape 92 by the pressure roller 104. When the wireless tag 24 is produced, predetermined information is written in each IC circuit unit 80 provided on the tag tape 26 by the high-frequency circuit 56 or the like, and then cut into the cutter 50 by a predetermined length. Divided into individual wireless tags 24.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the electrical configuration of the sensor 52. As shown in FIG. 7, the sensor 52 is, for example, a transmissive photoelectric sensor including a projector 106 and a light receiver 108. When the tag tape 26 or the wireless tag 24 is not provided between the projector 106 and the light receiver 108, the light output from the projector 106 is input to the light receiver 108, while the light projector 106 and the light receiver 108. When there is the tag tape 26 or the wireless tag 24 between them, the light output from the projector 106 is shielded and the control output from the light receiver 108 is reversed.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the control circuit 60. As shown in FIG. 8, the control circuit 60 comprises a central processing unit CPU 110, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 112, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 114, etc., and uses the temporary storage function of the RAM 114. However, this is a so-called microcomputer system that performs signal processing in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 112 in advance. The control circuit 60 is connected to the communication line 14 via the input / output interface 62, and exchanges information with the route server 16, the terminal 18, the general-purpose computer 20, the information server 22, and the like. Is possible. FIG. 9 shows an example of a screen displayed on the terminal 18 or the general-purpose computer 20 when the wireless tag reader / writer 12 writes information to the wireless tag 24. As shown in FIG. 9, the print characters printed on the wireless tag 24, the write ID that is an ID unique to the wireless tag 24, the address of the article information stored in the information server 22, and the route server 16 The storage address or the like of the corresponding information is displayed on the terminal 18 or the general-purpose computer 20, and the RFID tag reader / writer 12 is operated by the operation of the terminal 18 or the general-purpose computer 20, and the cover film The print characters are printed on 86 and information such as the write ID and article information is written on the IC circuit unit 80. The correspondence between the ID of the wireless tag 24 and the information written in the wireless tag 24 is stored in the route server 16 and can be referred to as necessary.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the high-frequency circuit 56 in detail. As shown in FIG. 10, the high-frequency circuit 56 includes a transmission unit 116 that transmits a predetermined signal to the wireless tag 24 and a reception unit 118 that receives a reflected wave from the wireless tag 24. The transmission unit 116 is generated by the carrier generation unit 120 that generates a carrier for writing information to the wireless tag 24, and the carrier generation unit 120 based on the information signal supplied from the signal processing circuit 58. A carrier wave modulation unit 122 that modulates a carrier wave (for example, amplitude modulation based on a TX-ASK signal) and a modulation wave amplification unit 124 that amplifies the modulated wave modulated by the carrier wave modulation unit 122 are configured. . The output of the modulated wave amplification unit 124 is transmitted to the transmission / reception antenna 54 via the coupler 126, transmitted from the transmission / reception antenna 54, and supplied to the IC circuit unit 80 via the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24. .

  The reflected wave from the wireless tag 24 received by the transmission / reception antenna 54 is input to the reception unit 118 via the coupler 126. The reception unit 118 includes an LNA (Low Noise Amp) 128 that amplifies a reception signal from the transmission / reception antenna 54, and a band-pass filter 130 that passes only a signal in a predetermined frequency band in the reception signal amplified by the LNA 128; Are provided. The output of the band pass filter 130 is input to the signal processing circuit 58 and demodulated by the signal processing circuit 58, and information related to modulation by the wireless tag 24, that is, information stored in the memory unit 72 is read out.

  The mode switching unit 132 and the frequency setting unit 134 shown in FIG. 10 are both control functions of the control circuit 60, and the mode switching unit 132 communicates only with the wireless tag 24 within a predetermined proximity communication range. The proximity communication mode and the far communication mode for communicating with the wireless tag 24 outside the proximity communication range are switched. The frequency setting unit 134 is configured such that the frequency of the carrier wave generated by the carrier wave generation unit 120 of the high frequency circuit 56 in the near field communication mode and the frequency of the carrier wave generated by the carrier wave generation unit 120 of the high frequency circuit 56 in the far field communication mode. Are set to different predetermined frequencies.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining changes in the resonance frequency when the distance between the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 is changed. Each of these antennas is a linear element. A case of a half-wave dipole antenna having a length of 57.0 mm, a cross-sectional radius of 0.5 mm, a resistance of 50Ω, and a free space resonance frequency of 2.44 GHz is illustrated. A normal carrier wave output from the high-frequency circuit 56, that is, an ideal carrier wave (hereinafter referred to as a basic carrier wave) when performing communication without considering a change in resonance frequency due to mutual coupling is about 2.44 GHz. As shown in FIG. 11, when the distance between the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the antenna section 64 of the wireless tag 24 is changed, the resonance frequency changes as the distance is a quarter wavelength of the basic carrier wave. It fluctuates with the period and shows a maximum value at a position where the wavelength is a half wavelength. The distance between the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the antenna portion 64 of the wireless tag 24 is less than about 1/10 wavelength of the basic carrier wave. Is the position. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining changes in the resonance frequency when the distance between the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 is changed, similar to FIG. These are examples of a dipole antenna having a linear element length of 114.0 mm, a cross-sectional radius of 0.5 mm, a resistance of 50Ω, and a length of about one wavelength at 2.44 GHz. Also in this case, the change in the resonance frequency fluctuates with a quarter wavelength period of the basic carrier wave, and the distance between the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 is the basic wave length. It can be seen that the maximum value is shown at a position where the wavelength is a half wavelength of the carrier wave, and the distance exceeding the maximum value is closer to that position where the distance is less than one-tenth wavelength.

  The frequency setting unit 134 preferably sets the frequency of the carrier wave generated by the carrier wave generation unit 120 of the high frequency circuit 56 in the near field communication mode to the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the antenna of the wireless tag 24. The distance to the unit 64 is set to a frequency higher than the resonance frequency at a position at which the distance to the basic carrier wave is a half wavelength, that is, 0.5 times the wavelength. Further, the frequency of the carrier wave generated by the carrier wave generator 120 of the high frequency circuit 56 in the far communication mode is set to the frequency of the basic carrier wave. In this aspect, the range in which the distance between the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 is 1/10 wavelength or less of the basic carrier wave, that is, 0.1 times or less of the wavelength is the range. The near communication range is set, and the other range is set as the far communication range. The resonance frequency within the proximity communication range is higher than the resonance frequency at a position where the distance between the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the antenna portion 64 of the wireless tag 24 is a half wavelength of the basic carrier wave. Therefore, in the proximity communication mode, the wireless tag 24 in the proximity range has high sensitivity, and the other wireless tags 24 have low sensitivity. Therefore, the wireless tag 24 can be reliably connected only to the wireless tag 24 in the proximity range. Can communicate with each other.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, at a position where the distance between the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the antenna section 64 of the wireless tag 24 is within 1/20 wavelength of the basic carrier wave, resonance occurs. It can be seen that the frequency is 1.03 or more times 2.44 GHz which is the free space resonance frequency of the wireless tag 24.

  The frequency setting unit 134 preferably sets the frequency of the carrier wave generated by the carrier wave generation unit 120 of the high frequency circuit 56 in the near field communication mode to 1.03 of the resonance frequency of the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 alone. Set the frequency to double or higher. In this aspect, the range in which the distance between the transmitting / receiving antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 is 1/20 wavelength or less of the basic carrier wave, that is, 0.05 times or less of the wavelength is the range. The near communication range is set, and the other range is set as the far communication range. When the carrier wave generation unit 120 of the high frequency circuit 56 generates a carrier wave having a frequency 1.03 times the resonance frequency of the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24, the wireless tag 24 within the proximity range has a sensitivity. The other wireless tags 24 are strong and have low sensitivity, and therefore, communication can be reliably performed only with the wireless tags 24 within the proximity range.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the distance between the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 is not less than 1/5 wavelength and not more than 2/5 wavelength of the basic carrier wave. It can be seen that at the position, the resonance frequency takes a value of about 0.97 times 2.44 GHz, which is the resonance frequency of the single antenna, and shows a minimum value.

  The near field communication range is preferably determined by setting the frequency of the carrier wave generated by the carrier wave generating unit 120 of the high frequency circuit 56 in the near field communication mode to the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the antenna unit of the wireless tag 24. The resonance of the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 in a position where the distance to 64 is within the range of 0.2 to 0.4 times the wavelength corresponding to the resonance frequency of the antenna unit 64 alone of the wireless tag 24. Set to frequency. In this aspect, the above range, that is, the distance between the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 is 0.2 times the wavelength corresponding to the resonance frequency of the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 alone. The range that is 0.4 times or less is set as the near field communication range, and the farther range other than that is the far field communication range. As described above, even when a frequency lower than the frequency of the basic carrier is used, in the near field communication mode, the wireless tag 24 within the close range has high sensitivity, and the other wireless tags 24 have low sensitivity. Therefore, communication can be reliably performed only with the wireless tag 24 within the proximity range.

  Next, an information writing operation to the wireless tag 24 by the RFID system 10 configured as described above and a writing preparation operation prior to the information writing operation will be described.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining an initialization operation of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 that is executed prior to information writing to the wireless tag 24 by the RFID system 10. First, in step (hereinafter, step is omitted) SPA, machine information of the RFID tag reader / writer 12 is initialized. Next, in the SPB, after the setting of the carrier wave generator 120 provided in the high-frequency circuit 56 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 is initialized, this routine is terminated.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the machine information initialization operation of the RFID tag reader / writer 12 in the SPA of FIG. First, in SPA1, the presence or absence of the cartridge 28 is determined. Next, in SPA2, the type of the cartridge 28, that is, the width of the tag tape 26, the presence or absence of RFID, and the like are determined. Next, in SPA3, it is determined whether the tag tape 26 of the cartridge 28 is used up, and the routine is terminated.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining the setting initialization operation of the carrier wave generation unit 120 provided in the high frequency circuit 56 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 in the SPB of FIG. First, in SPB1, the signal TX_PWR that is supplied to the modulated wave amplifier 124 and determines the transmission signal strength is turned off. Next, in SPB2, the carrier frequency is set in a PLL (Phase Locked Loop) provided in the carrier generation unit 120, and the oscillation frequency of the VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) provided in the carrier generation unit 120 is also changed from the PLL. After being fixed by the control voltage, the routine is terminated.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining the information writing operation to the wireless tag 24 by the wireless tag reader / writer 12. First, preparation for writing information to the wireless tag 24 is performed in the SWA. Next, in the SWB, the wireless tag 24 to which information is to be written is specified. Next, after the information is written to the wireless tag 24 in the SWC, this routine is terminated.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining a preparation operation for writing information to the wireless tag 24 in the SWA of FIG. First, in the SWA 1, a write ID, article information, and the like that are information written to the wireless tag 24 are set. The correspondence of this information is registered in the information server 22 via the communication line 14 before and after the information is written to the wireless tag 24. Next, in the SWA2, a CRC (Cyclic Readundancy Check) code is calculated from the information set in the SWA1. The CRC code is a signal for detecting an error in communication with the wireless tag 24, and is represented by a polynomial expression such as X ¹⁶ + X ¹² + X ⁵ +1, for example. In a specific operation of the wireless tag 24 described later, the wireless tag reader / writer 12 calculates a CRC code from the received data, and similarly detects a communication error by comparing the received CRC code value with the calculation result. To do. Next, in SWA3, a command frame is created based on the information set in SWA1, and then this routine is terminated.

  FIG. 18 a is a flowchart for explaining generation of modulation information for transmitting information to the wireless tag 24. First, in the SWD 1, functions such as specifying the wireless tag 24 to which information is to be written or writing information to the wireless tag 24 are set. Next, in SWD2, a command corresponding to the function set in SWD1 is determined. Next, in SWD3, a command frame is created from the command determined in SWD2, the write information set in SWA1 in FIG. 17, the CRC code set in SWA2, and the like. Next, in SWD 4, the command frame created in SWD 3 is stored in the memory buffer of the control circuit 60. In the SWD 5, the signal processing circuit 58 generates a TX-ASK signal that is modulation information based on the command frame stored in the memory buffer.

  The types of commands determined by the commands in FIG. 18a are shown in FIG. 18b. In communication for specifying the wireless tag 24 to which information is to be written, commands such as “PING” and “SCROLL ID” for reading information stored in the wireless tag 24 are used. Further, in communication for writing information to the wireless tag 24, “ERASE ID” for initializing information stored in the wireless tag 24, “PROGRAM ID” for writing information, and written information Commands such as “VERIFY” for confirmation and “LOCK” for prohibiting writing of new information are used.

FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining in detail the command frame structure created by the SWD 3 in FIG. In the command frame, T ₀ is time for transmitting 1-bit information, “GAP” is 2T ₀ transmission power off, “PREAMBL” is 5 T ₀ transmission power on, and 20 0 signals are transmitted. It consists of “CLKSYNC” to be transmitted, “COMMAND” which is the content of the command, “SET UP” which is transmission power on of 8T ₀ , and “SYNC” which transmits one signal. “COMMAND” which is a part interpreted by the tag is “SOF” indicating the start of the command, each command “CMD” shown in FIG. 18B, and a pointer for designating the memory location of the wireless tag 24 to be written “ “PTR”, “LEN” indicating the length of the information to be written, “VAL”, “PTR”, “LEN”, “VAL” which is the content of the information to be written, and “P” which is the end of the command "EOF" indicating.

  The command frame constitutes a series of signals with 0 signal, 1 signal, and transmission power on / off shown in FIG. 20 as elements. In the specific operation of the wireless tag 24 to which information is to be written or the information writing operation to the wireless tag 24, the TX-ASK signal, which is modulation information based on the command frame, is transmitted to the carrier modulation unit 122 of the high-frequency circuit 56. The carrier wave modulation unit 122 performs ASK modulation of the carrier wave and transmits it to the wireless tag 24. In the wireless tag 24 that has received the signal, information writing to the memory unit 72 corresponding to the command, information returning operation, and the like are performed.

  In the reply operation of information by the wireless tag 24, the reply information described in detail below is configured as a series of FSK modulated signals whose elements are the 0 signal and 1 signal shown in FIG. The carrier wave is reflected and modulated and returned to the wireless tag reader / writer 12. For example, in the specific operation of the wireless tag 24 to which information is to be written, a reflected wave modulated by a signal indicating an ID unique to the wireless tag 24 as shown in FIG. 22 is returned to the wireless tag reader / writer 12. .

  FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a memory configuration of the wireless tag 24. As shown in FIG. 23, in the memory unit 72 of the wireless tag 24, the above-described CRC code calculation result, an ID unique to the wireless tag 24, and a password are stored in advance. As shown in FIG. 24, when a signal including the “SCROLL ID” command is received, an 8-bit “PREAMBLE” signal represented by 0xFE and a CRC code calculation result stored in the memory unit 72 are used. A reply signal including a certain “CRC” and “ID” indicating the ID of the wireless tag 24 is generated.

  The “PING” command shown in FIG. 18b described above is a part corresponding to “CRC” and “ID”, that is, reading out of the information stored in the memory unit 72 of each wireless tag 24 for the plurality of wireless tags 24. As shown in FIG. 19, the “PING” command includes information of a start address pointer “PTR”, a data length “LEN”, and a value “VAL”. As shown in FIG. 25, when “LEN” data after “PTR” -th data is equal to “VAL” among the information stored in the memory unit 72, “PTR + LEN + 1” -th data after 8 bits. Becomes a reply signal. If the “LEN” data after the “PTR” -th data among the information stored in the memory unit 72 is not equal to “VAL”, a reply signal is not generated because it is not a reply target.

  The reply timing of the wireless tag 24 with respect to the “PING” command is determined by the upper 3 bits of the reply signal, and “bin0” to “bin7” separated by the BIN pulse sent from the wireless tag reader / writer 12 following “PING”. A reply signal is returned in any of the intervals. For example, when “PTR = 0”, “LEN = 1”, and “VAL = 0” are sent as the “PING” command, the first bit of the information stored in the memory unit 72 is the same as “VAL”. In the case of the wireless tag 24 that coincides with 0, a signal as shown in FIG. 26B is extracted and incorporated in the reply signal. If the upper 3 bits of the reply signal are “011”, “PING” shown in FIG. ”Is returned in the section“ bin3 ”in the reply to the command.

  Replies to the “PING” command differ as follows depending on the number of tags. That is, when there is no communicable wireless tag 24 within the communication range of the wireless tag reader / writer 12, no reply signal is returned as shown in “CASE1” in FIG. If there is one wireless tag 24 that can communicate within the communication range, a reply signal indicating “ID1” is returned in the “bin3” section, for example, as indicated by “CASE2” in FIG. When there are two wireless tags 24 that can return within the communication range, for example, as shown in “CASE 3” in FIG. 28, a reply signal indicating “ID1” is returned in the “bin0” section. , A signal indicating “ID2” is returned in the section of “bin2”. When there are two wireless tags 24 that can return within the communication range, for example, signals indicating “ID1” and “ID2” are returned in the “bin2” section as shown in “CASE4” in FIG. Sometimes it is done. This is because the upper 3 bits of “ID1” and “ID2” are equal. By repeating the “PING” command after changing the values of “PTR”, “LEN”, and “VAL”, the number of wireless tags 24 that can be returned and the ID of each wireless tag 24 can be known. Information can be written to the wireless tag 24 to be written using the ID.

  FIG. 29 is a flowchart for explaining a specific operation of the wireless tag 24 that is a target of writing information in the SWB of FIG. First, “PTR = 0” and “LEN = 1” are set in SWB1, and “VAL = 0” and the head data flag “a = 0” are set in SWB2. Next, in SWB3, “1” is set to the value “d” indicating the number of times of the “PING” command, and “0” is set to “bn (d)” that is the bin number in the “d” in SWB4. In SWB5, a “PING” command frame is created and transmitted. Next, in SWB6, it is determined whether or not there is a reply signal in “bin (bn (d))”, that is, “bin0”. If the determination of SWB6 is affirmed, it can be estimated that the 4 bits from the top of the memory unit 72 are “0000”, and therefore, based on this information, the SWB 11 sets the “SCROLL ID” command frame. By creating and transmitting, the CRC code and ID of the wireless tag 24 can be read. Next, in the SWB 12, a CRC code of the read ID is calculated, and whether or not the calculation result matches the sent CRC code is compared, and whether or not the result matches is determined. It is determined whether the ID is valid. When the determination of SWB12 is affirmed, it is determined that the read ID is a valid ID. Therefore, after the ID data is stored in SWB21, the process of SWB7 is executed. Also, when the determination of SWB6 is negative, the process of SWB7 is executed. In this SWB7, “1” is added to the bin number “dn (d)”. Next, in SWB8, it is determined whether or not the bin number “bn (d)” has reached “8” which is the total number of bin sections. When the determination of SWB8 is negative, the above-described processing after SWB6 is executed again. However, when the determination of SWB8 is affirmative, “d” indicating the number of “PING” commands in SWB9. Is determined to be “1”. When the processing of SWB9 is denied, “1” is added to “d” in SWB17, “1” is added to “bn (d)” in SWB18, and then the above-described SWB6 and below The process is executed again. However, if the determination of SWB9 is affirmed, all the data with the same top data in the memory unit 72 have been confirmed, so the process of SWB10 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination of SWB12 is negative, it is considered that a plurality of tags are responding in the section of “bin (bn (d))”, which is determined by the “PING” command performed so far. It is necessary to classify the ID of the wireless tag 24 more finely by creating and transmitting the “PING” command again based on the data to be transmitted. In this case, first, the length of “LEN” is recalculated in the SWB 13. Next, in the SWB 14, it is determined whether or not the length of “LEN” exceeds the total number “MEM_MAX” stored in the memory unit 72. If the determination of the SWB 14 is affirmed, it means that all the data in the memory unit 72 has been read and there is an error in the data, and that the data in the memory unit 72 has some defect. Therefore, without storing ID data, “1” is subtracted from “d” in the SWB 22 and the process proceeds to the determination of the next BIN section. In order to classify 24, the value of “VAL” is changed in the SWB 15 based on the data determined by the “PING” command performed so far. Next, after “1” is added to “d” in the SWB 16, the above-described processing after SWB 4 is executed again. In the SWB 10, it is determined whether or not the value of the head bit data flag “a” is “0”. When the determination of SWB10 is affirmed, it means that the top data of the memory unit 72 is “0”, and next, “LEN = 1” is set in SWB19, and in SWB20, After “VAL = 1” and the head bit data flag “a = 1” are set, the above-described processing after SWB4 is executed again. However, if the determination of SWB10 is negative, Since the ID of the tag has been confirmed, this routine is terminated accordingly. In this routine, if a plurality of wireless tags 24 are detected, the “Quiet” command, which will not be described in detail, is used to prevent non-target tags from responding to subsequent commands, and the process proceeds. It is done. The identification of the target tag is performed, for example, by determining from the smallest ID number detected. If no wireless tag 24 is detected, the process is terminated as an error.

  FIG. 30 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of writing information to the wireless tag 24 in the SWC of FIG. First, after “N = 0” and “M = 0” are set in the SWC 1, a signal modulated based on the “ERASE ID” command is transmitted from the transmission / reception antenna 54 in the SWC 2. The memory unit 72 of the wireless tag 24 is initialized. Next, after the signal modulated based on the “VERIFY” command is transmitted from the transmitting / receiving antenna 54 in the SWC 3, the reply signal from the wireless tag 24 is stored in the memory unit 72 of the wireless tag 24 in the SWC 4. The information is confirmed, and it is determined whether or not the memory unit 72 of the wireless tag 24 is normally initialized. When the determination of SWC 4 is affirmed, in SWC 5, a signal modulated based on the “PROGRAM ID” command is transmitted from the transmission / reception antenna 54, and information is written in the wireless tag 24. Next, after the signal modulated based on the “VERIFY” command is transmitted from the transmitting / receiving antenna 54 in the SWC 6, the reply signal from the wireless tag 24 is stored in the memory unit 72 of the wireless tag 24 in the SWC 7. Information is confirmed, and it is determined whether or not it matches the information written in the SWC 5. When the determination of the SWC 7 is affirmed, the SWC 8 transmits a signal modulated based on the “LOCK” command from the transmission / reception antenna 54 and prohibits writing of new information to the wireless tag 24. After this, the routine is terminated, but if the determination of SWC7 is negative, whether or not “N ← N + 1” is set in SWC9 and then “N = 5” in SWC10. Is judged. When the determination of SWC10 is negative, the processing below SWC5 is executed again. However, when the determination of SWC10 is positive, that is, when the writing processing below SWC5 fails five times or more, SWC11 After confirming that the writing of information to the wireless tag 24 has failed, this routine is terminated. On the other hand, when the determination of SWC4 is negative, that is, when it is determined that the memory unit 72 of the wireless tag 24 is not properly initialized, after “M ← M + 1” is set in the SWC 12 In SWC 13, it is determined whether or not “M = 5”. When the determination of SWC13 is negative, the processing after SWC2 is executed again. However, when the determination of SWC13 is positive, that is, when the initialization processing of SWC2 or lower fails five times or more, SWC11 The routine is terminated after confirming that the writing of information to the wireless tag 24 has failed. By the above routine, desired information can be written to the wireless tag 24 within the communication range.

  Note that, by using the present invention, it becomes impossible to communicate with a plurality of the wireless tags 24. Therefore, only the “SCROLL ID” command may be used instead of the “PING” command in the processing by the SWB in FIG. . In this case, there is an advantage that the tag identification processing time in the SWB can be greatly reduced.

  FIG. 31 is a flowchart for explaining the printing operation on the cover film 86 and the cutting operation of the tag tape 24 performed in parallel with the information writing operation to the wireless tag 24 in the SWC of FIG. First, in ST1, print writing information is downloaded or uploaded from the information server 22 via the communication line. Next, in ST2, a printing operation is performed on the cover film 86 via the cartridge motor drive circuit 32, the print drive circuit 36, the delivery roller drive circuit 42, and the like, and the sensor 52 is turned on. The tag tape 26 is delivered by the delivery roller 38 or the like until Next, an operation of writing information to the wireless tag 24 in the SWC described above is executed. Next, the tag tape 26 is cut by the cutter 50 through the solenoid 48 or the like, and the wireless tag 24 divided by the sending roller 38 or the like is sent out until the sensor 52 is turned off. In ST4, after the success of the printing and information writing operation is confirmed, this routine is terminated. Through the above routine, the wireless tag 24 in which predetermined printing is performed and predetermined information is written is generated.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, when the wireless tag 24 is disposed within a predetermined proximity communication range, the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 and the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 are mutually coupled. By setting the resonance frequency of the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 changed by the above as the frequency of the carrier wave transmitted by the wireless tag reader / writer 12, communication is performed only with the wireless tag 24 arranged in the near field communication range. For this reason, the wireless tag 24 that is a communication target within the proximity range has high sensitivity, and the sensitivity of the other wireless tags 24 is weak, so communication with the wireless tag 24 that is a communication target is not a communication target. Interference with communication of the wireless tag 24 can be suitably prevented. That is, it is possible to provide the wireless tag reader / writer 12 that reliably communicates only with the target wireless tag 24.

  Further, the near field communication range includes a distance of 0. 0 at a wavelength corresponding to a free space resonance frequency of the antenna unit 54 of the wireless tag 24 when the distance between the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24. The distance between the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the antenna portion 64 of the wireless tag 24 is 0.5 times the wavelength corresponding to the free space resonance frequency of the wireless tag 24. Since the carrier wave having a frequency higher than the resonance frequency of the antenna unit 54 of the wireless tag 24 at the position is generated, the capacitive / inductive change of the resonance frequency is caused by the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the The distance between the wireless tag 24 and the antenna unit 64 is a half of the carrier wave having the free space resonance frequency of the wireless tag 24. Since the maximum value is shown at a position where the wavelength is 1 and the distance is less than 1/10 wavelength of the antenna itself, the value exceeds the maximum value. Therefore, the frequency and communication range of the range are used. By performing communication, it is possible to more reliably perform communication only with the target wireless tag 24.

  The wireless tag reader / writer 12 reads and writes information by performing communication with a wireless tag 24 having a half-wave dipole antenna as the antenna unit 64, and the proximity communication range is the wireless tag reader / writer 12. The distance between the transmitting / receiving antenna 54 and the antenna portion 64 of the wireless tag 24 is in a range where the distance corresponding to the free space resonance frequency of the wireless tag 24 is 0.05 times or less, and the free space resonance of the wireless tag 24 Since the carrier wave having a frequency of 1.03 times or more of the frequency is generated, when the frequency of 1.03 times or more of the resonance frequency of the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 is generated, the wireless tag reader / writer The distance between the 12 transmitting / receiving antennas 54 and the antenna portion 64 of the wireless tag 24 is the free space resonance of the wireless tag 24. Since a highly sensitive value is shown at a position where the wave number of the carrier wave is equal to or less than 1/20 wavelength, only the target wireless tag 24 can be more reliably communicated using the frequency and communication range of the range. Can communicate with each other.

  The proximity communication range is such that the distance between the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 and the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 is not less than 0.2 times the wavelength corresponding to the free space resonance frequency of the wireless tag 24. The resonance frequency of the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 at a position where the distance between the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 and the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 is within the range. The resonance frequency of the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 due to the mutual coupling between the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 and the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 is The distance between the antenna portion 64 of the wireless tag 24 and the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 is the same. By showing the minimum value in the range of 0.2 to 0.4 times the wavelength corresponding to the free space resonance frequency of the wireless tag 24, by performing communication using the frequency and communication range of the range, Furthermore, it is possible to reliably communicate only with the target wireless tag 24.

  And a mode switching unit 132 that switches between a near field communication mode that communicates only with the wireless tag 24 within the near field communication range and a far field communication mode that communicates with the wireless tag 24 outside the near field communication range, The frequency of the carrier wave generated by the carrier wave generation unit 120 in the near field communication mode and the frequency of the carrier wave generated by the carrier wave generation unit 120 in the far field communication mode are set to different frequencies. Since the frequency of the carrier wave transmitted by the wireless tag reader / writer 12 can be set respectively, it is possible to reliably communicate only with the wireless tag 14 within the proximity communication range and outside the proximity communication range. Communication with the wireless tag 24 is also possible.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and may be implemented in other modes.

  FIG. 32 is a diagram for explaining another aspect of the wireless tag that is the communication target of the wireless tag reader / writer 12. The wireless tag 136 shown in FIG. 32 includes a microstrip antenna including an antenna patch 140 formed on the upper surface of a substrate 138 made of a high insulator or the like and a ground plane 142 formed on the lower surface. The wireless tag reader / writer 12 can preferably communicate with the wireless tag 136 as well. In addition, various forms such as a wireless tag 144 having a microstrip antenna as shown in FIG. 33 and a wireless tag having a Yagi antenna can be considered as a wireless tag to be communicated by the wireless tag reader / writer of the present invention. .

  Further, the frequency of the carrier wave generated by the carrier wave generation unit 120 of the high-frequency circuit 56 exemplified in the above-described embodiment and the near field communication range of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 are merely preferred embodiments, and the wireless tag It is appropriately determined based on the resonance frequency of the antenna unit 64 of the wireless tag 24 that changes due to mutual coupling between the 24 antenna units 64 and the transmission / reception antenna 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12.

  Further, the wireless tag reader / writer 12 writes information to the wireless tag 24 and performs printing for identifying the wireless tag 24. However, this printing is not necessarily performed. Or only reading information.

  In addition, although not illustrated one by one, the present invention is implemented with various modifications within a range not departing from the gist thereof.

It is a figure explaining the RFID system to which this invention is applied suitably. It is a figure explaining the structure of the wireless tag reader / writer which is one Example of this invention. It is a figure explaining the structure of the wireless tag which is one Example of this invention. It is a figure explaining the external appearance of the radio | wireless tag of FIG. 3, (a) is a top view, (b) is a bottom view. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 4. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining in detail the configuration of the cartridge of FIG. 2. It is a figure explaining the electrical constitution of the sensor of FIG. It is a figure explaining the structure of the control circuit of FIG. 3 is an example of a screen displayed on the terminal of FIG. 1 or a general-purpose computer when information is written to the wireless tag by the wireless tag reader / writer of FIG. It is a figure explaining the high frequency circuit of FIG. 2 in detail. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining changes in resonance frequency when the distance between the transmission / reception antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer of FIG. 2 and the antenna portion of the wireless tag of FIG. 3 is changed. This is an example of a half-wave dipole antenna having 0 mm, a cross-sectional radius of 0.5 mm, a resistance of 50Ω, and a single resonance frequency of 2.44 GHz. 4 is a diagram for explaining a change in resonance frequency when the distance between the transmission / reception antenna of the RFID tag reader / writer of FIG. 2 and the antenna portion of the RFID tag of FIG. 3 is changed. This is an example of a single-wavelength dipole antenna having 0 mm, a cross-sectional radius of 0.5 mm, a resistance of 50Ω, and a single resonance frequency of 2.44 GHz. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an initialization operation of the wireless tag reader / writer of FIG. 2 that is executed prior to writing information to the wireless tag of FIG. 3 by the RFID system of FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining an initialization operation of machine information of the wireless tag reader / writer in the SPA of FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining a setting initialization operation of a carrier wave generator provided in a high frequency circuit of the wireless tag reader / writer in the SPB of FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of writing information to the wireless tag in FIG. 3 by the wireless tag reader / writer in FIG. 2. 17 is a flowchart for explaining a preparation operation for writing information to the wireless tag in the SWA of FIG. 4 is a flowchart for describing generation of modulation information for transmitting information to the wireless tag of FIG. 3. It is a table | surface which shows the kind of command determined by the command determination routine of FIG. 18a. It is a figure explaining the command frame structure of FIG. 18a in detail. It is a figure explaining the 0 signal and 1 signal which are the components of the command frame of FIG. 18a. It is a figure explaining 0 signal and 1 signal used for preparation of the reply signal from the radio | wireless tag of FIG. It is a figure which illustrates the signal which shows ID intrinsic | native to the wireless tag of FIG. It is a figure which shows the memory structure of the radio | wireless tag of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating “SCROLL ID Reply” that is returned when a signal including a “SCROLL ID” command is received in the wireless tag of FIG. 3. It is a figure explaining a mode that the information following "LEN" which is a part of information memorize | stored in the memory part of FIG. 3 is extracted. FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating in detail “SCROLL ID Reply” in FIG. 24. It is a figure which illustrates the reply state from the wireless tag considered when the wireless tag reader / writer of FIG. 2 performs the operation | movement which identifies the wireless tag in a communication range. It is a figure which illustrates the reply state from the wireless tag considered when the wireless tag reader / writer of FIG. 2 performs the operation | movement which identifies the wireless tag in a communication range. FIG. 17 is a flowchart for describing an operation of identifying a wireless tag that is a target of writing information in the SWB of FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of writing information to a wireless tag in the SWC of FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the printing operation to a cover film and the cutting operation | movement of a tag tape performed in parallel with the writing operation of the information to the wireless tag in SWC of FIG. It is a figure explaining the other aspect of the wireless tag used as the communication object of the wireless tag reader / writer of FIG. It is a figure explaining another aspect of the radio | wireless tag used as the communication object of the radio | wireless tag reader / writer of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

12: wireless tag reader / writer 24, 136, 144: wireless tag 54: transmission / reception antenna 64: antenna unit 132: mode switching unit

Claims (5)

A wireless tag reader / writer that reads and writes information by communicating with a wireless tag,
The wireless tag reader / writer based on a resonance frequency of the antenna of the wireless tag changed by mutual coupling between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer when the wireless tag is disposed within a predetermined proximity communication range. The wireless tag reader / writer is characterized in that it sets the frequency of the carrier wave to be transmitted. The near field communication range is a range in which the distance between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer is not more than 0.1 times the wavelength corresponding to the resonance frequency of the antenna when the wireless tag exists alone. Yes,
The distance between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer is higher than the resonance frequency of the antenna of the wireless tag at a position 0.5 times the wavelength corresponding to the resonance frequency when the wireless tag exists alone. 2. The wireless tag reader / writer according to claim 1, which generates a carrier wave having a frequency. A wireless tag reader / writer that reads and writes information by communicating with a wireless tag equipped with a half-wave dipole antenna as the antenna,
The near field communication range is a range in which the distance between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer is 0.05 times or less of the wavelength corresponding to the resonance frequency when the wireless tag exists alone,
2. The wireless tag reader / writer according to claim 1, wherein the wireless tag reader / writer generates a carrier wave having a frequency of 1.03 times or more of a resonance frequency when the wireless tag is present alone. The near field communication range is such that the distance between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer is 0.2 to 0.4 times the wavelength corresponding to the resonance frequency when the wireless tag exists alone. Is a range,
2. The wireless tag reader / writer according to claim 1, wherein a carrier wave having a resonance frequency of the antenna of the wireless tag is generated at a position where a distance between the antenna of the wireless tag and the antenna of the wireless tag reader / writer is within the range. A mode switching unit that switches between a near field communication mode that communicates only with a wireless tag that is within the near field communication range and a far field communication mode that communicates with a wireless tag that is outside the near field communication range, and is generated in the near field communication mode 5. The wireless tag reader / writer according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of the carrier to be generated and the frequency of the carrier generated in the remote communication mode are set to different frequencies.

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