JP2006146886A - Ic tag having function changing means - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance security while preserving a simple structure of an IC tag. <P>SOLUTION: The IC tag is composed of separable parts A1 and A2, and a nonseparable part B. An IC1 and an IC3 are connected through a signal line L1 for transmitting signal, and an IC2 and an IC3 are connected through a signal line L2 for transmitting signal. The signal line L1 is wired such that it will be disconnected when the part A1 is separated from the tag main body, and the signal line L2 is wired such that it will be disconnected in the same manner when the part A2 is separated from the tag main body. SL13, SL31 are wired such that they will be disconnected when the A1 part is separated, and the line SL23, SL32 are wired such that they will be disconnected when the A2 part is separated. The lines SL13, SL31, SL23, and SL32 are provided to detect a change in impedance of lines resulting from the line disconnection and to be used for checking if the A1 part or the A2 part is separated or not. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an IC tag provided with a function changing means by separating a part of the tag.

  In recent years, merchandise distribution / inventory management, which includes an IC tag having an antenna and an IC chip on an insulator such as paper or plastic, and a reader / writer device that communicates with the IC tag, and a checkout process at a store And anti-theft systems are attracting attention.

  A typical IC tag used in the above system is an IC tag that uses radio waves for communication between a reader / writer device and a tag. As shown in FIG. 16, an RF unit, a modulation / demodulation unit, There is a non-contact type IC tag (RFIC tag) described in Patent Document 1, which includes an IC 210 having a data storage unit and an antenna 201. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an RFIC tag configured by laminating a coil antenna 201 and an IC chip 210 on an insulating substrate 90 such as paper or plastic. As shown in FIG. 17, the tag has a simple structure and is suitable for various uses, particularly for managing a distribution system.

JP-A-9-62934

  Due to the properties of tags used by being attached to products, IC tags typified by RFIC tags are required to be small and light. For this reason, the circuit configuration of the IC mounted on the IC tag is preferably a simple configuration, and it has been difficult to mount hardware and software for preventing data tampering on the IC. For this reason, the conventional IC tag has a problem that data can be falsified relatively easily.

  An object of the present invention is to enhance security while maintaining the structure of an IC tag simple.

  In the present invention, the IC tag is provided with a detachable portion, and the detachable portion is separated from the tag main body, thereby changing restrictions on data input to the IC tag and data output from the IC tag. Thereby, falsification of data can be prevented. In this case, the present invention is characterized in that the tag main body controls the separable portion in a concentrated manner. Therefore, the present invention can be applied when the tag separation order is not determined. Changes to IC tag functions, such as changes to signal processing performed by IC tags or automatic updates and changes of stored data, can be made naturally without the use of a reader / writer device, such as by the hand of a person in the product distribution process. It can be so. By linking the change in the appearance of the IC tag with the change in the function of the IC tag, it is possible to visually grasp the state of the current IC tag function.

  According to the IC tag of the present invention, there is an advantage that the function change of the IC tag without using a machine can be easily realized by separating the separable part, which could not be made a conventional single function type IC tag. Further, by separating the separable part, the appearance of the IC tag can be changed, and the state of the IC tag can be grasped visually without using a reader / writer device.

  Furthermore, since the function change of the tag and the input / output of data can be restricted according to the separation state of the tag, security against data tampering can be improved. In particular, in the present invention, the separable part is centrally managed (controlled) by the non-separable part, so that it can be used for applications that are not limited by the separation order.

  In addition, by sharing the tag functions among a plurality of ICs, it is possible to improve security by causing an appropriate function change to occur only when the separable parts are separated in a prescribed order. Furthermore, the effect that the separable part separated from the main body can be used as an independent IC tag can be obtained.

  Hereinafter, an IC tag according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an IC tag whose function is changed by separating a separable portion according to the present embodiment. As an IC tag, a case where the number n of detachable parts from the tag body is n = 2 will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the IC tag according to the present embodiment is composed of three parts: a separable part A1, a part A2, and a non-separable part B (tag body). Portions A1, A2, and B serve as interfaces between IC1 (10), IC2 (20), and IC3 (30), respectively, and a tag and the outside (reader / writer device that exchanges data between tags). , Antenna 1, antenna 2, and antenna 3.

  IC1 (10) and IC3 (30) have signal transmission lines L1 for signal transmission between IC1 (10) and IC3 (30). IC2 (20) and IC3 (30) have IC2 (20) and IC3. The signal line L2 for signal transmission to (30) is connected to each other. That is, it has a so-called centralized control type configuration that controls IC1 (10) and IC2 (20) with IC3 (30) as the center. The signal line L1 is wired so as to be cut when the portion A1 is separated from the tag body, and similarly, the signal line L2 is also wired with a layout such that it is cut when the portion A2 is separated from the tag body. ing.

  The lines SL13 and SL31 connected to the common GND from the IC1 (10), IC2 (20), and IC3 (30) are separated from the A1 part when the A1 part is disconnected. Wiring is performed in a layout that spans the separation boundary line between the part A1 and the part B or the separation boundary line between the part A2 and the part B so as to be cut off when separated. Lines SL13, SL31, SL23, and SL32 are lines that are used to detect a change in impedance of the line caused by the line disconnection and to determine whether to disconnect the A1 part or the A2 part.

  2 is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of the IC tag shown in FIG. 1 formed on an insulating substrate 90 such as paper or plastic. As shown in FIG. 2, when the insulating substrate 90 is cut along the separation lines 1 and 2, the lines arranged on the separation lines 1 and 2 are also cut.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the IC 1. As shown in FIG. 3, an IC 1 (10) includes a power supply circuit 11 that converts a part of a received signal into electric power, and a transmission / reception circuit 12 that receives and transmits a signal to an antenna 1 that is an external interface of the tag. A modulation circuit 13 that modulates the encoded data, a demodulation circuit 14 that demodulates the received signal, an encode / decode circuit 15 that encodes transmission data and decodes received data, and an encode / decode circuit 15, or The operations of the data processing circuit 1 (16) for processing the data sent via the signal line L1, the storage device 1 (18), the data processing circuit 1 (16) and the storage device 1 (18) are described. A control circuit 1 (17) that controls according to the state of the tag, and an A1 disconnection determination circuit that determines whether or not the part A1 is disconnected from the part B. And (19), and a. Hereinafter, configurations having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the IC 2 (20). As shown in FIG. 4, the IC 2 (20) includes a power supply circuit 11 that converts a part of the received signal into electric power, and a transmission / reception circuit 12 that receives and transmits the signal to the antenna 2 that is an external interface of the tag. A modulation circuit 13 that modulates the encoded data, a demodulation circuit 14 that demodulates the received signal, an encode / decode circuit 15 that encodes and decodes the data, and a data processing circuit 2 (21) that processes the data A control circuit 2 (22) for controlling the operation of the storage device 2 (23), the data processing circuit 2 (21) and the storage device 2 (23) according to the state of the tag, and a portion A2 is a portion B. And A2 disconnection determination circuit 1 (24) for determining whether or not it has been disconnected from A2.

  FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of the IC3 (30). As shown in FIG. 5, the IC3 (30) forms the core of the IC tag according to the present embodiment, and centrally controls the two separable parts IC1 (10) and IC2 (20). . IC 3 (30) is a power circuit 11 for converting a part of the received signal into electric power, a transmission / reception circuit 12 for receiving / transmitting a signal to / from the antenna 3 as an external interface of the tag, and modulating the encoded data. Modulation circuit 13, demodulation circuit 14 that demodulates the received signal, encode / decode circuit 15 that encodes and decodes data, data processing circuit 3 (31) that processes data, and storage device 3 (33) The control circuit 3 (32) for controlling the operation of the data processing circuit 3 (31) and the storage device 3 (33) according to the state of the tag, and whether or not the part A1 is separated from the part B. There is an A1 detachment determination circuit 2 (34) determined by the part B, and an A2 detachment determination circuit 2 (35) that the part B determines whether the part A2 is separated from the part B. To have. In addition, when more parts that can be separated are provided, the same number of separation determination circuits are provided.

  FIG. 6A is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the A1 disconnection determination circuit 1 (19) of the IC1 (10). As shown in FIG. 6a, the A1 disconnection determination circuit 1 (19) includes a signal line L1 disconnection determination circuit 1 (40) and an impedance change detection circuit 1 (50) that detects a change in the impedance of the line SL13. Has been. As shown in FIG. 6a, the signal line L1 disconnection determination circuit 1 (40) has a data collating device 41 that collates the data from the data processing circuit 1 (16) with the collation data. The impedance change detecting device 50 of the line SL13 is input to the line SL13 connected to the node P, the connection line to Vcc, the connection line to the ground GND, and the two input terminals of the first AND circuit 53 simultaneously. The connecting line on the side to be connected is branched from the node P. A load resistor R1 is provided between the node P and Vcc, and a load resistor R2 is provided between the node P and GND. The output of the first AND circuit 53 is input to one of the input terminals of the second AND circuit 54, and the output of the second AND circuit 54 is output to the control circuit 1.

  Taking the line SL31 impedance change detection device 50 of FIG. 6b as an example, the operation of the impedance change detection device will be described as follows. In the AND circuit 53, two inputs are shared. The line SL31 is not cut before A1 is cut off by the cut-off line 1, and the two inputs of the AND circuit 53 are at the GND potential. Therefore, the two inputs of the AND circuit 53 are “Low”, and the output of the AND circuit 53 is “0”. On the other hand, when A1 is disconnected by the disconnection line 1, the line SL31 is disconnected, so that the potential of the two inputs of the AND circuit 53 is “Hi” of R2 × Vcc / (R1 + R2), and the output of the AND circuit 53 is “1”. It becomes. In this way, the impedance change detection device 50 can detect a change in the impedance of the SL 31 due to A1 being disconnected by the disconnection line 1.

  Tables 1a to 1d are separation determination tables. The disconnection determination circuit 1 (19) for the signal line L1 uses the data collating device 41 to collate the identification data sent from the IC3 (30) via the signal line L1 with the collation data 42. As shown, “0” is output when the identification data sent from the IC 3 (30) via the signal line L 1 matches the verification data 42, and “1” is output when they do not match. . The impedance change detection circuit 1 (40) that detects a change in the impedance of the line SL13 detects whether or not the line SL13 is grounded to the common GND, and the line SL13 is common as shown in Table 1a. It is configured to output “0” when it is grounded to GND and output “1” when the line SL13 is disconnected and opened.

  Then, as shown in Table 1a, the A1 disconnection determination circuit 1 (40) calculates the logical product of the output of the signal line L1 disconnection determination circuit 1 (40) and the output of the impedance change detection circuit 1 (50), When the logical product is “1”, it is determined that A1 is disconnected from the tag.

  The determination of disconnection of the signal line L1 may employ a method of collating data pre-baked in IC1 (10) and IC3 (30) as identification data and collation data, respectively, 30) any verification data is transmitted to the IC1 (10) via the signal line L1, and the IC1 (10) returns this as identification data, and this is determined as the disconnection determination circuit 1 (19) for the signal line L1. You may employ | adopt the method of collating by.

  In the description of the operation of the A1 disconnection determination circuit 1 (19), the logical product of the output of the disconnection determination circuit 1 (40) of the signal line L1 and the output of the impedance change detection circuit 1 (50) is calculated. In the case of “1”, it is assumed that A1 is separated from the tag, but the determination method is not limited to this. For example, when the logical sum of the output of the signal line L1 disconnection determination circuit 1 (40) and the output of the impedance change detection circuit 1 (50) is “1”, that is, either the signal line L1 or the line SL13. You may employ | adopt the system which determines with A1 having been cut | disconnected from the tag when one is cut | disconnected.

  The configurations of the remaining three separation determination circuits are shown in FIGS. 6b, 6c, and 6d, and the separation determination tables of the separation determination circuits are shown in Table 1b, Table 1c, and Table 1d. The configuration and operation principle of the three separation determination times are basically the same as those of the A1 separation determination circuit 1. Table 1b shows the A1 separation of the A1 separation determination circuit 2 (34) based on the impedance of the SL31 detected by the impedance detection circuit of the SL31 and the collation result of the data from the IC1 (the output of the L1 separation detection circuit (40)). The determination result is shown. As shown in Table 1b, it is determined that A1 is disconnected when the collation result is inconsistent and the impedance of SL31 is Hi. The results of Table 1c and Table 1d are the same.

  FIG. 7 a is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the storage device 1 of the IC 1. As shown in FIG. 7a, the storage device 1 (18) includes a storage area 1 (64), a write control circuit 61, a read control circuit 62, and a read dedicated circuit 63. Based on the write request control data from the control circuit 1 (17), the write control circuit 61 stores the write data from the data processing circuit 1 (16) based on the operation of the first function of the IC tag in the storage area 1. (64). The read-only circuit 63 prevents the writing of data to the storage area 1 (64) based on the read-only request control data from the control circuit 1 (17) (for example, the write control circuit 61 and the storage area 1). (Continuity with (64) is blocked by SW). As a result, data cannot be written, and the storage device 1 (18) becomes read-only (read-only). The read control circuit 62 can send the data recorded in the recording area 1 (64) to the data processing circuit 1 based on the read request control data from the control circuit 1 (17).

  It should be noted that complete security can be ensured by providing neither the writing line nor the reading line with SWs that cut off the conduction of the signal current so that writing and reading cannot be performed. This may be used when not used for later data management.

  FIG. 7 b shows the storage device 2 (23) of the IC 2 when the IC tag has a function that the function of the tag sequentially changes from the first function to the n-th function each time the An is separated from the separable part A 1. It is a functional block diagram which shows the example of a structure. The storage device 2 (23) performs the same processing as the storage device 1 (18) for the writing process, the reading process, and the read-only process. However, the storage device 2 (23) has a storage area 1 (64) for recording the first function managed by the IC 1 in addition to the storage area 2 (65) for storing data based on the operation of the second function. It is composed of

  FIG. 7 c is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the storage device 3 (33) of the IC 3. The storage device 3 (33) performs the same processing as the storage device 1 (18) for the writing process, the reading process, and the read-only process. However, the storage device 3 (33) has the first function and the second function controlled by the IC1 (10) and the IC2 (20), respectively, in addition to the storage area 3 (66) for recording data based on the operation of the third function. It consists of a storage area 1 (64) and a storage area 2 (65) for recording the operation of the two functions.

  When the IC tag has a function in which the function of the tag sequentially changes from the first function to the n-th function every time the An tag is sequentially separated from the detachable portion A1, processing is performed as follows in the following manner. . 1) With part A1, part A2, and part B all together, data such as product identification code, serial number, date of manufacture, and shipping date is input to the tag (stored in the storage device), and the product Attach to 2) The part A1 is separated from the tag at the time of factory shipment and shipped to a store. Here, the separated part A1 is left as a shipment source copy. 3) At the store, enter data such as the date and time of sale and the store name. After that, the part A2 is cut off, and the product with the tag having only the part B is given to the purchaser. At this time, the separated part A2 is left as a store copy. 4) The tag of only the part B delivered to the purchaser together with the product becomes a purchaser's copy. Table 2 shows an example of the correspondence relationship between the tag state change and the accompanying tag function change when the tag according to the present embodiment is used for such merchandise distribution management.

  In Table 2, IC1 (10) controls all the control for realizing the first function, and IC2 (20) controls all the control for realizing the second function.

  That is, at the time of shipment from the factory, the IC 1 (10) specifies the communication control outside the tag, the communication with the IC 2 (20) and the IC 3 (30), and the address of the storage area 1 from the storage devices 1 to 3. It has a function including sending a command to write data 1 to the storage area 1 from the devices 1 to 3, writing and reading data 1 to the storage area 1 of the storage device 1, and thereby a product identification code, The first function of inputting / outputting data (data 1) such as a manufacturing number, a manufacturing date, and a shipping date and time is exhibited. The IC2 (20) includes functions including communication with the IC1 and IC3, sending of a write prohibition instruction to the storage device 3 other than the storage region 1 to the storage device 3 of the IC3 (30), and writing of data 1 to the storage region 1 of the storage device 2. have. The IC 3 (30) has functions including communication with the IC 1 (10) and the IC 2 (20) and writing of data 1 to the storage area 1 of the storage device 3.

  In the store, the part A1 is separated, and the IC 2 (20) controls communication with the outside of the tag, communicates with the IC 3 (30), specifies the address of the storage area 2 of the storage devices 2 and 3, and the storage device 2 The functions include writing and reading data 2 to and from the storage area 2 and read-only storage area 1 of the storage device 2 (read only). The second function including input / output of data such as store name (data 2) is exhibited.

  The IC 3 (30) communicates with the IC 2 (20), makes the storage area 1 of the storage device 3 read-only, and writes the data 2 to the storage area 2 of the storage device 3.

  In the purchaser (after purchase), the parts A1 and A2 are separated, and the IC (30) is separated from A2, communication control with the outside of the tag, read-only storage of the storage areas 1 and 2 of the storage device 3 (read) Only), it has the function of writing and reading data 3 to and from the storage area 3 of the storage device 3, and outputs data 1 and data 2 and arbitrary data (data 3) such as notes by the purchaser. The third function including input and output is exhibited.

  Read-only is performed after a certain area is separated in each IC tag, part of the functions that the separated tag was responsible for (such as writing information to a storage area dedicated to that tag) This is because it is preferable to prevent this.

  On the other hand, as shown in Table 3, a part of the control function for realizing the first function is IC1 (10) and IC2 (20), and a part of the control function for realizing the second function is IC2 ( 20) and IC3 (30) may be assigned to each other. Further, the IC 2 may inhibit the writing of data to the storage area 3 of the storage device 3 as the third function.

That is, at the time of shipment from the factory, the IC 1 (10) controls communication with the outside of the tag, communicates with the IC 2 and IC 3, sends a command to write data 1 from the storage device 1 to the storage area 1, and stores the storage device 1. The data 2 is written to and read from the storage area 1, the IC 2 (20) communicates with the IC 1 and IC 3, specifies the addresses of the storage areas 1 to 3 of the storage devices 1, and the storage area to the storage device 3 of the IC 3 A write prohibit command is sent to other than 1, and data 1 is written to the storage area 1 of the storage device 2. As is clear from comparison with the case of Table 2, a part of the function (first function) of the IC1 (10) is assigned to the IC2 (20).

  When the function for realizing one function as shown in Table 3 is distributed to a plurality of ICs, if the tag including ICs is disregarded in the order of separation and the tags do not operate normally, they are not usable, This has the effect of preventing unauthorized use.

  When the IC tag of FIG. 1 is applied to the distribution management shown in Table 4, the correspondence between the tag status change of the present invention and the tag function change accompanying the tag change and the storage areas of the storage devices 1 to 3 The relationship between the stored information and the state of each storage area is shown. As shown in Table 4, for example, regarding the data stored in the storage area 1, in the factory (before shipment), data related to data such as a product identification code, a serial number, a manufacturing date, a shipping date and time can be written and read. On the other hand, at a store (from the time of factory shipment to before sales), it is only possible to read data regarding data such as a product identification code, a serial number, a manufacturing date, a shipping date and time. As described above, writing to the information stored in each storage area of the storage devices 1 to 3 is restricted in accordance with the change in the state of the tag in the distribution process, so that the resistance to falsification of information is improved.

  Table 5 shows the functions of the A1 and A2 IC tags after being separated from the tag main body when the IC tag of FIG. 1 is applied to distribution management. Since the parts A1 and A2 have an external interface and a power supply circuit independently, as shown in Table 5, the parts A1 and A2 have a function as an IC tag, and data management is easy. That is, the tag (A1) after separation can perform communication control with the outside, read-only the storage area 1 of the storage device 1, and read data 1 from the storage area 1 of the storage device 1. The tag (A2) after separation is the communication control outside the tag (A2), the read-only storage areas 1 and 2 of the storage device 2, the data 1 and 2 from the storage areas 1 and 2 of the storage device 2 Reading can be performed. The tag (A3) after separation is to perform communication control with the outside of the tag (B), read-only storage areas 1 and 2 of the storage device 3, and write / read data 3 to / from the storage area 3 of the storage device 3 Can do.

  As described above, the IC tag has been described in which A1, A2,..., An and the separable portion Ak are separated in accordance with the prescribed separation order to cause a desired function change in the tag. However, in the IC tag having the configuration of the present invention, there is a method of arbitrarily separating the separable part Ak connected to B without defining the order of separation of the separable part Ak.

  FIG. 8 shows the storage device 2 (23) of the IC 2 in the case where the IC tag has a function that changes the function of the tag from the first function to the n-th function every time one of An is separated from A1. It is a functional block diagram which shows a structural example. As shown in FIG. 8, the storage device 2 (23) has the same configuration as the storage device 1 (18), and the recording write processing based on the second function for the storage region 2 (65). Also, read processing and read-only processing are performed.

  FIG. 9 is a state transition diagram of the storage area at the time of IC tag separation in which the separable part Ak connected to B is arbitrarily separated. As described above, the procedure 101 before the separation of A1 is performed. The tag in the initial state (unused) has detachable portions A1 and A2 and a tag body B. The storage area 125 of the part A2 can be read from and written to the storage area 121 of the part A1 and the storage areas 122 to 124 of the tag body B (see reference numeral 130). Here, the data write operation 102 to the storage area 121 based on the first function is performed on the portion A1 (represented by a white circle 1 in the storage area). Next, the tag main body B performs an operation 103 for reading data stored in the storage area 121 of the portion A1. Then, the data in the storage area 1 (121) is stored in the storage area 1 (122) of the tag body B (see reference numeral 131).

  Next, the part A1 is separated from the tag body B (105). The portion A1 and the tag main body B detect that A1 is cut off (106, 107). Based on the detection result, the part A1 performs read-only processing on the storage area 121 (108). Also in the tag body B, the storage area 122 is read-only processed (109). As a result, the storage area is in the state indicated by reference numeral 132. That is, when the tag portion A1 is cut off, the storage areas 121 and 122 become read-only, and data can no longer be written to this storage area. However, since data can be read, it can be used for post-processing such as data management and data aggregation. As described above, it is of course possible to prevent writing and reading.

  Next, the procedure before separating the part A2 is performed (110). In part A2, data is written (111) to the storage area based on the second function. Next, the tag body B reads data from the portion A2 (112), and stores the data in the storage device 2 in the storage area 2 (113). As a result, as indicated by reference numeral 133, the data in the storage area 125 of the portion A2 is also stored in the storage area 123 of the tag body B.

  Next, a process of separating the portion A2 from the tag body B is performed (114). Tag body B detects that A2 has been disconnected (115), and A2 also detects that it has been disconnected (116). Next, the tag body performs read-only processing for the storage area 2 (123) (117), and the portion A2 also performs read-only processing for the storage area 125 (118). As a result, as indicated by reference numeral 134, the tag body B, the part A1, and the part A2 are separated, and the storage area of the part A1 and the part A2 is read-only, and the associated storage area of the tag body 122 and 123 are also dedicated to reading. However, the storage area 124 for the tag main body B is readable and writable.

  When the separation of the tag part is detected by the sequence as described above, the storage area of the separated part and the storage area of the tag body related thereto are read-only, so that unauthorized writing from the outside can be performed. Security is ensured because it becomes impossible to tamper with the distribution management system using tags.

  Next, a description will be given of the configuration and usage when function selection information is given in the “IC tag of the invention of the present application in which the separation order of the detachable portion Ak is not defined in advance”. 10 and 11, the ICk of the detachable part and the ICn + 1 of the non-detachable part B, in which the tag detachable parts A1 to An are arranged around the non-detachable part B, are electrically connected. The configuration of the “IC tag of the present invention in which the order of separation of the separable part Ak is not defined” in which the number n of separable parts from the tag body (B) is n = 2 is shown. 10 "the IC tag of the present invention in which the order of separation of the detachable part Ak is not defined" and "A1, A2,... An according to the defined order of separation shown in FIG. The configuration of the “IC tag that causes a desired function change in the tag by separating the part Ak” is that FIG. 10 includes the information 401, 402, and 403 for selecting the function of the IC tag on the IC tag. Except for this, it is basically the same. The information 401, 402, and 403 are provided for the user to select the function of the IC tag in response to the IC tag “the order of separation of the separable part Ak is not defined”. The information includes an ID code for selecting a function as information.

In the case of FIG. 10 and FIG.
1) The information 401 for selecting the first function is on the detachable part A1 including the IC1 that realizes the first function
2) The information 402 for selecting the second function is on the detachable part A2 including the IC 2 that realizes the second function
3) The information 403 for selecting the third function is on the non-detached portion B including the IC 3 that realizes the third function, and the information 401, 402, and 403 are for selecting an IC tag. It is arranged in each part corresponding to the function.

In FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the IC tag function selection information 401, 402, and 403 are arranged in the part corresponding to the function to be selected by the IC tag, respectively, but the first function of the IC tag is IC1. IC3 and IC3 share, and the second function of the IC tag is realized by IC2 and IC3, and the “kth function of the IC tag is realized by ICk and ICkn + 1 sharing” type. In the case of the IC tag, as shown in FIG. 12, 1) information 401 for selecting the first function is arranged so as to straddle the separable parts A1 and B, and 2) the second function is provided. The information 402 for selection may be arranged so as to straddle the separable parts A2 and B, and 3) the information 403 for selecting the third function may be arranged in the non-separable part B.

  Further, as illustrated in FIG. 13, the information 401, the information 402, and the information 403 may all be collected on the non-separated part B and displayed.

  10, 11, 12, and 13, the information 401 is displayed as a one-dimensional barcode, the information 402 is displayed as alphabets and numbers, and the information 403 is displayed as selection information as a two-dimensional barcode. . However, the display format of the selection information is not limited to that shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, and any format can be used as long as the information can be acquired by a machine such as a reader / writer device or a person. A data display format may be adopted.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing relating to an IC tag in which the order of separation of detachable portions according to the present embodiment is not determined. Processing is started (step S2001), and in step S2002, the IC tag receives a request from the reader / writer. In step S2003, the ID code included in the request signal data is confirmed. In step S2004, the ID code is determined for any of A1, A2, and B. As a result, if it is determined as A1, the process proceeds to step S2005, and it is determined whether B and A1 are connected.

  If it is connected (YES), the process proceeds to step S2006, and the process is terminated according to the data read / write request to the storage area 1 (step S2007). If NO in step S2005, the process advances to step S2008 to follow the data read request in the storage area 1, but reject the write request and proceed to step S2007. If it is A2 in step S2004, it is determined in step S2009 whether B and A2 are connected. If it is connected (YES), the process proceeds to step S2010, and the process proceeds to step S2007 according to the data read / write request to the storage area 2. In the case of NO, the process proceeds to step S2011 and follows the data read request from the storage area 2, but rejects the write request and proceeds to step S2007.

  In step S2004, in the case of B, the process proceeds to step S2012, and it is determined whether or not only B is present. In the case of only B (YES), the process proceeds to step S2013 and follows the data read request of the storage areas 1 and 2, but rejects the write request and follows the data read / write request of the storage area 3. The process proceeds to S2007.

  In step S2004, in the case of B, the process proceeds to step S2012, and it is determined whether or not only B is present. In the case of only B (YES), the process proceeds to step S2013 and follows the data read request of the storage areas 1 and 2, but rejects the write request and follows the data read / write request of the storage area 3. The process proceeds to S2007. In the case of NO, the process proceeds to step S2014, and the read request for the data in the storage areas 1 and 2 is followed, but the write request is rejected. The data read / write request in the storage area 3 is rejected, and the process proceeds to step S2007.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the ID tag (information for selecting and specifying the function of the IC tag) is used to specify the function used by the IC tag and the corresponding tag, thereby separating the IC tag from Ak. Can be used without being bound by order. In order to realize the operation shown in FIG. 14, it is desirable that the non-separable part B centrally manages (controls) the ICs (IC1 to ICn) that can be separated from A1 to An.

  Next, a more specific application example of the tag will be described. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a coupon using an IC tag according to the present embodiment, and shows a view from above so that the shape can be understood for simplicity. As shown in FIG. 15, the tag IC main body is a portion B, and other detachable portions A1 to A5 are centrally managed by using this portion B as a hub.

  Hereinafter, an example in which the IC tag is applied to the coupon shown in FIG. 15 will be described as a specific usage example of the IC tag according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, coupon tickets using IC tags are often used in amusement parks, etc., and are arranged in a plane like a so-called separable ticket set that is separated every time it rides on an attraction. Yes. For the portions A1 to A5, a coupon code that can identify each coupon is held in the storage area as a coupon IC tag.

  First, when a coupon is received at a store and the use of the coupon is started, the profile information of the user is set in the storage areas of the parts A1 to A5 and the tag body B as an initialization process. The user profile information here refers to information that can analyze the tendency of coupon users such as sex, age, occupation, and the like. When the user uses the coupon for the first time, for example, when the coupon coupon of A1 is cut off at a store where the portion A1 can be used, the coupon code of the portion A1 separated from the wiring L is stored in the storage area of the tag body B. The Thereafter, the user can enjoy the merit of the coupon coupon of the portion A1 by holding the tag body B over the reader / writer device or the like. Also, since the part A1 remains on the store side, the collected IC tags are applied to the tag reader, and the store side grasps and analyzes the tendency of the store visitor etc. based on the user profile information recorded in the recording device of the part A1. It is possible to make use of it when planning marketing strategies. When the partial tags are separated in the order of A1, A3, A5, A2, and A4, the tag main body B can sequentially detect the separation and store the separation order. Therefore, the order in which the coupons are used can be known by holding the tag body B over the reader / writer.

  Further, centralized control is performed with the tag body B as the center, and the configuration is simplified compared to the case where the tag is connected to the series and the end tag is the tag body. Further, since the tag body B functions as a hub and manages the other coupons A1 to A5, it can function as a detachable tag regardless of the order of use of the tags A1 to A5. it can.

  In addition, although the example used as a coupon was demonstrated here, if the same function is fulfilled, it is applicable. For example, the present invention can be applied to various tickets such as a round ticket used when moving various places, an amusement park, and the like.

  Further, although the example shown in FIG. 15 is described as the shape of the IC tag here, the shape is not limited to this, and Ak may have any shape as long as it is connected via B.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the exchange of information between the tag and external information has been described for a non-contact type performed via radio represented by radio waves. However, the present invention is not limited to this, but a contact type May be adopted.

  As described above, the IC tag according to this embodiment can easily change the function of an IC tag without using a machine, which cannot be made a conventional single-function IC tag, by separating a separable portion. Further, by separating the detachable portion, the appearance of the IC tag can be changed and the state of the RFIC tag can be grasped visually, so that the state of the tag can be understood without using a machine. Furthermore, by providing data input / output restrictions according to the tag separation state, security against data tampering can be improved. Furthermore, by sharing the tag functions among multiple ICs, it is possible to prevent unauthorized detachment and improve security by preventing appropriate function changes only when the separable parts are separated according to the order. Can do. In addition, since the part which can be separated can be used as an independent IC tag, it is also possible to utilize the part of the tag after separation.

  The IC tag according to the present invention has an advantage that higher security can be secured in distribution management in a distribution process or the like.

It is a figure which shows the basic structural example of the IC tag by one embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the IC tag by this Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structural example of IC1 among the IC tags by this Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structure of IC2 among the IC tags by this Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structure of IC3 among the IC tags by this Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structure of A1 isolation | separation determination circuit 1 among the IC tags by this Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structure of A1 isolation | separation determination circuit 2 among the IC tags by this Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structure of A2 isolation | separation determination circuit 1 among the IC tags by this Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structure of A2 isolation | separation determination circuit 2 among the IC tags by this Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the memory | storage device 1 among the IC tags by this Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the memory | storage device 2 among the IC tags by this Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the memory | storage device 3 among the IC tags by this Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the memory | storage device 2 among the IC tags by this Embodiment. It is a state transition diagram of the storage area at the time of IC tag separation of the usage of arbitrarily separating the separable part Ak connected to B. A tag main body (B) in which ICk of the detachable portion and ICn + 1 of the non-detachable portion B, in which the tag detachable portions A1 to An are arranged around the non-detachable portion B, are electrically connected. The number n of detachable parts from (1) is a diagram showing the configuration of the “IC tag of the present invention in which the order of detachment of the detachable part Ak is not defined” with n = 2. It is a figure which shows the principal part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of FIG. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of a process regarding the IC tag in which the order of separation of the part which can be separated by this Embodiment is not decided. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the coupon using the IC tag by a present Example, and is the figure seen from the upper surface so that a shape can be understood for simplicity. It is a block diagram of the management system using the conventional IC tag. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the conventional IC tag.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... IC1, 20 ... IC2, 30 ... IC3, 11 ... Power supply circuit, 12 ... Transmission / reception circuit, 13 ... Modulation circuit, 14 ... Demodulation circuit, 15 ... Encode / decode circuit, 16 ... Data processing circuit 1, 17 ... Control circuit DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,18 ... Memory | storage device 1, 19 ... A1 isolation | separation determination circuit 1,21 ... Data processing circuit 2, 22 ... Control circuit 2, 23 ... Memory | storage device 2, 24 ... A2 isolation | separation determination circuit 1, 31 ... Data processing circuit 3, 32 ... Control circuit 3, 33 ... Storage device 3, 34 ... A1 disconnection determination circuit 2, 35 ... A2 disconnection determination circuit 2, 40 ... Disconnection detection device, 41 ... Data verification device, 42 ... Data for verification, 50 ... Change in impedance Detecting device 51 ... Load resistance 52 ... Load resistance 53 ... AND circuit 54 ... AND circuit 61 ... Write control circuit 62 ... Read control circuit 63 ... Read Dedicated circuit Ri, 64 ... storage area 1,65 ... storage area 2,66 ... storage area 3.

Claims (20)

N (n is a natural number of n ≧ 1) from A1 to An, and non-separable parts B other than the separable parts A1 to An, and each separable part Ak ( k is an IC tag in which ICk is provided in each of (1 ≦ k ≦ n) and ICn + 1 is provided in the non-separable part B,
A signal line Lk that is connected to the ICk and ICn + 1 and is cut when the Ak is cut off;
An Lk disconnection detection device for detecting disconnection of the signal line Lk;
An IC tag having an Ak disconnection determination device that uses a detection result of the presence or absence of disconnection of the signal line Lk for determination of disconnection of the Ak.   2. The IC tag according to claim 1, wherein each of the ICk controls a kth function, and the ICn + 1 controls an n + 1th function.   2. The IC tag according to claim 1, wherein the ICn + 1 shares the function of realizing the kth function with the ICk.   4. The tag function is changed from the first function to the n-th function each time the detachable portion is sequentially separated from A1 to An. The IC tag according to item.   5. The IC tag according to claim 4, wherein the ICk shares ICj (j is a natural number satisfying k <j ≦ n) and a function for realizing the k-th function.   The IC tag according to claim 4, wherein the ICj has a function of suppressing the expression of the k-th function.   Each of the detachable portions Ak includes a storage device Mk, and the storage device Mk includes an area for storing data obtained by the k-th function. The IC tag according to any one of the preceding items.   7. The storage device Mn + 1 is provided in the portion B, and the storage device Mn + 1 has an area for storing data obtained based on the k-th function. The IC tag according to claim 1.   The ICn + 1 includes a read-only mechanism that, when the Ak is disconnected, makes an area for storing data obtained by the k-th function of the storage device Mn + 1 read-only. The IC tag according to 7 or 8.   8. The IC tag according to claim 7, wherein the Ak portion separated from the tag main body maintains a communication function with the outside and functions as an IC tag. The Ak part includes an Lk disconnection detection device that detects the disconnection of the line Lk, and an Ak disconnection determination device that uses the detection result of the presence or absence of the disconnection of the signal line Lk in the Ak disconnection determination.
When the Ak separation determination device determines that Ak is separated from the tag main body, the device includes a device that makes at least a data storage area assigned to data obtained by the k-th function of the storage device Mk read-only. The IC tag according to claim 10.   12. The IC tag according to claim 11, wherein the Lk disconnection detecting device for the Ak portion detects disconnection of the signal line Lk based on the presence / absence of a signal from ICn + 1.   The k-cut detection device includes an impedance change detection device that detects a change in impedance of a line that is cut when the Ak portion is cut from the tag across the two areas of Ak and B, and the Lk cut detection 12. The IC tag according to claim 11, wherein the separation of Ak is determined using detection results of the device and the impedance change detection device.   A plurality of separable parts Ak, a non-separable part B for centrally controlling the plurality of partial tags, a wiring Lk provided from the part B to each of the partial tags Ak, and the part B An IC tag comprising: a wiring Lk disconnection detection circuit that detects a disconnection of each wiring Lk between the part Ak and the part Ak that is provided in response to the separation of each part Ak.   15. The IC tag according to claim 14, wherein a control unit that performs control to change the function of the tag according to the cut-off portion Ak detected by the wiring Lk cut-off detection circuit is provided in the portion B. . In the IC tag according to any one of claims 1 to 15,
A method for controlling an IC tag, comprising the step of preventing the function of the separation portion Ak from being changed from the outside in accordance with an operation of separating the separation portion Ak from B.   2. The IC tag according to claim 1, wherein the function selection data of the k-th function of the IC tag is represented on the non-separable part B.   The IC tag according to claim 2, wherein when ICk controls the k-th function, function selection data for selecting the k-th function of the IC tag is represented on Ak.   4. The data for selecting the k-th function of the IC tag when the k-th function of the IC tag is realized by the sharing of ICk and ICn + 1. IC tag.   The function selection data of the function of the IC tag is expressed in a machine-readable form such as a one-dimensional barcode, a two-dimensional barcode, a number, or a character, or a person. The IC tag according to any one of the above.

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