JP2009035363A - Article position control system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive article position control system capable of easily specifying the storage position of an article. <P>SOLUTION: The article position control system comprises signal generation units 2a, 2b for giving position specifying signals different from each other to storage chambers 11a, 11b, a memory 31 for storing specific identification information, signal collecting and processing unit 32 for receiving the position specifying signals, and a control circuit 35 for returning the identification information stored in the memory 31 and the position specifying signals received by the signal collecting and processing signals received by the signal collecting and processing unit 32 from a radio wave transmitting-receiving unit 33 when the radio wave transmitting-receiving unit 33 receives the inquiry signal from a reader 5; and further comprises an RF tag 3 attached to each article, the reader 5 for receiving the identification information and the position specifying signal from the RF tags 3 by transmitting the inquiry signal to the RF tags 3 in the storage chambers 11a, 11b, and a storage position control device 6 for specifying the storage position of the article with the RF tag 3 being attached thereto based on the identification information and the position specifying signal read from the RF tag 3 by the reader 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an article position management system.

In this type of article position management system, an interrogator is installed at each level for storage shelves with multiple levels of shelves, and data tags are attached to the objects to be managed and placed on each shelf. Interrogator reads information from data tags of managed objects, and based on the information read by multiple interrogators, the information processing device manages what is placed on which shelf Has been conventionally provided (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-7-336269

  In the above-described article position management system, an interrogator equipped with an antenna for wireless communication is installed at each stage in order to specify which stage the management object is placed on. There was a problem that the overall introduction cost was high.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive article position management system capable of easily specifying the article storage position.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when a storage space for storing articles is stored in a storage member partitioned into a plurality of storage chambers by a partition member, the storage position of each article is set. In the article position management system to be managed, storage means for storing unique identification information, signal collection means for receiving different position specifying signals given to each storage room, and storage means upon receipt of an external inquiry signal A communication medium for returning the identification information and the position specifying signal received by the signal collecting means, the storage medium attached to each article, and the entire storage space as a communicable area, the communicable area An interrogator that receives the identification information and the position specifying signal from the storage medium by transmitting the interrogation signal to the internal storage medium, and the interrogator Based on the identification information and the position specifying signal, characterized by comprising a position specifying unit for specifying a storage position of an article to which the storage medium is attached.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a signal generating unit that provides a position specifying signal to the storage space is provided, and the partition material that partitions each storage chamber is a position specifying signal output from the signal generating unit. By changing the intensity, the intensity of the position specifying signal is made different for each storage room.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the partition material for partitioning each storage chamber is provided with a slit for allowing the position specifying signal output from the signal generating unit to pass, and the position specifying signal is passed through the slit. By doing so, the strength of the position specifying signal is changed for each storage chamber.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, the interrogator transmits a question signal including communication permission information indicating a storage room for which communication is permitted to the communicable area and stores it in the storage medium. , A position detecting means for detecting a storage room in which the self exists is provided based on the position specifying signal received by the signal collecting means, and when the communication means receives the question signal, the storage indicated by the communication permission information included in the question signal The communication means returns the identification information and the position specifying signal only when the chamber and the storage room detected by the position detecting means coincide with each other.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the position specifying signal is visible light.

  A sixth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in any of the first to fourth aspects of the invention, the position specifying signal is a sound.

  The invention of claim 7 is characterized in that, in the invention of any one of claims 1 to 4, the position specifying signal is a radio wave.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the storage medium, the signal collecting unit receives different position specifying signals given to the respective storage chambers, and when the communication means receives an external inquiry signal, The position specifying signal and the identification information received by the collecting means are returned, and the position specifying unit specifies the storage position of the article based on the position specifying signal received from the storage medium by the interrogator. Therefore, there is no need to install an interrogator for each storage room, and an article position management system that can manage articles stored in each storage room can be realized at low cost.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the partition material for partitioning each storage chamber changes the strength of the position specifying signal, the strength of the position specifying signal is made different for each storage chamber. There is an effect that the number of devices can be reduced and the introduction cost of the entire system can be further reduced.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the strength of the position specifying signal passing through the slit is reduced by providing the slit in the partition material, the signal strength between the storage chambers is separated while separating the storage chambers. There is an effect that can be made different.

  According to the invention of claim 4, only the storage medium in the storage room that permits communication responds to the interrogation signal from the interrogator, so that the signals interfere with each other when a plurality of storage media communicate at the same time. There is an effect that the communication speed can be prevented from decreasing. When the storage medium is an active tag with a built-in battery, the storage medium that does not permit communication does not return a response signal, so that battery consumption can be reduced and the battery life can be extended.

  According to the invention of claim 5, since visible light is used as the position specifying signal, the light from the surrounding lighting fixtures can be used as the position specifying signal and is given to each storage room. There is an effect that the position specifying signal can be easily visually identified.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since sound is used as the position specifying signal, sound existing in the surrounding environment can also be used as the position specifying signal.

  According to the invention of claim 7, since the radio wave is used as the position specifying signal, the structure and shape of the partition material have little influence on the strength of the position specifying signal, and the position specifying signal is determined by the electromagnetic characteristics of the partition material. Can be arbitrarily set.

  The article position management system according to the present invention is an article to which an RF (RFio frequency IDentification) tag (RF tag or IC tag) is attached to an article, a reader reads information from the RF tag in a non-contact manner, and the RF tag is attached. In the following, an example will be described in which an article is stored in a storage shelf in which the storage space is partitioned into a plurality of storage chambers by a shelf board.

(Embodiment 1)
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The article position management system according to the present embodiment stores an article (not shown) in a storage shelf 1 in which an internal storage space is partitioned into upper and lower storage chambers 11a and 11b by a partitioning member 12 (shelf plate). Used to manage the storage position of each article. The number of storage chambers 11a and 11b is not limited to two, and a plurality of storage chambers may be arranged side by side in the left-right direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1 (a), this system is arranged in each storage room 11a, 11b, and generates signals that give different position specifying signals (for example, composed of visible light, sound, radio waves) for each storage room. The communicable areas of the parts 2a and 2b, the RF tags 3a and 3b (storage media) attached to the articles (not shown) stored in the storage chambers 11a and 11b, and the storage chambers 11a and 11b as a whole A reader 5 (interrogator) that receives information returned from the RF tags 3a and 3b by transmitting a question signal to the RF tags 3a and 3b in the communicable area via the antenna 4, and the reader 5 Based on information read from the RF tags 3a and 3b, a storage position management device 6 (position specifying unit) that specifies the storage position of the article to which the RF tags 3a and 3b are attached is provided.

  Next, the configuration of the RF tags 3a and 3b will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. Note that the RF tags 3a and 3b have the same configuration. When the description common to the RF tags 3a and 3b is given, it is expressed as the RF tag 3, and when explaining each tag, the RF tag 3a or RF tag This is expressed as a tag 3b. The RF tag 3a includes a memory 31 (storage unit) that stores unique identification information, a signal collection processing unit 32 (signal collection unit) that receives position specifying signals given from the signal generation units 2a and 2b, and a reader 5 And a radio wave transmission / reception unit 33 (communication means) having an antenna coil for performing wireless communication with the radio, and a signal received by the radio wave transmission / reception unit 33 is demodulated and output to the control circuit 35 and input from the control circuit 35 A demodulation / modulation circuit 34 that modulates a signal and outputs the modulated signal to the radio wave transmission / reception unit 33, a control circuit 35 that performs overall control, and a power source that generates an operation power source inside the RF tag by the energy of the signal received by the radio wave transmission / reception unit 33 Circuit 36.

  Here, in the present embodiment, visible light, sound, or radio wave is used as the position specifying signal, but visible light is used as the position specifying signal, and the intensity or color (frequency) of light for each storage room. For example, the signal collection processing unit 32 performs signal processing on a signal collection unit 32a including a photoelectric element that converts received light into an electrical signal and a signal input via the signal collection unit 32a. And a signal processing unit 32b for detecting the intensity or color (frequency) of light. When visible light is used as the position specifying signal, a light source such as a lighting fixture present in the surroundings can be used as the signal generating units 2a and 2b, and the position specifying signals given to the storage chambers 11a and 11b can be used. There is an advantage that the signal can be easily discriminated visually.

  In addition, when using sound as the position specifying signal and changing the sound pressure or frequency for each storage room, the signal collection processing unit 32 includes a signal collection unit 32a including a sound collection element that converts sound into an electrical signal; A signal processing unit 32b that detects sound pressure or frequency by performing signal processing on a signal input via the signal collecting unit 32a. When using sound as the position specifying signal, it is necessary to prepare a special sound source by using sound existing in the surrounding environment (for example, sound or noise passing through the carriage) as the position specifying signal. There is no advantage.

  When radio waves are used as position specifying signals and the intensity or frequency of the radio waves is changed for each storage room, the signal collection processing unit 32 is input via the signal collection unit 32a formed of an antenna and the signal collection unit 32a. The signal processing unit 32b detects the intensity or frequency of the radio wave by performing signal processing on the processed signal. When radio waves are used as the position specifying signal, the structure and shape of the partition material 12 have little influence on the strength of the position specifying signal, and the strength of the position specifying signal is arbitrarily set according to the electromagnetic characteristics of the partition material 12. can do.

  The article position management system of the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, and the signal generators 2a and 2b emit different position specifying signals for the respective storage chambers 11a and 11b. In the RF tags 3a and 3b attached to the article, the signal collection processing unit 32 receives the position specifying signals from the signal generating units 2a and 2b. When the reader 5 transmits an interrogation signal to the RF tags 3a and 3b in the storage chambers 11a and 11b via the antenna 4, the signal received by the radio wave transmission / reception unit 33 of the RF tags 3a and 3b is demodulated / modulated circuit 34. And then sent to the control circuit 35. When the interrogation signal is input from the radio wave transmission / reception unit 33, the control circuit 35 modulates the identification information stored in the memory 31 and the position specifying signal collected by the signal collection processing unit 32 by the demodulation / modulation circuit 34. Then, the radio wave transmission / reception unit 33 returns the response signal. The response signals returned from the RF tags 3 a and 3 b are read by the reader 5 via the antenna 4 and then sent to the storage position management device 6. The storage position management device 6 illustrates information stored in association with the information on the position specifying signal given to each of the storage chambers 11a and 11b and the identification information of the RF tags 3a and 3b in association with the attribute information of the corresponding article. The RF tags 3a and 3b are attached based on the position specifying signal returned from the RF tags 3a and 3b and the information of the position specifying signal stored in the memory. The storage position of the articles, that is, the articles stored in the storage chambers 11a and 11b can be specified, and information on the articles stored in the storage chambers 11a and 11b can be displayed on a monitor (not shown). . The storage position management device 6 includes character display means for displaying information on articles stored in the storage chambers 11a and 11b as character information. May be provided.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the signal generators 2a and 2b give different position specifying signals to the respective storage chambers 11a and 11b, and in the RF tags 3a and 3b, the radio wave transmitter / receiver 33 receives an external interrogation signal. Upon receipt, the position collection signal and identification information received by the signal collection processing unit 32 are returned, and the storage position management device 6 uses the position identification signal received by the reader 5 from the RF tags 3a and 3b. In addition, since the storage position of the article is specified, there is no need to install the reader 5 for each of the storage chambers 11a and 11b, and the article position management for managing the articles stored in the storage chambers 11a and 11b. The system can be realized at low cost.

  By the way, in this embodiment, although the signal generation parts 2a and 2b are set for each of the storage chambers 11a and 11b, as shown in FIG. 2, the partitioning material 12 that partitions the storage chambers 11a and 11b is used as a position specifying signal. The signal generator is formed at a position where the signal for identifying the position can be given to both the storage chambers 11a and 11b while being formed of a material (for example, a material that absorbs or reflects visible light, sound, or radio waves). 2 is arranged, and the position specifying signal output from the signal generator 2 is directly given to one storage chamber 11a, and the position specifying signal is completely blocked by the partitioning member 12 to the other storage chamber 11b. Thus, the signal intensity may be changed for each storage chamber by preventing the position specifying signal from reaching or by attenuating the signal intensity. Since the signal strength is attenuated by the partition member 12 in this way, the single signal generation unit 2 can provide the plurality of storage chambers 11a and 11b with position-specific signals having different strengths. The number of units 2 can be reduced, and the introduction cost of the system can be further reduced.

  Instead of forming the partition member 12 with a material that reduces the signal strength of the position specifying signal, a slit 12a is provided in the partition member 12 as shown in FIG. 3, and the position specifying signal is transmitted from the storage chamber 11a through the slit 12a. The position specifying signal may be attenuated by sending it to the next storage chamber 11b. Here, the amount of attenuation of the position specifying signal varies depending on the number of slits 12a and the opening area. Therefore, if the number of slits 12a and the opening area are set so that a desired signal intensity can be obtained in the next storage chamber 11b. The signal strength in the next storage chamber can be secured while partitioning the storage chambers.

  In the present embodiment, the identification information of each RF tag 3a, 3b and the attribute information of the corresponding article are stored in the memory of the storage location management device 6 in association with each other, and the reader 5 stores the RF tag 3a, 3b. The article information corresponding to the RF tags 3a and 3b is read out from the storage unit based on the identification information read from, but in this embodiment or each embodiment described later, the memory 31 of each RF tag 3a and 3b is read. In addition, the unique identification information and the attribute information of the corresponding article may be stored respectively. In this case, the reader 5 receives the identification information and attribute information stored in advance in the memory 31 from the RF tags 3a and 3b existing in the communicable area, and the position specifying signal collected by the signal collection processing unit 32. Is transmitted to the storage position management device 6. On the other hand, the storage position management device 6 stores the information of the position specifying signal given to each of the storage chambers 11a and 11b in a memory (not shown), and the position specifying signal read from the RF tags 3a and 3b and the identification signal. Based on the information, the attribute information of the corresponding article, and the position specifying signal information stored in the memory, the storage position of the article to which the RF tags 3a and 3b are attached, that is, in each of the storage chambers 11a and 11b. Articles stored in the storage device can be specified and displayed on a monitor (not shown).

(Embodiment 2)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Since the configuration other than the RF tag is the same as that of the article position management system described in the first embodiment, common components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  In the first embodiment, when a question signal is transmitted from the reader 5, response signals are returned from all the RF tags 3 existing in the communicable area. Therefore, interference occurs when a plurality of RF tags 3 communicate at the same time. In the case of an active tag with a built-in battery, the battery is consumed due to communication. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the interrogation signal transmitted from the reader 5 via the antenna 4 includes communication permission information indicating the storage room 11a or 11b that permits communication, and the storage room 11a or 11b that is permitted to communicate. A response signal is returned only from a certain RF tag 3.

  That is, when the interrogation signal including the communication permission information is transmitted from the reader 5 to the RF tags 3a and 3b in the storage chambers 11a and 11b, the signals received by the radio wave transmission / reception unit 33 of the RF tags 3a and 3b are demodulated / modulated. After being demodulated by the circuit 34, it is sent to the control circuit 35. When the interrogation signal is input from the radio wave transmission / reception unit 33, the control circuit 35 is based on the storage room indicated by the communication permission information included in the interrogation signal and the position specifying signal collected by the signal collection processing unit 32. Then, it is determined whether or not the storage room in which the user is placed is a storage room permitted to communicate. Then, when the storage position of the storage room is permitted to communicate, the control circuit 35 demodulates the identification information stored in the memory 31 and the position specifying signal collected by the signal collection processing unit 32. After modulation by the modulation circuit 34, the radio wave transmission / reception unit 33 returns it as a response signal. On the other hand, when the storage position is not a storage room where communication is permitted, the control circuit 35 does not return a response signal, so that communication interference and a decrease in communication speed can be suppressed, and the RF tag 3 is an active device with a built-in battery. In the case of a tag, battery consumption can be reduced and battery life can be extended.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, the control circuit 35 of the RF tag 3 determines its own storage position based on the communication permission information included in the question signal and the storage position information collected by the signal collection processing unit 32. It is determined whether or not the storage room is allowed to communicate, and it is determined whether or not to return a response signal in accordance with the determination result. As shown in FIG. A power switch 37 for turning on / off the power supplied to the demodulation / modulation circuit 34 is provided, and the signal collection processing unit 32 is included in the collected position specifying signal and the inquiry signal input via the radio wave transmission / reception unit 33. Based on the communication permission signal, it may be determined whether or not the own storage position is a storage room in which communication is permitted, and the power switch 37 may be turned on / off according to the determination result. That is, in the case where the storage position is the storage room in which communication is permitted, the signal collection processing unit 32 turns on the power switch 37 to supply power to the control circuit 35 and the demodulation / modulation circuit 34. However, the identification information stored in the memory 31 and the position specifying signal collected by the signal collection processing unit 32 are modulated by the demodulation / modulation circuit 34 and then returned as a response signal from the radio wave transmission / reception unit 33. On the other hand, when the storage position is not a storage room where communication is permitted, the signal collection processing unit 32 turns off the power switch 37 to stop the power supply to the control circuit 35 and the demodulation / modulation circuit 34, and the RF Since no response signal is returned from the tag 3, communication interference and a decrease in communication speed can be suppressed, and when the RF tag 3 is an active tag with a built-in battery, battery consumption is reduced and battery life is extended. Can do.

(Embodiment 3)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Since the configuration other than the storage shelf is the same as that of the article position management system described in the first or second embodiment, common components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  In the first and second embodiments, the signal strength of the position specifying signal is changed in the two storage chambers 11a and 11b, so that the signal strength is high (the signal level is H level) and the signal strength is low. The storage chamber 11b (signal level is L level) is provided. As shown in FIG. 5A, the storage space of the storage shelf 1 is divided into three storage chambers 11a, 12 by two partition members 12, 12. 11b and 11c are divided, and the storage chamber 11a is directly supplied with a position specifying signal from the signal generating unit 2, and the storage chamber 11b is supplied with a position specifying signal attenuated by a single partition member 12 to store the storage chamber 11c. The position specifying signal attenuated by the two partition members 12 is given, and the signal level of the position specifying signal given to each of the storage chambers 11a, 11b, and 11c is set in three levels: strong, medium, and weak. is doing.

  FIG. 5B shows a block diagram of the RF tag 3. In this embodiment, the signal collection processing unit 32 detects the signal intensity of the position specifying signal given from the signal generation unit 2 as an analog quantity. Yes. When the interrogation signal from the reader 5 is input to the control circuit 35, the control circuit 35 receives the identification information stored in the memory 31 and the position specifying signal (analog value) collected by the signal collection processing unit 32. Are modulated by the demodulation / modulation circuit 34 and then returned from the radio wave transmission / reception unit 33 as a response signal.

  The response signals returned from the RF tags 3 a and 3 b are read by the reader 5 via the antenna 4 and then sent to the storage position management device 6. The storage position management device 6 stores the signal strength (analog amount) of the position specifying signal given to each storage chamber 11a, 11b in a memory (not shown), and the position specifying signal returned from the RF tags 3a, 3b. Based on the (analog amount) and the information of the position specifying signal stored in the memory, the storage position of the article to which the RF tags 3a and 3b are attached is specified from the plurality of storage chambers 11a to 11c. The storage position can be displayed on a monitor (not shown) or displayed by voice.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the signal strength of the position specifying signal given from one signal generating unit 2 is attenuated by the two partition members 12 to specify the position given to the three storage chambers 11a, 11b, and 11c. The signal strength of the signal for use can be set to different strengths, and the three storage positions can be detected from the signal strength. Note that the number of partition members (partition members 12) is not limited to two. By setting the number of partition members to two or more, the position specifying signal output from one signal generation unit 2 is not limited. From the strength, it becomes possible to discriminate three or more places.

(Embodiment 4)
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, since it is the same as that of the article | item position management system demonstrated in Embodiment 1 or 2 except arrangement | positioning of a storage shelf and a signal generation part, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to a common component and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the interior of the storage shelf 1 is partitioned into two upper and lower storage chambers 11a and 11b by a partitioning material 12, whereas in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. A total of four storage chambers 11a to 11d are provided by dividing the storage space into two parts in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction by the partitioning member 12, respectively. Here, it is assumed that articles (not shown) to which the RF tags 3a to 3d are attached are stored in the storage chambers 11a to 11d.

  A signal generating unit 2A composed of a light source that emits visible light downward as a position specifying signal is disposed on the upper side of the storage shelf 1, and a sound is generated as a position specifying signal on the side (for example, the left side) of the storage shelf 1. Is disposed. Here, the light irradiated downward from the signal generating unit 2A is directly irradiated to the upper storage chambers 11a and 11c, and the light reaches the lower storage chambers 11b and 11d by being blocked by the partitioning material 12. Therefore, there is light in the upper storage chambers 11a and 11c, and there is no light in the lower storage chambers 11b and 11d. In addition, the sound radiated to the right side from the signal generating unit 2B is directly given to the left storage chambers 11a and 11b, and the right storage chambers 11c and 11d are blocked by the partition material 12 so that the sound does not reach. The left storage chambers 11a and 11b have sound, and the right storage chambers 11c and 11d have no sound. Therefore, the combinations of the presence and absence of light and sound detected in the storage chambers 11a to 11d are as shown in Table 1 below.

  On the other hand, FIG. 6B shows a block diagram of the RF tag 3, and in this embodiment, the signal collection unit 32a made of a photoelectric element converts visible light given from the signal generation unit 2A into an electric signal. The signal collecting unit 32c including the sound collecting element converts the sound given from the signal generating unit 2B into an electrical signal, and the signal processing unit 32b performs signal processing on the outputs of the signal collecting units 32a and 32c, thereby The presence / absence (or strength) of visible light given from the generator 2A and the presence / absence (or strength) of sound given from the signal generator 2B are detected. When the interrogation signal from the reader 5 is input to the control circuit 35, the control circuit 35 displays the identification information stored in the memory 31 and the detection result of visible light and sound collected by the signal collection processing unit 32. After modulation by the demodulation / modulation circuit 34, the radio wave transmission / reception unit 33 returns the response signal.

  The response signals returned from the RF tags 3 a to 3 d are read by the reader 5 via the antenna 4 and then sent to the storage position management device 6. The storage location management device 6 stores a combination of location specifying signals given to the storage chambers 11a to 11d from the signal generating units 2A and 2B in a memory (not shown), and specifies the location returned from the RF tags 3a to 3d. The storage position of the article to which the RF tags 3a to 3d are attached is specified based on the signal for use and the information for the position specifying signal stored in the memory, and is displayed on a monitor (not shown) or informed by voice. is doing.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, a total of four storage chambers 11a to 11d are provided, two vertically and horizontally, and a position specifying signal (visible light) output from the signal generator 2A is provided in the vertical direction, and signal generation is performed. A partitioning material 12 that gives a position specifying signal (a signal different from the signal from the signal generating unit 2A, for example, a sound in this embodiment) that is output from the unit 2B in the lateral direction and partitions the storage chambers. By attenuating each position specifying signal, the 2 × 2 storage location can be determined.

  In the present embodiment, the strength of the two types of position specifying signals is changed in two stages so that a total of four storage locations can be determined. However, as described in the third embodiment, The position specifying signals supplied from the generating units 2A and 2B may be attenuated in a plurality of stages by the plurality of partition members 12, and based on the signal strength of the position specifying signals supplied from the signal generating units 2A and 2B. In addition, it is possible to determine three or more locations in the transmission direction of each signal.

  In this embodiment, two types of position specifying signals are used. However, three or more types of position specifying signals may be used. For example, the intensity of three types of position specifying signals of visible light, sound, and radio waves is used. If each is changed in two stages, 2 × 2 × 2 = 8 storage locations can be determined.

(Embodiment 5)
A fifth embodiment of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, in the article position management system of FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment, visible light is used as a position specifying signal, and building lighting is installed in the building as a visible light emission source (signal generation unit 2). 2C is used. In addition, since it is the same as that of Embodiment 1 except the point which uses the signal generation part 2 also by 2C of building lighting, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to a common component and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the present embodiment, for example, light from the building lighting 2C hits the upper storage chamber 11a, and the lower storage chamber 11b is blocked by the partitioning material 12 so that the light from the building lighting 2C does not hit. Even if a separate signal generator is not prepared, it is possible to provide position specifying signals having different signal intensities to the RF tags 3a and 3b arranged in the storage chambers 11a and 11b, thereby further reducing the introduction cost of the system. can do. In addition, the strength of the position specifying signal for each storage room can be reduced by the partition material 12 that partitions the storage rooms 11a and 11b without preparing a special means for adjusting the strength of the position specifying signal for each storage room. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the strength of the position specifying signal without performing complicated region setting.

  In addition, it cannot be overemphasized that 2C of building lights may be used as the signal generation part 2 in other embodiment mentioned above similarly to this embodiment.

(Embodiment 6)
A sixth embodiment of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, a voice uttered by a person is used as the position specifying signal, and the signal collection processing unit 32 of the RF tag 3 includes a signal collection unit 32a including a sound collection element that converts sound into an electrical signal, and signal collection. The signal processing unit 32b performs speech recognition of the signal input from the unit 32a. The signal processing unit 32b includes an acoustic model storage unit 32e in which acoustic models of a plurality of words are registered in advance, and a signal collection unit 32a. The language recognition unit 32f performs speech recognition by performing pattern matching between the signal input from the sound model and the acoustic model registered in the acoustic model storage unit 32e. Since the configuration other than the RF tag 3 is the same as that of the first or second embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  Since the RF tag 3 has a voice recognition function as described above, words indicating the storage position are indicated toward the RF tag 3 attached to an article (not shown) stored in each storage chamber. When the worker speaks, the signal is collected by the signal collection unit 32a of the RF tag 3 converted into an electric signal, and the language recognition unit 32f performs pattern matching with the acoustic model registered in the acoustic model storage unit 32e. Based on the recognition result, information on the storage position of the device is acquired on the tag side. When the interrogation signal from the reader 5 is input to the control circuit 35 of the RF tag 3, the control circuit 35 recognizes the identification information stored in the memory 31 and the own storage position obtained by the signal collection processing unit 32. After being modulated by the demodulation / modulation circuit 34, the radio wave transmission / reception unit 33 returns the information as a response signal. The response signal returned from the RF tag 3 is read by the reader 5 via the antenna 4 and then sent to the storage position management device 6. The storage position management device 6 stores the storage position sent from the RF tag 3. Based on this information, the storage position of the article to which the RF tag 3 is attached is displayed on a monitor (not shown) or notified by voice.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the storage position of the article is obtained on the RF tag 3 side, and the information on the storage position obtained is transmitted to the storage position management device 6, so that the processing on the storage position management device 6 side is simplified. can do. That is, in this embodiment, the RF tag 3 has a function as a position specifying unit.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, only one antenna 4 is provided for the reader 5, but a plurality of antennas 4 respectively provided corresponding to a plurality of storage shelves are provided for one reader 5. The storage positions of articles in a plurality of storage shelves can be collectively managed by the storage position management device 6.

  In each of the embodiments described above, the passive type RF tag is described as an example. However, it goes without saying that an active type tag with a built-in power source may be used as the RF tag 3.

(A) is a schematic block diagram of the article position management system of Embodiment 1, (b) is a block diagram of an RF tag. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the other example of an article position management system same as the above. It is a schematic block diagram which shows another example of an article | item position management system same as the above. It is a block diagram of the RF tag used for the article position management system of Embodiment 2. (A) is a schematic block diagram of the article | item position management system of Embodiment 3, (b) is a block diagram of RF tag. (A) is a schematic block diagram of the article | item position management system of Embodiment 4, (b) is a block diagram of RF tag. It is a schematic block diagram of the article position management system of Embodiment 5. It is a block diagram of the RF tag used for the article position management system of Embodiment 6.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Storage shelf 2a, 2b Signal generation part 3 RF tag (storage medium)
5 leader (interrogator)
6 Storage position management device (position specifying part)
11a, 11b Storage room 31 Memory (storage means)
32 Signal Collection Processing Unit (Signal Collection Unit)
33 Radio wave transceiver (communication means)
35 Control circuit

Claims (7)

In the article position management system for managing the storage position of each article when the article is stored in a storage member in which the storage space for storing the article is partitioned into a plurality of storage chambers by a partitioning material,
Storage means for storing unique identification information, signal collection means for receiving different positioning signals given to the respective storage chambers, and identification information and signal collection means stored in the storage means upon receipt of an external inquiry signal A storage medium that is attached to each article with communication means for returning the received position specifying signal;
The interrogator that receives the identification information and the position specifying signal from the storage medium by transmitting the interrogation signal to the storage medium in the communicable area, with the entire storage space being a communicable area;
Article position management comprising: a position specifying unit for specifying a storage position of an article to which the storage medium is attached based on identification information and a position specifying signal read by the interrogator from the storage medium system.   A signal generator that provides a signal for specifying the position in the storage space is provided, and the partition material that partitions each storage room changes the strength of the signal for specifying the position output from the signal generator, thereby specifying the position for each storage room. 2. The article position management system according to claim 1, wherein the strength of the signal for use is made different.   The partition material that divides each storage room is provided with a slit that allows the position specifying signal output from the signal generator to pass through, and the position specifying signal is passed through the slit, so that the strength of the position specifying signal is stored for each storage room. The article position management system according to claim 2, wherein: The interrogator transmits a question signal including communication permission information indicating a storage room that permits communication to the communicable area,
The storage medium is provided with position detecting means for detecting a storage room in which the self exists based on the position specifying signal received by the signal collecting means, and when the communication means receives the question signal, communication permission information included in the question signal 4. The communication means returns the identification information and the position specifying signal only when the storage room indicated by and the storage room detected by the position detecting means coincide with each other. 5. The article position management system described.   The article position management system according to claim 1, wherein the position specifying signal is visible light.   5. The article position management system according to claim 1, wherein the position specifying signal is a sound.   The article position management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the position specifying signal is a radio wave.

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