JP2009073620A - Article management system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article management system using IC tags capable of acquiring information of all the IC tags at once without being influenced by the state of each IC tag and the number of IC tags. <P>SOLUTION: The IC tags 101-104 are arranged for articles 1-4 and an article group is produced by storing them in a box 5. Unique identification information of all the IC tags included in the article group and information for identifying the article group are connected and stored in a control device 12 and batch reading of the unique identification information of the IC tags 101-104 is conducted by a reader writer 9. If reading omission occurs, unique identification information of another IC tag having information for identifying the article group connected to the unique identification information of an arbitrary IC tag which is read is read out in the control device and the missing unique identification information of the IC tag is complemented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an article management system, and more particularly to an article management system suitable for physical distribution management using an IC tag.

  An IC tag having an antenna and an IC chip transmits and receives information by long-distance wireless communication using reading / writing means such as a reader / writer. Further, by using reading / writing means such as a reader / writer, it is possible to collectively read information held by a plurality of IC tags.

  However, since wireless communication is used, it is easily affected by the surrounding environment, and reading of a large number of IC tag information collectively may cause reading omission.

  In order to solve such a problem, a method of changing transmission power, reception sensitivity, and antenna beam angle in accordance with the state of the IC tag has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses.

JP 2007-94934 A

  In the above-described conventional method, it is necessary to grasp the state of the IC tag and to make detailed settings and adjustments such as transmission power and reception sensitivity, which complicates system control. Also, reading omissions could not be completely prevented depending on the number and state of IC tags.

  Therefore, the technical problem of the present invention is to use an IC tag that can obtain information on all target IC tags without being affected by the state of each IC tag, the number of IC tags, and the like. It is to provide an article management system.

  In the article management system according to the present invention, for example, when an IC tag is arranged on an article to be managed, and distribution management, production management, etc. are performed, an aggregate of articles to be managed is created, and all items included in the aggregate When the identification information of the IC tag and the information for identifying the assembly are stored in the control device in association with each other and the identification information of the IC tag is collectively read at another management stage, and a reading omission occurs The unique identification information of another IC tag having information for identifying an assembly associated with the unique identification information of any read IC tag is read in the control device, and the unique identification information of the missing IC tag is complemented Configure to

  Also, the unique identification information of any IC tag and the unique identification information of all other IC tags belonging to the same set are associated and stored in the control device, and the unique identification of the IC tag is performed in another management stage. When information is read in a batch and reading omission occurs, the unique identification information of all other IC tags associated with the unique identification information of any read IC tag is read, and the unique identification of the missing IC tag Configure to complement the information.

  In the following, IC tags placed on individual articles may be referred to as individual IC tags.

  That is, an IC tag is provided for each article to be managed, and IC tag information of each article is read and written by handy terminals, scanners, gates, reader / writers, etc., that is, a so-called reader / writer. After reading in the above, all the IC tag information read in the control device is stored, for example, when the individual IC tag information attached to the assembly of the articles is read again in a different management stage, Even when some of the IC tag information is unreadable, the reading information is replaced with all the IC tag information stored in the control device, thereby preventing reading omission.

  When a plurality of aggregates are merged into a new aggregate, any IC tag placed on the article to be managed can be input or transmitted by inputting or transmitting information identifying the aggregate merged to the control device. By associating information identifying a new aggregate with the unique identification information, it is possible to recognize all IC tags having information identifying a common aggregate as described above.

  In addition, by storing all the unique identification information of other IC tags belonging to the same assembly in the control device in association with the unique identification information that is the IC tag information arranged for each article to be managed, different management At the stage, the unique identification information of all other IC tags belonging to the same aggregate from the unique identification information of arbitrary IC tags obtained by collectively reading the unique identification information of the IC tags arranged in the aggregate Can be recognized.

  When a plurality of aggregates are merged into a new aggregate, other ICs belonging to the same aggregate associated with the unique identification information of any IC tag selected from each of the aggregates to be merged By combining the unique identification information of the tags and associating them with the unique identification information of each IC tag, it is possible to recognize the unique identification information of all the IC tags constituting the aggregate after the merge.

  However, when batch reading is performed at different management stages, if the number of unique identification information of the IC tag that has been successfully batch read is extremely smaller than the total number of correct assemblies at the time of configuring the aggregate, During the management, there is a concern that a problem arises in the transfer of the assembly, and that an article is missing.

  Therefore, the unique identification information of the IC tags placed on each of the articles to be managed is collectively read at different management stages, and the number of IC tags successfully read at the same time and the same set counted when the aggregate is formed Compare the total number of IC tags belonging to the body, and check whether the number of IC tags successfully read at a time is almost the same as the total number of IC tags belonging to the same assembly, or whether a predetermined quantity or ratio is satisfied. Only when a predetermined quantity is satisfied, the unique identification information of the IC tag that has failed to be read is supplemented with the unique identification information of the IC tag that has been successfully read, thereby improving the reliability of management. be able to.

  In addition, when the quantity of the unique identification information of the IC tag that has been successfully read does not satisfy a predetermined quantity or ratio, the article on which the IC tag that has been successfully read is separated from the preset assembly, Assuming that a new aggregate has been formed, information identifying the aggregate associated with the unique identification information of the IC tag that has been successfully read, and unique identification information of other IC tags constituting the same aggregate, etc. In addition to deleting, the unique identification information of the IC tag that has been successfully read, which is associated with the unique identification information of the IC tag that has failed to be read, is deleted.

  In addition, each time the information is read by the reader / writer, it is determined in advance in the unique identification information of the IC tag stored in each control object stored in the control device, that is, the installation location of the reader / writer, etc. By storing the area information indicating “” in association with each other, it is possible to recognize the article management stage.

  By configuring in this way, by reading the IC tag information attached to at least one article constituting the assembly of the articles, it is possible to recognize the IC tag information and the management stage of all articles included in the assembly. And

  According to the present invention, a plurality of IC tags including at least an IC chip having a wireless communication unit and a storage unit, and an antenna connected to the IC chip, one or more reader / writers, and a network connection to the reader / writer. A method for managing a plurality of articles using a control device, wherein each of the articles is provided with an individual IC tag selected from the plurality of IC tags to form a first aggregate of the articles In this case, information for identifying the first aggregate is stored in the control device in association with the unique identification information of the individual IC tag, and the unique identification information of the individual IC tag is read by the reader / writer. Thus, an article management system characterized in that unique identification information of all the individual IC tags arranged in each of the articles constituting the first aggregate is obtained.

  According to the present invention, when the second aggregate is configured by merging a plurality of the first aggregates, the second IC is associated with the unique identification information of the individual IC tag in the control device. All the individual ICs arranged in each of the articles constituting the second aggregate by storing information identifying the aggregate and reading the unique identification information of the individual IC tag with the reader / writer An article management system characterized by obtaining unique identification information of a tag is obtained.

  According to the present invention, a plurality of IC tags including at least an IC chip having a wireless communication unit and a storage unit, and an antenna connected to the IC chip, one or more reader / writers, and a network connection to the reader / writer. A method for managing a plurality of articles using a control device, wherein each of the articles is provided with an individual IC tag selected from the plurality of IC tags to form a first aggregate of the articles In the control device, the individual IC tag unique to each of the other articles constituting the first aggregate is associated with the unique identification information of the first individual IC tag in the control device. All the identification information is stored, and the unique identification information of the first individual IC tag is read by the reader / writer, whereby all the items arranged in each of the other articles constituting the first assembly are stored. Article management system, characterized in that to obtain a unique identification information of another IC tag is obtained.

  According to the present invention, when a plurality of the first aggregates are merged to form a second aggregate, the controller is associated with the unique identification information of the first individual IC tag, By storing the unique identification information of all the individual IC tags arranged in the articles constituting the second aggregate, and reading the unique identification information of the first individual IC tag with the reader / writer, There is obtained an article management system characterized by obtaining unique identification information of all the individual IC tags arranged in the articles constituting the second aggregate.

  According to the present invention, region information indicating a place where the reader / writer has read the unique identification information of the individual IC tag is stored in association with the unique identification information of the individual IC tag in the control device. An article management system is obtained.

  According to the present invention, the total number of the articles constituting the first aggregate or the second aggregate is stored in association with the unique identification information of the individual IC tag in the control device. An article management system is obtained.

  According to the present invention, the number of unique identification information of the individual IC tag arranged in each of the articles constituting the first aggregate or the second aggregate, which is collectively read by the reader / writer And the total number of the articles, and when the quantity of the unique identification information of the individual IC tag is a predetermined quantity or a quantity greater than or equal to a predetermined ratio in the total number of the articles, the first aggregate Alternatively, there is obtained an article management system characterized by obtaining unique identification information of all the individual IC tags arranged in each of the articles constituting the second aggregate.

  According to the present invention, the number of unique identification information of the individual IC tag arranged in each of the articles constituting the first aggregate or the second aggregate, which is collectively read by the reader / writer And the total number of the articles, and when the quantity of the unique identification information of the individual IC tag is a predetermined quantity or a quantity equal to or less than a predetermined ratio in the total number of the articles, the first aggregate Alternatively, the first assembly or the first assembly, which is collectively read by the reader / writer, from the unique identification information of all the individual IC tags arranged in each of the articles constituting the second assembly. Thus, an article management system can be obtained in which the unique identification information of the individual IC tags arranged in each of the articles constituting the two aggregates is deleted.

  With the above configuration, a large number of IC tag information distributed on a large number of articles can be reliably obtained without being read even by batch reading by a reader / writer, and a highly reliable article management system is constructed. be able to.

  In the present invention, when an IC tag is arranged on an article and managed as an aggregate, the unique identification information of each IC tag includes information for identifying the aggregate to be configured, or all other ICs belonging to the same aggregate. By associating the unique identification information of the tag with each other and storing it in the control device, the unique identification information of the IC tag that has failed in batch reading using, for example, a reader / writer is compensated in different management stages thereafter.

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

  FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the article management method of the present invention.

  The IC tags 101, 102, 103, and 104 attached to the articles 1, 2, 3, and 4 can read the unique identification information stored in the IC tag in advance by the handy terminal 7 at the time of shipment. The read information is transmitted to the control device 12 via the wireless LAN device 8 and the LAN 14 and stored. For example, the control device recognizes the unique identification information read by the handy terminal 7 continuously within a predetermined time interval as the first aggregate. In addition, if necessary, the control device can store the area information such as an area code attached in advance to the reader / writer device installation location and the total number of unique identification information of the IC tag read by the handy terminal 7 when the assembly is formed. The information is stored in association with the unique identification information of each IC tag stored.

  The administrator can check the unique identification information and the total number of the IC tags constituting the first aggregate by using the console 13. Moreover, it can confirm similarly that the articles | goods which comprise a 1st aggregate passed the installation place of the handy terminal 7 from the area code linked | related with the handy terminal 7. FIG.

  The articles 1, 2, 3, and 4 are stored in the box 5 so that an arbitrary number forms an aggregate, and the box 5 is moved to the collection place. At the collection location, the unique identification information of the individual IC tags including the IC tags 101, 102, 103, and 104 housed in the box 5 is collectively read by the antenna 10 and the reader / writer 9 installed at the collection location, The read unique identification information of the IC tag is transmitted to the control device 12 via the wireless LAN device 8 and the LAN 14.

  At this time, the IC tag antenna overlap depending on the orientation of the stored article, the conditions caused by the article such as the article itself having a lot of metal parts and containing a lot of moisture, the conditions of the surrounding environment, that is, the metal body and Depending on the presence of a substance containing a lot of moisture in the vicinity, all the unique identification information of the IC tag placed on the article stored in the box 5 may not be read.

  Inside the control device 12, even if there is the unique identification information of the IC tag that has failed to be read as described above, it is considered that all the unique identification information of the IC tag read by the handy terminal 7 has been read.

  That is, the reader / writer 9 assumes that the reader / writer 9 has successfully read the unique identification information of another IC tag having information for identifying the same assembly as the information for identifying the assembly of the IC tag that has been successfully read. Perform operations such as adding the area code of the location where the is installed.

  Alternatively, it is assumed that the reader / writer 9 has successfully read the unique identification information of another IC tag associated with the unique identification information of the IC tag that has been successfully read. Perform operations such as adding area codes.

  Similarly, the administrator can use the console 13 to confirm that the box 5 is at the collection location.

  Subsequently, a plurality of boxes 5 are collected and loaded on the car 6 to form a second aggregate.

  For example, the control device recognizes a combination of a plurality of first aggregates associated with the unique identification information read by the reader / writer 9 continuously within a predetermined time interval as the second aggregate.

  In other words, the information for identifying the first aggregate associated with the unique identification information of the IC tag that has been successfully read is merged with the unique identification information of the IC tags associated with each other in the control device. Then, an operation for associating information for identifying the new aggregate, that is, the second aggregate with the unique identification information of all the IC tags is performed.

  Alternatively, the unique identification information of the other IC tags constituting the first aggregate associated with the unique identification information of the IC tag that has been successfully read are merged in the control device, and a new aggregate, that is, The operation is performed for associating the unique identification information of all the IC tags constituting the set of 2 with the unique identification information of all the IC tags.

  If necessary, the unique identification of the IC tag included in the second aggregate is obtained by adding the total number of the unique identification information of the IC tag included in the plurality of first aggregates constituting the second aggregate. The total number of information is stored in association with the unique identification information of each IC tag stored in the control device.

  Subsequently, the car 6 is moved to the gate 11 which is a reader / writer, and preparation for loading on a truck or the like is made.

  The gate 11 collectively reads the unique identification numbers of the IC tags arranged on the articles stored in the plurality of boxes 5. As described above, reading of the unique identification information of the IC tag may fail depending on the state of the article and the surrounding environment. In this case, information associated with the unique identification information of the IC tag that has been successfully read is used. The unique identification information of the IC tag that has failed to be read is recognized.

  If necessary, area information such as an area code attached in advance to the reader / writer apparatus installation location is stored in association with the unique identification information of each IC tag stored in the control apparatus.

  Similarly, the administrator can use the console 13 to confirm that the car 6 has passed through the gate 11.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the data structure in the control apparatus of the present invention, and illustrates the management method shown in FIG.

  The ID information that is the unique identification information of the IC tags 101, 102, 103, and 104 is confirmed by the group information that identifies the first aggregate when stored in the box 5 and stored in the box 5 by the handy terminal 7. The area code as the area information at the time is associated and stored in the control device. Since all the group information is 1, it can be seen that the IC tags 101, 102, 103, 104 are attached to articles belonging to the same assembly, that is, stored in the box 5.

  Even when only the IC tag 102 and the IC tag 103 are successfully read when the box 5 is transferred to the reader / writer 9 and batch reading is performed by the reader / writer 9, Since the IC tag 101 and the IC tag 104 having the same group information as the group information of the IC tag 102 and the IC tag 103 exist, the control device also assumes that these IC tags have passed through the reader / writer 9. recognize.

  Although not shown in FIG. 2, the total number 4 of unique identification information of the IC tag having the group information 1 may be stored in the unique identification information of each IC tag.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the data structure in the control apparatus of the present invention, and illustrates the management method shown in FIG.

  The first group information as group information indicating the state of being stored in the box 5 and the group information indicating the state of being loaded on the car 6 are included in the ID information as the unique identification information of the IC tags 101, 102, 103, and 104. Although the two group information is not shown in FIG. 1, the third group information is stored in the control device in association with a plurality of car cars 6 and associated with the group information indicating, for example, the state of loading on the truck. Has been.

  IC tags 201, 202, and 203 are IC tags housed in a box 5 different from the IC tags 101, 102, 103, and 104, which are loaded on the car 6 shown in FIG. Not shown).

  The box 5 in which the IC tags 101, 102, 103, and 104 are stored and the box 5 in which the IC tags 201, 202, and 203 are stored are different boxes, but when they are loaded on the car 6. , Constituting a new aggregate, that is, a second aggregate. Accordingly, the first group information indicating the state stored in different boxes 5 has different values 1 and 2, but the second group information indicating the state loaded on the car 6 has the same value. It is 3.

  Further, for example, the third group information indicating the state of being loaded on the track also has the same value of 5, so that it can be seen that these IC tags are loaded on the same track without being separated. The area code is 30 indicating the truck loading location.

  Although not shown in FIG. 3, the total number 4 of unique identification information of the IC tag having the first group information 1 and the total number of unique identification information 3 of the IC tag having the first group information 2 are added to the second group formation. The value obtained in this way may be stored in the unique identification information of each IC tag as the unique identification information total number 7 of the IC tag having the second group information.

  Thus, by recording the total number of unique identification information of IC tags that should be successfully read in the control device, the number of IC tags that have been successfully read or failed can be easily calculated.

  Therefore, for example, when only 20 pieces of information have been read although the unique identification information of 30 IC tags should be read, the assembly was intentionally separated during transfer or the same car The occurrence of an unexpected situation such as a case where some of the boxes 5 to be loaded on the car 6 fall from the car 6 can be predicted.

  If the preset number of successful readings or reading success rate is satisfied, the unique identification information of the IC tag that has failed to be read by the above method is compensated in the control device, and the preset number of successful readings or successful reading rate If the IC tag does not satisfy the requirements, it is considered that articles with IC tags that have failed to be read are considered to have left the assembly, and the information associated with the unique identification information of these IC tags is deleted or deleted. If there is, it is preferably managed in the control device as a new set.

  Depending on the state of the article on which the IC tag is arranged and the surrounding environmental conditions, the reader / writer has performed batch reading multiple times continuously, and has successfully read the unique identification information of the IC tag that has been successfully read even once. The determination may be made by recognizing the unique identification information.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the data structure in the control apparatus of the present invention, and illustrates the management method shown in FIG.

  ID information of other IC tags 102, 103, and 104 stored in the box 5 is stored as group information in ID information that is unique identification information of the IC tag 101 disposed on the article stored in the box 5. . As the area code, an area code 10 indicating a place stored in the box 5 is recorded.

  Therefore, when the box 5 is transferred to the reader / writer 9 and is collectively read by the reader / writer 9, even if only the tag 102 and the tag 103 have been successfully read, reading from the group information has failed. Since it can be recognized that the tag 101 and the tag 104 constitute the same assembly, the control device recognizes that the IC tag 101 and the tag 104 have also passed through the reader / writer 9 together with the tag 102 and the tag 103. To do.

  Although not shown, the first aggregate including the IC tags 101, 102, 103, and 104 is merged with the other first aggregate including the IC tags 201, 202, and 203, for example. When configured, the ID information of the IC tags 201, 202, and 203 is added to the group information of the IC tag 101.

  As in the case illustrated in FIG. 2, by storing together the total number of unique identification information of the IC tags constituting the same aggregate, the separation and separation of the aggregate can be predicted in the same manner as described above. A new aggregate may be formed.

  Similarly, the determination of successful reading is performed by performing batch reading by the reader / writer a plurality of times and recognizing the unique identification information of the IC tag that has been successfully read as unique identification information that has been successfully read. It is also good to do.

  At the same time, an IC tag in which unique identification information is not stored in each individual product is pasted in advance, and unique identification information consisting of a serial number is sequentially created and written to the IC tag using a reader / writer connected to the network. These unique identification information may be stored and stored in a control device connected to the reader / writer, and an operation similar to that of an IC tag having unique identification information in advance may be performed.

  Conventionally, the identification information of the IC tag attached to the stored article is read from the outside of the box or the car using an antenna or various reader / writers, and the contents of the box or the car are grasped. According to this conventional method, there is a possibility that reading omission may occur depending on the condition of the article, that is, various conditions such as a large amount of metal parts, moisture, and overlapping storage. According to the present invention, it was confirmed that no reading omission occurred.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described using drawing, this invention is not restricted to these, Even if there is a design change of the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it is contained in this invention. . That is, various changes and modifications that can be naturally made by those skilled in the art are also included in the present invention.

The figure explaining the management method of the articles | goods of this invention. The figure explaining the data structure in the control apparatus of this invention. The figure explaining the data structure in the control apparatus of this invention. The figure explaining the data structure in the control apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2, 3, 4 Article 5 Box 6 Car 7 Handy terminal 8 Wireless LAN device 9 Reader / writer 10 Antenna 11 Gate 12 Control device 13 Console 14 LAN
101, 102, 103, 104, 201, 202, 203 IC tag

Claims (8)

  Using at least a plurality of IC tags, one or more reader / writers, and a control device connected to the reader / writer via a network, each of which includes an IC chip having at least a wireless communication unit and a storage unit, and an antenna connected to the IC chip. A method for managing a plurality of articles, wherein each of the articles is provided with an individual IC tag selected from the plurality of IC tags to form the first aggregate of the articles. In the apparatus, information for identifying the first aggregate is stored in association with the unique identification information of the individual IC tag, and the unique identification information of the individual IC tag is read by the reader / writer, thereby An article management system characterized by obtaining unique identification information of all the individual IC tags arranged in each of the articles constituting the assembly.   Information that identifies the second aggregate in the control device in association with the unique identification information of the individual IC tag when a plurality of the first aggregates are merged to form a second aggregate. And reading the unique identification information of the individual IC tag with the reader / writer, thereby identifying the unique identification information of all the individual IC tags arranged in each of the articles constituting the second assembly. The article management system according to claim 1, wherein the article management system is obtained.   Using at least a plurality of IC tags, one or more reader / writers, and a control device connected to the reader / writer via a network, each of which includes an IC chip having at least a wireless communication unit and a storage unit, and an antenna connected to the IC chip. A method for managing a plurality of articles, wherein each of the articles is provided with an individual IC tag selected from the plurality of IC tags to form the first aggregate of the articles. All the unique identification information of the individual IC tag arranged in each of the other articles constituting the first assembly is stored in the apparatus in association with the unique identification information of the first individual IC tag. Then, by reading the unique identification information of the first individual IC tag with the reader / writer, all the individual IC tags arranged in each of the other articles constituting the first assembly are fixed. Article management system, characterized in that to obtain the identification information.   When the second aggregate is configured by merging a plurality of the first aggregates, the second aggregate is associated with the unique identification information of the first individual IC tag in the control device. By storing the unique identification information of all the individual IC tags arranged in the article to be configured, and reading the unique identification information of the first individual IC tag with the reader / writer, 4. The article management system according to claim 3, wherein unique identification information of all individual IC tags arranged in the article to be configured is obtained.   5. Area information indicating a location where the reader / writer has read the unique identification information of the individual IC tag is stored in association with the unique identification information of the individual IC tag in the control device. The article management system according to any one of the above.   6. The total number of the articles constituting the first aggregate or the second aggregate is stored in association with the unique identification information of the individual IC tag in the control device. The article management system according to any one of the above.   The number of unique identification information of the individual IC tag and the total number of the articles arranged in each of the articles constituting the first aggregate or the second aggregate, which are collectively read by the reader / writer, In comparison, when the quantity of the unique identification information of the individual IC tag is a predetermined quantity or a quantity more than a predetermined ratio in the total number of the articles, the first aggregate or the second aggregate The article management system according to claim 6, wherein unique identification information of all the individual IC tags arranged in each of the articles constituting the body is obtained.   The number of unique identification information of the individual IC tag and the total number of the articles arranged in each of the articles constituting the first aggregate or the second aggregate, which are collectively read by the reader / writer, In comparison, when the quantity of the unique identification information of the individual IC tag is a predetermined quantity or a quantity equal to or less than a predetermined ratio in the total number of the articles, the first aggregate or the second aggregate The first aggregate or the second aggregate is collectively read by the reader / writer from the unique identification information of all the individual IC tags arranged in each of the articles constituting the body. 7. The article management system according to claim 6, wherein the unique identification information of the individual IC tag arranged on each of the articles to be deleted is deleted.

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