JP2009166958A - Article carrying system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adequately read/write data from/on a RF tag for a desired carried object. <P>SOLUTION: In this article carrying system 1, a carried object 14 is moved by a first carried object moving means 7 and a distance between the RF tag 16 and a reflector 11 is set to be odd-number multiples of the quarter of the wavelength of electric waves to be transmitted from an antenna 9. The phase of electric waves which pass through the RF tag 16 and arrive at the reflector 11 corresponds to the phase of electric waves which are reflected by the reflector 11 and arrive at the RF tag 16 and electric waves having these combined transmitting power are given to the RF tag 16. The phase of electric waves which are transmitted from the RF tag 16 and arrive at the reflector 11 corresponds to the phase of electric waves which are reflected by the reflector 11, pass through the RF tag 16 and arrive at the antenna 9 and electric waves having these combined transmitting power are given to the antenna 9. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an article conveyance system for reading and writing data by transmitting radio waves of a predetermined frequency from an antenna to an RF tag provided on a conveyed article to be conveyed.

In recent years, RF tags have been used in various applications, and as one of them, article conveyance that reads and writes data by transmitting radio waves of a predetermined frequency from an antenna to an RF tag attached to a conveyance article to be conveyed. A system is provided (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-36018 A

  By the way, the system using this type of RF tag has the characteristics that the communication distance is long and the readable area is wide, but the article transport system in which a plurality of transported articles are sequentially transported has the characteristics. There is a problem that not only data is read from the RF tag attached to the transported article passing in front of the antenna but also data is read from the RF tag attached to the transported article transported before and after that. For such a problem, it is conceivable to suppress the transmission power of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna. However, if the transmission power of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna is simply suppressed, the transported article passing in front of the antenna There is a problem that data cannot be read from the attached RF tag.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to achieve a desired transported article while being able to appropriately read and write data to and from an RF tag provided in the desired transported article. It is an object of the present invention to provide an article transport system that can avoid reading and writing data to and from an RF tag provided on a different transport article, and can improve the accuracy of reading and writing data.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the transport article provided with the RF tag is transported by the transport means, the RF tag position detecting means detects the position of the RF tag, and the control means is the RF tag. The transport article is moved to the first transport article so that the distance between the RF tag whose position is detected by the position detection means and the reflecting member is set to an odd multiple of one-fourth of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna. Move by means. In this state, when the data read / write unit transmits a radio wave of a predetermined frequency from the antenna toward the RF tag, the radio wave of the predetermined frequency transmitted from the antenna passes through the RF tag and is reflected by the reflecting member, and the radio wave (reflected) Wave) reaches the RF tag.

  At this time, since the distance between the RF tag and the reflecting member is set to an odd multiple of one quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna, the radio wave passing through the RF tag and reaching the reflecting member The phase is matched with the phase of the radio wave reflected by the reflecting member and reaching the RF tag (the phase of the reflected wave), and a radio wave having a transmission power corresponding to the combination thereof is given to the RF tag. In addition, the phase of the radio wave transmitted from the RF tag and reaching the reflecting member is matched with the phase of the radio wave reflected by the reflecting member and passing through the RF tag and reaching the antenna. The electric wave it has is given to the antenna.

  Thereby, even if the transmission power of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna is suppressed, the antenna and the RF tag can communicate with the radio wave having a transmission power substantially larger than the transmission power. While reading and writing data to and from the RF tag installed on the product, it is possible to avoid reading and writing data to and from the RF tag installed on a different transported product from the desired transported product. The accuracy of reading and writing data can be increased.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, the distance between the RF tag and the reflecting member is set to a quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna only by moving the transported article by the first transported article moving means. Even if it is difficult to set the odd number times, the RF tag and the reflecting member are further moved by moving the reflecting member by the reflecting member moving means after moving the conveying article by the first conveying article moving means. Can be set to an odd multiple of a quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the transported article provided with the RF tag is transported by the transport means, the RF tag position detecting means detects the position of the RF tag, and the control means is the RF tag. The reflecting member is moved by the reflecting member moving means so that the distance between the RF tag whose position is detected by the position detecting means and the reflecting member is set to an odd multiple of one-fourth of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna. Let In this state, when the data read / write unit transmits a radio wave of a predetermined frequency from the antenna toward the RF tag, the radio wave of the predetermined frequency transmitted from the antenna passes through the RF tag and is reflected by the reflecting member, and the radio wave (reflected) Wave) reaches the RF tag.

  At this time, since the distance between the RF tag and the reflecting member is set to an odd multiple of one-fourth of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna in the same manner as described in claim 1 above. The phase of the radio wave that passes through the RF tag and reaches the reflecting member is matched with the phase of the radio wave that is reflected by the reflecting member and reaches the RF tag (the phase of the reflected wave). The radio wave that is held is given to the RF tag. In addition, the phase of the radio wave transmitted from the RF tag and reaching the reflecting member is matched with the phase of the radio wave reflected by the reflecting member and passing through the RF tag and reaching the antenna. The electric wave it has is given to the antenna.

  Accordingly, even if the transmission power of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna is suppressed in the same manner as described in claim 1, the antenna and the RF tag are transmitted by the radio wave having a transmission power substantially larger than the transmission power. Can be communicated with and can properly read and write data to and from the RF tag provided on the desired transport article, but is provided on a transport article different from the desired transport article Reading and writing data to and from the RF tag can be avoided, and the accuracy of reading and writing data can be improved.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, the distance between the RF tag and the reflecting member is an odd multiple of one-fourth of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna only by moving the reflecting member by the reflecting member moving means. Even if it is difficult to set the distance between the RF tag and the reflecting member, after the reflecting member is moved by the reflecting member moving means, the conveyed article is further moved by the first conveying article moving means. Can be set to an odd multiple of a quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the distance between the RF tag and the reflection member can be set to a plurality of odd multiples of a quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna. By setting the maximum value, the RF tag can be brought as close as possible to the antenna, and communication between the antenna and the RF tag can be performed by radio waves (direct waves) having as much transmission power as possible. .

  According to the invention described in claim 6, by detecting the width dimension in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction in the transport article based on the amount of movement of the transport article by the second transport article moving means, If the side surface on which the RF tag is provided is the same for all the transported articles, the position of the RF tag can be detected appropriately even if the width dimension in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction differs for each transported article. Therefore, the relative positional relationship between the RF tag and the reflecting member can be appropriately controlled, and data can be read and written appropriately.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, by analyzing the captured image captured by the imaging unit and detecting the side surface on which the RF tag is provided, all of the transported articles are orthogonal to the transport direction. If the width dimension in the direction is the same, the position of the RF tag can be detected properly even if the side surface on which the RF tag is provided differs for each conveyed article, and the relative relationship between the RF tag and the reflecting member Therefore, it is possible to appropriately control the positional relationship, and to read and write data appropriately.

  According to the invention described in claim 8, when the success / failure determination unit determines that the data reading / writing has not been successful, the antenna is changed after changing the frequency of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna from a predetermined frequency to another predetermined frequency. By transmitting another radio wave of a predetermined frequency to the RF tag and reading / writing the data again, the success rate of reading / writing the data can be increased, and even when transported articles with different contents are transported Can respond flexibly.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, when the success / failure determining means determines that the data reading / writing has not been successful, the reflecting member is moved by a predetermined distance by the reflecting member moving means, and then the radio wave having a predetermined frequency is transmitted from the antenna. By transmitting data to the RF tag and reading / writing data again, the success rate of reading / writing data can be increased in the same manner as described in claim 8 above. Even if it is a case, it can respond flexibly.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to, for example, an article conveyance system installed in a luggage collection / delivery center will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the overall configuration of the article transport system. The article conveyance system 1 includes a control device 2 (RF tag position detection means, control means, success / failure determination means in the present invention), an entry detection light projector 3, an entry detection light receiver 4, and a first imaging device 5. (Imaging means according to the present invention), a second imaging device 6 (imaging means according to the present invention), a first transported article moving means 7, a second transported article moving means 8, an antenna 9, A reader / writer 10 (data reading / writing means in the present invention), a reflector 11 made of a metal plate (a reflecting member in the present invention), an exit detection light projector 12 and an exit detection light receiver 13 are configured. ing.

  A conveyance line 15 (conveying means in the present invention) that conveys the conveyance article 14 is configured by, for example, a belt conveyor, and the conveyance article 14 is conveyed from the left side to the right side in FIG. An RF tag 16 is affixed to one side surface of the transported article 14, and the transported article 14 is placed and transported so that the side surface to which the RF tag 16 is affixed is along (in parallel with) the transport direction. . The RF tag 16 can record data related to the collection / delivery history of the transported article 14 (individual establishment ID, collection time, delivery time, etc. in the collection / delivery center). The control device 2 has a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and an I / O bus, and controls the entire system by executing a control program.

  The approach detection light projector 3 and the approach detection light receiver 4 are arranged to face each other with the conveyance line 15 interposed therebetween. When the light projection command signal is input from the control device 2, the approach detection light projector 3 performs a light projection operation of projecting light (generates the optical axis P <b> 1), and the approach detection light receiver 4 detects light reception from the control device 2. When a command signal is input, a light reception detection operation for detecting whether or not the light projected from the entry detection projector 3 is received is performed in synchronization with the projection operation of the entry detection projector 3 described above. Then, when the transport article 14 receives light without passing through the front, the entry detection light receiver 4 outputs a light reception signal to the control device 2, and the transport article 14 does not receive light through the front. When the light is shielded, a light shielding signal is output to the control device 2. The control device 2 detects whether the signal input from the entry detection light receiver 4 is a light reception signal or a light shielding signal, and detects whether the transported article 14 has entered the RF tag communication area. The RF tag communication area is an area where the RF tag 16 and the antenna 9 communicate.

  The first image pickup device 5 and the second image pickup device 6 are opposed to each other so as to sandwich the transfer line 15, respectively, take an image of the side surface along the transfer direction of the transfer article 14, and control the captured image thus picked up. Output to device 2. When the control device 2 inputs a captured image from the first imaging device 5 and the second imaging device 6, the control device 2 analyzes the input captured image and detects the side surface of the transport article 14 to which the RF tag 16 is attached. To do. That is, when the control device 2 detects the RF tag 16 in the captured image input from the first imaging device 5 arranged on the antenna 9 side (right side when viewed from the conveyance direction of the conveyance article 14), 14, the fact that the RF tag 16 is affixed to the side surface on the antenna 9 side is detected, and on the other hand, the second disposed on the opposite side to the antenna 9 (left side as viewed from the conveyance direction of the conveyance article 14). When the RF tag 16 is detected in the captured image input from the image pickup device 6, it is detected that the RF tag 16 is affixed to the side surface of the transported article 14 opposite to the antenna 9.

  The second transported article moving means 8 is arranged on the opposite side of the antenna 9 on the upstream side where the transported article 14 is transported from the first transported article moving means 7. 2 push mechanism drive devices 18. When the drive command signal is input from the control device 2, the second push mechanism drive device 18 outputs a drive signal to the second push mechanism 17.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the second push mechanism 17 includes a telescopic member 17a that expands and contracts in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transported article 14, and a push that is attached to the distal end of the telescopic member 17a. When the drive signal is input from the second push mechanism driving device 18, the telescopic member 17 a extends and the push member 17 b presses the side surface along the transport direction of the transport article 14. Is moved toward the antenna 9, and the transported article 14 is finally moved to the end of the antenna 9 on the transport line 15. The control device 2 comprehensively determines the transport speed of the transported article 14 and the timing at which the transported article 14 enters the RF tag communication area, and the transported article 14 passes immediately before the second transported article moving means 8. The conveyance article 14 is linearly moved without deviating from the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction (without deviation) at an appropriate timing.

  When the expansion / contraction member 17a stops extending, the second push mechanism driving device 18 outputs a final arrival position signal indicating the position where the push member 17b has finally reached to the control device 2, and the control device 2 The distance from the end of the conveying line 15 on the antenna 9 side to the position where the push member 17b finally arrived is calculated based on the final arrival position signal input from the push mechanism driving device 18 and the conveyance direction of the conveyance article 14 The width in the direction orthogonal to is detected.

  The first transported article moving means 7 is arranged on the antenna 9 side downstream of the second transported article moving means 8 on which the transported article 14 is transported. The first push mechanism 19 and the first push The mechanism drive device 20 is provided. When the drive command signal is input from the control device 2, the first push mechanism drive device 20 outputs a drive signal to the first push mechanism 19.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the first push mechanism 19 includes an extendable member 19a that expands and contracts in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction and a push member 19b that is attached to the distal end of the extendable member 19a. When the drive signal is input from the first push mechanism driving device 20, the telescopic member 19 a is extended, the push member 19 b presses the side surface along the transport direction of the transport article 14, and the transport article 14 is connected to the antenna 9. Move towards the other side. In this case as well, the control device 2 comprehensively determines the transport speed of the transported article 14 and the timing at which the transported article 14 enters the RF tag communication area, and the transported article 14 is the first transported article moving means 7. The conveyance article 14 is linearly moved without deviating from the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction (with no deviation) at an appropriate timing passing in front of.

  Here, the control device 2 determines the movement amount as the final arrival position of the transported article 14 according to the following procedure. In other words, the control device 2 determines that the transported article 14 is transported based on the captured images input from the first imaging device 5 and the second imaging device 6 at the timing when the transported article 14 passes immediately before the first transported article moving means 7. 14, the side surface to which the RF tag 16 is attached is detected, and the width in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transported article 14 is determined based on the final arrival position signal input from the second push mechanism driving device 18. The position of the RF tag 16 is detected based on the detected side face to which the RF tag 16 is attached and the width in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transported article 14. And the control apparatus 2 has memorize | stored the absolute position where the reflector 11 is arrange | positioned, RF tag 16 and reflector in the timing which RF tag 16 passes between the antenna 9 and the reflector 11 11 is set to an odd multiple of one-fourth of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9.

  The reader / writer 10 transmits radio waves of a predetermined frequency from the antenna 9 toward the RF tag 16. In this case, the predetermined frequency that can be transmitted from the antenna 9 is, for example, 952 [MHz] to 954 [MHz].

  The exit detection light projector 12 and the exit detection light receiver 13 are arranged to face each other so as to sandwich the conveyance line 15. The exit detection projector 12 receives a projection command signal from the control device 2, performs a light projection operation of projecting light (generates an optical axis P <b> 2), and the exit detection photoreceiver 13 detects light reception from the control device 2. When a command signal is input, a light reception detection operation for detecting whether or not the light projected from the exit detection projector 12 has been received is performed in synchronization with the projection operation of the exit detection projector 12 described above. The exit detection light receiver 13 outputs a light reception signal to the control device 2 when the transported article 14 receives light without passing through the front, and the transported article 14 does not receive light through the front. When the light is shielded, a light shielding signal is output to the control device 2. The control device 2 detects whether the signal input from the approach detection light receiver 4 is a light reception signal or a light shielding signal, and detects whether the transported article 14 has left the RF tag communication area.

  Next, the operation of the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing performed by the control device 2. The control device 2 determines whether the signal input from the entry detection light receiver 4 is a light reception signal or a light shielding signal, and detects the entry of the transported article 14 into the RF tag communication area (step S1). When it is determined that the signal input from the entry detection light receiver 4 is a light shielding signal and the entry of the transported article 14 into the RF tag communication area is detected ("YES" in step S1), the first imaging device 5 and the captured image input from the 2nd imaging device 6 are image-analyzed, and the side surface where the RF tag 16 of the conveyance article 14 is affixed is detected (step S2).

  Next, the control device 2 outputs a drive command signal to the second push mechanism drive device 18, and finally moves the transport article 14 to the end on the antenna 9 side in the transport line 15 (step S3). Based on the final arrival position signal input from the second push mechanism driving device 18, the width in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transported article 14 is detected (step S4). Next, the control device 2 detects the position of the RF tag 16 based on the side surface to which the RF tag 16 thus detected is attached and the width in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport article 14 ( Step S5).

  That is, when the side surface to which the RF tag 16 is attached is on the antenna 9 side, the control device 2 detects the position of the RF tag on the carrier line 15 with reference to the end on the antenna 9 side, When the side to which the tag 16 is affixed is opposite to the antenna 9, add the width in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the transported article 14 with the end on the antenna 9 side as a reference. Then, the position of the RF tag 16 is detected.

  Next, the control device 2 determines the amount of movement of the transported article 14 so as to set the distance between the RF tag 16 and the reflector 11 to an odd multiple of one-fourth of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9. (Step S6). In this case, the control device 2 can set a plurality (for example, a quarter, a quarter, a quarter, or a quarter) of an odd multiple of a quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9. In some cases, the amount of movement of the transported article 14 is determined so as to set the maximum value among the plurality. That is, the control device 2 determines the amount of movement of the transported article 14 so that the RF tag 16 is as close as possible to the antenna 9 (so as to be away from the reflector 11). This is because when the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9 is reflected by the reflector 11, the RF tag 16 is brought as close as possible to the antenna 9 due to the fact that eddy current is generated and attenuated on the surface of the reflector 11. This is because a radio wave (direct wave) having as much transmission power as possible is given to the RF tag 16.

  Next, the control device 2 selects the frequency of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9 (step S7). In this case, the control device 2 selects, for example, 953 [MHz], which is the center of the frequency band, from 952 [MHz] to 954 [MHz] described above as the frequency of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9. Then, the control device 2 outputs a drive command signal to the first push mechanism drive device 20, and moves the transported article 14 toward the opposite side of the antenna 9 in the transport line 15 by the previously determined amount of movement. (Step S8).

  Next, the control device 2 transmits radio waves of the previously selected frequency from the antenna 9 to the RF tag 16 and reads data from the RF tag 16 attached to the transporting article 14 passing in front of the antenna 9 ( Step S9). At this time, as described above, the distance between the RF tag 16 attached to the transport article 14 and the reflector 11 is set to an odd multiple of one-fourth of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the phase of the radio wave (shown by a one-dot chain line) that passes through the RF tag 16 and reaches the reflector 11 and the radio wave that is reflected by the reflector 11 and reaches the RF tag 16 (reflection) Waves) (indicated by a two-dot chain line) are matched with each other, and a radio wave having a transmission power equivalent to the combination thereof is given to the RF tag 16. Further, the phase of the radio wave transmitted from the RF tag 16 and reaching the reflector 11 is matched with the phase of the radio wave reflected by the reflector 11 and passing through the RF tag 16 to reach the antenna 9, and they are combined. A radio wave having a transmission power of a minute is applied to the antenna 9. FIG. 4 shows a case where the distance between the RF tag 16 and the reflector 11 is set to 13/4 times the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9.

  Next, the control device 2 determines whether or not the data reading from the RF tag 16 is successful (step S10), and determines that the data reading from the RF tag 16 is successful (in step S10, “ YES ”), data is written to the RF tag 16 (step S13), the data is read again from the RF tag 16 (step S14), the data written to the RF tag 16 is compared with the data read again from the RF tag 16, It is determined whether or not the data writing to the RF tag 16 has been successful (step S15). When determining that data writing to the RF tag 16 is successful (“YES” in step S15), the control device 2 ends the series of processes.

  On the other hand, when the control device 2 determines that the data writing to the RF tag 16 has not succeeded (failed) (“NO” in step S15), the control device 2 returns to step S13 described above, and step S13. The subsequent processing is repeated. If control device 2 determines that reading of data from RF tag 16 has not succeeded (failed) ("NO" in step S10), the signal input from exit detection light receiver 13 is received. It is determined whether it is a signal or a light shielding signal, the exit of the transported article 14 from the RF tag communication area is detected (step S11), and it is determined that the signal input from the exit detection light receiver 13 is a light shielding signal. Unless the exit of the transported article 14 from the RF tag communication area is detected ("NO" in step S11), the frequency of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9 is adjusted (step S12), and the above steps are performed. Returning to S9, the processes after step S9 are repeated.

  In addition, as a procedure for adjusting the frequency of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9, the control device 2 selects a frequency different from the first selected frequency from 952 [MHz] to 954 [MHz] described above, and 9 adjusts the frequency of the radio wave transmitted from 9. In this case, when 954 [MHz], which is the maximum of 952 [MHz] to 954 [MHz], is selected, this corresponds to a case where the transported article 14 moves in a direction approaching the antenna 9 by 0.4 cm, and 952 [MHz]. ] To 954 [MHz], the minimum 952 [MHz] is selected, which corresponds to the case where the transported article 14 moves in a direction away from the antenna 9 by 0.4 cm.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, in the article transport system 1, the transported article 14 to be transported is moved by the first transported article moving means 7, and between the RF tag 16 and the reflector 11. Is set to an odd multiple of one-fourth of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9, so that the phase of the radio wave passing through the RF tag 16 and reaching the reflector 11 is reflected by the reflector 11. Thus, the phase of the radio wave reaching the RF tag 16 is matched, and the radio wave having the transmission power corresponding to the combination thereof is given to the RF tag 16 and transmitted from the RF tag 16 to reach the reflector 11. The phase of the radio wave is matched with the phase of the radio wave that is reflected by the reflector 11 and passes through the RF tag 16 and reaches the antenna 9, and a radio wave having a transmission power corresponding to the combination thereof is given to the antenna 9.

  Thereby, even if the transmission power of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9 is suppressed, the antenna 9 and the RF tag 16 can communicate with each other by the radio wave having a transmission power substantially larger than the transmission power. Although the data can be appropriately read / written from / to the RF tag 16 affixed to the transporting article 14 passing in front of 9, the RF tag 16 affixed to the transporting article 14 transported before and after the RF tag 16 On the other hand, reading / writing data can be avoided, and the accuracy of reading / writing data can be improved.

  When the distance between the RF tag 16 and the reflector 11 can be set to an odd number multiple of a quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9, the maximum value is set. Thus, the RF tag 16 can be as close as possible to the antenna 9, and communication between the antenna 9 and the RF tag 16 can be performed by radio waves (direct waves) having as much transmission power as possible. .

  In this case, the side of the transport article 14 to which the RF tag 16 is attached is detected by analyzing the captured images input from the first imaging device 5 and the second imaging device 6, and the second push Based on the final arrival position signal input from the mechanism driving device 18, the width in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport article 14 is detected, and the side surface to which the RF tag 16 is attached and the transport direction of the transport article 14 are detected. Since the position of the RF tag is detected based on the width in the direction orthogonal to the side, the width in the direction orthogonal to the side surface on which the RF tag 16 is affixed or the conveyance direction is different for each conveyance article 14. Even so, the position of the RF tag 16 can be detected appropriately, the relative positional relationship between the RF tag 16 and the reflector 11 can be controlled appropriately, and data can be read and written appropriately. .

  Further, when the data reading / writing is not successful, the frequency of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9 is changed, and then the radio wave of another frequency is transmitted from the antenna 9 toward the RF tag 16 to read / write the data again. Thus, the success rate of reading and writing data can be increased, and even when the transported article 14 having different contents is transported, it is possible to flexibly cope with it.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, description is abbreviate | omitted about the same part as above-mentioned 1st Embodiment, and a different part is demonstrated. In the first embodiment described above, the transport article 14 is moved by the second transport article moving means 8 to detect the position of the RF tag 16, and the transport article 14 is moved by the first transport article moving means 7. The distance between the RF tag 16 and the reflector 11 is set to an odd multiple of a quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9, but in contrast to this, In the embodiment, the position of the RF tag 16 is detected by a radar distance detector, the reflector 11 is moved, and the distance between the RF tag 16 and the reflector 11 is set to 4 of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9. It is configured so as to be set to an odd multiple of a fraction. In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the transported article 14 does not move on the transport line 15 in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction.

  That is, the article transport system 21 includes a control device 22 (RF tag position detection means, control means, success / failure determination means in the present invention), an entry detection light projector 3, an entry detection light receiver 4, and a first imaging. Machine 5 (imaging means according to the present invention), second imager 6 (imaging means according to the present invention), laser distance detector 23, antenna 9, and reader / writer 10 (data read / write means according to the present invention). ), A reflector 11 (reflecting member in the present invention), a reflector moving device 24 (reflecting member moving means in the present invention), an exit detection light projector 12, and an exit detection light receiver 13. It is configured.

  The laser distance detector 23 irradiates the conveyance article 14 passing immediately before with laser light and projects the laser light, and the light reception timing for receiving the reflected light reflected by the conveyance article 14. Based on the time difference, the distance to the transported article 14 is detected, and a distance detection signal indicating the detected distance is output to the control device 22. The reflector moving device 24 has a mechanism capable of reciprocating the reflector 11 in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyed article 14. When the drive command signal is input from the control device 22, the reflector moving device 24 is moved. A reciprocating movement is performed in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyed article 14.

  In this case, the control device 22 detects the entry of the transported article 14 into the RF tag communication area (“YES” in step S21), and the captured image input from the first imaging device 5 and the second imaging device 6. When the side surface of the transported article 14 to which the RF tag 16 is attached is detected (step S22), laser light is emitted from the laser distance detector 23, and the distance detection signal input from the laser distance detector 23 is detected. Based on the distance from the laser distance detector 23 to the transported article 14 and the distance from the laser distance detector 23 to the detected distance to the transported article 14 (step S23). 16 positions are detected (step S24).

  That is, if the side surface to which the RF tag 16 is attached is on the antenna 9 side, the control device 22 is on the antenna line 9 in the conveyance line 15 regardless of the width in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the conveyance article 14. The position of the RF tag 16 is detected based on the distance from the laser distance detector 23 to the transported article 14 with reference to the end of the laser beam, and the side to which the RF tag 16 is attached is opposite to the antenna 9. For example, the RF tag 16 is obtained by adding the width in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the transport article 14 to the distance from the laser distance detector 23 to the transport article 14 with respect to the end on the antenna 9 side in the transport line 15. The position of is detected.

  Next, the control device 22 determines the amount of movement of the reflector 11 so that the distance between the RF tag 16 and the reflector 11 is set to an odd multiple of a quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9. (Step S25). Also in this case, the control device 2 can set a plurality (for example, a quarter, a quarter, a quarter, or a quarter) of an odd multiple of a quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9. If so, the amount of movement of the transported article 14 is determined so as to set the maximum value among the plurality. Then, the control device 22 selects the frequency of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9 (step S26), outputs a drive command signal to the reflector moving device 24, and sets the reflector 11 at a predetermined position according to the previously determined moving amount. (Step S27).

  Next, the control device 22 transmits the radio wave of the previously selected frequency from the antenna 9 to the RF tag 16 and reads data from the RF tag 16 attached to the transported article 14 passing in front of the antenna 9 ( Step S28). At this time, as described in the first embodiment, the distance between the RF tag 16 attached to the transported article 14 and the reflector 11 is equal to four times the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9. Therefore, the phase of the radio wave that passes through the RF tag 16 and reaches the reflector 11 is matched with the phase of the radio wave that is reflected by the reflector 11 and reaches the RF tag 16. A radio wave having a transmission power equivalent to the combination of these is given to the RF tag 16. Further, the phase of the radio wave transmitted from the RF tag 16 and reaching the reflector 11 is matched with the phase of the radio wave reflected by the reflector 11 and passing through the RF tag 16 to reach the antenna 9, and they are combined. A radio wave having a transmission power of a minute is applied to the antenna 9.

  Next, when the control device 22 determines that the reading of data from the RF tag 16 is successful (“YES” in step S29), the control device 22 writes the data to the RF tag 16 (step S32), and the data is read from the RF tag 16. The data is read again (step S33), the data written to the RF tag 16 is compared with the data read again from the RF tag 16, and it is determined whether or not the data writing to the RF tag 16 is successful (step S34). When the control device 2 determines that the data has been successfully written to the RF tag 16 (“YES” in step S34), the control device 2 outputs a drive command signal to the reflector moving device 24, and the reflector 11 is initialized. The position is moved (step S35), and the series of processes is terminated.

  On the other hand, when the control device 22 determines that the writing of data to the RF tag 16 was not successful (failed) ("NO" in step S34), the control device 22 returns to step S32 described above, and step S32 The subsequent processing is repeated. Further, when the control device 2 determines that the reading of data from the RF tag 16 has not succeeded (failed) (“NO” in step S29), the control device 2 causes the transported article 14 to leave the RF tag communication area. Unless detected (“NO” in step S30), in this case, the position of the reflector 11 is adjusted (step S31), the process returns to the above step S28, and the processes after step S28 are repeated. The controller 22 adjusts the position of the reflector 11 by, for example, setting the reflector 11 every “about 0.8 cm” corresponding to one-tenth of one wavelength of a radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9. Move and adjust the position of the reflector 11.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, in the article transport system 21, the reflector 11 that reflects the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9 is moved by the reflector moving device 24, and the RF tag 16 and the reflector are moved. 11 is set to an odd multiple of one-fourth of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9, so that the RF tag is similar to that described in the first embodiment. The phase of the radio wave that passes through 16 and reaches the reflector 11 is matched with the phase of the radio wave that is reflected by the reflector 11 and reaches the RF tag 16, and the radio wave having the transmission power equivalent to the synthesized signal is RF tag 16 and the phase of the radio wave transmitted from the RF tag 16 and reaching the reflector 11 is matched with the phase of the radio wave reflected by the reflector 11 and passing through the RF tag 16 and reaching the antenna 9. , That Radio wave having a frequency of transmission power obtained by combining the al is applied to the antenna 9. Thereby, the accuracy of reading and writing data can be increased in the same manner as described in the first embodiment.

  In addition, when the reading / writing of the data is not successful, after the position of the reflector 11 is changed, the radio wave is transmitted from the antenna 9 toward the RF tag 16 to read / write the data again. In the same manner as described in the first embodiment, the success rate of reading and writing data can be increased, and even when a transport article 14 having different contents is transported, it is possible to flexibly cope with it.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, description is abbreviate | omitted about the same part as above-mentioned 1st Embodiment, and a different part is demonstrated. The third embodiment is a combination of the configuration for moving the transport article 14 described in the first embodiment and the configuration for moving the reflector 11 described in the second embodiment. That is, the transport article system 31 is configured by adding the reflector moving device 24 described in the second embodiment to the transport article system 1 described in the first embodiment.

  In this case, the control device 32 determines whether or not it is necessary to move the reflector 11 after performing the processing of S41 to S48 corresponding to steps S1 to S8 described in the first embodiment. (Step S49). That is, the control device 32 can set the distance between the RF tag 16 and the reflector 11 to an odd multiple of a quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9 simply by moving the transported article 14. In some cases, it is determined that the reflector 11 does not need to be moved (“NO” in step S49). On the other hand, the distance between the RF tag 16 and the reflector 11 is determined by simply moving the transported article 14. 9 cannot be set to an odd multiple of one-fourth of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from 9, it is determined that the reflector 11 needs to be moved ("YES" in step S49), and a drive command signal Is output to the reflector moving device 24, and the distance between the RF tag 16 and the reflector 11 is set to an odd multiple of one-fourth of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9. Determine the amount and reflector 1 It is moved to a predetermined position according to the movement amount determined earlier to (step S50).

  Next, the control device 32 transmits radio waves of the previously selected frequency from the antenna 9 to the RF tag 16 and reads data from the RF tag 16 attached to the transported article 14 passing in front of the antenna 9 ( Step S51). At this time, as described in the first embodiment, the distance between the RF tag 16 attached to the transported article 14 and the reflector 11 is equal to four times the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9. Therefore, the phase of the radio wave that passes through the RF tag 16 and reaches the reflector 11 is matched with the phase of the radio wave that is reflected by the reflector 11 and reaches the RF tag 16. A radio wave having a transmission power equivalent to the combination of these is given to the RF tag 16. Further, the phase of the radio wave transmitted from the RF tag 16 and reaching the reflector 11 is matched with the phase of the radio wave reflected by the reflector 11 and passing through the RF tag 16 to reach the antenna 9, and they are combined. A radio wave having a transmission power of a minute is applied to the antenna 9.

  Next, the control device 32 determines whether or not the reading of data from the RF tag 16 is successful (step S52), and determines that the reading of data from the RF tag 16 is successful (" YES ”), data is written to the RF tag 16 (step S55), the data is read again from the RF tag 16 (step S56), the data written to the RF tag 16 is compared with the data read again from the RF tag 16, It is determined whether or not the writing of data to the RF tag 16 is successful (step S57). When determining that data writing to the RF tag 16 has been successful ("YES" in step S57), the control device 2 determines whether the reflector 11 has been moved (step S58). If it is determined that the reflector 11 has been moved (“YES” in step S58), a drive command signal is output to the reflector moving device 24, and the reflector 11 is moved to the initial position (step S59). The process ends.

  On the other hand, when the control device 32 determines that the data writing to the RF tag 16 has not been successful (failed) (“NO” in step S57), the control device 32 returns to step S55 described above, and step S55. The subsequent processing is repeated. Further, when the control device 32 determines that the reading of data from the RF tag 16 has not been successful (failed) (“NO” in step S52), the control device 32 causes the transported article 14 to leave the RF tag communication area. Unless detected ("NO" in step S53), in this case, the frequency of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9 and the position of the reflector 11 are adjusted (step S54), and the process returns to step S51 described above, and step S51 is performed. The subsequent processing is repeated.

  The control device 32 adjusts the frequency of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9 and the position of the reflector 11, as shown in FIG. The reflector 11 is moved by “about 0.8 cm” corresponding to 1/10 (change from “1” to “2”), and then the maximum of 952 [MHz] to 954 [MHz] described above. 954 [MHz] is selected (change from “2” to “3”), and the minimum 952 [MHz] is selected from the above 952 [MHz] to 954 [MHz] (“3”). Next, the center 953 [MHz] is selected from 952 [MHz] to 954 [MHz] described above, and the reflector 11 is moved by “about 1.2 cm” (“ 4 ”to“ 5 ”), followed by 95 [MHz] ~954 (change from "5" to "6") and select the maximum 954 [MHz] of the [MHz], hereafter repeats the process described above.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, in the article transport system 31, the transported article 14 to be transported is moved by the first transported article moving means 7, and the reflector 11 is moved by the reflector moving device 24. Since the distance between the RF tag 16 and the reflector 11 is set to an odd multiple of one quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna 9, the first embodiment described above is used. In the same manner as described above, the phase of the radio wave that passes through the RF tag 16 and reaches the reflector 11 is matched with the phase of the radio wave that is reflected by the reflector 11 and reaches the RF tag 16 and combines them. A radio wave having a transmission power corresponding to the received power is applied to the RF tag 16, and the phase of the radio wave transmitted from the RF tag 16 to reach the reflector 11 and reflected by the reflector 11, passes through the RF tag 16 and passes through the antenna. 9 A radio wave of the phase is matched to reach, waves having a frequency of transmission power obtained by combining them is given to the antenna 9. Thereby, the accuracy of reading and writing data can be increased in the same manner as described in the first embodiment.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and can be modified or expanded as follows.
In the first and second embodiments, the mechanism for moving the transported article on the transport line is not limited to the mechanism for pressing and moving the transported article, but may be a mechanism for lifting and moving the transported article. good.

The functional block diagram which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention and shows the whole structure of a system The figure which shows the aspect which a push mechanism drives flowchart Diagram showing the effect The functional block diagram which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention and shows the whole structure of a system 3 equivalent figure The functional block diagram which shows the 3rd Embodiment of this invention and shows the whole structure of a system 3 equivalent figure The figure which shows the procedure which adjusts the position of the frequency and the reflector

Explanation of symbols

  In the drawings, 1 is an article conveyance system, 2 is a control device (RF tag position detection means, control means, success / failure determination means), 5 is a first image pickup device (image pickup means), and 6 is a second image pickup device (image pickup means). ), 7 is a first transported article moving means, 8 is a second transported article moving means, 9 is an antenna, 10 is a reader / writer (data read / write means), 11 is a reflector (reflecting member), 14 is a transported article, Reference numeral 15 denotes a conveyance line (conveyance means), 16 denotes an RF tag, 21 denotes an article conveyance system, 22 denotes a control device (RF tag position detection means, control means, success / failure determination means), and 24 denotes a reflector movement device (reflection member movement means). ), 31 is an article conveyance system, and 32 is a control device (RF tag position detection means, control means, success / failure determination means).

Claims (9)

A transport means for transporting a transported article provided with an RF tag;
RF tag position detecting means for detecting the position of the RF tag;
Data read / write means for transmitting / receiving data by transmitting radio waves of a predetermined frequency from the antenna toward the RF tag;
A reflective member that is provided at a position facing the antenna across the transport means and reflects radio waves transmitted from the antenna;
First transport article moving means capable of moving the transport article in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport article;
The transported article so that the distance between the RF tag whose position is detected by the RF tag position detecting means and the reflecting member is set to an odd multiple of one quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna. An article conveying system comprising: a control unit that moves the first conveying article by the first conveying article moving unit. In the article conveyance system according to claim 1,
A reflection member moving means capable of moving the reflection member in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the conveyance article;
The control means sets the distance between the RF tag whose position is detected by the RF tag position detection means and the reflecting member to an odd multiple of one quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna. In this way, the transported article is moved by the first transported article moving means, and the reflecting member is moved by the reflecting member moving means. A transport means for transporting a transported article provided with an RF tag;
RF tag position detecting means for detecting the position of the RF tag;
Data read / write means for transmitting / receiving data by transmitting radio waves of a predetermined frequency from the antenna toward the RF tag;
A reflective member that is provided at a position facing the antenna across the transport means and reflects radio waves transmitted from the antenna;
Reflecting member moving means capable of moving the reflecting member in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyed article;
The reflecting member is set such that the distance between the RF tag whose position is detected by the RF tag position detecting means and the reflecting member is set to an odd multiple of one quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna. And a control means for moving the object by the reflecting member moving means. In the article conveyance system according to claim 3,
A first transport article moving means capable of moving the transport article in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport article;
The control means sets the distance between the RF tag whose position is detected by the RF tag position detection means and the reflecting member to an odd multiple of one quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna. In this way, the reflecting member is moved by the reflecting member moving means and the conveyed article is moved by the first conveying article moving means. In the article conveyance system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
When the control means can set a plurality of odd multiples of a quarter of the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna as the distance between the reflecting member and the RF tag, An article conveying system characterized by setting a value. In the article conveyance system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
It is provided on the upstream side where the transported article is transported from the first transported article moving means, and the transported article is directed to the side where the antenna is provided in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transported article. A second transportable article moving means that is movable;
The RF tag position detecting means detects a width dimension of the transported article in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction based on the amount of movement of the transported article by the second transported article moving means and detects the width dimension. An article transport system that detects a position of the RF tag based on a result. In the article conveyance system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Provided with an image pickup means for picking up an image of the transfer article provided at a position sandwiching the transfer means;
The RF tag position detection means detects the side surface on which the RF tag is provided by performing image analysis on the captured image captured by the imaging means, and detects the position of the RF tag based on the detection result. An article conveying system characterized by the above. In the article conveyance system according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Success / failure determining means for determining whether or not the data read / write means has succeeded in reading and writing data,
When the success / failure determination means determines that the data read / write has not been successful, the control means changes the frequency of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna from a predetermined frequency to another predetermined frequency,
The data read / write unit transmits the radio wave of the different predetermined frequency from the antenna to the RF tag after the control unit changes the frequency of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna from a predetermined frequency to another predetermined frequency. And reading and writing data again. In the article conveyance system according to any one of claims 2 to 7,
Success / failure determining means for determining whether or not the data read / write means has succeeded in reading and writing data,
When the success / failure determination unit determines that the reading / writing of data was not successful, the control unit moves the reflecting member by a predetermined distance by the reflecting member moving unit,
The data read / write unit reads / writes data again by causing the antenna to transmit a radio wave of a predetermined frequency toward the RF tag after the control unit moves the reflecting member by a predetermined distance by the reflecting member moving unit. An article conveying system characterized by the above.

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