JP2010052915A - Position recognition device and position recognition system of radio transmitter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a position recognition device and a position recognition system of a radio transmitter capable of enhancing the usability of a system for article control. <P>SOLUTION: This position recognition device includes: a CCD camera for taking the image of a region to be recognized in which an identification tag is disposed; an array antenna for receiving the radio transmitted from the identification tag; a receiving position specifying means for specifying the position of the identification tag on the basis of a received output from the array antenna; an image position specifying means for specifying the position of the identification tag on the image taken on the basis of the position of the identification tag; a tag reader for acquiring identification information and attribute information included in the radio transmitted from the identification tag; and an attribute information specifying means for acquiring the attribute information corresponding to the identification information included in the radio received by the array antenna from the identification information and the attribute information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a position recognition device and a position recognition system for recognizing the position of a radio wave transmitter such as an RFID tag.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed an article management system for managing the position and the like of an article by attaching RFID tags to various articles and acquiring information stored in the RFID tag by radio waves. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system in which an RFID tag is attached to an article, and an article management is performed using an RFID interrogator or the like for writing or reading data on the RFID tag.

  In Patent Document 2, the position of the RFID tag is specified using the array antenna, the periphery of the array antenna is photographed with a camera, and the position of the RFID tag is displayed on the image obtained by the photographing. An apparatus is disclosed.

JP 2002-92114 A JP 2007-10615 A

  In such a system, a tag reader capable of receiving radio waves from the RFID tag with high sensitivity is required. In particular, the UHF band RFID tag system, which is currently being standardized in Japan, aims to perform transmission over a medium distance (for example, about 7 to 10 m) utilizing the characteristics of the UHF band. Higher output is required, and the reach of radio waves transmitted from the tag reader is widened.

  In such a case, in the apparatus as described in Patent Document 1, when a plurality of RFID tags are arranged at a short distance, radio waves from the plurality of RFID tags are mixed and used in an RFID interrogator or the like. Since it is received, it is difficult to accurately recognize the position of each RFID tag. For example, when multiple storage shelves are arranged adjacent to each other and articles are stored in each storage shelf, radio waves from RFID tags affixed to each article will be mixed, so they are stored in specific storage shelves. It is difficult to recognize only the articles that have been used.

  On the other hand, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 2, it is expected that the position of each RFID tag can be recognized more accurately by using an array antenna or a camera. However, even if the position of each RFID tag can be recognized, the information stored in each RFID tag (for example, the attribute information of the RFID tag or the article to which the RFID tag is attached) can be associated with each RFID tag. It was difficult. That is, in order to read attribute information from each RFID tag, a reader is further required. Even if the attribute information is read by the reader as described above, the attribute information is identified using an array antenna or a camera. Since it was not possible to specify which information of the RFID tag was used, it was insufficient for article management using the RFID tag.

  Furthermore, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 2, since the entire recognition target area is simply captured by the camera, if the recognition target area is wide to some extent, the camera capture range is set to cover the recognition target area. Since it is necessary to spread and it is difficult to recognize relatively small articles on an image, it cannot be immediately applied to a system for article management.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and enables recognition of a position of a radio wave transmitter affixed to a relatively small article in association with information even in a wide recognition target area, It is an object of the present invention to provide a radio wave transmitter position recognition device and position recognition system that can enhance the practicality of a system for article management.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the radio wave transmitter position recognition apparatus according to claim 1 includes an imaging unit for imaging a recognition target area in which the radio wave transmitter is disposed, and the radio wave transmitter. A reception position specification that specifies the position of the radio wave transmitter on a surface facing the array antenna in the recognition target area based on an array antenna that receives radio waves transmitted from the array antenna and a reception output from the array antenna And an image position specifying means for specifying the position of the radio wave transmitter on the image taken by the shooting means based on the position of the radio wave transmitter specified by the receiving position specifying means, An information reading unit that receives a radio wave transmitted from a radio wave transmitter and acquires identification information and attribute information of the radio wave transmitter included in the radio wave, and is acquired by the information reading unit. By acquiring attribute information corresponding to the identification information of the radio wave transmitter included in the radio waves received by the array antenna from the identification information and attribute information of the radio wave transmitter, the image position specifying unit And attribute information specifying means for specifying the attribute information of the radio wave transmitter whose position is specified.

  The radio wave transmitter position recognition device according to claim 2 is the radio wave transmitter position recognition device according to claim 1, wherein after the position of the radio wave transmitter is specified by the image position specifying means, the photographing is performed. The means captures an enlarged image of the recognition target area around the position specified by a predetermined method on the image of the radio wave transmitter specified by the image position specifying means, and the image position specifying means includes: The position of the radio wave transmitter on the enlarged image photographed by the photographing means is specified.

  The radio wave transmitter position recognition device according to claim 3 is the radio wave transmitter position recognition device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a moving means for moving the position recognition device along the recognition target area. It is characterized by having.

  The position recognition system of the radio wave transmitter according to claim 4 is a position recognition system for recognizing the position of the radio wave transmitter arranged in the recognition target area, and the position recognition system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. And a position recognizing radio wave transmitter installed at a position corresponding to a peripheral edge of a minimum recognition range of the position recognizing device in the recognition target area. Recognizes the position of the radio wave transmitter for position recognition by receiving the radio wave from the radio wave transmitter for position recognition by the array antenna provided in the position recognition device, and Based on the position of the radio wave transmitter, a recognition range of the position recognition device with respect to the recognition target area is specified.

  According to the position recognition device of the radio wave transmitter according to claim 1, by specifying the attribute information of the radio wave transmitter whose position is specified by the image position specifying means, not only the position of the radio wave transmitter but also the radio wave It is possible to recognize the attribute information of the transmitter in association with each other, and it is possible to improve the practicality of a system for the purpose of article management.

  According to the radio wave transmitter position recognizing device according to claim 2, since the position of the radio wave transmitter on the enlarged image is further specified after the position of the radio wave transmitter is specified, even for a relatively small article. The position and attribute information can be recognized in association with each other, and the utility of the system for article management can be further enhanced.

  Further, according to the position recognition device for a radio wave transmitter according to the third aspect, since the moving means for moving the position recognition device along the recognition target area is provided, the article arranged in a wide recognition target area is also provided. The article can be recognized after the recognition range of the position recognition device is moved by the moving means, and the utility of the system for article management can be further enhanced.

  According to the radio wave transmitter position recognition system according to claim 4, the recognition range of the position recognition device with respect to the recognition target area is specified based on the position of the radio wave transmitter for position recognition. Since the position of the position recognition device with respect to the region can be specified more accurately and the position of the article can be recognized with higher accuracy, the utility of the system for article management can be further enhanced.

Embodiment
Exemplary embodiments of a position recognition device and a position recognition system for a radio wave transmitter according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited by this embodiment.

(concept)
First, the concept of position recognition by the position recognition system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the concept of position recognition. An object of this position recognition system is to recognize the position of an article stored in a storage shelf and to acquire attribute information of the article. The article is attached with an identification tag constituted by an RFID tag. This identification tag has identification information for uniquely identifying the identification tag and attribute information of the article to which the identification tag is attached (for example, , The size of the article, the weight, and the owner) are stored in advance. In the following description of each process, the step is abbreviated as “S”.

  The storage shelf including the identification tag is photographed with a CCD camera to obtain image data of the storage shelf (SA1). Further, by receiving the radio wave transmitted from the identification tag by the array antenna, the position data and identification information of the identification tag are obtained (SA2). Image data indicating the position of the identification tag on the storage shelf (hereinafter, “superimposed image data”) is obtained by superimposing the position data acquired by the array antenna on the image data acquired by the CCD camera (SA3) (identification tag) The position of is indicated by an asterisk (the same applies to the drawings described later). Also, the tag reader reads the identification information and attribute information stored in the identification tag in a non-contact manner (SA4). Then, based on the identification information acquired by the array antenna and the identification information read by the tag reader, the attribute information of the identification tag displayed by the superimposed image data is specified (SA5). By performing these processes, as a result, the position of the identification tag in the storage shelf and the attribute information of the article to which the identification tag is attached can be obtained, and the articles stored in the storage shelf can be managed remotely. It becomes possible.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the position of the article can be recognized in more detail by switching the recognition target region to a plurality of stages (here, two stages). In the following description, the wide recognition range is referred to as “normal recognition range”, and the narrow (enlarged) recognition range is referred to as “enlarged recognition range”. In general, first, a normal recognition range is photographed by a CCD camera, and an article existing in the normal recognition range is specified. Next, among the articles existing in the normal recognition range, the range where the article to be recognized in more detail is designated as the enlarged recognition range, the enlarged recognition range is photographed by the CCD camera, and the article existing in the enlarged recognition range Is identified.

(Constitution)
Next, the configuration of the position recognition system according to the present embodiment will be described. 2 is a plan view of the position recognition system, FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the main part of the storage shelf of FIG. The position recognition system 1 includes a plurality of storage shelves 10, a position recognition device 20 arranged in front of the plurality of storage shelves 10, a moving mechanism 30 that moves the position recognition device 20, and the storage shelves 10 and the position recognition devices. 20 is provided with a radio wave absorber 40 arranged so as to surround 20.

(Configuration-storage shelf)
First, the configuration of the storage shelf 10 will be described. The storage shelf 10 is storage means for storing articles to be managed. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the storage shelf 10 is formed by combining a pair of upper and lower horizontal frame plates 11 and a pair of left and right vertical frame plates 12. A plurality of horizontal shelf boards 13 are arranged on the frame body at regular intervals, and an arbitrary article 2 can be placed on the upper surface of these shelf boards 13. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, a storage row 14 is formed by arranging a plurality of storage shelves 10 configured in this manner so that vertical frame plates are adjacent to each other.

  An identification tag 3 is affixed to each article 2 stored in the storage shelf 10 thus configured. The identification tag 3 corresponds to the radio wave transmitter in the claims, and is configured, for example, as a power supply built-in type (active type) UHF band RFID tag. Send. As described above, this information includes identification information (hereinafter “tag ID”) and attribute information.

  Further, a position adjustment tag 4 is provided on the front surface (passage side surface) of each storage shelf 10. This position adjustment tag 4 corresponds to the position adjustment radio wave transmitter in the claims, and is configured as a power supply built-in RFID tag similar to the identification tag 3, and is stored in advance in an internal memory. The tag ID is transmitted by radio wave. Here, the position adjustment tags 4 are arranged at a plurality of locations in front of each storage shelf 10 so as to correspond to the extension of the enlarged recognition range described later. The identification tag 3 and the position adjustment tag 4 may be non-power-supply type (passive type) RFID tags. In this case, the position recognition device 20 is provided with a transmission antenna. Electromagnetic force may be generated by generating electromagnetic induction in the identification tag 3 and the position adjustment tag 4 by the radio wave transmitted from.

(Configuration-position recognition device)
Next, the configuration of the position recognition device 20 will be described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the position recognition device 20, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the position recognition device 20. The position recognition device 20 recognizes the position of the article 2 to which the identification tag 3 is affixed by recognizing the position of the identification tag 3, and roughly includes a CCD camera 21, an array antenna 22, A tag reader 23 and a control unit 24 are provided. In practice, the control unit 24 may be wired or wirelessly connected to an external device such as a personal computer, and a part of the function of the control unit 24 may be performed on the personal computer side.

  The CCD camera 21 captures a recognition target area in which the identification tag 3 is arranged, and corresponds to an imaging unit in the claims. Here, the CCD camera 21 can switch the photographing range to at least two stages of a normal recognition range and an enlarged recognition range. The specific method of this switching is arbitrary, but for example, a method of optically zooming by driving a lens provided on the objective side of the CCD camera 21 or electronic image data acquired by the CCD camera 21 is electronic The method of zooming can be mentioned. In the present embodiment, the CCD camera 21 is used, but any other photographing means such as a CMOS camera may be employed.

  The array antenna 22 receives the radio wave transmitted from the identification tag 3. This array antenna 22 is configured by arranging a plurality of receiving antennas having the same characteristics along two orthogonal directions on the substrate surface, and the amplitude of radio waves received by these receiving antennas and By analyzing the phase difference by the receiving position specifying unit 29b described later, the incident direction of the radio wave with respect to the array antenna 22 is specified, and the position of the identification tag 3 is specified. Further, the array antenna 22 receives the radio wave transmitted from the identification tag 3 to acquire the tag ID included in the radio wave.

  The tag reader 23 receives the radio wave transmitted from the identification tag 3 and acquires the tag ID and attribute information of the identification tag 3 included in the radio wave, and corresponds to the information reading means in the claims. The tag reader 23 is a UHF band reader corresponding to the identification tag 3, and a specific configuration thereof can be applied.

  The control unit 24 is a control unit that controls the CCD camera 21, the array antenna 22, and the tag reader 23, and includes an input unit 25, an output unit 26, an input / output interface (hereinafter “input / output IF”) 27, a storage unit 28, and A control unit 29 is provided.

  The input unit 25 is an input unit for inputting information to the position recognition device 20, and its specific configuration is arbitrary, but is configured using, for example, a touch panel or a dip switch.

  The output unit 26 is an output unit for outputting information from the position recognition device 20, and a specific configuration thereof is arbitrary. For example, the output unit 26 is configured using a liquid crystal monitor or a speaker. However, the input unit 25 and the output unit 26 may be configured as a network interface that performs input / output via a wired or wireless network, for example.

  The input / output IF 27 is an interface for performing input or output between the CCD camera 21, the array antenna 22, and the tag reader 23, and its specific configuration is arbitrary, but for example, an input / output contact terminal or an interface board It is comprised using.

  The storage unit 28 is a storage unit that stores various types of information necessary for controlling the position recognition device 20, and includes, for example, an HD (hard disk) or a flash memory. In particular, the storage unit 28 stores a recognition position information database (hereinafter referred to as “DB”) 28a, a tag type information DB 28b, and a normal recognition range information DB 28c by an arbitrary method.

  The recognized position information DB 28a is configured by storing a plurality of coordinates, as shown in a configuration example in FIG. Each coordinate is a coordinate of a horizontal slider 32 (illustrated X coordinate) and a coordinate of a vertical slider 34 (illustrated Y coordinate), which will be described later, in the moving mechanism 30, and is a coordinate for moving the position recognition device 20 to the front of the normal recognition range. It is. These coordinates are stored in an order corresponding to the recognition order in the position recognition process described later.

  As shown in the configuration example of FIG. 8, the tag type information DB 28 b includes information for identifying each tag ID and which tag ID is the identification tag 3 or the position adjustment tag 4 (illustrated). Is a tag type information storage unit that stores information (hereinafter referred to as “tag type information”) configured to be associated with each other.

  As shown in the configuration example of FIG. 9, the normal recognition range information DB 28c has a tag ID of the position adjustment tag 4 arranged at a position corresponding to each normal recognition range (here, on the outer edge position of each normal recognition range). The tag IDs of the four existing position adjustment tags 4 are stored. The tag IDs are stored in the order corresponding to the recognition order in the position recognition process described later.

  The control unit 29 is a control unit for controlling each unit of the position recognition device 20, and includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown) and a program (including an OS and an application program) executed on the CPU. Has been. The control unit 29 includes a movement control unit 29a, a reception position specifying unit 29b, an image position specifying unit 29c, a superimposed display unit 29d, and an attribute information specifying unit 29e in terms of functional concept. Specific functions of these units will be described later. Each of these units is configured by installing a position recognition program in the position recognition apparatus 20 via an arbitrary storage medium or network.

(Configuration-moving mechanism)
Next, the configuration of the moving mechanism 30 shown in FIGS. The moving mechanism 30 is a moving means for moving the position recognition device 20, and includes a horizontal rail 31, a horizontal slider 32, a vertical rail 33, and a vertical slider 34. The horizontal rails 31 are a pair of rails that form a horizontal track for allowing the horizontal slider 32 to slide. The horizontal rails 31 are arranged in front of the storage row 14, along the storage row 14, and the storage row 14. It is laid to reach the entire length in the longitudinal direction. The horizontal slider 32 is placed on the horizontal rail 31 and moves horizontally to an arbitrary position on the horizontal slider 32.

  The specific configurations of the horizontal rail 31 and the horizontal slider 32 are arbitrary. For example, a plurality of armatures are arranged in parallel in the horizontal rail 31 and a magnet is provided in the horizontal slider 32 to form the armature. The horizontal slider 32 can be moved using the repulsive force of the magnet caused by the applied magnetic field (this is the same for the vertical rail 33 and the vertical slider 34). The vertical rail 33 is a rail that forms a vertical track for allowing the vertical slider 34 to slide. The vertical rail 33 is placed on the horizontal slider 32 and extends from the lower end to the upper end of the storage shelf 10 in the direction along the vertical direction. Are laid like so. The vertical slider 34 is mounted on the vertical rail 33 and moves vertically (vertically) to an arbitrary position on the vertical slider 34. The horizontal slider 32 and the vertical slider 34 are electrically connected to the position recognition device 20 via a wired or wireless connection (not shown).

(Configuration-wave absorber)
Next, the configuration of the radio wave absorber 40 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 will be described. The radio wave absorber 40 prevents external radio waves from entering the position recognition system, or prevents radio waves transmitted from the identification tag 3 and the position adjustment tag 4 from leaking outside the position recognition system. Means. The specific configuration of the radio wave absorber 40 is arbitrary. For example, a magnetic powder such as ferrite is contained in a resin so that electromagnetic wave attenuation is achieved by magnetic permeability loss, or a conductive substance is dispersed in an insulator. It is configured by standing on the floor surface a plate-like body using a material that attenuates radio waves by induction loss.

(processing)
Next, a position recognition process in the position recognition system configured as described above will be described (in the following description of each process, step is abbreviated as “S”). 10 and 11 are flowcharts of the position recognition process. In the following description, a case where the position adjustment of the position recognition device 20 is performed automatically will be described. However, the user can also adjust the position manually. All or a part of can be omitted.

  The control unit 29 of the position recognizing device 20 knows that the user has activated the position recognizing process by an arbitrary method via the input unit 25 of the position recognizing device 20 or that a predetermined start timing of position recognition has arrived. The position recognition process is started when it is automatically recognized by the schedule function. The movement control unit 29a drives the horizontal slider 32 and the vertical slider 34 to move the position recognition device 20 to the front of a predetermined first normal recognition range (SA1). Here, the plurality of storage shelves 10 shown in FIG. 2 are set as recognition targets in the order from the left side to the right side in the drawing, and the two storage shelves 10 are set as recognition targets in order from the upper side to the lower side. For this reason, in SA1, the first and second tiers from the top in the leftmost storage shelf 10 are the first normal recognition ranges, and the position recognition device 20 is moved to the front center of the first normal recognition range (FIG. 3). State). Specifically, the movement control unit 29a acquires the top coordinates stored in the recognition position information DB 28a, and moves the horizontal slider 32 and the vertical slider 34 to these coordinates.

  Next, the radio waves transmitted from the identification tag 3 and the position adjustment tag 4 are received via the array antenna 22 (SA2). Then, the reception position specifying unit 29b analyzes the received radio wave according to a known theory, and specifies the positions of the identification tag 3 and the position adjustment tags 4 based on the amplitude and phase difference of each radio wave (SA3 ). Strictly speaking, in the analysis based on the amplitude and the phase difference, only the direction of the identification tag 3 and the position adjustment tag 4 with respect to the position recognition device 20 is specified. 10 position is specified in advance, and the distance in the depth direction in the storage shelf 10 is considered to be negligible. Therefore, the direction of the identification tag 3 and the position adjustment tag 4 is specified, whereby the position recognition device The positions of the identification tag 3 and the position adjustment tag 4 with respect to 20 are substantially specified (hereinafter the same in the position recognition of the identification tag 3 and the position adjustment tag 4). Here, whether the radio wave received by the array antenna 22 is the identification tag 3 or the position adjustment tag 4 is obtained by obtaining a tag ID included in the radio wave received by the array antenna 22, and this tag ID. By referring to the tag type information DB 28b based on the above, it can be distinguished.

  Then, the reception position specifying unit 29b selects the position adjustment tag 4 arranged at the position corresponding to the first normal recognition range from the position adjustment tags 4 whose positions are specified in SA3 (SA4). This selection can be performed by acquiring the tag ID of the position adjustment tag 4 arranged at the position corresponding to the first normal recognition range from the normal recognition range information DB 28c.

  Next, the image position specifying unit 29c images the first normal recognition range with the CCD camera 21 (SA5), and the outer edge of the image obtained by the image capturing is arranged at a position corresponding to the first normal recognition range. The photographing range of the CCD camera 21 is finely adjusted so as to coincide with the position of each position adjustment tag 4 (SA6). For this reason, the superimposed display unit 29d displays an image obtained by photographing on the monitor of the output unit 26, and displays the position of the position adjustment tag 4 superimposed on the image. The reference position at the time of superimposition can be determined, for example, by mechanically matching the center position of the CCD camera 21 and the center position of the array antenna 22 in advance. In the superimposed display, the photographing range of the CCD camera 21 is adjusted so that the position of each position adjustment tag 4 is positioned on the outer edge of the image. The shooting range is adjusted by zooming in or out of the shooting range of the CCD camera 21. If necessary, the shooting direction of the CCD camera 21 can be adjusted via a known drive unit, or the horizontal slider 32 and You may perform by driving the vertical slider 34 and adjusting the position of the said position recognition apparatus 20 (these adjustment methods are the same in the adjustment of SA10 mentioned later).

  After the fine adjustment of the position of the CCD camera 21, the first normal recognition range is photographed again by the CCD camera 21 (SA7), and the superimposition display unit 29d identifies on the image data obtained by this photographing the identification specified by SA2. The position of the tag 3 is superimposed, and this superimposed image is displayed and output via the output unit 26 (SA8). An output example of this superimposed image is shown in FIG. The user sees this display and instructs the article 2 (identification tag 3 on the display) to be recognized in more detail by an arbitrary method via the input unit 25. FIG. 13 shows an example in which the identification tag 3 is designated from the upper right side of the figure. A predetermined range including the article 2 instructed in this way (for example, the maximum expansion range of the CCD camera 21) is the above-described expansion recognition range.

  When the enlargement recognition range is instructed (SA9, Yes), the image position specifying unit 29c matches the position of the position adjustment tag 4 arranged in the enlargement recognition range with the outer edge of the photographing range by the CCD camera 21. Thus, the photographing range of the CCD camera 21 is adjusted (SA10).

  After the position of the CCD camera 21 is adjusted, the enlarged recognition range is photographed by the CCD camera 21 (SA11), and the superimposition display unit 29d displays the identification tag 3 included in the enlarged recognition range on the image data obtained by the photographing. The position is superimposed, and this superimposed image is displayed and output via the output unit 26 (SA12). An output example of this superimposed image is shown in FIG.

  Further, the tag reader 23 receives the radio wave transmitted from the identification tag 3, and acquires the tag ID and attribute information of the identification tag 3 included in the radio wave (SA13). Then, the attribute information specifying unit 29e specifies the attribute information of the identification tag 3 included in the enlarged recognition range instructed by the user in SA9 from the attribute information acquired by the tag reader 23 (SA14). For this reason, the tag ID of the identification tag 3 is selected from the tag IDs acquired in SA2. This selection can be performed by referring to the tag type information DB 28b based on the tag ID acquired in SA2. Then, among the attribute information acquired by the tag reader 23, the attribute information corresponding to the selected tag ID (the attribute information received by the tag reader 23 in the same radio wave together with the selected tag ID) ).

  Then, the attribute information specifying unit 29e outputs the attribute information acquired in this way via the output unit 26 by a predetermined output method (SA15). Although this output method is arbitrary, for example, the attribute information may be output as text data via the output unit 26, or the attribute information may be further superimposed on the SA12 superimposed image. FIG. 14 shows an example of such superimposed display (here, “stored item A” and “stored item B” are displayed as text as the names of the articles 2). The output position of the text data in the superimposed display can be specified with reference to the superimposed position of the tag ID corresponding to the text data (attribute information).

  Next, the movement control unit 29a determines whether or not there is a normal recognition range to be recognized next (SA16), and when there is a next normal recognition range (SA16, Yes), the process proceeds to SA1, The above-mentioned “first normal recognition range” is replaced with “the next normal recognition range to be recognized”, and the same processing is performed. Thereafter, SA2 to SA15 are performed in the same manner, and when it is determined that there is no next normal recognition range (SA16, No), the position recognition process is ended.

(effect)
Thus, according to the present embodiment, the attribute information specifying unit 29e specifies the attribute information of the identification tag 3 whose position is specified by the image position specifying unit 29c, so that not only the position of the identification tag 3, The attribute information of the identification tag 3 (or the article 2 to which the identification tag 3 is attached) can be associated and recognized, and the utility of the system for the purpose of article management can be enhanced.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, after the position of the identification tag 3 is specified, the position of the identification tag 3 on the enlarged image is further specified, so that the position and attribute information are associated with each other even for a relatively small article. It can be recognized and the practicality of the system for the purpose of article management can be further enhanced.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the moving mechanism 30 that moves the position recognizing device 20 along the recognition target area is provided. Therefore, the moving mechanism 30 can position the articles arranged in the wide recognition target area. Articles can be recognized after the recognition range of the recognition device 20 is moved, and the utility of a system for article management can be further enhanced.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the recognition range of the position recognition device 20 with respect to the recognition target region is specified based on the position of the position adjustment identification tag 4, the position of the position recognition device 20 with respect to the recognition target region. Since the position of the article 2 can be recognized with higher accuracy, the practicality of the system for the purpose of article management can be further enhanced.

[Modifications to Embodiment]
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, specific configurations and means of the present invention are arbitrarily modified and improved within the scope of the technical idea of each invention described in the claims. be able to. Hereinafter, such a modification will be described.

(About problems to be solved and effects of the invention)
First, the problems to be solved by the invention and the effects of the invention are not limited to the above-described contents, and the present invention solves the problems not described above or has the effects not described above. There are also cases where only some of the described problems are solved or only some of the described effects are achieved.

(About position recognition processing)
The flowcharts shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 are examples, and the contents and timing of each process can be changed. For example, the tag reader 23 may acquire the tag ID and attribute information before the position is specified by the array antenna 22 or the CCD camera 21 is photographed. Further, the alignment of the shooting range with respect to the normal recognition range can be performed by mechanical means or the like, and in this case, SA3 to SA6 may be omitted.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the concept of the position recognition by the position recognition system which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a top view of the position recognition system which concerns on this Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 2. It is a principal part perspective view of the storage shelf of FIG. It is a perspective view of a position recognition device. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of a position recognition apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the information stored in recognition position information DB. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the tag classification information stored in tag classification information DB. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the information stored in normal recognition range information DB. It is a flowchart of a position recognition process. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the position recognition process continued from FIG. 10. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen output. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen output. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen output.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Position recognition system 2 Goods 3 Identification tag 4 Position adjustment tag 10 Storage shelf 11, 12 Frame board 13 Shelf board 14 Storage row 20 Position recognition apparatus 21 CCD camera 22 Array antenna 23 Tag reader 24 Control unit 25 Input part 26 Output part 27 I / O IF
28 storage unit 28a recognition position information DB
28b Tag type information DB
28c Normal recognition range information DB
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 29 Control part 29a Movement control part 29b Reception position specific | specification part 29c Image position specific | specification part 29d Superimposition display part 29e Attribute information specific | specification part 30 Movement mechanism 31 Horizontal rail 32 Horizontal slider 33 Vertical rail 34 Vertical slider 40 Radio wave absorber

Claims (4)

Photographing means for photographing the recognition target area where the radio wave transmitter is disposed;
An array antenna for receiving radio waves transmitted from the radio wave transmitter;
Receiving position specifying means for specifying the position of the radio wave transmitter on the surface facing the array antenna in the recognition target area based on the reception output from the array antenna;
Based on the position of the radio wave transmitter specified by the reception position specifying means, image position specifying means for specifying the position of the radio wave transmitter on the image taken by the shooting means;
Information reading means for receiving radio waves transmitted from the radio wave transmitter and acquiring identification information and attribute information of the radio wave transmitter included in the radio waves;
The attribute information corresponding to the identification information of the radio wave transmitter included in the radio wave received by the array antenna is acquired from the identification information and attribute information of the radio wave transmitter acquired by the information reading means. Attribute information specifying means for specifying the attribute information of the radio wave transmitter whose position is specified by the image position specifying means,
A position recognizing device for a radio wave transmitter, comprising: After specifying the position of the radio wave transmitter by the image position specifying means,
The imaging means captures an enlarged image of the recognition target area around a position specified by a predetermined method on the image of the radio wave transmitter specified by the image position specifying means,
The image position specifying means specifies a position of the radio wave transmitter on an enlarged image photographed by the photographing means;
The position recognition apparatus for a radio wave transmitter according to claim 1. Moving means for moving the position recognition device along the recognition target area;
The position recognition device for a radio wave transmitter according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: A position recognition system for recognizing the position of a radio wave transmitter arranged in a recognition target area,
A position recognition device for a radio wave transmitter according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A radio wave transmitter for position recognition installed at a position corresponding to the periphery of the minimum recognition range of the position recognition device in the recognition target area,
The position recognizing device recognizes the position of the position recognizing radio wave transmitter by receiving the radio wave from the position recognizing radio wave transmitter by an array antenna provided in the position recognizing device, and recognizes the position. Identifying the recognition range of the position recognition device for the recognition target area based on the position of the position recognition radio wave transmitter;
A position recognition system for radio wave transmitters.

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