JP2010205345A - Disk management system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To manage a plurality of disks desirably using an RFID tag arranged on the disk and a reader-writer. <P>SOLUTION: A disk case 10 includes a booster antenna 3 for relaying between the vicinity of a contactless IC tag 2b arranged on the disk 1 in the case and the edge surface of the case. A storage rack 20 for storing a plurality of disk cases includes: a disk case arrangement part 22 where a plurality of disk cases are individually arranged one by one; and antennas 21a-21n for a plurality of reader-writers, disposed at the position that contacts the edge surface, which are disposed at each of the disk case arrangement positions of the disk case arrangement part. The plurality of antennas for reader-writers are selectively connected to the reader-writer part through a switch. Based on the communication with the contactless IC tag in the reader-writer part, the disk 1 in the disk case 10 arranged at each of the arrangement positions of the disk case arrangement part is recognized, and the storage position of the recognized disk is managed as a database. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a disk management system that manages disks stored in a case.

  Conventionally, as a method for managing disc media such as CD (Compact Disc) and DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tag is pasted on a part of the disc, and the RFID tag is used when necessary. For example, in a place where many disk media are stored, such as a library, an RFID tag in which each identification code is written is pasted on the surface of each disk to be stored. Then, when accepting the rental or return of a disk, the disk RFID tag is read by a reader / writer to manage the rental, so that the disk being rented can be identified and the disk can be easily managed. You can do it.

  In this way, the RFID tag can be attached to each disk, and the disk can be managed by reading the RFID tag with a reader / writer when lending or returning the disk. Need to be read.

On the other hand, it has been proposed to read the RFID tag attached to each disk in a state where the disk is stored in a storage shelf (see Patent Document 1).
7 to 9 show an example of the system proposed previously.
First, as shown in FIG. 7A, a disc 1 to be managed such as a DVD is prepared, and a tag sheet 2 on which an RFID tag 2b and a coil antenna 2c are attached is prepared. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the tag sheet 2 is attached to the surface (the so-called label surface) opposite to the signal recording surface of the disk 1. In the example of FIG. 7, the tag sheet 2 is pasted around the hole 1 a at the center of the disk 1. The tag sheet 2 has a hole 2 a slightly larger than the hole 1 a of the disk 1.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, by attaching a tag sheet 2 to the disk 1, the vicinity of the center of the disk 1 (that is, the location of the tag sheet 2) is brought close to a reader / writer (not shown), In short-range wireless communication by electromagnetic induction from a writer, data is read from the memory in the RFID tag 2b, and data is written to the memory in the RFID tag 2b as necessary. Here, the short-range wireless communication between the reader / writer and the RFID tag 2b assumes a short distance of about several centimeters, for example.

  However, when the tag sheet 2 is directly attached to the disk 1 as shown in FIG. 7, the disk 1 is stored in a disk case formed of synthetic resin, and a plurality of disk cases are lined up and stored in a storage shelf. Therefore, reading with a reader / writer is difficult.

The technique described in Patent Document 1 solves this problem. As a disk case 10 formed of synthetic resin, a booster antenna 3 that connects the vicinity of the center of the stored disk and the end surface 17 of the case 10 is provided. It is provided.
The disc case 10 has a three-part structure of a lower case 11, a disc tray 13 disposed on the lower case 11, and an upper case 12 on the lid, and the disc tray 13 is joined to the lower case 11. .
A hole 1a (FIG. 7) of the disk 1 is fitted into the disk holding mechanism 15 at the center of the mounting surface 14 of the disk tray 13, and the disk 1 is held. The upper case 12 is attached so that the two fulcrum portions 18 are inserted into the holes 16 on the lower case 11 side and can be freely opened and closed.

  The booster antenna 3 is disposed between the lower case 11 and the disc tray 13. The booster antenna 3 has a first coil part 3a and a second coil part 3c, and both coil parts 3a and 3c are connected by a tuning circuit (not shown). The first coil portion 3 a is formed by winding a wire in a circular shape and is arranged on the back side of the disc holding mechanism 15 of the disc tray 13. The second coil portion 3 c is formed by winding a wire around a horizontally long rectangle and is disposed on an end surface (side surface) 17 of the lower case 11.

  By inserting the disc 1 with the tag sheet 2 pasted into the disc case 10 shown in FIG. 8, the reader / writer close to the end surface 17 of the disc case 10 passes the booster antenna 3 through the tag sheet 2. Communication with the RFID tag 2b.

That is, when the wireless communication state is shown in FIG. 9, the coil antenna 2c connected to the RFID chip 2b of the disk 1 via the tuning circuit 2d is close to the first coil portion 3a of the booster antenna 3 and can transmit and receive signals. Done.
The first coil portion 3a of the booster antenna 3 is connected to the second coil portion 3b via the tuning circuit 3b, and the second coil portion 3b is close to the coil antenna 4a of the reader / writer 4, Transmission / reception is possible with the reader / writer 4 side. The coil antenna 4a is connected to the main circuit 4c of the reader / writer 4 via the tuning circuit 4b, and outputs magnetic flux from the main circuit 4c to the coil antenna 4a side.

  Thus, the booster antenna 3 shown in FIG. 8 is attached to the disk case 1 and relayed by the booster antenna 3 as shown in FIG. 9, and the reader / writer is brought close to the end surface 17 of the disk case 1, Reading and writing of the RFID tag 2b attached to the disk 1 becomes possible.

  In Non-Patent Document 1, in the collection management of books and rentals in a library, RFID tags are affixed to corresponding products, and information on RFID tags is obtained in units of 10 to 20 using a shelf antenna and a high-power reader / writer. There is a description about performing batch reading.

JP 2008-207875 A

IT library system Hiroyuki Uchida http://www.uchida.co.jp/ulius/index.html

  A conventional library management system having a configuration as described in Non-Patent Document 1 uses a high output reader / writer of about 4 W, for example, and reads a plurality of RFID tags on a shelf antenna at a time. It is not a method of reading specific sheets. Therefore, it is difficult for a conventional system to determine and manage the exact storage position of each disk. Also, when searching for the location of the management disk by reverse lookup from the database side, although the antenna is specified, one specified from a plurality of tags on the antenna cannot be notified instantaneously.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and enables reliable management of a large number of stored disks one by one using an RFID tag and a reader / writer disposed on the disk. With the goal.

The present invention is applied to a disk management system that houses and manages a plurality of disk cases.
The disc case to be stored includes a booster antenna that relays between the vicinity of the tag that performs non-contact radio arranged on the disc in the case and the end surface of the case.
A storage shelf for storing a plurality of disk cases is provided at each disk case placement portion for placing one of the plurality of disk cases and at one disk case placement portion of the disk case placement portion, and arranged at a position in contact with the end surface. A plurality of reader / writer antennas are provided.
The plurality of reader / writer antennas are selectively connected to the reader / writer via a switch. Based on the communication with the tag in the reader / writer unit, the discs in the disc cases arranged at the respective arrangement locations of the disc case arrangement unit are recognized, and the recognized storage positions of the discs are managed as a database.

  According to the present invention, a plurality of reader / writer antennas arranged on a storage shelf communicate with a tag of a disc in a disc case via a booster antenna built in the disc case, and read tag data and Can write. In this case, a plurality of reader / writer antennas are arranged, and each arrangement position corresponds to each disk case storage location. The storage position of the disk on the shelf is known, and there is an effect that the management of whether or not the disk is stored in the storage shelf can be managed satisfactorily.

It is a perspective view which fractures | ruptures and shows a part of apparatus by the example of one embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which accommodated the disk case with the apparatus of the example of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration example by one embodiment of this invention. It is a circuit diagram which shows the example of antenna switching and LED lighting control by one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a disk management process by one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a disk search process by one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the state which affixed the tag sheet | seat on the disc. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structural example of the disk case with a booster antenna. It is a block diagram which shows the example of the communication state of a disc and a reader / writer.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the present embodiment, the tag sheet 2 in which the RFID chip 2b and the coil antenna 2c are arranged is pasted in the vicinity of the central portion of the disk 1 described in the background art section with reference to FIGS. Is used. A disk case 10 for storing the disk 1 is also prepared, which has a booster antenna 3 as shown in FIG. 8 and can communicate with the reader / writer antenna close to the end face 17 of the case. . In the present embodiment, a communication method in which the RFID chip 2b performs short-range wireless communication with the reader / writer via the booster antenna 3 is not particularly described, but has already been put into practical use for RFID. For example, communication is performed between the reader / writer and the RFID with a resonance frequency of 13.56 MHz.

FIG.1 and FIG.2 is the figure which showed the structural example of the storage shelf 20 of this Embodiment.
In the storage shelf 20, the partition plates 23 are arranged on the bottom plate 22 at regular intervals, and one disk case 10 can be placed at a position partitioned by the partition plates 23. When the disk cases 10 are placed, the end face 17 (see FIG. 8) of each disk case 10 is set on the lower side. The end surface 17 is a surface on which the second coil portion 3c of the booster antenna 3 is disposed.

  Coil antennas 21 a, 21 b,..., 21 m, 21 n (n is an arbitrary integer) are built in the bottom plate 22 of the storage location of each disk case partitioned by the partition plate 23. The plurality of coil antennas 21a to 21n function as reader / writer antennas, and are antennas in which a conductor is wound a predetermined number of times in a long and narrow shape along the storage location of the disk case. The connection state between each of the coil antennas 21a to 21n and the reader / writer will be described later.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, LEDs (light emitting diodes) 31a, 31b,..., 31m, 31n as light emitting means are arranged at the front end portion of the bottom plate 22 corresponding to the storage positions of the respective disk cases. It is. The lighting of the LEDs 31a to 31n is controlled according to the storage state of the disk case. The details of the lighting control will be described later. For example, when the disk case is stored in the correct position as shown in FIG. 2, the LED below the storage position is turned on.

  Although FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a configuration in which several disk cases 10 are stored, in actuality, it is configured as a shelf that can store tens or hundreds of disk cases 10. Further, FIG. 1 shows a state in which the disk is stored only in the rightmost disk case 10, but the disks are also stored in the other disk cases 10.

Next, the configuration of a reader / writer connected to the storage shelf 20 having the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the coil antennas 21 a to 21 n arranged on the bottom plate 22 of the storage shelf 20 are connected to a changeover switch 44, and are connected to the reader / writer 42 via the switch 44. The changeover switch 44 is controlled by the antenna control unit 43 based on a command from the management unit 41. For example, under the control of the antenna control unit 43, the changeover switch 44 performs a switching process of selecting and connecting the plurality of coil antennas 21a to 21n in order at predetermined time intervals. For example, when there are 100 coil antennas 21a to 21n, the 100 coil antennas 21a, 21b,... Are sequentially selected and connected to the reader / writer 42, and communication is performed using the connected coil antennas. Do.

  The reader / writer 42 to which each of the coil antennas 21a to 21n is connected outputs magnetic flux from the connected coil antenna, performs wireless communication with the RFID chip adjacent via the booster antenna 3, and receives data from the RFID chip. And a process for writing data are performed. For reading and writing by the reader / writer 42, a general reader / writer that performs reading and writing by short-range wireless communication is applicable.

The reader / writer 42 is connected to a management unit 41 that manages disks. The management unit 41 and its peripheral processing units include, for example, a personal computer device and its peripheral devices.
The reader / writer 42 sends the data obtained by communication from the RFID chip on the tag sheet 2 side to the management unit 41 and sends the data supplied from the management unit 41 to the RFID chip on the tag sheet 2 side. Send it.
The management unit 41 holds data about disks stored in the storage shelf 20 as a database 42. In addition to the disc code number and the disc related to the content recorded on the disc, the database 42 stores data such as which location on which storage shelf 20 is located, and whether or not it is being rented. Is done.

A display 45 is connected to the management unit 41, and the management state can be displayed on the display 45. In addition, an input unit 46 such as a keyboard is provided so that various data can be input.
Furthermore, the lighting control part 47 which controls lighting of LED31a-31n arrange | positioned in the storage shelf 20 is provided, and each LED31a-31n can be lighted separately by the command from the management part 41. FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to turn on only a specific LED, for example, 31b corresponding to the position where the disk case 10 is placed.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific circuit configuration for controlling lighting of the changeover switch 44 and the LEDs 31a to 31n. In FIG. 4, it is the figure which showed the structure connected to 1 set of coil antennas and LED. A transmission signal is supplied to the RF input terminal 51, a switching signal from the antenna control unit 43 is supplied to the antenna switching signal input terminal 52, and a lighting control signal from the lighting control unit 47 is supplied to the lighting control signal input terminal 53. .

Lighting control signal obtained to the lighting control signal input terminal 53 via a resistor R1 is supplied to the base of the transistor Q _1, and controls the lighting of the light emitting diode D ₁ connected between the collector and emitter of the transistor Q ₁ . Emitting diodes _{D 1} corresponds to LED31a~31n shown in FIGS. Emitting the diode D ₁ Yes connected capacitor C1 in parallel, the light emitting diode Yes grounds the cathode of D _1, a resistor R2 between the base and emitter of the transistor Q ₁ is is connected.

RF input terminal 51, the capacitor _C 4, PIN diode _{D 2,} via the series circuit of the coil _{L 1,} is connected to the anode of the light emitting diode _{D 1.} Coil _{L 1} is an element constituting an antenna with a capacitor _C 1, _{C 2,} the resonant frequency of the antenna is determined by a constant of the coil _{L 1} and the capacitor _C 1, _{C 2.}
Further, the power line in which a predetermined power supply voltage Vcc (for example, 9V) is obtained, is connected to the collector of the transistor Q ₂ through a light-emitting diode side of the photo coupler Ic resistor R _4. The base of the transistor Q ₂ is, switching signals obtained in the antenna switching signal input terminal 52 is supplied via a resistor R _5, the emitter of the transistor Q ₂ is Yes by ground, the base of the transistor Q ₂ and the ground side A resistor R6 is connected between the two.

Further, the power line supply voltage Vcc is obtained, via a series circuit of a light-receiving element of the photocoupler Ic a resistor R ₃ and the coil L _2, connected to a connection point between the capacitor C ₄ and a PIN diode D ₂ As a configuration. Further, the connection point of the PIN diode _{D 2} and the coil _{L 1,} through the capacitor _{C 2} Yes thereby connected to the ground side, a connection point between the resistor _{R 3} and the coil _{L 2,} via a capacitor _{C 3} Connected to the ground side.

This that there as a circuit configuration shown in FIG. 4, in the state where signals are obtained low level "L" to the antenna switching signal input terminal 52, the transistor Q ₂ is a signal from RF input terminal 51 is an antenna in the off-state not supplied to the coil L ₁ side. In contrast, the signal of the high level "H" to the antenna switching signal input terminal 52 that is obtained, the transistor Q ₂ is turned on, a current flows through the PIN diode D _2, a coil L ₁ side is an antenna A signal flows through the wireless transmission.

Further, when the signal obtained at the lighting control signal input terminal 53 is at high level "H", the transistor Q ₁ is turned on, the light emitting diode D1 becomes non-emission state, the signal obtained at the lighting control signal input terminal 53 is when a low level "L", the transistor Q ₁ is turned off, the light emitting diode D ₁ is a light emitting state.

Next, an example of disk management processing by the management unit 41 shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.
First management unit 41 sends an antenna switching command (step S11), and scans each storage position by performing on-off control of the transistors Q ₂ in the order shown from the antenna control unit 43 in FIG. 4, each position The position of the disk in the disk case is determined from the result of communication using the antennas 21a to 21n (step S12).

Then, the disk position stored in the database 42 is compared with the result obtained by the scan in step S12 (step S13). If they match, the scan in step S12 is periodically performed as needed.
If it does not coincide with the database in step S13, it is determined whether or not the disk stored in the database is in another storage position (step S14). Here, if it is in another storage position, it is determined that the disc case is misplaced (step S15), and alarm processing for calling attention is executed (step S16). As an alarm process for prompting attention, for example, the LED on the lower side of the disc determined to be misplaced is blinked. Alternatively, a warning may be given by display on the display 45 shown in FIG.

If it is determined in step S14 that the disk on the database is not in another storage position, it is determined whether or not the corresponding disk is lent out. If the lent process is not performed, theft is performed. If there is a possibility that it has been done, a warning to that effect is displayed.
If the lending process has been performed, it is determined whether or not the return has passed after the scheduled return period (step S18), and if the return has not been returned after the scheduled return period, an alarm process as an alarm is executed. (Step S19). As for the alarm processing of this warning, for example, the lower LED of the corresponding storage position is blinked, or a warning is given by display on the display 45 shown in FIG.
If it has been returned in step S18, the process returns to the antenna scan in step S12.

FIG. 6 shows an example of processing for searching for a disk case in which a necessary disk is stored in a state in which the disk case is stored in the storage shelf 20.
First, the user who performs the operation inputs a disc name (title, song title, player name, etc.) using the input unit 46 shown in FIG. 3 (step S21). The input disk data is searched from the database 42, and the storage position is specified (step S22). After that, the antenna immediately below the specified storage position is selected, and the RFDI chip of the disk in the disk case stored in the corresponding storage position is communicated with the reader / writer to check the database and the stored disk. (Step S23). It is determined whether or not they match in this collation (step S24). If they match, the LED in the corresponding storage position is turned on (step S25).

  If they do not match in step S24, it is determined that the position is wrong (step S26), and alarm processing for calling attention is executed. As this alarm processing, for example, the LED at the position where the disk instructed in step S21 is mistakenly placed blinks, and the LED at the original storage position blinks. Alternatively, the alarm process is performed on the display 45 shown in FIG.

As described above, the system configuration according to the present embodiment has an effect that the RFID attached to the disk can be read to determine the storage position of the disk, and the disk can be managed satisfactorily. That is, it is possible to manage whether or not all the disks placed on the storage shelf match the disks registered in the database, and it is possible to know whether or not the storage position of each disk is correct.
Therefore, data about a large number of disks can be acquired without performing an operation of actually reproducing the disk using a disk reproducing apparatus, and efficient management can be performed.

  Further, for example, the management unit periodically checks the presence of a disk on the storage shelf, so that it is possible to monitor theft such as removal of the disk. In the case of the present embodiment, instead of detecting the case where the RFID is attached to the case itself, it communicates with the RFID attached to the disk inside the case, so even if only the disk is removed from the case, This can be detected and reliable theft monitoring can be performed.

Further, when searching for a required disk from among the stored disks, it is possible to easily find the required disk by checking the lighting of the LED.
In addition, when applied to a display shelf of a store that sells discs, it is possible not only to manage disc sales and theft, but also to investigate customer preferences. That is, for example, by counting on the management side that each disk case is temporarily removed from the display shelf (storage shelf), it is possible to investigate the disk that the customer is interested in and to sell the disk. Useful preference data can be obtained.

  Note that the configurations and processes shown in the respective drawings in the above-described embodiments are only suitable examples, and the present invention is not limited to these configurations and processes. For example, the storage shelf may have a shape different from that shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 1, the storage position is partitioned by the partition plate 23, but a configuration without the partition plate 23 may be used. Both the light emitting means and the LED may be arranged at positions different from those shown in the drawing. In addition, as for the LED, for example, as a configuration that emits light in a plurality of colors, an LED arranged at a correct position is turned on with a first color (blue, etc.), and a second color (red, etc.) is used to warn of theft. ) May be turned on.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a sheet with an RFID tag attached is attached in the vicinity of the center of the disk. However, in other configurations, the RFID tag is attached to the disk. You may apply. For example, the present invention may be applied to a disk in which an RFID tag is embedded. Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to a case where an RFID tag is attached to a disk case.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Disk, 1a ... Hole, 2 ... Tag sheet, 2a ... Hole, 2b ... RFID chip, 2c ... Coil antenna, 2d ... Tuning circuit, 3 ... Booster antenna, 3a ... 1st coil antenna, 3b ... Tuning circuit, 3c 2nd coil antenna, 4 ... reader / writer, 4a ... coil antenna, 4b ... tuning circuit, 4c ... main circuit, 10 ... disc case, 11 ... lower case, 12 ... upper case, 13 ... disc tray, 14 ... disc Placement part, 15 ... disk holding mechanism, 16 ... hole, 17 ... end face, 18 ... fulcrum part, 20 ... storage shelf, 21a-21n ... coil antenna, 22 ... bottom plate, 23 ... partition plate, 31a-31n ... LED, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 41 ... Management part, 42 ... Database, 43 ... Antenna control part, 44 ... Changeover switch, 45 ... Display, 46 ... Input part, 47 ... Lighting control part, 51 ... F output terminal, 52 ... antenna switching signal input terminal, 53 ... lighting control signal input terminal

Claims (4)

In a disk management system that stores and manages multiple disk cases,
As the disc case to be stored,
Provided with a booster antenna that relays between the vicinity of the tag that performs contactless radio arranged on the disk in the case and the end face of the case,
As a storage shelf for storing the plurality of disk cases,
A disk case placement section for individually placing the plurality of disk cases one by one;
A plurality of reader / writer antennas provided at each of the disk case placement locations of the disk case placement portion and disposed at positions in contact with the end face;
A plurality of reader / writer antennas of the storage shelf are selectively connected to a reader / writer unit via a switch,
Disc cases arranged at respective arrangement positions of the disc case arrangement unit based on communication with the reader / writer antenna and the tag for performing the non-contact radio via the booster antenna in the reader / writer unit A disk management system comprising a management unit for recognizing a disk in the disk and managing the storage position of the recognized disk as a database. The disk management system according to claim 1, wherein
The disk management system, wherein the management unit performs a warning operation when a disk is placed at a position that does not match the database. The disk management system according to claim 2, wherein
2. The disk management system according to claim 1, wherein the warning operation is performed by a lighting means provided for each disk case placement portion of the disk case placement section. The disk management system according to claim 1, wherein
The disk management system, wherein the management unit performs a warning operation when it is detected that a disk managed by the database is not stored in the disk case placement unit.

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