JP2011090397A - System for retrieving and displaying object - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase a search range and save power in an object retrieval and display system. <P>SOLUTION: A transmitter 1 generates an infrared signal of ID (identification)individual information corresponding to individual information of an object input from the input section 4, and outputs it to a receiver 2. The receiver 2 includes a power ON/OFF control means for controlling a power source, and an optical sensor Cds. The power ON/OFF control means turns, when external light is sensed by the optical sensor Cds, on the power source of a first sub circuit for receiving a receiving start command from the transmitter 1. When the receiving start command is received from the transmitter 1, the power ON/OFF control means turns on the power source of a second sub circuit for receiving the ID individual information from the transmitter 1. When the ID individual information is received, the power ON/OFF control means turns on the power source of a main circuit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an object search and display system for performing individual identification using infrared rays.

  Conventionally, RFID (Radio Frequency) which attaches a tag (information card) to an article etc., reads information embedded in the radio tag by a radio tag detector, and discriminates the ID (Identification) code, owner, identity, etc. of the article Identification (individual identification by radio waves) tags are known and are currently used in a wide range of fields.

By the way, the RFID receiving side device (tag) includes an active tag (active tag) and a passive tag (passive tag). In other words, an active tag is an RFID tag with a built-in battery, and since it emits radio waves with its own power supply, the communication distance can be long (communication distance tens of meters), but on the other hand, the current consumption is tens of mA and the battery life is long. There is a problem that it is short (about one month) and more expensive than a passive tag.
On the other hand, a passive tag is an RFID tag that operates using radio waves from a tag reader as an energy source, and does not have a built-in battery. Therefore, communication does not become impossible due to the end of the battery life, but the communication distance is only a few centimeters.

In addition, in the conventional article retrieval apparatus using active tags using RFID, there is not much consideration for power saving on the RFID tag side (reception apparatus), and the battery of the reception apparatus is changed (every month). It is cumbersome and difficult to use.
Furthermore, since the electromagnetic waves used in the RFID tag cannot be transmitted, there is a problem that information on the object cannot be read accurately due to the presence of an obstacle.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and the object thereof is to search for an object that can quickly and accurately search for an object that enables long-distance wireless communication and power saving. And providing a display system.

  The present invention is attached to an input means for inputting individual information of an object, a transmitting device for transmitting ID individual information corresponding to the input individual information, and an object for receiving transmitted ID individual information. The object search and display system comprising: a receiving device, wherein the transmission device generates ID individual information of the object based on the input individual information of the object; Means for outputting the information as an infrared signal, and the receiving device acquires the ID individual information from the receiving means for receiving the infrared signal sent from the transmitting device and the received infrared signal, Information processing means for judging whether the ID individual information matches preset object specific information, display means for displaying that when it is judged to match, external light detection means, The power supply of the receiving device comprises a basic power supply for operation of the external light detection means, a sub power supply for operation of the reception means, and a main power supply for operation of the information processing means and the display means, The sub power supply is turned on when the external light detecting means detects external light, and the main power supply is turned on when the receiving means receives the infrared signal from the transmitting means. It is a display system.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to perform long-distance wireless communication and save power by using infrared rays.

It is a block diagram which shows typically the structure of the target object search and display system whole of this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a transmitter roughly. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a receiver roughly. FIG. 4A is a process flow diagram of the entire object search and display system of this embodiment. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the power supply control level in each stage.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the present invention will be described by taking an example of a system for finding a specific bottle kept in a bottle, a club, a tavern, or the like.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of the object search and display system of this embodiment.
The object search and display system includes a transmission device 1 including an input unit 4 for inputting individual bottle information, a reception device 2 that is a tag attached to the bottle, and a display unit 3 included in the reception device 2. It is made up.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the transmission apparatus 1.
The transmission device 1 includes the input unit 4, the central processing unit 5, a cache memory 7 that is a temporary memory for a buffer, a semiconductor memory 6 for storing a database such as an address, and infrared generation that generates an infrared code for individual ID information of an article Unit 8, a reception-side power control signal generation unit 9 that generates a reception start command that prompts the power-on of the receiving device 2, an infrared output unit 10 that outputs the ID individual information as an infrared signal, a signal line 11, a battery power unit 12, It consists of a power line 13 and the like.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the receiving apparatus 2.
The receiving device 2 includes an infrared receiving unit 14 that receives ID individual information and a search start command from the transmitting device 1, an optical sensor 16 that monitors external light, for example, a cadmium sulfide (Cds) cell, and a power source for the receiving device 2. The power supply ON, OFF control circuit 17, microcomputer 25 (the reception ID for storing the reception ID individual information constituting the microcomputer 25) Data memory unit 18, ID individual information is analyzed to compare the received ID data with the unique ID data of receiving device 2, ID data comparing / determining unit 19 for discriminating whether the two match or not, unique ID of the receiving device A receiving device unique ID data setting unit 20 for setting data, and when the ID data matches, for example, an LED or the like is displayed. It is composed of a display unit 3 constituted by optical elements, a solar cell panel 21 that is a power generation device that charges a battery, a solar cell charge control unit 23 that controls charging of power generated by the solar cell to a battery power source unit 22, and the like. Yes.
In addition, the display by the display unit is not limited to blinking of a light emitting element such as a light emitting element or a light bulb, but can be performed by changing a light emission color, by sound or voice, or by a specific operation of a movable body. By changing the way (for example, changing the color, changing the blinking pattern, etc.), it is possible to classify and display a plurality of objects.

  The optical sensor 16 detects when the periphery of the target object becomes bright due to, for example, a ceiling light, and the optical sensor 16 changes from the OFF state to the ON state, as described later, and further from the power ON / OFF control circuit 17. The power source of the first sub circuit (referred to as the first sub power source) is turned on. This is because when the target is a bottle, since the bottle is generally searched within the business hours of the store, the first sub power supply is turned on by detecting that the surroundings are brightened by the store lighting. On the other hand, when the surroundings become dark due to turning off, it is generally out of business, so it is reasonable to suppress battery consumption by turning off the first sub power supply.

  In FIG. 3, the broken lines indicate the first to third stage power control ranges, the first stage power control range includes the optical sensor 16 and the power ON / OFF control circuit 17, and the second stage power control range includes the infrared receiver 14. In addition, the third stage power control range includes elements such as the microprocessor 25 constituting the main circuit.

  That is, the optical sensor 16 constantly monitors external light with the basic power supply, and turns on the first sub power supply of the receiving device 2 when detecting external light such as illumination. When the first sub power supply is turned on, the infrared power receiving section 14 is in an operating state (controlled so as to be periodically turned on and off) by the power on / off control circuit. When the reception command from 1 is received, the power supply of the second sub-circuit (referred to as the second sub-power supply) is turned on, and when the individual ID information is received from the transmitter 1 in that state, the power supply of the main circuit (main power supply) ON).

FIG. 4A is a processing flowchart for explaining the processing procedure of the object search and display system of the present embodiment described above.
4A, first, in order to search for a designated target object, here a bottle, in the transmission apparatus 1, when individual information of the target object is input in the input unit 4 (FIG. 2) (S101), the individual information is stored in the central processing unit 5. (S102). The central processing unit 5 searches the ID individual information corresponding to the preset individual information from the database in the semiconductor memory 6 (S103). Next, the ID individual information infrared generation unit 8 generates an infrared code corresponding to the searched ID individual information (S104), and the reception side power control signal generation unit 9 receives the reception side power control signal (reception start command). And preparing to transmit the reception start command to the receiving device 2 (S105). Then, a reception start command is output by infrared rays (S106), and ID individual information is also output by infrared rays (S107).

On the other hand, in the external light monitoring state, the receiving device 2 turns off the first and second sub-power supplies and the main power supply, and turns on the minimum basic power supply for operating the optical sensor 16, the power supply ON, and the standby state of the OFF control circuit 17. Only the power at is supplied.
In this state, when the izakaya is opened, the lighting is turned on, and when the light sensor 16 detects the lighting, the first sub power supply is turned on (S201), and the power supply ON / OFF control circuit 17 of the receiving device 2 is turned on. Is supplied, and power is supplied to the infrared receiver 14 at regular intervals. That is, the receiving apparatus 2 moves to the first stage and waits for a reception start command from the transmitting apparatus 1 (S202).

In this first stage, when a reception start command (infrared signal) is received from the transmission apparatus 1 in step S106, the power ON / OFF control circuit 17 causes the second sub power supply (ID individual information waiting circuit power supply of the reception apparatus 2). Is turned on, the receiving apparatus 2 proceeds to the second stage, and waits for transmission of individual ID information (S203).
In the second stage, when the individual ID information of the object (bottle) is received in step S107, the main circuit is turned on by the power ON / OFF control circuit 17, thereby the received ID data memory unit 18, the ID data. Power is supplied to the comparison / determination unit 19 and the display unit 3. When the main power is turned on, the receiving device 2 obtains the received ID data from the infrared data of the ID individual information sent from the transmitting device 1, stores it in the received ID data memory unit 18, and receives the received data. The ID data and the ID data comparison / discrimination unit 19 compare the reception device unique ID data set in the reception device unique ID data setting unit 20 in advance to compare and determine whether or not the respective ID data match ( S204).

Here, when it is determined that the received ID data matches the receiving device unique ID data, only the LED of the display unit 4 of the matching receiving device lights or blinks (S205).
The user of the transmission apparatus 1 visually confirms the display unit 3 of the reception apparatus 2 to confirm the target bottle (S108), and outputs a reception apparatus power OFF command from the transmission apparatus 1 after confirmation (S109). On the other hand, the receiving apparatus 2 that has received the power OFF command leaves only the driving power (basic power) of the optical sensor 16 and turns off the power of the receiving apparatus, and shifts to the external light monitoring state (S206). As a result, the object search and display system returns to the input state of the individual information at the input unit 4 in step S101, where preparation for the search for the next object can be made.

FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the power control level in each of the above stages. In the external light monitoring state, only the basic power source for operating the optical sensor 16 is supplied, and the current consumption is suppressed to 0.2 mA or less. Here, when the optical sensor 16 detects external light, only the first sub power supply is turned on, and the process proceeds to the first stage. In this first stage, the power ON / OFF control circuit 17 is operated, the infrared receiver 14 is operated at a constant period, and a standby state for a reception start command is entered.
When the infrared receiving unit 14 receives a reception start command from the transmission device 1, the second sub power supply is turned on, the current consumption is suppressed to 1 mA or less, and a transition is made to a standby state for ID individual information from the transmission device 1.

When the receiving device 2 receives the individual ID information of the object from the transmitting device 1, the power ON / OFF control circuit 17 turns on the main power.
In this embodiment, the current used at that time is suppressed to about 2 mA or less, and the display unit 3 is lit or blinked for a few seconds in order to display the coincidence of ID. .

According to the present embodiment, as described above, the main power supply of the receiving device 2 is turned off except when searching for an object, so that unnecessary current consumption can be reduced.
Further, in order to further reduce current consumption, the microcomputer 25 can be provided with a sleep mode.

When the microcomputer having the sleep mode is used, the current consumption can be suppressed to 0.5 mA or less by setting the microcomputer to the sleep mode in the first stage and the second stage. In the third stage, the microcomputer is changed from the sleep mode to the normal mode, and it is determined whether or not the received reception ID data is a reception device individual ID. Processing to display on the object display unit 3 is performed.
Further, when a microcomputer having a sleep mode is used, the optical sensor 16 and the infrared receiver 14 are turned on and off at regular intervals by the power ON / OFF control circuit 17 (FIG. 3) in the receiver 2. Thus, current consumption can be suppressed.

  A broken line in FIG. 4B represents a power supply control level when a microcomputer having a sleep mode is used. As shown in the figure, the power consumption can be further suppressed by setting the microcomputer in the sleep mode in the first stage and the second stage.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the driving power source of the receiving device includes the first and second sub power sources and the main power source in addition to the basic power source that is the optical sensor driving power source. By sequentially turning it on in three stages, the current of the receiving device 2, which has consumed current of several tens of mA, can be suppressed to several mA, and the battery life can be extended ten times or more than the conventional one.

As described above, the present invention has been described by taking the bottle keep bottle search and display system as an example in clubs and taverns, but the present invention is not limited to this and is applied to search and confirmation of other objects. can do.
For example, for personal use and management use, it can be used for a bicycle search and a system for searching for a bicycle (vehicle) in a bicycle parking lot or a parking lot and a vehicle that can be expected to have a crime prevention effect.
It can be used as a grazing animal search management system that enables searching for grazing cattle and the like, for example, searching for individual information based on problems such as recent BSE (mad cow disease).
It can be used for an object search and display system in which the LED issue color of the object display unit is used to search for an item of a specific size at a store or the like, and a product number is indicated at a home center to notify the position.
It is possible to provide a new way of enjoying with a new system that allows you to instantly find and taste the wine you want to drink from a list of vintage wine prices and production areas.

In addition, when a visually impaired person searches for a guidance system such as a course guidance guide, the position is determined by instructing the search object from the transmitting device and emitting a sound from the receiving device attached to the object in advance. It can also be used for sound source identification systems such as informing the user.
In the object search and display system of the above-described embodiment, in addition to the matters described in the section of the effect of the present invention, the object can be searched quickly and accurately, and the waiting time until the object is found. Various services such as the elimination of irritation due to progress and the labor saving until the object search can be improved.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Transmission apparatus, 2 ... Reception apparatus, 3 ... Display part, 4 ... Input part, 5 ... Central processing part, 6 ... Semiconductor memory, 7 ... Cache memory, 8: Infrared generation unit for ID individual information, 9: Reception-side power control signal generation unit, 10 ... Infrared output unit, 11, 15 ... Signal line, 12 ... Battery power supply unit, 13 ... Power line, 14 ... Infrared receiver, 16 ... Optical sensor, 17 ... Power ON, OFF control circuit, 18 ... Received ID data memory unit, 19 ... ID data comparison Discriminating unit, 20... Receiving device unique ID data setting unit, 21... Solar cell panel, 22... Battery power source unit, 23.

Claims (9)

An input means for inputting the individual information of the object; a transmitting apparatus for transmitting the ID individual information corresponding to the input individual information; a receiving apparatus attached to the object for receiving the transmitted ID individual information; A search and display system for an object having
The transmitting device includes means for creating ID individual information of the object based on the input individual information of the object, and means for outputting the created ID individual information as an infrared signal,
The receiving device receives the infrared signal transmitted from the transmitting device, acquires individual ID information from the received infrared signal, and acquires the acquired individual ID information and preset object-specific information. Information processing means for determining whether or not they match, display means for displaying that when it is determined to match, and external light detection means,
The power supply of the receiving device comprises a basic power supply for operation of the external light detection means, a sub power supply for operation of the reception means, and a main power supply for operation of the information processing means and display means,
The sub power supply is turned on when the external light detecting means detects external light, and the main power supply is turned on when the receiving means receives the infrared signal from the transmitting means. And display system. The object search and display system according to claim 1,
The transmission device includes a reception-side power control signal generation unit and a unit that transmits the reception-side power control signal.
The sub power source of the receiving device includes a first sub power source and a second sub power source,
When the external light detecting means detects external light, the first sub power supply is turned on. When the first sub power supply is on and the receiving means receives the receiving power control signal, the second sub power supply is turned on. The object search and display system is characterized in that the sub power supply of is turned on. In the object search and display system according to claim 2,
The receiving apparatus has power ON / OFF control means, and the power ON / OFF control means turns on the second sub power supply when receiving the receiving power control signal from the transmitting apparatus, An object retrieval and display system, wherein when the ID individual information is received from the transmission device in a power-on state, the main power source is switched on. The object search and display system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The object retrieval and display system, wherein the information processing means is a microprocessor. The object search and display system according to claim 4,
The microprocessor includes a reception ID data memory unit, a reception ID data and a preset reception device unique ID data, a determination unit that determines a match / mismatch, and a setting unit that sets the reception device unique ID data. An object search and display system characterized by the above. The object search and display system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The receiving apparatus includes a power generation means capable of generating electric power with room light and a power storage means for storing the generated electric power. The object search and display system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The object searching and displaying system, wherein the input means of the transmitting device includes voice identification means. The object search and display system according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The object search and display system, wherein the display device is any device capable of recognizing an object by visual display, sound or voice output. The object search and display system according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The object retrieval and display system, wherein the receiving means is a wireless tag attached to the object.

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