JP2013057145A - Extendable magnetic field antenna and rfid glove mounted with the extendable magnetic field antenna - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an RFID glove with which near field communication with an RFID storage medium is allowed at a plurality of parts of the glove, high workability or applicability is provided at low cost, and further safety is provided.SOLUTION: An induction coil 11 resonated with a carrier wave from an electromagnetic induction RFID reader/writer device, and one or more loop coils 12-15 for near field communication with the RFID storage medium, are formed on one continuous conductive line 2, and a resonance control capacitor 16 is connected to both ends of the induction coil. The induction coil 11 is disposed at a part of the back or wrist of the glove 1, the loop coils 12-15 are disposed at a plurality of positions including the palm or fingertips on the palm side of the glove 1, an antenna of the electromagnetic induction RFID reader/writer device 3 is laid on the induction coil 11, and near field communication with the RFID storage medium near the loop coils 12-15 is allowed.

Description

The present invention relates to a magnetic field extension antenna that can be used as a radio antenna and a glove for RFID recognition equipped with a magnetic field extension antenna.

RFID storage media capable of transmitting and receiving information without contact are used not only in the distribution field such as inventory management of products, but also in various fields such as security and business management of manufacturing processes. As one of the reader / writers that perform data communication with this RFID chip wirelessly, the handy type reader / writer is easy to carry and can work in a wide range of areas, while blocking one or both hands of the user. Therefore, there was a problem in terms of work efficiency. As a countermeasure, a hands-free type reader / writer has recently been proposed by integrating the reader / writer antenna with a work glove. Thus, the operator can transmit and receive radio signals while performing other operations by wearing gloves without holding a handy type reader / writer in one hand.

JP 2002-347937 JP2007-233737 JP2007-233738 Patent 3773943

However, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the antenna and the reader / writer are separated into a glove and another body part (such as the waist), the cable wiring may be hindered during use and during attachment / detachment. Lack.

On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, since the antenna and the reader / writer are integrated and installed on the back of the hand, convenience is greatly improved. However, since recognition is performed through the hand that is a part of the human body, the recognition performance is degraded. It becomes a problem and lacks practicality. In addition, since the antenna and the reader / writer are connected in a wired manner, there is a risk that when the electric leakage or short-circuit occurs, the current continues to flow through the antenna wire and the reader side is overloaded, causing burnout or fire.

On the other hand, in Patent Document 3, the recognition performance is improved without disturbing the operation by shifting the antenna to the palm side. Further, in Patent Document 4, an antenna is installed on the palm of five fingers and the palm so that the system can be reliably recognized. However, since the antenna and the reader / writer are integrated and installed in the glove, it is not practical because repair or replacement costs increase when the glove is broken or the antenna is disconnected. In addition, since multiple electromagnetic induction type RFID reader / writer devices are used simultaneously at close distances, communication with the RFID storage medium is hindered by mutual interference, so the configuration circuit is complicated, such as synchronizing all readers. It lacks practicality.

In a non-contact communication system that performs non-contact transmission / reception of information between an RFID storage medium and an electromagnetic induction type RFID reader / writer device, a resonance adjusting capacitor is connected to both ends of a non-powered induction coil, and both ends of the induction coil are connected. Two or more loop coils are formed on one continuous conductive line connected to the antenna, the loop coils are arranged at a predetermined position away from the induction coil, and the reader / writer device is connected to the antenna of the reader / writer device. By non-contact arrangement so as to overlap the induction coil, non-contact communication with the RFID storage medium is possible at a plurality of locations where the loop coil is arranged using a single reader / writer device. And

The induction coil of the magnetic field extension type antenna is arranged on the back or wrist of the glove, a plurality of loop coils are arranged on a predetermined part such as the palm or fingertip of the glove, and the antenna of the electromagnetic induction type RFID reader / writer device is the above-mentioned antenna of the reader / writer device. By non-contact arrangement so as to overlap the induction coil, non-contact communication with the RFID storage medium is possible at a plurality of locations where the loop coil is arranged using a single reader / writer device. And

Place two or more loop coils on the thumb and other fingers, and reverse the winding direction of the loop coils placed on the thumb and other fingers, so that the RFID storage medium can be used with the thumb and other fingers. It is characterized in that RFID can be recognized when held.

RFID storage medium with only one continuous conductive line by adjusting the resonance frequency by appropriately setting the number of loop coils, the number of windings of the induction coil and the loop coil, the circumferential length, and the total length of the conductive lines And the electromagnetic induction type RFID reader / writer device is characterized in that information is transmitted and received in a non-contact manner.

Use RFID recognition gloves to acquire RFID storage medium information without interrupting work, transmit information about this RFID storage medium wirelessly or store it in memory, and then transfer the information to manage work processes It is characterized by that.

  The present invention provides a non-contact communication system in which information is transmitted and received in a non-contact manner between an RFID storage medium and an electromagnetic induction type RFID reader / writer device by using a magnetic field extension antenna having the above-described configuration. It can be recognized in a wide area by one electromagnetic induction type RFID reader / writer without causing any trouble in communication with the RFID storage medium due to mutual interference.

  In addition, the induction coil of the magnetic field extension type antenna is arranged on the back or wrist of the glove, the plurality of loop coils are arranged on a predetermined part such as the palm or fingertip of the glove, and the electromagnetic induction type RFID reader / writer device is an antenna of the reader / writer device. Can be used as an RFID recognition glove capable of recognizing an RFID storage medium at a plurality of locations of a hand using a single reader / writer device.

The induction coil and loop coil that constitute the magnetic field extension antenna function by receiving a high-frequency magnetic field of a carrier wave output from the electromagnetic induction RFID reader / writer in a non-contact state without power supply. No terminals, cables, or connectors are required to connect the RFID reader / writer. Therefore, the magnetic field extension type antenna and the electromagnetic induction type RFID reader / writer can be individually insulated and waterproofed. In particular, in the case of a magnetic field extension type antenna, the joint portion can be completely sealed with a film such as rubber or resin, so that it is easy to insulate and waterproof. Since the electromagnetic induction type RFID reader / writer also has a built-in battery and wireless communication device and does not require a terminal for external connection, the waterproof structure of the housing can be easily enhanced. It is an RFID recognition glove that can be used even in places where there is a high possibility of getting wet, such as outdoors.

Generally, in an electromagnetic induction type RFID reader / writer device, a high voltage of several tens to several hundreds of volts is generated in an antenna circuit, and even if a part of the antenna circuit causes a leakage or a short circuit, Power continues to be supplied. For this reason, there is a danger of shock or burns to the human body when a part of the circuit causes a short circuit or short circuit during work, and an excessive current continues to flow through the antenna circuit, causing the reader / writer device to overload. Therefore, there is a high risk of causing heat generation, burning, and ignition.
The magnetic field extension type antenna of the present invention converts a high frequency magnetic field generated by the antenna of the electromagnetic induction type RFID reader / writer device into a high frequency magnetic field that is output from the electromagnetic induction type RFID reader / writer device by a resonance circuit when the induction coil receives it in a non-contact manner. A high induced electromotive voltage is generated by tuning. For this reason, when a part of the conductive line of the magnetic field extension antenna comes into contact with the human body or is short-circuited, the capacitance of the magnetic field extension antenna instantaneously changes, and the resonance frequency of the resonance coil changes. The induced electromotive voltage generated in the conductive line is greatly reduced. As a result, there is no risk of damaging the human body, such as shocks or burns, even when the conductive line is leaked or short-circuited. In addition, the risk of overloading the RFID reader / writer that is driven in a non-contact manner can be avoided. By incorporating the magnetic field extension type antenna into the work gloves, even in work environments where there is a high possibility of getting wet, such as outdoors. An RFID recognition glove that can be safely operated.

When a magnetic field extension antenna is incorporated into a glove, not only the gloves themselves are damaged and soiled by the work, but also the conductive line of the magnetic field extension antenna is broken, insulated, and waterproof due to wear, bending fatigue, physical shock, etc. However, since the magnetic field extension type antenna and the electromagnetic induction type RFID reader / writer are non-contact, the magnetic field extension type antenna and the electromagnetic induction type RFID reader / writer can be easily attached and detached, Only gloves with an extended antenna can be easily replaced. In addition, the glove with the magnetic field extension antenna itself does not require a complicated circuit and can be manufactured at low cost, and is excellent in maintainability.

Since a plurality of loop coils formed by one continuous conductive line are installed on the abdominal part of the finger and the palm of the tip from the first joint part of the glove, there is little bending during normal work and excellent durability. Also, since the RFID storage medium is recognized by a plurality of loop coils, it is possible to recognize a wide range of areas compared to the case of the electromagnetic induction type RFID reader antenna alone, and no operation for recognizing the RFID storage medium is required. In addition, since the RFID storage medium is installed at the position where the hand moves during the work, the work efficiency can be prevented from being lowered because it can be recognized unconsciously.

Magnetic flux generated from the loop coil placed on each finger when the thumb and other finger belly parts are put together by reversing the winding direction of the loop coil composed of conductive lines placed on the thumb and other fingers Since they work in the direction of emphasizing each other, even when the RFID storage medium is held by a fingertip, it can be used as an RFID recognition glove that can recognize the RFID storage medium. Conversely, if the winding direction of the loop coil composed of conductive lines placed on the thumb and other fingers is the same, the loop placed on each finger when the thumb and other finger belly parts are combined Since the magnetic flux generated from the coils cancels out, it can be used as an RFID recognition glove that does not recognize the RFID storage medium when the RFID storage medium is held by a fingertip.

The conductive line that constitutes the magnetic field extension type antenna is a loop coil that uses an electrical resistance of 0.01 to 1 Ω / m, an outer diameter of 0.01 to 1 mm and an insulated surface, and is composed of a conductive line. The number of turns of the coil is 2 times or more, and the circumference of the coil of the conductive wire forming each coil part is 10 mm or more and 300 mm or less, so that the electromagnetic wave is efficiently transmitted from the electromagnetic induction type RFID reader antenna via the loop coil. By being able to propagate well, it can be used as an RFID recognition glove that can be recognized simultaneously by a plurality of fingers and palms.

When the outer diameter of the conductive line is in the range of 0.01 to 1 mm, it is easy to bend, there is almost no sense of incongruity when working with gloves, and it has excellent durability in the bent state equivalent to hand bending. can get.

If an RFID recognition glove is used, information on the RFID storage medium can be acquired without interrupting the work. In addition, the RFID information is transmitted wirelessly such as Bluetooth, wireless LAN, mobile phone, etc., or the data is stored in various media, and the information is transferred after the work is completed to manage various work processes. Can do.

Schematic plan view of the embodiment according to the present invention (front view, back view) The conceptual diagram which shows arrangement | positioning of the glove of this invention, the loop coil (back of the hand) which consists of an electroconductive line, and RFID reader-writer Enlarged view of the loop coil used in the embodiment Enlarged view of the loop coil that can be recognized when the RFID storage medium is grasped with the thumb and other fingers Recognition test result of container gripping action by RFID recognition gloves Schematic diagram of a system that can manage work conditions with gloves Configuration diagram of system elements for managing farming information using gloves of the present invention The figure which shows the PDA screen display content of a medicine item display part The figure which shows the screen display content of the work history display part of farming information DB The figure which shows the printing contents of the crop cultivation management performance form printing part of farming information DB

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail. The embodiments described below are preferable specific examples for carrying out the present invention, and thus various technical limitations are made. However, the present invention particularly limits the present invention in the following description. Unless otherwise specified, the present invention is not limited to these forms.

FIG. 1 shows that a plurality of loop coils formed by one continuous conductive line are arranged on the tip of a predetermined finger of a glove, the palm and the back of the hand, and electromagnetic induction is conducted in a non-conductive state with the loop coil arranged on the back of the hand. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of an RFID recognition glove in which a type RFID reader / writer is installed and an RFID storage medium can be recognized at a plurality of hands by one reader.

The plurality of loop coils include an induction coil that receives electromagnetic waves from an electromagnetic induction RFID reader / writer in a non-conductive state and one or more loop coils that communicate with the RFID storage medium. Although the induction coil is installed on the back of the hand, it may be installed on a place other than the back of the hand as long as it does not interfere with various operations.
The loop coil is preferably installed at the position of the abdomen at the tip from the palm and the first joint of the finger, and it is suitable to install at least two locations of the thumb, middle finger or index finger.

As a method for mounting the conductive line on the glove, there are a fixing method by sewing, a fixing method by an adhesive, and a fixing method by an adhesive. Further, these fixing methods may be combined, and furthermore, if the fixing method is such that the conductive line does not peel or fall off from the gloves without interfering with the work in various operations with general gloves. Other methods may be used.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an LC resonance circuit for matching the communication frequency with the induction coil, loop coil, and electromagnetic induction RFID reader / writer formed by one continuous conductive line used in the embodiment of FIG. The resonance frequency is set to 13.56 MHz by changing the configuration of the LC resonance circuit in accordance with the electric resistance and length of the conductive lines constituting the induction coil and the loop coil. When the electrical resistance and length of the conductive line correspond to the resonance frequency of 13.56 MHz, it is possible to configure only the induction coil and the loop coil formed by one continuous conductive line.

The conductive line uses a tin-plated annealed copper stranded wire (Hitachi Cable UL10625) with a conductor outer diameter of 0.24 mm and an electrical resistance of 0.597 Ω / m. However, the outer diameter of the conductive material of the conductive line is used. It may be in a range of 0.01 to 1 mm, preferably in a range of 0.05 to 0.5 mm, from the viewpoint of bending durability and ease of handling. When the outer diameter is smaller than 0.01 mm, the strength is low, so there is a case where the outer diameter is broken, and the durability is low. Also, when the outer diameter is larger than 1 mm, the bending resistance at the time of bending is high, so that it is hard and inferior in handling when installed on a glove.

The conductive line may be either a single wire or a bundle of a plurality of single wires, but from the bending durability at the time of use, a material in which three or more conductive wires are bundled by a method such as twisting, or a synthetic fiber A material in which a plurality of conductive wires are spirally wound around the core is preferable. When a conductive line is formed by bundling or twisting a plurality of conductive materials, the outer diameter of the conductive line is 0.01 to 1 mm even when the outer diameter of the conductive material is smaller than 0.01 mm. If the outer diameter of the conductive line is larger than 1 mm, it is not preferable even if the outer diameter of the conductive material is 1 mm or less.

Conductive materials for conductive lines include single metals such as copper, silver, and aluminum, or alloys that combine multiple metals such as copper alloys and stainless steel, as well as those coated with metal by tin plating, etc., non-conductive materials There is a composite material that exhibits conductivity by plating or impregnating an electrically conductive material, but any conductive material having an electrical resistance in the range of 0.01 to 10 Ω / m, preferably 0.01 to 1 Ω / m. The range of m is good.

Three loop coils of four turns shown in FIG. 3 (a; circumference 724 mm, b; circumference length 254.5 mm, c; circumference length 90 mm, d; circumference length 80 mm) are prepared. (Loop coil a), thumb (loop coil c), index finger and ring finger (loop coil d), and palm (loop coil b) were placed on synthetic leather gloves. The RFID reader used ASI4400 manufactured by Art Technology, and was placed in an electrically insulated state overlapping the coil on the back of the hand.

Since the allowable area differs depending on the place where each loop coil is installed, such as the palm or fingertip, the loop coil may have a different coil size. The number of loop coils is preferably 10 or less so that the recognition distance and the recognition area of each loop coil do not decrease greatly. The number of coil turns of the loop coil may be any number that can generate electromagnetic waves, but is preferably in the range of 2 to 10 times from the strength of the generated magnetic flux and the flexibility of the loop coil arrangement portion.

The number of turns of the induction coil should be equal to or greater than that of other coils. In addition, the induction coil is provided with an LC resonance circuit for matching the communication frequency of the electromagnetic induction type RFID reader antenna. In FIG. 3, an LC resonance circuit is configured by installing a capacitor so as to match the frequency of 13.56 MHz of the electromagnetic induction type RFID reader antenna (ASI4400 manufactured by Art Technology).

Wearing the gloves shown in FIG. 1, the coin type IC tag (TG-P47612-N manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.) and the card type (85.6 mm × 54.0 mm) IC tag (manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.) having an HF band outer diameter of 10 mm. When IC-P47631) is brought close to the palm, thumb, and index finger, the IC tag can be recognized at a distance of 10 mm or less at any position, and it is confirmed that the glove of the present invention has a performance as an RFID recognition glove. did it.

When the glove of Example 1 with the loop coil of FIG. 3 was attached to the hand and the coin-type IC tag was held with the thumb and index finger, the IC tag could not be recognized. On the other hand, when the glove of Example 2 using the loop coil of FIG. 4 was worn on the hand and the coin-type IC tag was similarly held with the thumb and index finger, 100% recognition was possible.
It can be used as an RFID recognition glove that can recognize the state in which the IC tag is held by the finger by controlling the winding direction of the loop coil formed by the conductive line placed on the thumb and other fingers.

A test was conducted in which a coin tag (Φ = 10 mm) was placed on a resin container, the gloves of FIG. FIG. 5 shows the test results of a plurality of men (seven people). In any case, the coin tag is recognized when the container is grasped, and it is understood that the movement of grasping the container can be measured by wearing this glove.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a system configuration capable of managing work states with gloves, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a data flow.
The signal obtained by the RFID recognition glove is sent to the RFID reader / writer by electromagnetic coupling, and is sent from the communication unit of the RFID communication control unit shown in FIG. 6 to the database software by the wireless LAN via the mounted PDA by Bluetooth. Therefore, the work state is determined and registered.
The communication means from the glove to the PDA may be a wireless LAN other than Bluetooth. In addition to the PDA, the means for transmitting information from the gloves to the database software is a wireless means such as a portable personal computer or a mobile phone, transmission from the communication unit of the RFID communication control unit directly to the database software, and further to the RFID communication control unit. Any method may be used as long as data is once stored in a storage medium such as a memory and then transferred.

As actual work examples, agrochemical bottles (A and B), plastic containers, scales, watering cans, water taps, coin-type and card-type IC tags are installed at the entrances and exits of plastic greenhouses, and RFID recognition gloves are attached. Agricultural chemicals were sprayed in the greenhouse. As a result, when transferring pesticides from pesticide bottles (A) to plastic containers, the usage logs for “Agricultural chemical bottles (A)”, “Scales”, and “Plastic containers” are recorded, diluted and sprayed in the greenhouse. When working, farming is carried out automatically by wearing RFID-recognized gloves, such as the usage logs of “plastic containers”, “water faucets”, “watering cans”, and “greenhouse entrances”. I knew I could record the situation.
In addition, since RFID-recognized gloves have good workability, it has been found that there is no problem in workability compared to the case of using normal gloves.

As an example of system operation, pesticide A is sprayed in a greenhouse, and examples of information output at that time are shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 9, and FIG. Tag histories collected by RFID recognition gloves while performing farm work are sent to the farm management DB via the PDA. If you want to check detailed information about pesticide A at the spray site, or if you want to check the work history, you can use the PDA to obtain the necessary information from the farming DB and check it on the inquiry screen (Figure 8). . The work log for one day stored in the farming DB is determined by comparing with the log pattern of the work pattern recording unit, and is stored in the farming DB as a work record. It is also possible to edit the spraying purpose, usage amount, and unit of the pesticide A for the memorized results. The work results can be confirmed on the work history inquiry screen (Fig. 9), and the records of crop cultivation can be printed as a cultivation management results form (Fig. 10). You can also

In addition to agricultural chemical spraying and fertilizer spraying, it is a system suitable not only for agricultural relations such as harvesting and fruit selection work, but also for process management such as freezer and chemical processing, and various various types of fishery, various factories, distribution and service industries, etc. It can be seen that this system can collect information for work process management and efficiency improvement.

1 Gloves 2 Conductive line 3 RFID reader / writer 11 Inductive coil (back of hand)
12 Loop coil (palm)
13 Loop coil (thumb part)
14 Loop coil (forefinger)
15 Loop coil (ring finger)
16 Resonance adjustment capacitor 21 RFID storage medium 22 PDA
23 Wireless LAN communication access point 24 Farming information management DB server 25 Pesticide bottle 26 Pesticide sprayer 31 Reagent container (Φ = 40mm)
41 RFID communication control unit 42 Communication unit 43 of RFID communication control unit 43 Farming information storage unit 44 of PDA Drug item display unit 45 of PDA DB of farming DB server
46 Agricultural work pattern determination unit 47 of the farming DB server 47 Agricultural work pattern recording unit 48 of the farming DB server 48 Screen display unit 49 of the work history of the farming DB server 49 A form printing part of the crop cultivation management results of the farming DB server

Claims (5)

A magnetic field extension antenna used in a non-contact communication system that performs non-contact transmission / reception of information between an RFID storage medium and an electromagnetic induction type RFID reader / writer device, and includes a parasitic induction coil and both ends of the induction coil. The reader is provided with a connected resonance adjusting capacitor and one continuous conductive line connected to both ends of the induction coil, and two or more loop coils arranged at a predetermined position away from the induction coil, By arranging the writer device in a non-contact manner so that the antenna of the reader / writer device overlaps the induction coil, the reader / writer device can be used to connect the RFID storage medium and the RFID storage medium at a plurality of locations where the loop coil is arranged. Magnetic field extension type antenna characterized by enabling non-contact communication. The electromagnetic induction type in which the induction coil of the magnetic field extension antenna according to claim 1 is arranged in a contactless manner on the induction coil by incorporating a plurality of loop coils into a predetermined part of a glove such as the palm or fingertip of the hand. An RFID recognition glove characterized in that the RFID reader / writer device enables non-contact communication with an RFID storage medium at a plurality of parts of the glove in which the loop coil is arranged. Two or more loop coils are arranged on the thumb and other fingers, and the winding direction of the loop coils arranged on the thumb and other fingers is reversed, so that the RFID is used by the thumb and other fingers. The RFID recognition glove according to claim 2, wherein the RFID storage medium can be recognized when the storage medium is held. RFID storage medium with only one continuous conductive line by adjusting the resonance frequency by appropriately setting the number of loop coils, the number of windings of the induction coil and the loop coil, the circumferential length, and the total length of the conductive lines 4. The RFID recognition glove according to claim 2, wherein information can be transmitted and received in a non-contact manner between the electromagnetic induction type RFID reader / writer device. 5. Acquisition means for acquiring information relating to an RFID storage medium from the RFID recognition glove according to claim 2, storage means for saving information relating to the acquired RFID storage medium, and information relating to the stored RFID storage medium A work process management system comprising: a determination unit that determines a work pattern using a computer.