JP2013210892A - Information reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To decrease the possibility of mal-communication due to an interference of radio waves for reading information when reading information from the RF-ID media being conveyed at a predetermined pitch in plural columns on a conveyance path.SOLUTION: A structure to read information from IC tags 60 being conveyed at a predetermined pitch in five columns on a conveyance path 50 includes readers/writers 10a to 10e provided on every conveyance column for the IC tags 60 on the conveyance path 50 to read information from the IC tags 60 at a timing when the IC tags 60 are conveyed to a region where the IC tag faces the readers/writer. The readers/writers 10a to 10e are arranged displaced in a conveyance direction of the IC tags 60 with respect to the readers/writers on adjacent conveyance columns. A displacement amount of the readers/writers is not an integral multiple of the conveyance pitch of the IC tags 60.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information reading apparatus that reads information from an RF-ID medium, and more particularly, to an information reading apparatus that reads information from an RF-ID medium conveyed in a plurality of rows on a conveyance path at a predetermined pitch.

  In recent years, with the progress of the information society, information is recorded on a tag or label, and the tag or label is attached to a product or the like to manage the product or the like. In the management of products using such tags and labels, non-contact IC tags and non-contact IC labels equipped with ICs capable of writing and reading information in a non-contact state are used. Rapid spread due to excellent convenience.

  In RF-ID media such as non-contact type IC tags and non-contact type IC labels, information is read from the RF-ID media using radio waves by a reader / writer serving as an inspection unit before being shipped as a product. Thus, the inspection of non-defective / defective products is performed. At that time, when the RF-ID media are conveyed in a row, the information is read from the RF-ID media before and after the row or radio wave interference occurs. Communication failure may occur between the two.

  Therefore, in order to avoid reading information from the RF-ID media before and after the row when the RF-ID media are conveyed in a row, the RF-ID media to be read from the information is used. The shield member in which the hole part which only appears is used (for example, refer patent document 1).

  Here, in order to efficiently inspect the RF-ID media as described above, a method of inspecting while conveying the RF-ID media in a plurality of rows is employed.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for performing inspection while conveying RF-ID media in a plurality of rows.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when inspecting the IC tags 260 conveyed in five rows on the conveyance path 250, as described above, information is also obtained from the RF-ID media before and after the row. Two shield plates 240a and 240b are prepared so as not to be read. Then, by arranging the two shield plates 240a and 240b at an interval of one IC tag 260 in the conveyance direction of the IC tag 260, only one IC tag 260 is provided for each of the five rows. Information can be read.

JP 2003-168098 A

  However, in the method shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to avoid reading information from the IC tags 260 before and after the column, but when the output of the reader / writer that reads information from the IC tags 260 is large, When the number of reader / writers is large, information from the IC tag 260 in the adjacent row is also read, or interference occurs between radio waves read from the IC tag 260 in the adjacent row. Communication failure may occur between the writer and the RF-ID media.

  The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the conventional techniques as described above, and reads information from RF-ID media conveyed in a predetermined pitch in a plurality of rows on the conveyance path. In this case, an object of the present invention is to provide an information reading apparatus that can reduce the possibility of communication failure due to interference of radio waves for reading information.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
An information reading device that reads information from an RF-ID medium that is transported at a predetermined pitch in a plurality of rows on a transport path,
Provided for each transport row of the RF-ID media on the transport path, and having a reading unit that reads information from the RF-ID media at a timing when the RF-ID media has been transported to an opposing region,
The reading unit is arranged so as to be shifted in the transport direction of the RF-ID medium with respect to the reading unit corresponding to the adjacent transport row, and the shift amount is not an integral multiple of the pitch.

  In the present invention configured as described above, when the RF-ID media are transported at a predetermined pitch in a plurality of rows on the transport route, each RF-ID media transport row is transported on the transport route. In the provided reading means, information is read from the RF-ID medium at the timing when the RF-ID medium is conveyed to the opposite area. At this time, the reading means is arranged to be shifted in the RF-ID media transport direction with respect to the reading means corresponding to the adjacent transport row, and the shift amount is not an integral multiple of the pitch of the RF-ID media. Thus, in the reading means, information is read with respect to the RF-ID media in the adjacent transport row at a timing shifted from each other. As a result, radio wave interference is less likely to occur between adjacent transport rows, and the possibility of poor communication with the RF-ID media is reduced.

  Further, a radio wave interference is further reduced by interposing a shield member having a hole formed in a region facing the reading unit between the RF-ID medium conveyed on the conveying path and the reading unit. be able to.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, when reading information from the RF-ID media conveyed in a predetermined pitch in a plurality of rows on the conveyance path, the RF- With respect to the ID medium, information is read at a timing shifted from each other by the reading means, and thereby the possibility of communication failure due to interference of radio waves for reading information can be reduced.

  Further, in the case of having a shield member that is interposed between the RF-ID medium transported on the transport path and the reading unit and has a hole formed in a region facing the reading unit, the radio wave interference is further reduced. Can be reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the information reader of this invention, (a) is a figure which shows the whole structure, (b) is a hole formed in the shield plate shown in (a), and on a conveyance path | route. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship with the IC tag which is conveyed. It is a figure for demonstrating the detailed operation | movement of the information reading apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the reading timing of tag ID in the reader / writer shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the hole formed in the shield board in other embodiment of the information reader of this invention, and the IC tag conveyed on a conveyance path | route. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the hole formed in the shield board in other embodiment of the information reader of this invention, and the IC tag conveyed on a conveyance path | route. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the method of test | inspecting, conveying RF-ID media in multiple rows.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  1A and 1B are diagrams showing an embodiment of an information reading apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1A is a diagram showing the overall configuration, and FIG. 1B is a hole formed in a shield plate 40 shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the IC tag 60 conveyed on the conveyance path | route 50 and the parts 41a-41e.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1A, the IC tag 60 is inspected by reading information from the IC tag 60 that is an RF-ID medium transported on the transport path 50. Reader / writers 10a to 10e serving as reading means for reading information from the IC tag 60 are provided on the transport path 50 along which the IC tag 60 is transported, and the ICs transported on the transport path 50 are provided. Between the tag 60 and the reader / writers 10a to 10e, there is a shield plate 40 that serves as a shield member that shields radio waves and disables reading of information from the IC tag 60 in the reader / writers 10a to 10e. ing. The reader / writers 10 a to 10 e are connected to the control unit 30. A tag ID serving as identification information is written in the IC tag 60. The reader / writers 10a to 10e read the tag ID from the IC tag 60. A defective product is determined.

  In this embodiment, the IC tags 60 are transported at a predetermined pitch in five rows on the transport path 50. As shown in FIG. 1 (b), the shield plate 40 has holes 41a to 41e having such a size that only one IC tag 60 is exposed for every five transport rows of the IC tag 60. Is formed. The holes 41a to 41e are not formed in a line in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the IC tag 60 conveyed on the conveyance path 50, but are formed in holes corresponding to adjacent conveyance rows. On the other hand, the IC tag 60 is formed so as to be shifted in the transport direction of the IC tag 60 by 3.5 times the transport pitch of the IC tag 60. Specifically, the hole 41b is formed on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the IC tag 60 with respect to the hole 41a by being shifted by 3.5 times the conveyance pitch of the IC tag 60. The hole 41b is formed on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the IC tag 60 with a deviation of 3.5 times the conveyance pitch of the IC tag 60, and the hole 41d is different from the hole 41c in the IC tag 60. The hole 41e is formed on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the IC tag 60 by a deviation of 3.5 times the conveyance pitch of the IC tag 60, and the hole 41e is located downstream of the IC tag 60 in the conveyance direction with respect to the hole 41d. They are offset by 3.5 times the transport pitch. As a result, the three holes 41a, 41c, 41e that are every other one for the transport row of the IC tags 60 are formed side by side in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the IC tag 60, and the two holes 41b, 41d is also formed side by side in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the IC tag 60.

  Each of the reader / writers 10a to 10e is disposed so as to face the hole portions 41a to 41e. That is, the reader / writers 10a to 10e are arranged so as to be shifted from the reader / writer corresponding to the adjacent transport row by 3.5 times the transport pitch of the IC tag 60 in the transport direction of the IC tag 60. It will be. The reader / writers 10a to 10e read the tag ID from the IC tag 60 that has been transported to the area facing the holes 41a to 41e. Since the IC tag 60 conveyed to the area facing the holes 41a to 41e is exposed to the reader / writers 10a to 10e through the holes 41a to 41e, the reader / writers 10a to 10e Without being influenced by the shield plate 40, the tag ID can be read through the holes 41a to 41e from the IC tag 60 transported to the region facing the holes 41a to 41e.

  The control unit 30 controls the reading operation of the tag ID in the reader / writers 10a to 10e. The trigger sensor 20 is connected to the control unit 30, and the tag ID is read from the IC tag 60 by the reader / writers 10a to 10e based on the timing when the IC tag 60 is detected by the trigger sensor 20. Execute. That is, it can be said that the control unit 30 controls the timing at which the reader / writers 10a to 10e execute the tag ID reading operation.

  In the information reading apparatus configured as described above, the IC tags 60 are transported in five rows on the transport path 50, and the holes 41a to 41a formed in the shield plate 40 for each of the five rows. The tag ID is read from the IC tag 60 by the reader / writers 10a to 10e in the region facing the terminal 41e, and each of the holes 41a to 41e has one IC tag 60 for each conveyance row of the IC tag 60. Since the shield plate 40 is present in the periphery of each of the reader / writers 10a to 10e, each of the reader / writers 10a to 10e also has an IC tag 60 adjacent to the IC tag 60 to be read. Reading the tag ID is avoided. Further, the holes 41a to 41e are not all formed side by side in the direction orthogonal to the direction of conveyance of the IC tag 60 conveyed on the conveyance path 50, but the holes corresponding to the adjacent conveyance rows. On the other hand, the reader / writers 10a to 10e that are formed to be shifted in the transport direction of the IC tag 60 are orthogonal to the transport direction of the IC tag 60 that is transported on the transport path 50. Not all of them are arranged side by side in the direction, but are arranged so as to be shifted with respect to the reader / writer corresponding to the adjacent transport row, so that the information on the IC tag 60 is transferred between the adjacent reader / writers. Interference of radio waves for reading is less likely to occur.

  The detailed operation of the information reading apparatus described above will be described below.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the detailed operation of the information reading apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing tag ID reading timings in the reader / writers 10a to 10e shown in FIG. is there. In FIG. 2, the reader / writers 10a to 10e are not shown, but the reader / writers 10a to 10e are provided so as to face the holes 41a to 41e as described above.

  In the information reading apparatus shown in FIG. 1, as described above, the holes 41 a to 41 e of the shield plate 40 are disposed in the IC tag 60 conveyance direction with respect to the holes corresponding to the adjacent conveyance rows. The IC tag 60 is transported to a region facing the holes 41a, 41c, and 41e as shown in FIG. 2A because it is formed by being shifted by 3.5 times the transport pitch of 60. Then, the holes 41b and 41d are in a state in which one IC tag 60 is not exposed but straddles half of the two IC tags 60. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2B, in the state where the IC tag 60 has been transported to the area facing the holes 41b and 41d, the holes 41a, 41c and 41e are represented by one IC tag 60. It is in a state where it does not come out but straddles half of the two IC tags 60.

  In the control unit 30, for each of the reader / writers 10a to 10e, control is performed so that the tag ID is read from the IC tag 60 exposed from the opposed hole portions 41a to 41e.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, in the state S <b> 1 in which the IC tag 60 has been transported to the region facing the holes 41 a, 41 c, 41 e as shown in FIG. Control is performed to turn on the radio wave output from the reader / writers 10a, 10c, 10e facing the units 41a, 41c, 41e, and the tag ID reading operation is executed only by the reader / writers 10a, 10c, 10e. . The timing at which this radio wave output is turned on is that holes 41a, 41c and 41e are detected from the position where the IC tag 60 is detected by the trigger sensor 20 after the trigger sensor 20 detects the first IC tag 60 in the fifth row. Is controlled according to the timing according to the distance to the region where the Further, in the state S1 in which the IC tag 60 has been transported to the area facing the hole portions 41a, 41c, 41e, the hole portions 41b, 41d are not exposed by one IC tag 60, but two Since it is in a state where it lies over half of the IC tag 60, the radio wave output from the reader / writers 10b and 10d facing the holes 41b and 41d is OFF.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in the state S2 in which the IC tag 60 has been conveyed to the area facing the holes 41b and 41d as shown in FIG. , 41d is controlled to turn on the radio wave output from the reader / writers 10b, 10d, and the tag ID reading operation is executed only by the reader / writers 10b, 10d. The timing at which this radio wave output is turned on is such that the holes 41 b and 41 d are arranged from the position where the IC tag 60 is detected by the trigger sensor 20 after the trigger sensor 20 detects the first IC tag 60 in the fifth row. It is controlled according to the timing according to the distance to the area. Further, in the state S2 in which the IC tag 60 has been transported to the region facing the holes 41b and 41d, the holes 41a, 41c and 41e are not represented by one IC tag 60 but two Since it is in a state where it lies over half of the IC tag 60, the radio wave output from the reader / writers 10a, 10c, 10e facing the holes 41a, 41c, 41e is OFF.

  The above-described ON / OFF control of the radio wave output from the reader / writers 10a to 10e is repeatedly performed every time the IC tag 60 is transported to the area facing the holes 41a to 41e as shown in FIG. It will be.

  Thus, in the reader / writers 10a to 10e, the IC tag 60 is exposed at the timing when one IC tag 60 is exposed from the holes 41a to 41e facing the reader / writers 10a to 10e by the control of the control unit 30. The tag ID is read from 60, but the holes 41a to 41e and the reader / writers 10a to 10e are placed in the IC tag 60 transport direction with respect to the reader / writer and hole corresponding to the adjacent transport row. In the state where one IC tag 60 is exposed from the holes 41a to 41e and the tag ID is read by the reader / writers 10a to 10e, because it is shifted by 3.5 times the conveyance pitch of 60, One IC tag is not exposed from the hole corresponding to the conveyance row adjacent to the IC tag 60, and is controlled by the control unit 30. So that the tag ID is not read by the reader / writer. As a result, in the reader / writers 10a to 10e corresponding to the adjacent transport rows, the tag ID is read from the IC tag 60 at a timing shifted from each other, and radio wave interference is unlikely to occur between the adjacent transport rows. Thus, the possibility of communication failure with the RF-ID media is reduced. Note that the distance from when the IC tag 60 is detected by the trigger sensor 20 to when the IC tag 60 is transported to a region facing the holes 41a to 41e and the reading of the tag ID of the IC tag 60 is performed is the IC distance It can be set individually for each conveyance row of the tag 60, and it is also conceivable to provide a trigger sensor 20 for each conveyance row and shift the timing of reading the tag ID from the IC tag 60 for each conveyance row.

(Other embodiments)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the holes 41a to 41e formed in the shield plate 40 and the IC tag 60 conveyed on the conveyance path 150 in another embodiment of the information reading apparatus of the present invention. is there.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the pitch of the IC tag 60 is different from that shown in FIG. It is different in that it is twice as much. Thereby, in this embodiment, the holes 41a to 41e and the reader / writers 10a to 10e are placed in the IC tag 60 conveyance direction with respect to the reader / writer and the hole corresponding to the adjacent conveyance row. That is, it is shifted by 0.5 times the transport pitch.

  In the present embodiment, in a state where the IC tag 60 is being transported to the region facing the hole portions 41a, 41c, 41e, the IC tag 60 is not exposed from the hole portions 41b, 41d. The tag ID reading operation from the IC tag 60 is executed only by the reader / writer facing the parts 41a, 41c, 41e, and the tag ID from the IC tag 60 is read by the reader / writer facing the holes 41b, 41d. No read operation is performed. Further, in a state where the IC tag 60 has been transported to the region facing the hole portions 41b and 41d, the IC tag 60 is not exposed from the hole portions 41a, 41c and 41e. The reading operation of the tag ID from the IC tag 60 is executed only by the reader / writer facing 41d, and the reading operation of the tag ID from the IC tag 60 is performed by the reader / writer facing the holes 41a, 41c, 41e. Not executed.

  As described above, also in this embodiment, the reader / writer corresponding to the adjacent transport row reads the tag ID from the IC tag 60 at a timing shifted from each other, and the radio wave interference between the adjacent transport rows. Is less likely to occur, and the possibility of communication failure with the RF-ID media is reduced.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the holes 41a to 41e formed in the shield plate 140 and the IC tag 60 conveyed on the conveyance path 50 in another embodiment of the information reading apparatus of the present invention. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the present embodiment is different from that shown in FIG. 1 only in the arrangement of the holes 141 a to 141 e formed in the shield plate 140 corresponding to the conveying rows of the IC tags 60. . Specifically, the hole 141b is formed with a deviation of {2+ (1/3)} times the conveyance pitch of the IC tag 60 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the IC tag 60 with respect to the hole 141a. The hole 141c is formed to be shifted by {4+ (2/3)} times the conveyance pitch of the IC tag 60 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the IC tag 60 with respect to the hole 141b. The hole 141c is formed on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the IC tag 60 with a deviation of {2+ (1/3)} times the conveyance pitch of the IC tag 60. The hole 141e is formed with respect to the hole 141d. Thus, the IC tag 60 is formed downstream of the IC tag 60 in the transport direction by a deviation of {2+ (1/3)} times the IC tag 60 transport pitch. As a result, every three holes 141a and 141d in the transport row of the IC tags 60 are formed side by side in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the IC tag 60, and the two holes 141b and 141e are formed. Similarly, the IC tags 60 are formed side by side in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. Also in this embodiment, the reader / writer is arranged in a region corresponding to the holes 141a to 141e.

  In this embodiment, when only one IC tag 60 is exposed from the holes 141b and 141e, only one IC tag 60 is exposed from the holes 141a, 141c, and 141d. Thus, the reading operation of the tag ID from the IC tag 60 is executed only by the reader / writer that faces the holes 141b and 141e, and the reader / writer that faces the holes 141a, 141c, and 141d has an IC. The reading operation of the tag ID from the tag 60 is not executed. Further, in the state where only one IC tag 60 is exposed from the holes 141a and 141d, only one IC tag 60 is not exposed from the holes 141b, 141c and 141e. Thereby, the reading operation of the tag ID from the IC tag 60 is executed only by the reader / writer facing the hole portions 141a and 141d, and the reader / writer facing the hole portions 141b, 141c and 141e starts from the IC tag 60. No tag ID reading operation is performed. Further, in a state where only one IC tag 60 is exposed from the hole portion 141c, only one IC tag 60 is not exposed from the hole portions 141a, 141b, 141d, and 141e. Thereby, the reading operation of the tag ID from the IC tag 60 is executed only by the reader / writer opposed to the hole 141c, and the reader / writer opposed to the holes 141a, 141b, 141d, 141e from the IC tag 60. No tag ID reading operation is performed.

  As described above, also in this embodiment, the reader / writer corresponding to the adjacent transport row reads the tag ID from the IC tag 60 at a timing shifted from each other, and the radio wave interference between the adjacent transport rows. Is less likely to occur, and the possibility of communication failure with the RF-ID media is reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the IC tags 60 are transported in five rows on the transport path 50 has been described as an example. However, the IC tag 60 has a plurality of rows on the transport path 50. In this case, the above-described effects can be obtained by shifting the reader / writer corresponding to the adjacent transport row.

  Further, the deviation amount of the reader / writer corresponding to the adjacent conveyance row is not limited to the above. By adopting a configuration in which the shift amount is not an integral multiple, information is read from the IC tag 60 at a timing shifted from each other by the reader / writer corresponding to the adjacent transport row, so that radio wave interference for reading the information This can reduce the possibility of communication failure. However, as shown in the above-described embodiment, when the number of rows in which the holes are arranged in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the IC tag 60 is M, the amount of deviation is calculated as the conveyance pitch of the IC tag 60. If {integer + (1 / M)} times, radio wave interference between adjacent carrier rows can be efficiently reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the tag ID is read from the IC tag 60 for the inspection of the IC tag 60 has been described as an example. The present invention can be applied as long as the information written in the IC tag 60 is read from the IC tag 60.

  Further, the RF-ID media is not limited to the IC tag 60 but may be an IC label or the like. In the case of an IC label, the continuous release paper serves as a transport path, and the IC label is transported along with the transport of the release paper in a state where the IC label is detachably attached to the release paper.

10a to 10e Reader / Writer 20 Trigger sensor 30 Control unit 40, 140 Shield plate 41a to 41e, 141a to 141e Hole 50, 150 Transport path 60 IC tag

Claims (2)

An information reading device that reads information from an RF-ID medium that is transported at a predetermined pitch in a plurality of rows on a transport path,
Provided for each transport row of the RF-ID media on the transport path, and having a reading unit that reads information from the RF-ID media at a timing when the RF-ID media has been transported to an opposing region,
The information reading apparatus, wherein the reading unit is arranged to be shifted in the conveyance direction of the RF-ID medium with respect to the reading unit corresponding to the adjacent conveyance row, and the deviation amount is not an integral multiple of the pitch. The information reader according to claim 1,
An information reading apparatus comprising a shield member interposed between an RF-ID medium conveyed on the conveyance path and the reading unit and having a hole formed in a region facing the reading unit.

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